| Gauge: | since 1995 |
| Railroad Name: | Melbourne–Adelaide rail corridor |
| Locale: | Victoria and South Australia |
| Old Gauge: | from 1887 to 1995 |
| Predecessor Line: | Victorian Railways and South Australian Railways |
The Melbourne–Adelaide rail corridor consists of the 828km (514miles) long standard-gauge main line between the Australian state capitals of Melbourne, Victoria and Adelaide, South Australia, and the lines immediately connected to it.[1] Most of its traffic is freight; the only passenger train along the entire route is the twice-weekly passenger service The Overland, operated by Journey Beyond.
From the 1850s, the Victorian Railways and South Australian Railways broad-gauge networks were established and expanded. The South Australian main line – the Adelaide-Wolseley line – was connected to the Victorian system at Serviceton in 1887. This was the first single-gauge link between two Australian colonies;[2] other connections were only constructed after another 50 years because of the failure of the colonies (later, states) to agree on a uniform gauge.
In 1983, studies by the Victorian Railways and Australian National Railways Commission indicated that about $400 million would be required to construct a standard-gauge link between Melbourne and Adelaide. Various routes were considered, including via Pinnaroo, Ouyen and Maryborough, and the existing route via Ballarat, Ararat, Horsham, Bordertown and Murray Bridge.[3] The route eventually chosen avoided the steep grades of the Ballarat line by going via North Shore[4] (near North Geelong) and Cressy, joining the old route at Ararat to continue to Adelaide.[5] The line was converted to standard gauge in 1995 under a federal infrastructure program.[6]
The line is single track for the entire route with the exception of a short dual-gauge section near Melbourne and a number of 1500– passing loops every 15–. Some branch lines were also converted to standard gauge.