Ballarat and Geelong – 150 years of trains! - V/Line

ISSUE 76 April 2012Ballarat and Geelong –150 years of trains!Two of regional Victoria’s biggest cities, Geelong andBallarat recognised a major milestone in their historyearlier this month, with their joining by rail 150 years ago.On 10 April 1862, a train with 150 guests travelled fromMelbourne, via Geelong, to Ballarat for the openingcelebrations which were to ultimately transform the twogold rush towns into major cities.Exactly 150 years later, almost 100 guests repeatedthe journey with a special train leaving Geelong Stationfor Ballarat.Ceremonies at both Geelong and Ballarat saw the unveilingof commemorative heritage panels by the cities’ mayors andParliamentary Secretary for Transport, Edward O’Donohue.Inside Seymour line3 track works National Trust4 Heritage FestivalContinued next page5 Meltonphotography 6 V/Line Cup Snow Coach7Check out new V/Line Escapes at vline.com.auA brass band entertained guests at the Ballarat ceremony.Inset: The heritage train stopped at Lethbridge and Lal Lal along the way.New timetables8 Groovinthe Moo 9 Sudoku 10 Performanceresults

Ballarat and Geelong – 150 years of trains!from coverCommunity celebrations on Saturday 14 April.V/Line CEO Rob Barnett said that while both the Geelong andBallarat lines struggled for patronage in their early days, bothwere now booming as Victoria enters a new era of rail travel.“More than 13 million journeys are made on V/Line trainsevery year,” he said.“And while it’s been 1800 months since the opening of theGeelong to Ballarat line, the most recent of those months(March 2012), has been the busiest ever across the regionalnetwork, with almost 1.3 million passenger trips on V/Linetrains.” Mr Barnett said.City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Mark Harris said trains played just asan important role in Ballarat’s future as it did in its past.“The arrival of rail played a crucial role in the development ofour city. To this day, the Ballarat railway station continues toprovide an important transport link for the Ballarat community.”Cr Harris said.Several towns along the line also celebrated the 150th anniversaryof the Geelong-Ballarat railway on the weekend of 14-15 April,with events at Moorabool, Gheringhap, Bannockburn, Lethbridge,Meredith, Elaine, Lal Lal, Yendon, Navigators and Buninyong.V/Line also held a special Community Day at Ballarat Station onSaturday 14 April with more than 500 locals descending on thestation for face painting, music, showbags, sausage sizzle anda jumping castle! Heritage tours of the station and a historicaldisplay were also very popular feature of the day.Page 2

Major track works on Seymour lineThe Seymour line has had 52,000 sleepersreplaced as part of a multi-million dollarprogram of works during 2012.The series of projects, which began on 6 Aprilinvolved the replacement of track andsuperstructures on 10 bridges, replacing trackover four major bridges, repairing of mud holes,a new bridge between Wallan and Kilmore East,and platform works at Donnybrook, Wallan,and Broadford.The Platform works included the replacement ofthe east platform at Wallan and Broadford, and theextensions of the west platform at Donnybrook andWallan to allow passengers to safely exit at anytrain door.Passengers should notice not only a smoother ride,but a marginally faster and more reliable trip asspeed restrictions are lifted from areas of track thiswork has fixed.To allow the bridges to be replaced as quickly aspossible, off-peak train services were replaced bybuses between Friday 6 April and Sunday 29 April.V/Line thanks Seymour line customers for theirpatience while these important works werecarried out.Fast facts• 200 people worked across the 22 days (including during Easter)to minimise disruption to commuters;• Up to 100 pieces of machinery, including excavators, tampers andrail regulators used;• Major renewal of 11 bridges, some more than 100 years old;• 12,000 tonnes of ballast used to repair 6km of mud holes.Photo: Ballast regulator (for laying crushed rock) near Wallan.Page 3

National Trust Heritage Festival, 21 April-20 MayHer Majesty’s Theatre, Lydiard Street South, Ballarat.Experience Victoria’s rich built, cultural and naturalhistory with the Heritage Festival 2012. This year,invention and innovation is being celebrated,covering the broad spectrum of heritage past,present and future.From examples of resourceful ‘make do’ in hard timesto the creative use of heritage places in the 21st century,the Festival highlights some of our state’s ingenuity.The Murtoa Stick Shed and the curved Port Welshpoollong jetty are magnificent examples of Victoria’s builtheritage. The ute was invented in Geelong, which wasalso the location of breakthroughs in the developmentof refrigeration and an Australia icon, the rotary clotheshoist. The first narrative costume drama was filmed hereand perhaps the most notable innovation, AustralianRules Football, is of course a Victorian invention.This year the festival includes more than 160 eventsin Victoria from Horsham to Eldorado, Warrnamboolto Maffra. Vintage car rallies, steam traction enginedisplays, open houses, horse musters, walks and artexhibitions are just some of the events across the statethat are sure to reward a day trip to one of Victoria’sregional areas.For more information go to www.nattrust.com.auPage 4

Latrobe win the V/Line CupThe victorious Latrobe under 15s team.Latrobe took out the V/Line Cup atMelbourne Uni Oval, beating Ballaratin a tight, well fought contest on 4 April.The V/Line Cup is the premier representativefootball carnival for young country footballerssupported by V/Line and the VCFL.Page 6After Latrobe took a dominating lead,Ballarat came back in the 3rd quarter to bewithin two goals. Latrobe eventually ran outwinners by 23 points.The final score was Latrobe 11.13-79 toBallarat 9.2-56.For the first time in 2012 the finalwas streamed live on the VCFLwebsite with over 400 peoplelogging on to watch the game.In Division 2, Peninsula Stingrays(14.11-95) easily defeated CentralMurray (4.5-29).Sunraysia took out Division 3for the third year running byoverpowering South West by115 points.This year saw two new girls’ teamsjoin the Youth Girls competition.The final game, between Ballaratand Geelong, resulted in a draw,with Ballarat taking out the Cupon the percentage.Full competition results, theTeams of the Carnival and moreinformation about the premierUnder 15’s competition forregional Victorian boys can befound at www.vcfl.com.au

There’s no coachlike the snow coachCatch V / Line’s updated timetablefrom Sunday 22 April 2012The V/Line Snow Coach takes you directly toMt Buller so you don’t have to mess about withsnow chains, roof racks and icy roads.Running between Melbourne and Mt Buller fromFriday 8 June to Sunday 30 September 2012 thisspecial service leaves Melbourne each morning anddeparts Mt Buller every afternoon.An adult return ticket is $124.50. Go to vline.com.auor call 1800 800 007 to check out the special dealsavailable. Seats are limited so book early.GeelongMelbourneincludes South Geelongand MarshallEffective22 April 2012BendigoKy netonSunburyMelbourneBallaratMelbourneincludes WendoureeWBacchusMarshand MeltonoEffective22 April 2012SeymourMelbourneT raralgonWarragulMelbourneEffective22 April 2012Effective22 April 2012Effective22 April 2012A new timetable was introduced for the Bendigo, Geelong, Gippsland,Seymour and Ballarat lines on Sunday 22 April.The new timetable will also affect bus services across various parts of the state.In the new timetable some services may:• depart earlier,• depart later, or• have different stopping patterns.Pick up a copy of the new timetable from your nearest staffed station,call 1800 800 007 or download it at vline.com.auPage 7

Groovin the Moo, Saturday 5 MayV/Line is running extra trains to and fromBendigo on Saturday 5 May to get concertgoers to the Groovin the Moo festival.A special $14 ticket is availableand includes return travel to Bendigofrom anywhere in Victoria. A freeshuttle bus (operated by the organisers)will run between Bendigo Station andthe Showgrounds. Passengers musttravel with a concert ticket or proof ofticket purchase.People can travel on any timetabledservice to and from Bendigo for $14,Page 8although concert goers choosing tocatch the services listed right musthave a reservation.V/Line tickets to Groovin the Mooinclude return metropolitan train, tramand bus travel from anywhere in Zones1+2 to Southern Cross Station, returnV/Line travel to Bendigo Station. Ticketsdo not include entry to the Concert.To book your ticket go to your neareststaffed V/Line station or call1800 800 007.Reservations are compulsory on thefollowing services:From Southern Cross Station8:17 (arrives Bendigo Station 10:08)From Bendigo Station22:55 (arrives Southern Cross 00:45,Flinders St 00:51)23:10 (arrives Southern Cross 00:52,Flinders St 00:58)

SudokuSpend a few minutes solving thispuzzle, then check the solution onpage 11.SudokuTo solve a Sudoku puzzle, every numberfrom 1 to 9 must appear in:• Each of the nine vertical columns• Each of the nine horizontal rows• Each of the nine 3 x 3 boxes.Remember no number can occur morethan once in any row, column or box.44 6 9 34 6 8 5 75 3 2 4 17 6 1 3 82 1 5 9 37 1 6 4 28 6 9 24Page 9

Performance resultsFebruary 2012Short distance journeysLine Geelong Ballarat Bendigo Seymour Gippsland% of scheduledservices run% of scheduledservices on timeto 5 minutesLong distance journeysLineServices run97.6% 97.3% 98% 99.7% 96.2%On time83.8% 89.4% 83.9% 90.9% 73.7%WarrnamboolArarat/MaryboroughSwan Hill/EchucaAlbury/WodongaServices runSheppartonBairnsdale(includesSale)#Large sections of track between Seymour andAlbury are subject to speed restrictions as ARTCwork continues.➔ On short distance services, punctuality ismeasured on time to 5 minutes 59 seconds.➔ On long distance services, punctuality ismeasured on time to 10 minutes 59 seconds.If your line did not meet its punctuality or reliabilitytarget and you have a valid periodical ticket of fourweeks or more, you are eligible for a complimentaryreturn V/Line ticket as compensation.All compensation claims must include a valid ticketand be made in writing to:Customer Relations, Reply Paid 5343,Melbourne VIC 3001.Customers with further inquiries about V/Lineperformance should phone us on 136 196.% of scheduledservices run% of scheduledservices on timeto 10 minutes98.7% 99.5% 100% 98.3% 99.4% 99.4%On time86.9% 98.1% 92.9% 66.4% # 94.2% 72%Page 10

March 2012Short distance journeysLine Geelong Ballarat Bendigo Seymour GippslandServices run% of scheduledservices run98.2% 97.5% 98.3% 97.9% 97.6%% of scheduledservices on timeto 5 minutesLong distance journeysLine% of scheduledservices run% of scheduledservices on timeto 10 minutesOn time83.9% 88.9% 89% 91.7% 67.1%WarrnamboolArarat/MaryboroughSwan Hill/EchucaServices runOn timeAlbury/WodongaSheppartonBairnsdale(includesSale)100% 99.6% 100% 98.4% 95.8% 100%86.1% 93.3% 92.4% 47.5% # 95.5% 68.7%Revive Laser is 100% Recycled, and is manufacturedfrom FSC Recycled certified fibre. Certified CarbonNeutral by the DCC&EE under the National CarbonOffset Standard (NCOS), Revive Laser also supportsLandcare Australia. Made in Australia by an ISO 14001certified mill. No chlorine bleaching occurs in therecycling process.Puzzle Solution1 9 7 2 3 6 8 5 45 8 2 4 7 1 6 9 33 4 6 9 8 5 2 1 76 5 3 8 2 9 7 4 19 7 4 6 1 3 5 8 22 1 8 7 5 4 9 3 67 3 5 1 6 8 4 2 98 6 9 3 4 2 1 7 54 2 1 5 9 7 3 6 8Page 11