{"id":535096,"date":"2026-09-10T10:22:24","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T00:22:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=535096"},"modified":"2026-09-10T10:32:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T00:32:10","slug":"communities-call-for-return-of-passenger-rail-service-between-geelong-and-ballarat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=535096","title":{"rendered":"Communities call for return of passenger rail service between Geelong and Ballarat"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Regional Victorian residents and public transport advocates are pushing for the return of passenger rail services along crucial routes in the state, as it heads towards the November election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two of Victoria’s largest regional cities, Geelong and Ballarat, have had no rail connection for three decades, while Mildura in Victoria’s north-west has been without a passenger rail service since 1993 when the Kennett government discontinued the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For years, residents along the Geelong-Ballarat route, which is currently only used for freight<\/a>, have called for the return of passenger rail services, with those calls backed by the Victorian Greens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deputy leader of the Greens and MP for western Victoria, Sarah Mansfield<\/a>, said “it’s time to open a conversation” about reinstating the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“A lot of people actually do travel between the two places, but they have to rely on a car,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other options are buses, with three daily services between Geelong<\/a> and Ballarat<\/a>, or catching a train into Melbourne first, but Dr Mansfield said “you’re looking at several hours each way”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

“It’s no wonder people end up resorting to using their cars,” she said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
There are growing calls for the restoration of passenger rail services between Geelong and Ballarat.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dr Mansfield said there was high demand for a Geelong-Ballarat service due to significant growth in the area, which she said was only set to increase more in the coming decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“As Geelong and Ballarat become more significant economic and educational centres in and of themselves, there is more interest in people being able to travel between the two,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Greens hope to connect the route with the Maryborough to Ballarat line.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two of Victoria’s largest regional cities, Geelong and Ballarat, have had no rail connection for nearly five decades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":165413,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,47],"tags":[4239,4598,21002],"class_list":["post-535096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-rail-news","tag-ballarat","tag-geelong","tag-sarah-mansfield"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t