So there is no current service. The Govt has promised there will be, soon as the track is done up. But in the mean time. Why isnt there a V/line bus service, straight down the calder? IE The fastest and most direct route. Going via Swan Hill and Ballarat, is the slow alternative.

Well that would be too fast, and passengers would be waken up in the small hours.  If you want to do this trip during the day, take the Swan Hill train and change to a bus.

The service is not just there for Mildura - Melbourne (and vice versa) travellers. It also has to link in with other communities and serve them.

The quickest, and probably the cheapest way is to fly - Virgin, Rex and Qantaslink all offer regular and cheap flights.

I'm skeptical of demand for Melbourne - Mildura traffic, though I think a passenger rail service will help smaller communities link to one another etc, eg St Arnaud residents could train to Ballarat for a day out etc.

The quickest, and probably the cheapest way is to fly - Virgin, Rex and Qantaslink all offer regular and cheap flights.

This was once the case, but the costs of flying return to Mildura have been increasing.  Once the airlines work our they have a captive market, up go the fares.

Brian

So there is no current service. The Govt has promised there will be, soon as the track is done up. But in the mean time. Why isnt there a V/line bus service, straight down the calder? IE The fastest and most direct route. Going via Swan Hill and Ballarat, is the slow alternative.

 Here we go again...pax trains to Mildura, thread Number #27 or thereabouts

There has been no recently made promise, that I'm aware of made by the government that there will be a return of passenger trains to Mildura after the track has been done up.
Perhaps you should search media releases or the DoT website for info referring to the re-introduction of pax trains to Mildura.

The reason the over-night bus from Mildura, travels via Ballarat is because it replicates, very badly, the service once offered by the Vinelander.

Mike, still in Longreach.

This was once the case, but the costs of flying return to Mildura have been increasing.  Once the airlines work our they have a captive market, up go the fares.

Rubbish - plenty of $74 fares online from QANTAS.

Virgin Blue are even better at $61 each way.

This was once the case, but the costs of flying return to Mildura have been increasing.  Once the airlines work our they have a captive market, up go the fares.

Rubbish - plenty of $74 fares online from QANTAS.

Virgin Blue are even better at $61 each way.

Plus Taxi fares "to and from and from and to"
whats that cost now?

People don't necessarily think about that - look at people who book with Tiger and then complain about the added charges. People just look at the 'headline' fare, most of the time.

Plus Taxi fares "to and from and from and to"
whats that cost now?

No cost in Mildura, as most are picked up by friends/relatives, same as for Vline.

Skybus $16, 20 minutes.

If you prefer 7+hrs for surface transport against 1hr flight time +check-in/Skybus - then good for you.

Most don't, and are more than happy to pay the extra amount to maintain their sanity.

I'm sorry to say like the other promises the state government made in regard to passenger rail, the Mildura passenger service will  end up being a dead duck.

I'm sorry to say like the other promises the state government made in regard to passenger rail, the Mildura passenger service will  end up being a dead duck.

Should that read UNLIKE

I'm sorry to say like the other promises the state government made in regard to passenger rail, the Mildura passenger service will  end up being a dead duck.

I agree with the government and their dislike for old railway lines, But I highly doubt the service will be a dud.
The service is going to go to Maryborough in 2010 (so they say), and plus the Mildura line track upgrade, I reckon this one is a winner.
Cheers

I am sick of saying this I have asked rob barnett and his exact word were that Vline has no interest in returning a passenger service to Mildura as the airlines charge less than $90 one way and you cane be there id 90 minutes whom execpt for gunzles wants to pay more than that and sit on a train for 10 hours Vline will not compete with that..

Changes in the train order status for Mildura would alson need to happen as at the moment it is an intermediate siding  and trains can only arrive and lock away which means the the loco needs to be shut down. because the block section in mildura is Yatpool Block point Yelta section,

Current train order for the 9141/9142 is proceed to Mildura shund as required in the Yatpool block point Yelta section then Lock Away at Mildura.

Now with the removal of the Mildura Yard what impact is that going to have on stabling in the Mildura yard you will not be able to do it thus ending all dreams of a passenger train return to Mildura

Changes in the train order status for Mildura would alson need to happen as at the moment it is an intermediate siding  and trains can only arrive and lock away which means the the loco needs to be shut down. because the block section in mildura is Yatpool Block point Yelta section,

Current train order for the 9141/9142 is proceed to Mildura shund as required in the Yatpool block point Yelta section then Lock Away at Mildura.

Now with the removal of the Mildura Yard what impact is that going to have on stabling in the Mildura yard you will not be able to do it thus ending all dreams of a passenger train return to Mildura

I agree that it's unlikely to happen - but the configuration of train order working or the state of Mildura yard would be the least of the reasons for it not happening.  A little matter of a global financial crisis combined with lukewarm demand would be more of the issue.

Changes in the train order status for Mildura would alson need to happen as at the moment it is an intermediate siding  and trains can only arrive and lock away which means the the loco needs to be shut down. because the block section in mildura is Yatpool Block point Yelta section,

Current train order for the 9141/9142 is proceed to Mildura shund as required in the Yatpool block point Yelta section then Lock Away at Mildura.

Now with the removal of the Mildura Yard what impact is that going to have on stabling in the Mildura yard you will not be able to do it thus ending all dreams of a passenger train return to Mildura

I agree that it's unlikely to happen - but the configuration of train order working or the state of Mildura yard would be the least of the reasons for it not happening.  A little matter of a global financial crisis combined with lukewarm demand would be more of the issue.

 Fortunately Rob Barnett, wonderful fellow that he is doesn't dictate government policy.

Remember it was government policy that got the RFR project completed, which consisted of major signalling works, not V/Line who only had to work out service times and advise government about the rolling stock requirements etc.

Consequently, in the fullness of time, and at the appropriate juncture, and when ZH joins the ranks of his fellow insaners there will be a pax train running again to Mildura.

Mike.

Im a Mildura boy who lives in melbourne, and i have to say that if i want to go home during uni holidays, i just fly back. A train service would be nothing more than symbolic, and would not be viable at all. Virgin has cheap fares, flying time being 40 mins.

There is no point in a Mildura passenger rail service

Votes Votes Votes, Mildura-Melbourne is 600 k's
The towns between Mildura and Ballarat are the winners while the yuppies are the wingers.
Small towns will still be sustained whilst employment centres of Maryborough and Ballarat are easily accessible with a Velocity service.
The tickets won’t be anymore then the Overland so it’s a BIG vote winner in my book.
Petrol will be $2 a litre by 2010 and we will have the ETS also

Votes Votes Votes, Mildura-Melbourne is 600 k's
The towns between Mildura and Ballarat are the winners while the yuppies are the wingers.
Small towns will still be sustained whilst employment centres of Maryborough and Ballarat are easily accessible with a Velocity service.
The tickets won’t be anymore then the Overland so it’s a BIG vote winner in my book.
Petrol will be $2 a litre by 2010 and we will have the ETS also

Why waste a 160kmh train on an 80kmh track ?

The same reason i drive a peugeot.
Class, Style and Comfort

Small towns will still be sustained whilst employment centres of Maryborough and Ballarat are easily accessible with a Velocity service.

And they're not with a bus? A bus can also travel faster than 80km/h.

If you want to go from Melbourne to Mildura, why not fly? Hell, it'd be quicker to go from Ballarat to Melbourne and fly from there to Mildura than take a train from Ballarat to Mildura.

To be honest, running near-empty trains to every two-bit town is a waste of good rollingstock. The existing services are crowded as it is.

Small towns will still be sustained whilst employment centres of Maryborough and Ballarat are easily accessible with a Velocity service.

And they're not with a bus? A bus can also travel faster than 80km/h.

If you want to go from Melbourne to Mildura, why not fly? Hell, it'd be quicker to go from Ballarat to Melbourne and fly from there to Mildura than take a train from Ballarat to Mildura.

To be honest, running near-empty trains to every two-bit town is a waste of good rollingstock. The existing services are crowded as it is.

Flying is more expensive then rail.
The roads are dangerous so Buses are rubbish!
What do you mean by two-bit towns?

Flying is more expensive then rail.
The roads are dangerous so Buses are rubbish!
What do you mean by two-bit towns?

Buses are fine for the services. There is no point at all in spending money on improving infrastructure to the standard of a worthwhile passenger rail service (minimum 100km/h speed, refurbished all the stations, etc) if you'd end up running a daily train with 50 people on it.

After all, we're not talking about commuter towns, or places where people might go for a quick weekend away, or within day-trip distance of Melbourne. It'd be unlikely that there'd be the patronage to justify a regular train service, and when V/Line is already struggling to fill demand for its present services, it's stupid to consider introducing new rail services.

when V/Line is already struggling to fill demand for its present services, it's stupid to consider introducing new rail services.

There's something not quite right about saying that because there's excess demand we shouldnt supply.

But that aside, I suspect Mildura is a different beast to most Vline routes, and comparing it with Ballarat or Bendigo for instance doesn't help.

Think of it more like the Sydney to Armidale line in NSW, or perhaps Brisbane to Rockhampton, or even Melbourne to Adelaide.  The demand and market is different from Melbourne to Ballarat.  No commuters, more holidaymakers, less time sensitive, fewer locals more visitors, more inclined to stay longer more likely to do one-way trips, more seasonal etc.

I think there is more case for an operator like GSR or QR to run such a service - not so much Vline.  Vline already provide a service via Swan Hill - let them stick to that.

Perhaps the gummen should approach GSR to provide say a once or twice weekly daylight service modelled on the Overland - charging fares higher than Vline - marketing it as a tourist service - provide a few luxuries - heck perhaps call it the Vinelander.

Yes it would need a subsidy, and no it wouldn't be fast nor frequent but if it was done well it could assist tourism and get votes.

When you think about it - this is a bit like what NSW have done for Broken Hill and Griffith.

But please don't run Vlocities up there - that's not what they're for.

when V/Line is already struggling to fill demand for its present services, it's stupid to consider introducing new rail services.

There's something not quite right about saying that because there's excess demand we shouldnt supply.

But that aside, I suspect Mildura is a different beast to most Vline routes, and comparing it with Ballarat or Bendigo for instance doesn't help.

Think of it more like the Sydney to Armidale line in NSW, or perhaps Brisbane to Rockhampton, or even Melbourne to Adelaide.  The demand and market is different from Melbourne to Ballarat.  No commuters, more holidaymakers, less time sensitive, fewer locals more visitors, more inclined to stay longer more likely to do one-way trips, more seasonal etc.

I think there is more case for an operator like GSR or QR to run such a service - not so much Vline.  Vline already provide a service via Swan Hill - let them stick to that.

Perhaps the gummen should approach GSR to provide say a once or twice weekly daylight service modelled on the Overland - charging fares higher than Vline - marketing it as a tourist service - provide a few luxuries - heck perhaps call it the Vinelander.

Yes it would need a subsidy, and no it wouldn't be fast nor frequent but if it was done well it could assist tourism and get votes.

When you think about it - this is a bit like what NSW have done for Broken Hill and Griffith.

But please don't run Vlocities up there - that's not what they're for.

Good Argument there. It'd be nice to see the Vinelander along with The Overland in GSR. I'd love to see services there- I really, really would, but it's too long of a journey to be an hourly commute and so forth. It should be more of a tourist thing. It'd either have to be on BG, or do what the government proposed ages ago and convert it to SG, or run via Avoca, though you wouldn't get far as the DG only reaches Dunolly.
Cheers

There's something not quite right about saying that because there's excess demand we shouldnt supply.

But that aside, I suspect Mildura is a different beast to most Vline routes, and comparing it with Ballarat or Bendigo for instance doesn't help.

Think of it more like the Sydney to Armidale line in NSW, or perhaps Brisbane to Rockhampton, or even Melbourne to Adelaide.  The demand and market is different from Melbourne to Ballarat.  No commuters, more holidaymakers, less time sensitive, fewer locals more visitors, more inclined to stay longer more likely to do one-way trips, more seasonal etc.

I think there is more case for an operator like GSR or QR to run such a service - not so much Vline.  Vline already provide a service via Swan Hill - let them stick to that.

Perhaps the gummen should approach GSR to provide say a once or twice weekly daylight service modelled on the Overland - charging fares higher than Vline - marketing it as a tourist service - provide a few luxuries - heck perhaps call it the Vinelander.

Yes it would need a subsidy, and no it wouldn't be fast nor frequent but if it was done well it could assist tourism and get votes.

Yes I agree this would be to only senceable rail service to and from Mildura When you think about it - this is a bit like what NSW have done for Broken Hill and Griffith.

But please don't run Vlocities up there - that's not what they're for.

One Idea could be a regular friday night down Geelong loco hauled service could have a dining car and sleeping car attached, run to Geelong as a normal service, run around at Geelong Station and head North to Ballarat (where the train would connect with a V/locity train service from Melbourne) then onwards to Mildura stoping only at stations as required.
The train would return to Melbourne on a Sunday night In much the same way It came.

The train would run a very slack timetable from Geelong to Mildura and back so the ride Is comfortable and the train Is In position for the peak services.