West Coast Railway (Victoria)

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West Coast Railway

Type	Division (business)
Founded	1993
Dissolved	2004
Headquarters	Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Industry	Public Transport
Parent	The Victorian Railway Company Pty Ltd

WCR "S" class diesel-electric locomotive at Warrnambool station, 2001

West Coast Railway was the trading name of The Victorian Railway Company Pty Ltd, a railway company operating in Victoria, Australia. The company operated passenger services between Melbourne and Warrnambool from 1993 to 2004.

1 History
2 References
- 2.1 Specific:
3 External links
4 See also

[edit] History

West Coast Railway was formed in 1993 when the Kennett Liberal Government offered long-distance country rail services previously run by the government-owned operator V/Line to private operators. While several rail services were replaced by road coach services, West Coast Railway successfully tendered to maintain the South-West region's rail service, thus - in the words of the company - "giving new life to a region serviced by rail for over 100 years".^[1] During the 11 years of WCR operation of the line, patronage increased by 20%.^[2]

[edit] Fleet

R711 leads a steam-hauled West Coast Railway service at Warrnambool station, 2001

West Coast Railway fleet in the yard at Warrnambool station

West Coast Railway operated a fleet notable for being largely comprised of 1950s-era locomotives and rolling stock bought second-hand from the Victorian Government, replacing the 1980s-built locomotives and rolling stock V/Line had operated on the line until 1993. The fleet included early streamlined B class and S class GM EMD diesel-electric locomotives,^[3] former Spirit of Progress S and Z type passenger carriages,^[4] and even specially modified R class steam locomotives.^[5] The WCR fleet was painted in a distinctive blue, white and yellow livery, to symbolize the water, sand and sky of the beach.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Other services

As well as operating regular Warrnambool passenger services, West Coast Railway also offered charter services and operated special excursion trains to various destinations within Victoria. The company also took advantage of Victoria's newly privatised rail freight market by leasing T class locomotives to private rail freight operators.^[2]

[edit] New Zealand investment

In 2001, the two directors of the company brought a 50% share in Tranz Scenic, the national passenger operator in New Zealand.^[6] However, the investment was not successful,^{[citation needed]} and the share was sold in 2003 to Toll NZ.^[7]

[edit] Demise

West Coast Railway encountered a series of operational difficulties during 2003/04 which impacted on its business. The rebuilding of the Warrnambool line between Melbourne and Geelong for 160 km/h (100 mph) interurban operation caused the company to temporarily replace its rail services with road coaches in February 2004 while construction works were underway, with a resulting drop in passenger numbers.^[2]

In May 2004, only a short time after West Coast Railway's rail services resumed, the Victorian Department of Infrastructure issued an alert on cracks in the frames of B and S class diesel electric locomotives including seven units owned by WCR.^[8] Once again, the company was forced to operate its services with road coaches. There had also been a change in government transport policy in favour of government-operated country rail services following the election of the Bracks Labor Government and the failure of the privatisation of V/Line Passenger.^[9]

The expected locomotive repair bill in excess of AUD$1,000,000 was the last straw for the company.^[2] On 1st September 2004, West Coast Rail handed back the contract to the Government and V/Line Passenger resumed passenger rail services to Warrnambool.