Piangil railway line

Partially closed railway line in Victoria, Australia

Piangil

The line near Pyramid station

Overview
Other name(s)|

* Yungera
* Swan Hill

Status| Operational between Piangil and Bendigo, closed beyond Piangil.
Owner| VicTrack
Locale| Victoria, Australia
Termini|

* Yungera
* Bendigo

Service
Type| Heavy rail
Services|

* Bendigo
* Swan Hill

Operator(s)| Passenger: V/Line
Freight: Pacific National
History
Completed| 1926 (1926)
Technical
Line length| 225.2 km (139.9 mi)
Number of tracks| 1
Track gauge| 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Electrification| None

Route map

Legend

|  |

Code

km0

Zone

|
|
|
|

|  |

|  | Yungera
|  |

|  | Koorkab
|  |

|  | Kooloonong
|  |

|  | Natya
|  |

|  | Coonimur
|  |

389.4

| Piangil
|  |

385.0

| Miralie
|  |

376.1

| Nyah West
|  |

368.5

| Pira
|  |

359.3

| Woorinen

SWH

347.3

| Swan Hill

↑ freight only

|  |

|  | Pental
|  |

332.1

| Lake Boga
|  |

|  | Tresco
|  |

318.6

| Mystic Park
|  |

308.2

| Lake Charm
|  |

|  | Fairley
|  |

|  |

| Stony Crossing line &

Kerang–Koondrook Tramway

KER

291.9

| Kerang |

|  |

|  | South Kerang
|  |

|  | Tragowel
|  |

267.8

| Macorna
|  |

|  | Mincha

PYD

251.4

| Pyramid |

|  |

|  | Mologa
|  |

231.1

| Mitiamo
|  |

221.2

| Prairie

DGE

213.3

| Dingee |

|  |

|  | Tandarra
|  |

192.9

| Raywood

(original location)

|  |

192.8

| Raywood
|  |

|  | Sebastian
|  |

|  | Woodvale
|  |

|  | Myer's Flat
|  |

|  |

| Eaglehawk–Inglewood line

to Robinvale & Kulwin lines

EAG

172.1

| Eaglehawk |

|  |

|  |

Deniliquin line

BDG

164.2

| Bendigo |

|  |

|  |

Deniliquin line

SBY

39.4

| Sunbury |

|  |

|  |

Sunbury line

SDM

25.1

| Watergardens |

|  |

|  |

Sydenham line

FSY

5.6

| Footscray |

SSS

0.0

| Southern Cross |

|  |

km0

Zone

|  |  |  |  |  |

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The Piangil railway line is a 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) gauge railway line in north-western Victoria, Australia. It branches off the Deniliquin line just north of Bendigo, and runs in a north-westerly direction through Pyramid Hill and Kerang to the border town of Swan Hill, then roughly parallels the New South Wales border to Piangil and Yungera. The line is now open only as far as Piangil, and passenger services only operate to Swan Hill.

## History

[edit]

The line was opened from its junction with the Deniliquin line, just north of Bendigo, to Raywood in 1882. It was progressively extended to Mitiamo in 1883, Pyramid and Kerang in 1884, and Swan Hill in 1890.[1] The line from Swan Hill was extended to Piangil in 1915, Kooloonong in 1920, and Yungera in 1926. The section from Kooloonong to Yungera was closed in 1957, and from Piangil to Kooloonong in 1981.[1] Parts of the former route beyond Piangil, including all of it beyond Kooloonong, are preserved as the Piangil Yungera Railway Bushland Reserve.[2][3]

Silos and goods crane at Kerang

The Koondrook branch line, built and operated by the Shire of Kerang, was opened in 1886. It was acquired by the Victorian Railways in 1952 and closed in 1981. Under the 1922 Border Railways Act, a branch opened from Kerang to Murrabit in 1924, which was extended across the New South Wales border at the Murray River to Stony Crossing in 1928. Passenger services on the section beyond Murrabit had ended by 1932, and all services were suspended in 1943. Passenger services to Murrabit had ceased by the end of 1941, and the line to Murrabit closed in 1961.[4]

Silos and loop siding at Lake Boga

The last passenger service from Swan Hill to Woorinen, a service for school children that was paid for by the Victorian Education Department and run by a 102 hp (76 kW) Walker railmotor, was withdrawn on 17 December 1976. The last passenger service from Swan Hill to Piangil ran on 24 December 1976, again using a 102 hp Walker. Both services were replaced by coaches.[5]

## Proposed upgrade and extension

[edit]

Silos and goods shed at Pyramid

In April 2008, it was announced that the Swan Hill – Piangil section of the track, along with six other lines, would be upgraded under a $23.7 million package of improvements to the Victorian core grain network.[6]

In October 2010, the Victorian government released a report into public transport options for the north-west of Victoria, which analysed nine proposals for improving services to the city of Mildura. One alternative investigated was an extension of the railway from Swan Hill to connect to the Mildura railway line at Ouyen.[7][8]

As part of the Regional Rail Revival program, a new station at Raywood opened on 17 July 2022, replacing the old station 100 metres (110 yd) down the track.[9][10]

## Passenger services

[edit]

Some Bendigo V/Line passenger trains extend their services to Eaglehawk on weekdays. Dedicated Swan Hill passenger services serve the remainder of the operating stations on the line and Eaglehawk.

### Swan Hill services

[edit]

Swan Hill

Overview
Service type| Regional rail
Status| Operational
Locale| Victoria, Australia
Current operator(s)| V/Line
Route
Termini| Swan Hill
Southern Cross
Stops| 15
Distance travelled| 347.3 km (215.8 mi)
Average journey time| 4 hours 40 minutes
Service frequency| 2 return services daily
Line(s) used| Piangil
On-board services
Class(es)| First and economy
Disabled access| No
Seating arrangements| Yes
Catering facilities| Yes
Technical
Rolling stock| N set
Track gauge| 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Electrification| None
Operating speed| 65km/h at North Bendigo Junction - Eaglehawk

80km/h at North Bendigo Junction - Bendigo and From (Swan Hill) Bryan Street PCR to Swan Hill Station

90km/h from Victoria Street PCR (Kerang) to Bryan Street PCR (Swan Hill)

100km/h from Eaglehawk to Wellington Street PCR (Kerang)
Track owner(s)| VicTrack
| Route map

Legend

|  |

Code

|  |

Zone

|
|
|
|
|

SSS

0.0

| Southern Cross |

FSY

4.9

| Footscray |

SDM

24.3

| Watergardens |

GIS

66.2

| Gisborne |

WED

80.1

| Woodend |

KNT

93.6

| Kyneton |

MMY

104.2

| Malmsbury |

|  |

|  |

Elphinstone Tunnel

CME

127.3

| Castlemaine |

|  |

|  |

Big Hill Tunnel

KFT

159.4

| Kangaroo Flat |

BDG

164.2

| Bendigo |

00000

|  |

North Bendigo Junction

EAG

172.1

| Eaglehawk |

|  |  |

00000

000.0

|  |

Swan Hill V/Line Service

|

|  |  |

00000

195.0

|  | Raywood  |

|

DGE

213.3

| Dingee |

PYD

251.4

| Pyramid |

KER

291.9

| Kerang |

SWH

347.3

| Swan Hill |

|  |

|  |

EPS

169.3

| Epsom |

|  |  |

00000

000.0

|  |

Echuca V/Line Service

|

|  |  |

00000

000.0

|  | Huntly  |

13/14

|

|  |

189.7

| Goornong |

13/14

ELM

209.7

| Elmore |

ROR

225.5

| Rochester |

18/19

ECH

252.0

| Echuca |

|  |  |  |  |  |

This diagram:

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Two services operate daily in each direction between Swan Hill and Southern Cross station in Melbourne. In metropolitan Melbourne, services only stop at Watergardens and Footscray stations, setting down passengers only on services to Southern Cross and picking up passengers only on services to Swan Hill. Outside Melbourne, services do not stop at Macedon, Riddells Creek or Clarkefield. Malmsbury is only served by one weekday service to Swan Hill, and Kangaroo Flat is only served on weekdays. All Swan Hill services stop at all other operating stations, both picking up and setting down passengers. As of 31 March 2025, the Swan Hill line is the only remaining line using the loco hauled V/Line N class with N type carriages as all services to Warrnambool, Albury, Bairnsdale and Shepparton are now fully operated by the V/Line VLocity.

Swan Hill-Kooloonong rail ticket 1977 Swan Hill-Koondrook rail ticket 1977

## Incidents

[edit]

On 5 June 2007, a fatal crash occurred when a semi-trailer ran into a train at a level crossing near Kerang. Eleven people died, all of whom were passengers on the train.[11]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Sid Brown (March 1990). "Tracks Across the State". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). pp. 71–76.
2. ^ "Piangil – Yungera Railway B.R." Parks Victoria. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
3. ^ Macfarlane, Neil (18 June 2015). "Submission to VEAC State Wide Assessment of Public Land" (PDF). Mid-Murray Field Naturalists Inc. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
4. ^ Hennell, David. "Poonboon" (PDF). The Times online. Australian Timetable Association Inc. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
5. ^ Chris Banger (March 1997). "Rail passenger service withdrawals since 1960". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). pp. 77–82.
6. ^ "$43m to upgrade rail freight lines". business.theage.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 December 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2008.
7. ^ "Victorian Government press release – "NORTH WEST PUBLIC TRANSPORT REVIEW REPORT RELEASED", 13 October 2010". Archived from the original on 21 October 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
8. ^ "North West Public Transport Review". Archived from the original on 21 October 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
9. ^ Nakos, Nicholas (31 July 2020). "Three new train station concept maps released for Huntly, Goornong and Raywood". Bendigo Advertiser. Australian Community Media. Archived from the original on 2 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
10. ^ "Huntly Station construction fast-tracked". Department of Transport (Victoria). Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
11. ^ Kerang, Helen Westerman and Reko Rennie in (6 June 2007). "Train crash truckie 'sorry'". The Age. Retrieved 22 February 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* http://www.vline.com.au
* Official map
* Statistics and detailed schematic map at the vicsig enthusiast website

* v
* t
* e

Railway lines in Victoria

Main lines

* Deniliquin
* Gippsland
* Mildura
* North East
* Piangil
* Warrnambool
* Portland
* Robinvale
* Serviceton
* South Gippsland
* Tocumwal
* Western standard gauge (Melbourne–Adelaide)

Branch lines

| Metropolitan District|

* Albion–Jacana
* Belgrave
* Broadstore
* Deer Park–West Werribee
* Flemington Racecourse
* Frankston
* Gembrook
* Glen Waverley
* Healesville
* Hurstbridge
* Inner Circle
* Kew
* Lilydale
* Mont Park
* Mornington
* Newport–Sunshine
* Outer Circle
* Port Melbourne
* Powelltown
* Red Hill
* Rosstown Railway
* Sandringham
* South Kensington–West Footscray
* Stony Point
* Spring Vale Cemetery
* St Kilda
* St Kilda–Windsor
* Upfield
* Warburton
* Webb Dock
* Williamstown
* Whittlesea

|

Western & Southwestern District|

* Alvie
* Ballarat–Daylesford
* Balmoral (Hamilton to East Natimuk)
* Bolangum
* Buninyong
* Carpolac
* Casterton
* Colac–Ballarat
* Coleraine
* Crowes
* Forrest
* Fyansford
* Gheringhap–Maroona
* Hamilton–Koroit
* Hopetoun
* Mortlake
* Mount Gambier
* Navarre
* Pinnaroo
* Queenscliff
* Skipton
* Timboon
* Wensleydale
* Yanac
* Yaapeet

Northern & Midland District|

* Balranald
* Cohuna
* Daylesford
* Koondrook
* Kulwin
* Lancefield
* Morkalla
* Redesdale
* Shelbourne
* Stony Crossing

North Eastern District|

* Alexandra
* Bright
* Cobram
* Colbinabbin
* Cudgewa
* Girgarre
* Katamatite
* Mansfield
* Oaklands
* Peechelba East
* Tatong
* Wahgunyah
* Whitfield
* Yackandandah

Eastern District|

* Barry Beach
* Briagolong
* Maffra
* Mirboo North
* Noojee
* Outtrim
* Strzelecki
* Thorpdale
* Walhalla
* Wonthaggi
* Woodside
* Yallourn

Narrow gauge branch lines|

* Beech Forest
* Gembrook
* Powelltown
* Tyers Valley
* Walhalla
* Welshpool Jetty
* Whitfield

Cross country lines|

* Avoca
* Eaglehawk–Inglewood
* Geelong–Ballarat
* Heathcote
* Moolort
* Toolamba–Echuca

V/Line services

* Albury
* Ballarat
* inc Ararat and Maryborough
* Bendigo
* inc Echuca and Swan Hill
* Geelong
* Warrnambool
* Gippsland
* Traralgon and Bairnsdale
* Seymour
* inc Shepparton

Metro Trains Melbourne services

* Alamein
* Belgrave
* Craigieburn
* Cranbourne
* Flemington Racecourse
* Frankston
* Glen Waverley
* Hurstbridge
* Lilydale
* Mernda
* Pakenham
* Sandringham
* Stony Point
* Sunbury
* Upfield
* Werribee
* Williamstown

Major pieces of shared infrastructure|

* City Loop
* Flinders Street Viaduct

Tourist railways

| Operational|

* Bellarine Railway
* Daylesford Spa Country Railway
* Mornington Railway
* Puffing Billy Railway
* Victorian Goldfields Railway
* Walhalla Goldfields Railway
* Yarra Valley Railway

|

Former|

* South Gippsland Railway

Victoria portal

* v
* t
* e

Public transport in regional Victoria

* Public Transport Victoria
* Ticketing
* Myki
* V/Line paper ticket

Regional Bus|

| Operators|

* CDC Ballarat
* CDC Geelong
* CDC Mildura
* Dysons
* Kastoria Bus Lines
* McHarry's Buslines
* Transit Systems Victoria

|

Regional train|

| Operator|

* V/Line

|

Services|

* Albury
* Ballarat
* Maryborough
* Bendigo
* Echuca
* Swan Hill
* Geelong
* Warrnambool
* Gippsland
* Seymour
* Shepparton

Rolling stock|

* VLocity
* Sprinter
* N class
* N type carriage

Infrastructure|

* Regional Fast Rail project
* Regional Rail Revival

Lists|

* List of regional railway stations in Victoria
* List of railway lines in Victoria

Regional Coach|

| Operators|

* Firefly Express
* Greyhound Australia
* V/Line
* Dineen Group
* Donric Group
* Dysons
* Firefly Express
* McHarry's Buslines
* Mee's Bus Lines
* Panorama Coaches
* Ventura Bus Lines

|

Ferries|

| Operator|

* Port Phillip Ferries
* Western Port Ferries

|

Other|

* The Overland
* NSW TrainLink Southern
* Department of Transport
* Public Transport Victoria
* Rail Projects Victoria
* Ferries
* Taxis

* Italics denotes services yet to commence

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