Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company

The Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company was a railway company in Victoria, Australia.

Alexander Thomson, a member of the Victorian Legislative Council, introduced and mentored a bill to incorporate the Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company,^[1] which was passed in February 1853.^[2] Thomson was one of the directors and presided at the first shareholder meeting.^[3]

Work began at the Geelong end in 1854 but progress was slow due to a labour shortage caused by the Victorian gold rush,^[4] so the Victorian government hired out 100 prisoners to the company at a daily rate of five shillings each. They were housed in prison hulks moored in Corio Bay.^[2]

English engineer and surveyor Edward Snell undertook the survey and design of the line, including a station and extensive workshops at Geelong, and a number of bluestone and timber bridges.^[5]

On 25 June 1857 the company opened its railway line from Geelong to a temporary terminus called Greenwich, on the Yarra River at Newport, where passengers were obliged to transfer to a steamer for connection to Melbourne.^[4] In 1859 train services were extended through from Newport to Spencer Street Station after the Victorian Railways opened the Williamstown railway. However, the company continued to operate at a loss, and in June 1860 was sold to the Government of Victoria for £800,000.^[4] The Geelong-Melbourne railway then became part of the network operated by the Victorian Railways.

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