- Vinelander
The "Vinelander" was a named passenger train that operated by the
Victorian Railways betweenMelbourne andMildura, Victoria ,Australia . Operating overnight along the Mildura line, it includedmotorail ,sleeping car facilities.History
In September 1957 a trial daylight service between Melbourne and Mildura commenced, named the "Mildura Sunlight". Night trains replaced this from 1967, and a
Motorail service was added to it in 1968.cite web
url=http://www.historyvictoria.org.au/pdf/Mildura.pdf
title=The Mildura Story The Battle of the Routes
publisher=Royal Historical Society of Victoria
accessdate=2008-08-30]The "Vinelander" first ran on August 9, 1972 after intense local lobbying for an upgrade of the existing overnight train.cite book | author=Robin Bromby | title =The Railway Age in Australia | publisher = Lothian Press | year = 2004 | page = page 99 |isbn = 0 7344 0715 7 ] The name was the product of a naming completion held by the Victorian Railways, with steel sleeping cars formerly used on "
The Overland " train being used, [cite web
url=http://comrails.railpage.org.au/sar_carriages/a0203_sj.html
title=Steel Sleeping Carriages - V&SAR Joint Stock
publisher=comrails.railpage.org.au
accessdate=2008-08-30] along with older wooded stock. A buffet service and bar was added in 1977, but drunken behaviour became an issue, with offending passengers being removed from the train at intermediate stations. The typical timetable of the 1970s had a Melbourne departure at 9.20 pm and an arrival into Mildura at 8.05 am. The train was promoted as one of the Victorian Railways' premier trains, in 1974 the VR sponsored a race meeting of theMildura Racing Club , with he winner receiving the Vinelander Plate.In 1984 a parallel road coach commenced operations, and the day train was withdrawn in 1990. The last "Vinelander" ran on September 12, 1993 after the cutbacks of the State Liberal Kennett Government. A service review was announced by the Bracks Government in 2000, [cite web
url=http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/MediaRelArc02.nsf/17ed9415cb17e3d34a25682500254734/e41833f1ff2e46144a25689d007c4a17!OpenDocument&Click=
title=MINISTER ANNOUNCES MILDURA PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE REVIEW
work=Media Release: MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT
date=March 9, 2000
publisher=www.legislation.vic.gov.au
accessdate=2008-08-30] in part due to the independent politicianRussell Savage enabling the formation of a minority Labor government in the 1999 Victorian state election. [cite web
url=http://australianpolitics.com/states/vic/savage_statement.shtml
title=Russell Savage Statement Supporting A Minority Labor Government
date=October 18, 1999
publisher=australianpolitics.com
accessdate=2008-08-30] The service has yet to be returned.References
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