Pacific National - Western standard gauge
12 April 2021
Out on the Western standard gauge, from beyond Gheringhap across the plains towards South Australia
Pacific National broad gauge grain
12 April 2021
Grain is a major freight traffic in Victoria, but drought has cut the level of traffic in recent years. Trains operate on both broad and standard gauges, with the main destinations being export terminals at Melbourne and Geelong, as well as Portland, and a number of domestic flour mills
Melbourne rail replacement buses
11 April 2021
When the *%@! hits the fan on Melbourne's rail network, buses have to be called in to operate a replacement service for passengers.
Calder Park Sidings
10 April 2021
The train stabling yard at Calder Park is located north of Watergardens station. The first stage opened in December 2014 was a three road yard large enough to stable six 6-car trains, with a second stage adding another three sidings in 2015. As part of the High Capacity Metro Train project, a light maintenance facility is also being constructed at the site.
Melbourne suburban passenger information displays
8 April 2021
Next train displays at Melbourne suburban railway stations.
Metro Trains Melbourne - inner suburban
8 April 2021
Metro Trains Melbourne services in the inner suburban area, covering Flinders Street Station, Southern Cross Station, the City Loop, North Melbourne and Richmond.
Melbourne stations and infrastructure
8 April 2021
Photos of railway infrastructure in suburban Melbourne - stations, signals, and such
Melbourne suburban bits and pieces
8 April 2021
Photos of bits and pieces on and around Melbourne's suburban trains
Metro Trains Melbourne - Caulfield group
8 April 2021
Metro Trains Melbourne services on the Pakenham, Cranbourne, Frankston and Sandringham lines that make up the Caulfield group.
Failing rail infrastructure of Melbourne
8 April 2021
Melbourne's railway network is held together with bubblegum and duct tape - here are examples of the way that it is falling apart.
V/Line - Regional Rail Link
7 April 2021
V/Line trains using the new Regional Rail Link tracks that have progressively come into use since December 2013.
Metro Trains Melbourne - Northern group
7 April 2021
Metro Trains Melbourne services on the Werribee, Altona, Williamstown, Sunbury, Craigieburn and Upfield lines that make up the Northern group.
Poor service from V/Line
1 April 2021
Clutching failure from the jaws of success - that's the V/Line way.
Bikes at Melbourne stations
30 March 2021
Bike parking or lack thereof at Melbourne railway stations
Qube Logistics Apex quarry train
27 March 2021
The Apex train carries gravel and other quarry products from Kilmore East on the North East line, to Westall in south-eastern Melbourne, Brooklyn in western Melbourne, and North Shore in Geelong. Originally operated by Freight Australia then Pacific National, in 2016 Qube Logistics won the contract.
Pacific National Tocumwal freight
26 March 2021
Pacific National (formerly Patrick PortLink) operate a container service between Appleton Dock in Melbourne and Tocumwal, loading also being attached / removed at Mooroopna (Shepparton).
TPWS in suburban Melbourne
23 March 2021
Commencing in 2010 Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS) has been retrofitted to signals across suburban Melbourne.
Metro Trains Melbourne - Burnley group
23 March 2021
Metro Trains Melbourne services on the Belgrave, Lilydale, Alamein and Glen Waverley lines that make up the Burnley group.
Commercialising commuters
23 March 2021
For Melbourne's privatised public transport operators, they don't make money by moving people - they make money selling their captive audiences to advertisers and other commercial outfits.
Melbourne electric multiple unit interiors
23 March 2021
Interior views of Melbourne's electric multiple unit trains.
Southern Shorthaul Railroad works trains
23 March 2021
Since August 2019 Southern Shorthaul Railroad has been operating works trains on the Melbourne suburban rail network on behalf of Metro Trains Melbourne.
Long Island steel train
21 March 2021
The Long Island steel train serves the BHP mill at Hastings, south of Frankston. The steel is transferred from broad to standard gauge trains at the Melbourne Freight Terminal at South Dynon. In 2015 this facility replaced the Melbourne Steel Terminal, just west of North Melbourne station.
North Dynon
21 March 2021
Located between the main passenger lines at South Kensington and Dynon Roads, along with Moonee Ponds Creek and the Maribyrnong River, the North Dynon precinct includes the Agents Sidings and the P&O Trans Australia container terminal at 'T' gate.
South Dynon
21 March 2021
Located between Dynon and Footscray Roads, alongside Moonee Ponds Creek and the Maribyrnong River, the South Dynon precinct includes the Pacific National operated Melbourne Freight Terminal and Melbourne Operations Terminal
V/Line to Bacchus Marsh
18 March 2021
Photos of the V/Line services that run to Bacchus Marsh, taken between there and the end of the wires back at Sunshine. As well as boring old VLocities and Sprinters, loco hauled trains with A, P and N classes are also used in peak times.
IEV100 track evaluation vehicle
17 March 2021
Formerly known as EM100, IEV100 is a track evaluation vehicle that traverses the Victorian railway network to test track quality. Diesel powered, it has both standard and broad gauge bogies.
Cranbourne Line Upgrade project
14 March 2021
The Cranbourne Line Upgrade project is removing level crossings at Evans Road, Lyndhurst and Greens Road, Dandenong South, duplicating 8 kilometres of single track between Dandenong and Cranbourne, and rebuilding the station at Merinda Park.
Southern Cross Station
10 March 2021
Southern Cross Station is the main interstate and regional station for Melbourne. The full set of photos is at my other site, Rail Geelong.
Failing infrastructure at Southern Cross Station
10 March 2021
Southern Cross Station was only finished a decade ago, but the building is already starting to fall apart
V/Line at Southern Cross Station
10 March 2021
Southern Cross Station is the main hub of V/Line passenger services from around the state
V/Line workshops, yards and shunting
10 March 2021
Pictures of V/Line trains and carriages at the West Melbourne Depot and Dudley Street carriage yards next to Southern Cross Station, Melbourne Yard, and South Dynon.
Myki
10 March 2021
Photos of bits and pieces to do with Melbourne's 'Myki' smartcard ticketing system
TramTracker across Melbourne
7 March 2021
tramTRACKER screens across the Melbourne tram and rail networks provides real time departure and disruption information to passengers.
V/Line around Melbourne
27 February 2021
Pictures of V/line trains 'under the wires' around Melbourne and surrounding suburbs. V/line has a mix of loco-hauled and DMU-run services.
Metro Tunnel rail replacement buses - Northern group
25 February 2021
Works on the Metro Tunnel portal at South Kensington and turnback platform at West Footscray have required Metro Trains services on the Sunbury and Werribee lines to be replaced by buses between North Melbourne, Sunshine and Newport, as well as V/Line services to Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo.
Poor service from Metro Trains Melbourne
22 February 2021
Woeful service from Metro Trains Melbourne is a running joke - here are some examples.
Stored trams at Newport Workshops
5 February 2021
With W class trams heritage listed and unable to be scrapped or exported to tram museums overseas, Newport Workshops has become a dumping ground while they wait a final home.
Sadleirs Logistics
5 February 2021
Sadleirs Logistics move freight by rail with their fleet of RLSY louvre vans, attached to Pacific National intermodal services.
City Loop
3 February 2021
Stations and trains around the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop (Parliament, Melbourne Central, and Flagstaff stations)
Flinders Street Station
3 February 2021
Flinders Street Station is the main suburban train station for Melbourne, Victoria
Metro Trains Melbourne - Clifton Hill group
20 January 2021
Metro Trains Melbourne services on the South Morang and Hurstbridge lines that make up the Clifton Hill group.
Stony Point line
19 January 2021
The Stony Point line is an orphan on the Melbourne suburban network, being an isolated shuttle service without electrification. A class diesel locomotives hauling MTH carriages were the usual consist for a decade, until replaced by Sprinter railcars in 2008.
Reservoir level crossing removal project
18 January 2021
The Reservoir level crossing will be removed by building a rail bridge over High Street and constructing a new Reservoir Station.
North Fitzroy Depot
17 January 2021
North Fitzroy Depot on Nicholson Street, North Fitzroy closed in 1993, but reopened in 2008/09 to stable W class trams used on the City Circle while Southbank depot was undergoing refurbishment.
High Capacity Metro Trains at Newport Workshops
13 January 2021
The new High Capacity Metro Train (HCMT) fleet is being assembled by Downer at the Newport Workshops in Melbourne's west, with the body shells assembled by CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles in China.
Bayswater Workshops
12 January 2021
Bayswater Workshops is the only maintenance facility on the Burnley Group, and serves the fleet of X'Trapolis trains deployed to that corridor.
Puffing Billy
12 January 2021
Photos of the popular narrow gauge heritage railway in the Dandenong Ranges near Melbourne
High Capacity Corridor Upgrade project
10 January 2021
The High Capacity Corridor Upgrade project (previously the Cranbourne Pakenham Line Upgrade project) is being delivered by the Level Crossing Removal Authority to support the new High Capacity Metro Train (HCMT) fleet. The work includes track duplication on the Cranbourne line at Dandenong South, minor platform extensions, and the replacement of signalling, overhead wires and traction substations along the Cranbourne and Pakenham railway lines.
Crumbling station building at Armadale
10 January 2021
A look at the crumbling citybound station kiosk at Armadale station on the Frankston/Dandenong lines, where everything is falling apart and ready to fall down onto the platform below.
Great Southern Rail - The Overland
3 January 2021
Great Southern Rail operates 'The Overland' from Melbourne to Adelaide, via Geelong, Ararat and the Western standard gauge