BRING BACK OUR
MILDURA TRAIN
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
Two simple ways to make a difference: Sign the petition or email the Minister using our ready-to-send message
THE ISSUE
THE MISSING CONNECTION
For communities across north-west Victoria, travelling to and from Melbourne can mean expensive car trips, long coach journeys or limited plane services. Many towns across the state remain disconnected from Victoria’s passenger rail network.
THE SCALE
Mildura is Victoria’s largest regional city without access to a passenger rail service.
Mildura
Red Cliffs
Ouyen
Birchip
Donald
St Arnaud
Dunolly
Maryborough
Melbourne
THE PROPOSAL
RESTORING THE MILDURA PASSENGER LINE
The proposal would introduce a passenger service between Mildura and Maryborough, serving communities along the existing rail corridor. At Maryborough, passengers would connect with V/Line services through Ballarat to Melbourne.
THE LINE IS ALREADY THERE
Much of the infrastructure needed for the service already exists. The standard-gauge rail corridor north of Maryborough has undergone upgrades including track standardisation, new sleepers, ballast and continuously welded rail.
THE BENEFITS
BRING FAMILIES CLOSER
Visiting family and friends without every trip depending on a long drive or a flight.
BETTER ACCESS TO CARE
A reliable transport option for people travelling to Melbourne for specialist appointments.
SKIP THE LONG DRIVE
An alternative to hundreds of kilometres behind the wheel, fuel costs and regional roads full of potholes.
OUR SUPPORT
All five councils along the proposed route have publicly supported the return of the Mildura passenger rail.
POLITICAL SUPPORT
IN THE NEWS
ABC NEWS
Regional Victorian communities call for return of passenger rail services.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why was the Mildura passenger train discontinued?
The Vinelander was withdrawn in September 1993 as part of a broader Victorian Government program to reduce regional passenger rail services, with the Mildura service replaced by road coaches. In its final year of operation, nearly 100,000 passengers travelled on the Vinelander. The train did suffer from slower journey time compared with road alternatives but the decision was strongly opposed locally. The daytime Sunraysia service had already been withdrawn in 1990, leaving the overnight Vinelander as Mildura’s final passenger train.
Why not just improve the coach service?
Better coach services can form part of a stronger regional transport network, but they don’t necessarily provide the same accessibility, comfort or long-distance travel experience as rail. The North West Victoria Regional Passenger Transport Study identified both improved coach connections and restoring Mildura passenger rail as priorities, noting lengthy bus travel and difficult departure and arrival times as existing problems. It also proposed local and on-demand transport feeding passengers into railway stations, rather than treating buses and trains as competing solutions.
Why not subsidise flights instead?
Air travel is important for Mildura, particularly when speed matters, but it doesn’t serve the towns along the Mildura–Maryborough corridor and can be expensive for regular travel. The regional transport study identified expensive air services as one of the factors contributing to north-west Victoria’s transport isolation, alongside limited bus services and the absence of passenger rail. Passenger rail would therefore provide an additional transport option rather than replace air services.
How much would it cost to bring passenger trains back?
In 2022, Victoria’s independent Parliamentary Budget Office costed a Mildura–Maryborough passenger service and estimated $28.3 million in capital works, including station upgrades and conversion of passenger trains for standard-gauge operation. It estimated a total budget impact of $32.6 million over four years, including operating costs and fare revenue, and $67.2 million over eleven years. The PBO cautioned that the estimate depended on factors including station works, passenger numbers and whether existing upgrades to the Mildura line were sufficient.
What about a passenger train to my region?
Rail Revival Alliance supports the restoration and expansion of passenger rail services across regional Victoria. For the Mildura corridor specifically, the proposed service would also serve communities including Red Cliffs, Ouyen, Birchip, Donald, St Arnaud, Dunolly and Maryborough, with connecting transport able to extend its reach beyond towns directly on the railway. The wider principle is that regional communities should have better access to passenger rail where viable – not that improving Mildura should come at the expense of other regions.
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
Please support our campaign by signing the petition to bring the Mildura train back or email the Minister using our pre-written message.
STAY INVOLVED
Follow the campaign, connect with the community and learn more about our organisation’s work across regional Victoria.
Authorised by Rail Revival Alliance Victoria Inc., 21 McCallum St, Carisbrook VIC 3464