▁a ▁" common ▁car rier " ▁and ▁was ▁required ▁to ▁carry ▁almost ▁any ▁fre ight ▁offered . ▁After ▁World ▁War ▁I ▁road ▁competition ▁increased , ▁until ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 3 ▁legisl ation ▁was ▁passed ▁to ▁reg ulate ▁tr uck s ▁compet ing ▁with ▁rail ▁on ▁specific ▁routes . ▁From ▁ 1 9 7 4 ▁to ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 0 s ▁intr ast ate ▁road ▁fre ight ▁was ▁der eg ulated , ▁and ▁rail ▁" common ▁car rier " ▁oblig ations ▁were ▁removed , ▁resulting ▁in ▁the ▁loss ▁of ▁to ▁road ▁of ▁much ▁non - bul k ▁fre ight . ▁In ▁ 1 9 8 7 ▁ 1 0 . 5 1 ▁million ▁t onnes ▁of ▁fre ight ▁was ▁carried ▁by ▁rail , ▁with ▁bulk ▁gra in ▁being ▁the ▁main ▁comm od ity ▁consisting ▁of ▁ 3 1 . 4 % ▁of ▁traffic . ▁ ▁By ▁ 2 0 1 6 , ▁the ▁only ▁remaining ▁general ▁container ised ▁fre ight ▁services ▁on ▁the ▁intr ast ate ▁network ▁were ▁operated ▁to ▁W arr nam bool , ▁to ▁Do o en , ▁to ▁Mer be in ▁and ▁Donald , ▁and ▁to ▁T oc um wal , ▁all ▁origin ating ▁from ▁the ▁Port ▁of ▁Melbourne ▁and ▁running ▁between ▁three ▁and ▁five ▁times ▁per ▁week . ▁Other ▁intr ast ate ▁rail ▁traffic ▁was ▁primarily ▁special ised ▁bulk ▁fre ight , ▁including ▁min eral ▁s ands ▁between ▁Hop et oun , ▁Hamilton ▁and ▁Port land ▁in ▁the ▁state ' s ▁west ; ▁export ▁rice ▁between