Information, prepared by Paul Steane, is as at November 1998, before the 1999 privatisations

Diagrammatic map of Melbourne showing suburban railways (55 kilobytes)

Gauge: Victoria's railways were built to 1600mm broad-gauge, possibly as a result of the influence of Irish engineers. Recently, 1435mm standard-gauge track has been added in parallel with the Albury - Melbourne and Adelaide - Melbourne routes, mainly to carry inter-state freight traffic. Long stretches of parallel single broad- and standard-gauge lines give a false impression of a double-track route.

Passenger services: The Melbourne - Adelaide service is the standard-gauge Overland night train, except on Wednesdays when it runs to/from Alice Springs and is called the Ghan; these trains are operated by Great Southern Railway. The Melbourne - Sydney services are the standard-gauge Daylight XPT and Overnight XPT, both of which are formed from New South Wales Countrylink XPT sets - which are of the same basic design as the British High Speed Train. All other passenger routes are broad-gauge and are operated by V/Line except for the Warrnambool line, which is operated by West Coast Railway. All these services start from and terminate at Spencer Street, Melbourne's main line station, which has 14 platforms. There are many bus services operated by V/Line as replacements for train services over closed routes. On some of the rail routes, the principal services are by bus. The principal station for the suburban services is the 12-platform Flinders Street, which has fine architectural qualities.

Approximate service levels to/from Melbourne (as at November 1998):

Freight services: There are many routes which only carry freight traffic; originally broad gauge, some have been converted to standard gauge to ease inter-state traffic. Freight train operators include V/Line Freight (the privatised Victoria network), National Rail (the former Australian National Railway) and Great Northern Railway.

City Loop is the name given to the route through the city centre stations Flagstaff, Melbourne Central and Parliament, and comprises four single track tunnels; these are "Northern Loop" from North Melbourne, "Caulfield Loop" and "Burnley Loop" from Richmond and "Clifton Hill Loop" from Jolimont. In each case the track returns to the named station via Flinders Street and Spencer Street. A curve from Flinders Street to the Clifton Hill Loop allows the possibility of a circular service, although this is not normally provided. Inbound morning peak services travel via the loop first before terminating at Flinders Street; evening peak services travel via the Loop last, after departure from Flinders Street. The patterns vary during the day and at weekends, and are a great source of confusion to the uninitiated.

Trams: There is an extensive network of some 40 broad-gauge tram routes. In four places the trams routes cross the railway lines on the level, with complex switching arrangements on the overhead wiring. An explanation of the working of these crossings appears in Railway Digest (published by Australian Railway Historical Society (NSW Division)) November 2004 issue. A free "City Circle" tram operates a surface alternative to the City Loop. The former suburban routes to Port Melbourne and St Kilda have been converted to "light rail".

Tickets: Until recently, reservations were compulsory on all V/Line services. This restriction is being eased on some routes but still applies to bus services. Some trains are very full. Seats are not marked with reservation details so casual travel is difficult. Travel classes are Economy and First. Sample Economy class single ticket prices from Melbourne are: Sydney AUD96, Adelaide AUD58, Albury AUD44. The "Met" is divided into 3 colour-coded zones; an all-zone all-day "Met" ticket costs AUD9.40, and is valid on trams, local buses, electric trains, the Stony Point line and as far as Melton, Sunbury and Craigieburn on the V/Line routes to Ballarat, Bendigo and Seymour respectively. GBP1 = AUD2.60 at the time of writing.

Timetables: There is no overall V/Line timetable; booklets labelled "South West", "West", "North West", "North", "North East", "East" and "South East" seem to cost AUD0.20 from the V/Line booking office at Flinders Street station but are free from the enquiry desk at Spencer Street. Similarly, there are AUD0.20 booklets for each of the suburban network routes, available from the "Met" office in Elizabeth Street, close to Flinders Street station.

Unusual routes: Three weekday electric multiple-units ('emus') and one Sunday V/Line train traverse the "Essendon Suburban" line flyover between Kensington and North Melbourne to reach the higher numbered platforms at Spencer Street. The direct line from Newport to Laverton, avoiding the Altona loop, is used by all V/Line trains between Melbourne and Geelong, and a number of peak period emus. Racecourse station only has a service during important race meetings, but is used for emu storage outside peak periods.

Electrification: Only the suburban network is electrified, at 1500Vdc overhead.

Locomotives: Most locomotives emanate from General Motors or General Electric in the U.S.A., but a few of U.K. origin such as English Electric remain.

Rolling-stock: Long distance services are locomotive-hauled; air-conditioning, powered by under-floor generators or generator vans, is provided on all except a few short weekday workings. Single-car "Sprinters" operate on the shorter runs such as to Bacchus Marsh and Sunbury. Suburban electric services are worked by two classes of 3-car emus built by Hitachi (1975-1980) and Comeng/GEC (1985-1988).

Preservation: Several enthusiast groups own a variety of preserved steam and diesel locomotives which enjoy main line running from time to time. A number of "heritage" emu cars have also been preserved and operate occasional specials. West Coast Railway has completely rebuilt R-class 4-6-4 steam locomotive R711 for operation on its service to Warrnambool; supposedly "cheaper to maintain than a diesel locomotive", it first ran on 21 November 1998 but has since been temporarily withdrawn due to mechanical difficulties.

Signalling: On most of the broad gauge routes, signalling is by either semaphore or colour-light signal controlled from conventional signal boxes. In mechanical signalling areas, points are operated by rodding and signals by wire; however many signals are electrically worked. In some areas yellow "distant" and red "home" signals can be found, the latter sometimes with an outward-pointing arrowed end to match the inward-pointing fish-tail distant. Some home signals are pivoted at the upper mid-point of the arm with separate spectacle glasses. Three-aspect semaphores are commonplace, representing "stop", "caution" and "clear" indications at the horizontal, 45º and vertical positions. Approaching junctions these are often used in pairs, one above the other, to indicate both a speed restriction and the state of the line ahead. Colour light signals present identical aspects to the drivers as semaphore signals. On the standard gauge routes, Centralised Traffic Control by radio is used, with signals, if any, only provided at the departure end of crossing loops.

The future: The "Met" was formed in 1989, but is now in the process of being privatised, along with the V/Line passenger services. V/Line Freight was privatised early in 1998. The tram and suburban train networks are each being split into two, presently known as "Yarra Trams", "Swanston Trams", "Hillside Trains" and "Bayside Trains". Unlike in the UK, the franchises will be "vertically integrated", with responsibility for infrastructure as well as rolling stock and operations. Initial tenders are due in January 1999. It is to be hoped that the prospective Hillside Trains owners are aware of the splendid 38-span timber trestle viaduct over Diamond Creek just south of Eltham on the Hurstbridge line.