General News
26 July, 2023
Three more years for Overland
THE region’s rail lifeline, the Overland train service, has been guaranteed three more years of funding from the state government. About 20,000 people use the twice-weekly service between Adelaide and Melbourne each year. Stopping at Murray...
THE region’s rail lifeline, the Overland train service, has been guaranteed three more years of funding from the state government.
About 20,000 people use the twice-weekly service between Adelaide and Melbourne each year.
Stopping at Murray Bridge, Bordertown, Nhill, Dimboola, Horsham, Stawell, Ararat and Geelong, the 828-kilometre route has been operated by Journey Beyond - formerly known as Great Southern Rail - since 1997.
Its future was in jeopardy when the South Australian government withdrew funding in 2020
The Victorian state government has now agreed an $11.5m three-year package to fund the service, launched in 1887 as the Intercolonial Express, which it says will provide “certainty to regional jobs, tourism and travel for regional Victorians”.
The SA government said low passenger numbers and alternative transport options were behind its decision to pull out, but Victorian Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll said use of the service had lifted over the past 12 months.
“Since mid-2022, we’ve seen a strong passenger return to the Overland services,” Mr Carroll said.
“Our continued investment in these services will provide more certainty for the Overland to operate until at least 2027.”
Member for Western Victoria Jacinta Ermacora also welcomed the deal, which was announced last Wednesday.
“We’re not just saving an icon of Australia’s rail network - we’re supporting vital jobs and the wider economy in the Wimmera,” she said.