Operations
Melbourne's suburban electrified railway system consists of 16 interdependent lines all feeding into Flinders Street station. Some of these lines share track with regional lines, and also carry diesel-hauled passenger and goods trains to locations beyond the suburban network. Melbourne railways are built to 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) Irish broad gauge. Interstate lines and the tram system (including former railway lines converted to light rail) are 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge.
Power is supplied by catenary-style overhead wiring at 1500 volts DC.
Before 1999, the network was operated by the Victorian Government, under a number of names. Until the early 1980s it was known as Victorian Railways. This was shortened to VicRail in the early 1980s and then later in the decade the metropolitan system became known as Metropolitan Transit. This was at the same time that regional services became known as V/Line. In the 1990s this was shortened to The Met. In preparation for privatisation the system was split into Bayside Trains and Hillside Trains.
Timeline of private operators
- 1999–2009 Connex (Operated the Clifton Hill and Burnley groups and the Showgrounds services only)
- 1999–2004 M>Train (National Express Group)(Operated the remaining groups)
- 2009–current Metro Trains Melbourne (MTR Corporation Joint Venture)
Read more about this topic: Railways In Melbourne
Famous quotes containing the word operations:
“Plot, rules, nor even poetry, are not half so great beauties in tragedy or comedy as a just imitation of nature, of character, of the passions and their operations in diversified situations.”
—Horace Walpole (1717–1797)
“It may seem strange that any road through such a wilderness should be passable, even in winter, when the snow is three or four feet deep, but at that season, wherever lumbering operations are actively carried on, teams are continually passing on the single track, and it becomes as smooth almost as a railway.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“You can’t have operations without screams. Pain and the knife—they’re inseparable.”
—Jean Scott Rogers. Robert Day. Mr. Blount (Frank Pettingell)