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Victoria has only ever had about 10 tunnels on its railway network, with some others on private narrow gauge tramways. This is due to the relatively easy terrain through which most of the lines were built. ==Main line tunnels== The Melbourne–Echuca railway or Bendigo line was commenced by the private Melbourne, Mount Alexander and Murray River Railway Company, but when the company experienced financial difficulties it was taken over by the Victorian colonial government in 1856, with the Victorian Railways Department being formed to operate the new public railway system. The line opened in five stages from February 1859 to September 1864, and was at the time the largest engineering undertaking in the colony. More than 6,000 men were involved in construction of the Bendigo line with the main contractors Cornish and Bruce undertaking the works.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 work = Vicsig Line Guides )〕 The line served a strategic economic need of serving the important goldfields of Castlemaine and Bendigo (then called Sandhurst), and capturing for Melbourne the trade in wool and other goods from northern Victoria and the Riverina which were formerly shipped through South Australia via the Murray River. Two tunnels were built on the line. The Elphinstone Tunnel, long, was built in brick and bluestone as a double-track horseshoe profile tunnel, and was completed in 1860.〔 The Big Hill Tunnel, located between Kangaroo Flat and Ravenswood, south of Bendigo. Like the Elpinstone Tunnel, it was double-tracked when built, but was singled as part of the Regional Fast Rail project. Cheviot tunnel was built for the extension of the Mansfield railway line from Yea and is located near Limestone, roughly half way between Yea and Molesworth, where the line crosses the Black Range at McLoughlin’s Gap. It was built in 1889, at a cost of £88,661/2/11, by contractors by Kenny Bros. as part of the Yea to Cathkin section, but construction was delayed by accidents.〔(''Cheviot Tunnel A Key Piece of Yea’s History )〕 Tarrawarra Tunnel was built on the Healesville line, when the Lilydale-Melbourne railway was extended from Yarra Flats (now known as Yarra Glen) to Healesville. A 1 in 40 (2.5%) climb up to the 154.4-metre tunnel and a corresponding descent was required. The section of line through the tunnel opened on 1 March 1889.〔(Yarra Valley Railway )〕 South Geelong tunnel was built as part of the extension of the Geelong railway line towards Colac and runs for a distance of 422 metres underneath the edge of the town centre, between McKillop and Ryrie Streets. Construction was commenced on 15 October 1874 by contractors Overend and Robb. It has a typical horseshoe shape and is built of bluestone and brick. The first train ran though the tunnel on 13 January 1876 and official services commenced on 4 February the same year. Its steep grade limited haulage loads and sometimes required assistance from a bank engine.〔(Rail Geelong )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Railway tunnels in Victoria, Australia」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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