The Serviceton railway line (also known in Victoria, Australia as the Western line) is part of the Melbourne–Adelaide rail corridor. It serves the west of Victoria, linking the state capital of Melbourne to the cities of Ballarat and Ararat. It once extended to the disputed South Australian border as part of the Melbourne–Adelaide railway. The former broad-gauge () track was replaced in 1995 by the Western standard gauge line. Services Metro Trains Melbourne operates suburban passenger train services along the inner section of the line as far as Sunshine on the Sunbury Line, while V/Line services operate as the Interurban Ballarat Line and the Intercity Ararat Line. During peak hour some services originate and terminate at Bacchus Marsh. Passengers on the inner section of the line to Melton are permitted to use Myki tickets to access the services, with this section marked as the Melton line on suburban network maps. Beyond Ararat the line is part of the Western standard gauge line and sees The Overland to Adelaide. Freight services also use the line between Ballarat and Melbourne, coming off the Mildura line. The Western standard gauge also sees a large number of interstate freight trains as part of the Melbourne–Adelaide railway. On 16 July 2014, V/Line services ceased calling at North Melbourne station due to the Regional Rail Link and separation of tracks between Melbourne metropolitan and Regional trains. History The first railway line from Melbourne to Ballarat was via Geelong. Construction of the Geelong-Ballarat line began in 1858 and took nearly four years to complete. The project employed 3,000 men and cost approximately 1.5 million pounds. The line officially opened in 1862, with the first train running on 10 April. The train took about four and a half hours to reach Geelong, travelling at a maximum speed of and overcoming difficulties such as failing an uphill grade and running out of firewood; but the return journey was achieved in two hours and forty minutes. The line was extended from Ballarat to Beaufort in 1874 and to Ararat in 1875. It took until 1889 for a direct line from Melbourne to Ballarat to be opened, in part due to the difficult terrain between Bacchus Marsh and Ballan. Until 1995 the line through Ballarat was the main route for freight trains between Melbourne and Adelaide, as well as The Overland services to Adelaide, and V/Line services to Horsham and Dimboola.