Мельбурн қаласындағы Стоуни-Пойнт теміржол желісі

Passenger rail service in metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

The Stony Point line is a commuter railway line in the outer metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The line operates for approximately 13 hours a day (from approximately 5:30 am to around 10:30 pm), unlike other lines on the network, which provide 24 hour service on Friday and Saturday nights. Headways of 90 to 120 minutes are operated throughout the day due to limited patronage and infrastructure constraints. Trains on the Stony Point line run as two one car formations of V/Line Sprinter DMUs. Sections of the Stony Point line opened as early as 1888, with the line fully extended to Stony Point in 1889. Only two stations have opened since its extension in the 1880s—Leawarra and Morradoo. The line was built to connect Melbourne and Frankston with the rural towns of Baxter, Hastings, and Bittern, amongst others. The line also facilitates freight services to the Port of Hastings. Significant growth has occurred since the line's opening, with a plan to extend the Frankston line along part of the Stony Point line to Baxter.

The Stony Point line initially operated from Frankston to Baxter station, with services commencing in 1888. Extensions to Hastings, Bittern, and Stony Point were completed the following year in 1889. Branch lines were opened from Baxter to Mornington in 1889 and from Bittern to Red Hill in 1921. The Red Hill line was closed in 1953 with the Mornington line remaining open until 1981. A long branch from Long Island Junction to Long Island was opened on 29 April 1969 to serve the adjacent steel mill. Passenger services on the entire line were withdrawn on 10 June 1981, and the line from Long Island Junction to Stony Point was closed on 22 June 1981. Services then recommenced on 26 September 1984. Upon reopening, DRC railcars were used, with two MTH carriages present in between them making up a 4 car train. Frequent breakdowns saw diesel locomotives called in to haul the consist instead. On another occasion in November 1995, an X class diesel locomotive in the V/Line Freight livery was used with three MTH carriages. These configurations were not used after V/Line was separated into passenger and freight divisions.

Few changes occurred in the 2000s as the service settled down after a period of frequent changes to the operators, services, and rolling stock. On a limited number of occasions, train operator V/Line underwent locomotive shortages, with additional trains leased from Freight Australia and later Pacific National appearing on the lines in their green and yellow livery. In 2008, the Stony Point line underwent major re signalling works including the introduction of three position signalling for the first time on the line. The new signalling system was now controlled remotely by the Frankston Signal Box. In April 2008, Sprinter units were introduced on the line, originally purchased by V/Line in 1993. Two units usually operate the service, with a single unit returning to Southern Cross for servicing on a regular basis, and another sent in the opposite direction to replace it. The units are selected from the normal V/Line fleet, and are not dedicated to operate the Stony Point service. Malfunctions related to boom gates forced the line's closure for three months in 2015.

In 2013, as part of Public Transport Victoria's Network Development Plan for metropolitan rail, an extension of the Frankston line to Baxter was earmarked to begin in the "long term" (over the next 20 years). During the 2018 state election, the Liberal Party announced a project to extend electrified services to Baxter. The project would have included the removal of all crossings between Frankston and Baxter, duplication and electrification works, the construction of one (or two) new stations, and the reconstruction of stations along the corridor. The Federal Liberals announced $450 million of joint funding for the project promised between the state and federal governments, with the national government promising to provide $225 million of the funding. Again in the lead up to the 2022 state election, the Liberal opposition supported the electrification to Baxter. The second Andrews government made no commitments to the Baxter rail extension, instead continuing construction on level crossing removal works along the Frankston line.

Services on the Stony Point line operate from approximately 5:30 am to 10:30 pm Monday to Friday, and 7:00 am to 8:30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Train frequency is typically every 90 to 120 minutes throughout the day due to the presence of a single track. Freight operations typically occur twice daily, with Qube Holdings operating services to the Long Island steel mills and the Port of Hastings. Trains to Melbourne run at approximately 4:00 am and during the mid afternoon, while trains from Melbourne run at approximately midnight and noon. Train services on the Stony Point line are also subjected to maintenance and renewal works, usually on selected Fridays and Saturdays. Shuttle bus services are provided throughout the duration of works for affected commuters.

The Stony Point line forms a somewhat linear route from the Frankston station to its terminus in the small town of Stony Point. The route is long and is predominantly single tracked, with double tracked sections only present at select stations on the line. After changing from the Frankston line at Frankston station, the Stony Point line traverses mainly flat country with few curves and fairly minimal earthworks for most of the line. Many level crossings are still present on the line with no plans to remove any as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project. After Frankston, most of the rail line goes through smaller suburbs and some industrial areas, with large sections of the line passing through more open countryside, passing by open fields and farms.

In compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act of 1992, all stations that are new built or rebuilt are fully accessible and comply with accessibility guidelines. All stations on the corridor are fully accessible—a first in Melbourne. The stations feature ramps that have a gradient less than 1 in 14, have at grade paths, or feature lifts.

The Stony Point line uses three position signalling which is widely used across the Melbourne train network. Three position signalling was fully introduced on the corridor in March 2008.