FREIGHT RAIL specialist Southern Shorthaul Railroad has expanded its Victorian capabilities by taking long-term leases of 10 V/Line locomotives.
Twenty-Five 1,846 kw N-class were built between 1985 and 1987 by Clyde Engineering in Somerton for the then Victorian Railways to operate broad-gauge passenger services. With their gradual replacement on regional services by VLocity diesel multiple units, four were first taken on hire by SSR in March 2024 and the rest of the class has gradually moved across.
Minister for Ports and Freight Melissa Horne said with freight volumes expected to increase significantly in coming years, “this initiative to repurpose passenger locomotives is an important step in getting more freight onto rail and off local roads.
“We look forward to seeing these locomotives out and about moving product to port, ensuring we continue to grow Victoria’s rail freight business for generations to come.”
The government said the long-term agreement with the privately-owned SSR would support the significant growth in grain and intermodal haulage, improve operational capacity and efficiency enable the deployment of longer trains on the freight network.
V/Line led the program, giving the trains a new purpose which was supported by Freight Victoria, Department of Transport and Planning and the Department of Treasury and Finance.
As more of V/Line’s classic fleet trains are progressively replaced with modern VLocity trains, there’s an opportunity for locomotives to be repurposed on the freight network.
Almost 1600 kilometres of Victoria’s tracks are used to transport freight to port, which plays a critical role in supporting Victoria’s rail freight, the government said. It has invested almost $370 million in rail freight maintenance since 2020, giving industry the confidence to put more of their goods on trains.
The Victorian Budget 2024/25 delivered $104.3 million to grow freight on rail through a further package of targeted projects to deliver benefits for producers and industry, reduce truck movements on the state’s roads and reduce emissions, the government said.
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