Did anyone else notice that an extra $20 million has been allocated to the Murray Basin Rail Project in the Federal Budget?

I would love to know the specifics.

I would be tempted to think or at least live in hope that it would be allocated to all the yards and sidings they weren't going to change over in the original plan, or perhaps some SG capacity in North Geelong to feed the project

It depends on what yards are needed ?

Railway Yards that can not hold a 40 wagon block unit train, are likely to get the chop (apart from the odd cripple siding to shunt off defective wagons or stable track work machinery)

Few lineside silos are In use these days for train loading (due to the cost of bringing them up the modern accepted standards)

Crossing loops should be upgraded to remote control with a mainline and a loopline.

Tourello loop should be upgraded and recommissioned.

Now it is conversion time the whizzkids discover that there are probably not enough sg roads retained at Maryborough to handle the traffic task, no crossing loop between Maryborough and  Ararat,  no crossing loop between Ballarat & Maryborough etc .  Therefore now no dual gauge allegedly between Warrenheip and Gheringhap  (which was a waste of money anyway.) What happens when you scope a job in a hurry on the back of an envelope . Now the chooks come home to roost .

Agree kuldalai.   I heard (so not confirmed) some of this allocation is to ensure the "western" connection at Ararat is retained as part of the new junction arrangements to connect the Maroona/Portaland line directly to the Avoca/Maryborough.   ARTC want it for both ballast trains and for overall connectivity.

I find it astounding that VLine decided to take the westbound connection out.......  It defies logic.
Or could it be designed to make it difficult for traffic to get to Adelaide, e.g. port exports of produce, however likely or unlikely that may be.

I find it astounding that VLine decided to take the westbound connection out.......  It defies logic.
Or could it be designed to make it difficult for traffic to get to Adelaide, e.g. port exports of produce, however likely or unlikely that may be.

If you think that is bad wait until the project is completed and most of the access is removed.  Does not surprise me at all.  Maryborough yard will be decimated and will have less capacity than they do today which is utilised.

I find it astounding that VLine decided to take the westbound connection out.......  It defies logic.
Or could it be designed to make it difficult for traffic to get to Adelaide, e.g. port exports of produce, however likely or unlikely that may be.

If you think that is bad wait until the project is completed and most of the access is removed.  Does not surprise me at all.  Maryborough yard will be decimated and will have less capacity than they do today which is utilised.

Im still not convinced that this is an issue.  None of the operators are saying it is.  And as I've said before, given its SG, the SG fleet should be off doing its next job instead of sitting in the Maryborourgh yard.

Remember too, its not like they can't put roads back in if the demand for them is there.

Remember too, its not like they can't put roads back in if the demand for them is there.

Very true James but remember this is Victoria so to put in a couple of sets of points will require the entire network to be shut down for 2 months just in case a train falls off the tracks!

BG

Now it is conversion time the whizzkids discover that there are probably not enough sg roads retained at Maryborough to handle the traffic task, no crossing loop between Maryborough and  Ararat,  no crossing loop between Ballarat & Maryborough etc .  Therefore now no dual gauge allegedly between Warrenheip and Gheringhap  (which was a waste of money anyway.) What happens when you scope a job in a hurry on the back of an envelope . Now the chooks come home to roost .

Post of the Week?

Remember too, its not like they can't put roads back in if the demand for them is there.

Very true James but remember this is Victoria so to put in a couple of sets of points will require the entire network to be shut down for 2 months just in case a train falls off the tracks!

BG

And the work probably can only be done if the temp is below 33 degrees, correct??

Unless major stabling capacity is provided at South Geelong in an already very congested area (or perhaps Gheringhap) , the performance and capacity of the network will be compromised.   I understand a review of the infrastructure requirements has been undertaken and developing a staging location at Maryborough is seen as essential to manage port disruption, loading delays, unloading delays etc for both the port of Geelong and the port of Portland.   Maryborough is essentially the crossroads in effect of the northern lines from Mildura etc as well as the junction point through to the two port lines.   Hence its strategic for staging trains as well as re-crewing etc.

North Geelong Yard I hear is also receiving some funds which goes to show just how undercooked the entire plot was.  Will container loading continue at Donald?  Will Container loading facilities be retained at Boort?

Will (as mentioned previously) a container loading yard be built at Redcliffs?

Now it is conversion time the whizzkids discover that there are probably not enough sg roads retained at Maryborough to handle the traffic task, no crossing loop between Maryborough and  Ararat,  no crossing loop between Ballarat & Maryborough etc .  Therefore now no dual gauge allegedly between Warrenheip and Gheringhap  (which was a waste of money anyway.) What happens when you scope a job in a hurry on the back of an envelope . Now the chooks come home to roost .

Do you think that the crossing loop, that used to be at Elmhurst, would be re-activated, do you know it's length, would it need extending, to accommodate the expected train length, these days ?

Actually, what other loops need to be kicked into gear, between Ballarat, Marybugger and Mildura, for ease of operation.

BigShunter.

North Geelong Yard I hear is also receiving some funds which goes to show just how undercooked the entire plot was.  Will container loading continue at Donald?  Will Container loading facilities be retained at Boort?

Will (as mentioned previously) a container loading yard be built at Redcliffs?

I wonder if that long disused and derelict piece of BG track on the Southern side of the yard into the grain loop will be reinstated for BG grainies to wander in from Melbourne, run around and head in for unloading and all the BG on north entrance of the yard out past Separation St will be standardised (Since there'll be no BG trains coming from the north after the project is done) and hopefully, some roads in the yard and maybe some into the wagon maintenance depot regauged or DG'd too so they can look after all these extra SG pieces of rollingstock that'll come with the new gauge.

All pure speculation on my part though because they'll need somewhere to look after the rollingstock and it seems to have been missed in the original plan that trains need maintenance to run the new gauge...

Manangatang

Id agree, the Geelong layout needs a revision post Murray Basin.  There is now $10bn to spend on National Rail intitatives.  

V/Line - get cracking on your plan, business case and funding request.

Maryborough is to be decimated.

9 roads down to 4.

Mainline, loop, 1 40 block storage and a cripple road.

Of course it makes sense to keep Maryborough the operators are screaming for it  but I'm near on positive that it won't be kept and any new plans and or reviews to this is news to me.

A Maryborough local has been checking the yard from time to time as reports it is very busy and the yard is often near capacity.

the operators are screaming for it  

Can you point to sources for this?

The focus of the entire project has been wrong with emphasis on the conversion and rationalisation rather than the plan  to get trains back up and running and allow more operators requiring terminal access to move in.  Another blown opportunity in Victoria.

The short roads of the existing Maryborough yard have limited use In this day of train operations !

The days of short local roadside goods services Is long gone !

Untrue the current main operator uses the yard every night as evindent by the 100s of photos on social media. The new operator on the corridor also uses the yard not to mention track machines inspection vehicles etc various government ministers and departments including V/line and PTV are well of aware of this.

The short roads of the existing Maryborough yard have limited use In this day of train operations !

The days of short local roadside goods services Is long gone !

Source?

Go visit the yard yourself !

Now it is conversion time the whizzkids discover that there are probably not enough sg roads retained at Maryborough to handle the traffic task, no crossing loop between Maryborough and  Ararat,  no crossing loop between Ballarat & Maryborough etc .  Therefore now no dual gauge allegedly between Warrenheip and Gheringhap  (which was a waste of money anyway.) What happens when you scope a job in a hurry on the back of an envelope . Now the chooks come home to roost .

Do you think that the crossing loop, that used to be at Elmhurst, would be re-activated, do you know it's length, would it need extending, to accommodate the expected train length, these days ?

Actually, what other loops need to be kicked into gear, between Ballarat, Marybugger and Mildura, for ease of operation.

BigShunter.

Obviously a crossing loop is essential in this section long enought to hold grain trains headed to portland and mineral sands trains heading to  Hamilton . Depending on local conditions (proximity lx, bridges etc) it could either be at Avoca or Elmshurst.

Between North Ballarat and Maryborough it would be suicidal not to have a crossing loop as effectively the standard gauge single line section will be Maryborough to Warrenheip sg Loop (probably around 90 minutes running time for an Up Grainie ).
So by location first priority would be to recommision  Tourello followed by  possibly by a new location closer into Maryborough, then thirdly recommission Sulky nearest to Ballarat .  Ultimately the answer is a separate sg third line betweenBallarat East and Warrenheip on the South side .

With Ararat no doubt in typical fashion whoever was only selfishly  thinking of their needs, and not of the desirability of retaining / upgrading a sg connection from the Maryborough line to the West and the Adelaide mainline . Seems ARTC want it retained and even directly connected to the mainline rather than via Ararat Yard .  In the overall scheme of things this connection is small bickies.