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IMPORTANT TRAVEL UPDATE
No V/Line train or replacement coach services will be operating to Bendigo, Echuca, Swan Hill or Albury on Saturday 10 January due to bushfires. Please avoid travel on these lines.
> More Information
IMPORTANT TRAVEL UPDATE
No V/Line train or replacement coach services will be operating to Bendigo, Echuca, Swan Hill or Albury on Saturday 10 January due to bushfires. Please avoid travel on these lines.
> More Information
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Service disruptions

09/01/2026 & 10/01/2026 - Catastrophic Fire Danger

8 Jan - 10 Jan 2026
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ONGOING CATASTROPHIC FIRE DANGER - Friday, 9 January & Saturday, 10 January

UPDATE: 21:15

Due to Catastrophic Fire Danger ratings in the North Central, Northern Country, South West and Wimmera districts on Friday 9 January, all V/Line train and coach services operating through those districts have been cancelled.

On Saturday 10 January, there will be significant impacts to the Bendigo, Echuca, Swan Hill and Albury lines due to bushfires.

No V/Line train or replacement coach services will be operating to Bendigo, Echuca, Swan Hill or Albury so please avoid travel on these lines.

A very limited number of replacement coaches will be running between Southern Cross and Kyneton (not stopping at Footscray and Watergardens).

Across the rest of the V/Line network, most V/Line train and coach services will resume on Saturday 10 January but there may continue to be changes to some services that operate near fire activity as the situation is constantly evolving. 
 

TRAIN IMPACTS ON FRIDAY, 9 JANUARY

Ballarat, Ararat and Maryborough

Ballarat Line: Train services will continue to operate between Southern Cross and Wendouree in accordance with the Extreme Heat timetable.

Maryborough Line: Train services are suspended between Maryborough and Ballarat.

Ararat Line:

Bendigo, Echuca and Swan Hill

Bendigo Line: Train services are suspended.

A limited number of replacement coaches will run between Southern Cross and Kyneton (not stopping at Footscray and Watergardens).

To city - coaches will then run every hour from 9.06am to 11.06pm with the last service departing at 11.40pm.

From city – coaches will depart Southern Cross at 6.25am and run every hour until midnight.

Echuca Line: Train services are suspended.

Swan Hill Line: Train services are suspended.

Geelong and Warrnambool

Geelong Line: Train services will continue to operate between Southern Cross and Waurn Ponds in accordance with the Extreme Heat timetable.

Warrnambool Line: Train services are suspended between Warrnambool and Waurn Ponds.

Traralgon and Bairnsdale

Traralgon Line: Train services will continue to operate between East Pakenham and Traralgon in accordance with planned works in the metropolitan area,

Bairnsdale Line: Train services will continue to operate between East Pakenham and Bairnsdale in accordance to the occupation timetable.

Seymour, Shepparton and Albury

Seymour Line: Train services are suspended.

A limited number of replacement buses will run between Craigieburn and Donnybrook. Services from Donnybrook to Craigieburn will run every hour from 5.45am to 11.45pm. Services from Craigieburn to Donnybrook will run every hour from 6.40am to 11.40pm.  

Passengers can travel on a Metro train between Craigieburn and Southern Cross. 

Shepparton Line: Train services are suspended.

Albury Line: Train services are suspended. 
 

COACH IMPACTS ON FRIDAY, 9 JANUARY

No scheduled coach or replacement coach services will operate in a fire district while a Catastrophic Fire Danger rating is in place or when an active fire impacts the route of the service.

Scheduled coach services that operate completely in other fire districts not declared catastrophic will continue to operate. This includes services connecting to stations on closed train lines, however there will not be a connecting train or replacement coach service available to continue your journey.

Other scheduled coach services may also be cancelled or terminated short due to operational requirements.

The following coach services will not run on Friday 9 January:

Bendigo Line – Coach Connections
  • 20:31 Bendigo Station to Sea Lake
  • 21:10 Bendigo to Swan Hill
Swan Hill & Echuca Lines 
  • 21:18 Murchison East Station to Moama
Mildura / Mallee Coaches
  • 21:10 Melbourne Southern Cross Station to Mildura Station
Shepparton / Tocumwal / Cobram Coaches
  • 18:13 Shepparton Station to Seymour Station
  • 19:00 Shepparton Station to Griffith
  • 21:55 Shepparton Station toTocumwal
Seymour / North East Coaches
  • 18:01 Melbourne Southern Cross Station to Mansfield
  • 19:21 Seymour Station to Shepparton Station
  • 23:00 Seymour to Melbourne Southern Cross Station (Night Coach)
  • 18:01 Southern Cross to Deniliquin
Ballarat Line – Coach Connections
  • 18:24 Ballarat Station to Donald
  • 19:41 Castlemaine Station to Maryborough Station
Ararat / Grampians / Wimmera Corridor
  • 19:25 Ararat Station to Horsham
  • 20:45 Ararat Station to Nhill
Warrnambool / South West Corridor
  • 22:53 Warrnambool Station to Portland
  • 20:48 Warrnambool Station to Mt Gambier
 

TRAIN IMPACTS ON SATURDAY, 10 JANUARY

Ballarat, Ararat and Maryborough

Ballarat Line: Train services will run as scheduled. Note that coaches replace evening trains between Southern Cross and Wendouree as part of planned works.

Maryborough Line: Train services will run as scheduled.

Ararat Line: The services listed below will not operate Saturday, 10 January. All other Ararat train services are scheduled to run but due to fire activity in the region, services may be suspended at short notice. Check before you travel.

  • The 07:55 Southern Cross - Ararat service will not run.
  • The 06:59 Ararat - Southern Cross service will not run.
  • The 08:18 Ararat - Southern Cross service will not run.

Bendigo, Echuca and Swan Hill

Bendigo Line: Train services will continue to be suspended.

A limited number of replacement coaches will run between Southern Cross and Kyneton (not stopping at Footscray and Watergardens). Coaches will not operate between Kyneton and Bendigo.

To city - coaches will then run at 5:00am, 6:06am then every hour  to 10.06pm with the last service departing at 11.41pm.

From city – coaches will depart Southern Cross at 6.25am and run every hour until midnight.

Echuca Line: Train services are suspended.

Swan Hill Line: Train services are suspended.

Geelong and Warrnambool

Geelong Line: Train services will run as scheduled. Note coaches replace evening trains between Southern Cross and Waurn Ponds as part of planned works.

Warrnambool Line: Train services will run as scheduled.

Traralgon and Bairnsdale

Traralgon Line: Train services will continue to operate between East Pakenham and Traralgon in accordance with planned works in the metropolitan area.

Bairnsdale Line: Train services will continue to operate between East Pakenham and Bairnsdale in accordance to the occupation timetable.

Seymour, Shepparton and Albury

Seymour Line: Train services are scheduled to run but due to fire activity in the region, services may be suspended at short notice. Check before you travel.

Shepparton Line: Train services are scheduled to run but due to fire activity in the region, services may be suspended at short notice. Check before you travel.

Albury Line: Train services will continue to be suspended. Replacement coach services will not be running.
 

COACH IMPACTS ON SATURDAY, 10 JANUARY

The following coach services will not run:
  • The 06:24 Ballarat Station to Geelong Station 
  • The 08:17 Geelong Station to Ballarat Station 
  • The 07:30 Mansfield to Melbourne Southern Cross via Flowerdale
  • The 08:30 Melbourne Southern Cross to Mansfield 
  • The 13:15 Mansfield to Melbourne Southern Cross 
  • The 18:01 Melbourne Southern Cross to Mansfield via Flowerdale
The following coach services will not service Westmere, Streatham, Skipton, Linton, Scarsdale and Smythesdale on Saturday 10 January:
  • The 08:09 Hamilton Station to Ballarat Station 
  • The 10:51 Ballarat Station to Hamilton Station 
  • The 20:11 Ballarat Station to Hamilton Station 
  • The 16:49 Hamilton Station to Ballarat Station 
The following coach services will not service Euroa on Saturday 10 January:
  • The 10:31 Albury to Seymour
  • The 15:27 Seymour to Albury

The following coach service will run 60 minutes delayed on Saturday, 10 January:

  • The 02:59 Griffith to Shepparton station


 

  • Service Changes

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V/Line acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country on which we operate our services. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and to Elders past and present.
V/Line is committed to providing accessible information for passengers, and work is continuing to make this website more accessible.   
We acknowledge that some sections of this website may not fully comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2, Level AA standards, which we are working to improve. 
If you are unable to access any content on this website and need to request an accessible version, please email wcag.accessibility@vline.com.au or call 1800 800 007.
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V/Line acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country on which we operate our services. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and to Elders past and present.
V/Line is committed to providing accessible information for passengers, and work is continuing to make this website more accessible.   

We acknowledge that some sections of this website may not fully comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2, Level AA standards, which we are working to improve. 

If you are unable to access any content on this website and need to request an accessible version, please email wcag.accessibility@vline.com.au or call 1800 800 007.