Friday 25^th August 2006

Passenger rail services return to Gippsland Line

Photos of revenue V/Line services on the line on their first day back below.

V/Line trains resumed operating on the Gippsland line on Friday 25th August after approximately four months of Regional Fast Rail (RFR) works resulting in the replacement of trains by road coaches.

Three empty cars trains operated on Thursday 24th August from Spencer Street through to Traralgon, Sale, and Bairnsdale to ensure that the morning up services could run. These are summarised below:-
 

• Empty Cars Train One - 8495 - Spencer Street to Bairnsdale
  Departed Spencer Street at 1826 (running on the path of the 1826 down Spencer Street to Bairnsdale pass - 8431), and consisted of N471+N464+N3+FSH28 as far as Traralgon where N471+FSH28 were taken off the train and stabled in road two to form Friday's 8416. N464+N3 continued onto Bairnsdale shortly afterwards, forming Friday mornings 8412.
   

• Empty Cars Train Two - 8499 - Spencer Street to Sale
  Departed Spencer Street at 1926, consisting of N472+N5+FN8, stopping in Traralgon for a short period of time whilst safeworking protocol was carried out for the train to proceed onto Sale, departing Traralgon at 2145. This train ran through to Sale to stable as works at the Maffra and 'C' sidings (the carriage stabling sidings) had not been completed. Returned to Traralgon early the following morning, arriving in at 0517, with N472+FN8 forming 8406 and N5 forming 8410 along with N469 (which was stabled in the yard at Traralgon a/c being used for driver training between Traralgon and Bairnsdale during the RFR shutdown)
   

• Empty Cars Train Three - 8497 - Spencer Street to Traralgon
  Departed Spencer Street at 2029 (running on the path of the 2029 down Spencer Street to Traralgon service - 8437), consisting of sprinters 7015+7010+7003. Arrived into Traralgon around 2230ish and formed Friday's 8404 & 8424.
   

Friday morning saw the return of revenue passenger services, with 7010+7015 operating the first service up - 8404, the 0505 up Traralgon to Flinders Street. The first down service, 8405, the 0641 Spencer Street to Traralgon, was operated by 7002. A summary of the mornings up services is provided below:-

Up services typically ran on time, however, several down services were noted as running late by approximately 10-15 minutes, with 8419, the 1425 Spencer Street to Traralgon running 51 minutes late, arriving in at 1742 (due in 1651).
 

A selection of photos of revenue services back on the Gippsland line can be viewed below (click to enlarge):-

N472 arriving into Moe with 8406, the 0622 up service to Spencer Street.	N472 at Moe with 8406, the 0622 up service to Spencer Street.	N471+FSH28 stabled in road two at Traralgon - a rare occurrence, with train 8416.
N464+N3 arriving into Traralgon with the morning up Bairnsdale pass.	N464 on 8412 passing a stabled N471 with 8416 at Traralgon.	N471+FSH28 now docked into the platform with 8416 bound for Spencer Street at Traralgon.
	Sprinter 7010, which had earlier ran the first revenue service along the line in nearly four months, arriving into Trafalgar with a late 8417 bound for Traralgon.

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