General News
10 November, 2022
End of an era for second track
FRIDAY was an end of an era at the Camperdown Railway Station.
FRIDAY was an end of an era at the Camperdown Railway Station.
There are two active rail tracks which run parallel to each other at Camperdown, the main track which runs via the station platform and a second track which allows train services to pass each other before heading into the single track sections of the line either side ofthe township.
Since the addition of more services to the line in early 2017, the second track has been used as part of the regular timetable to allow trains to pass each other on a daily basis.
Last Friday was the last time the second track would be used.
“The second track at Camperdown has played an important part in allowing us to run more services over the past few years while works took place to further improve the capacity of the Warrnambool line,” a V/Line spokesperson said.
“While the second track at Camperdown will no longer be needed for the day-to-day operation of the Warrnambool line, there are no current plans to close the track.”
There are no services scheduled to use the second track at Camperdown as part of the new timetable because the new Boorcan loop was designed to allow for all required train crossings in this part of the line.
The second track could still be used on ad-hoc occasions such as the running of heritage services or to help trains recover time following unforeseen disruptions on the network.
This is similar to the way the second track was used prior to the service uplifts in 2017.
Rail came to Camperdown in 1883 as the new terminus of the line which was gradually being extended from Geelong to Warrnambool.
In the following decade, the main line was extended to Terang and then Warrnambool and Port Fairy, while a branch line to Timboon was also established.