The Mansfield railway line is a closed 121-kilometre (75 mi) branch railway line situated in the Hume region of Victoria, Australia. Constructed by the Victorian Railways, it branched from the Seymour line at Tallarook station, and ran east to Mansfield. The line was primarily built to provide a general goods and passenger service to settlements in the area.
The line was opened in six stages from November 1883 to October 1891, and was closed in November 1978.[1]
The first stage of the line was opened from Tallarook to Yea in 1883, being extended in stages from 1889 though Molesworth, Cathkin, Merton and Maindample, to reach Mansfield in 1891.[2] A 7-kilometre-long branch was opened from Cathkin to Koriella in 1890, being extended another 7 kilometres to Alexandra in 1909.[2]
The line was a result of a decade of local lobbying, and provided improved access for agricultural products from the region to Melbourne markets.[3] The line was quite scenic, and included a 200 m tunnel near Cheviot and a viaduct over an arm of the Lake Eildon reservoir in Bonnie Doon, which was rebuilt in 1955 as part of the enlarging of the reservoir.[4]
By the mid-1970s, the track had deteriorated beyond Yea and, after March 1977, the majority of passenger services were run by buses. The last regular passenger service to Mansfield, on 28 May 1977, was operated by 280hp Walker railmotor 91 RM. It was replaced by a bus service via Yarra Glen, which was rerouted via Whittlesea after road upgrades had been carried out.[5]
The line was closed on 8 November 1978, along with the branch line to Alexandra.[2] It was quickly dismantled following closure, preventing any chance of tourist services from operating along the line, despite some interest being shown.[citation needed] Many bridges along the line were also removed with only the abutments and piers remaining.[6] The trackbed has since been re-used for the 134-kilometre Great VictorianRail Trail.[7] Construction of the trail was funded by the federal government and local councils.[8]
