Ballarat train line: Bungaree loop finally closes

The stations, at Bungaree and Wallace, had long since been shut down, with the 13 kilometre loop only being used for passing in busy times.

In the past two weeks, as part of the Ballarat Line Upgrade, five level crossings have been removed or adjusted, making things safer for residents and passengers, but there are still people who will miss the trains rumbling past.

READ MORE: Ballarat rail line: Bungaree loop to be decommissioned

While Ballarat trains were connected to Geelong well before they made it to Melbourne during the gold rush, the branch line to Bungaree and Gordon was opened in 1879.

According to the Bungaree History Walk's panel on the station, it was opened by none other than Peter Lalor, who was Minister for Customs at the time.

The line was eventually built out eastwards, with Melbourne connected in 1889.

The branch line, coming off the Ballarat to Geelong line, provided access to the rapidly growing potato farms, and likely helped them prosper.

Rail expert Marcus Wong's detailed website notes "taking the straightest route across the countryside wasn't top priority - cost was" - as it was a branch line, it was far cheaper to head north and use flatter land than try to engineer a crossing over the Moorabool River.

The Bungaree loop also featured a short branch to the Bungaree racecourse, which according to the History Walk, "opened on December 26, 1900, and closed on the same day 40 years later".

Bungaree's station was closed in 1981 - blog When There Were Stations notes it was then demolished sometime before 1988 - with Wallace's closed in 1977.

While there had been few incidents over the years along the line, including a child who died after being struck by a train in 2011, one of the most serious occurred in 1971, when The Overland Express, travelling to Adelaide, derailed at the Bungaree station.

The Age reported at the time the wreckage blocked the Western Highway, and it was lucky no one was killed.

"The train shuddered and then lurched off the line, gouging up 100 yards of track as it moved through the network of switchbacks near the station," it was reported.

"Heeling over on its side, the train's derailed carriages twisted around like toys.

"The force of the smash ripped open the walls of the carriages spewing luggage and passengers on to the track side."

A new, more direct line was built south of the loop as part of the Bracks government's Regional Fast Rail project - part of this new line is being duplicated as part of the Ballarat Line Upgrade to replace the loop.

This was completed in 2005.

When the Ballarat Line Upgrade was announced in 2017, the removal of the loop was initially opposed by Moorabool Shire Council, which stated there could be problems in the future as the population grew.

"Once you close off these options they're done forever, so there's no point ruing the day 10 years down the track," Cr Tom Sullivan said at the time.

The state government instead pushed ahead with the new stretch - the loop's removal will result in five level crossing removals in the townships, though some, like Torpys Road, will remain and have been resealed.

Bungaree resident Lisa Steenhuis and her family live nextdoor to the train line - she said they'll be sad to see it go.

"It provides a sign of life to regional communities," she said.

"It's an unusual decision to remove a viable alternative route, but we accept the decision, it does lessen the risk for the community."

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They were able to watch the final train on the loop on December 27, which attracted a bit of a crowd, she said.

"We always looked at it like an alarm clock - the 6.30am train comes through, and the 10.30pm train departs," she said.

"It has been a lovely thing for us, and we do feel a sense of loss that the last train's passed through."

The future of the line, once the tracks are removed, remains unclear.

Road closures along the line will continue until February:

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