The line opened in stages: on 14 March 1883 from Adelaide to Aldgate, on 28 November 1883 to Nairne, on 1 May 1886 to Bordertown and on 19 January 1887 to Serviceton.

Major towns on the route include Murray Bridge, Tailem Bend, Keith, Bordertown and Wolseley.

[2] Today the route is mainly served by interstate freight services operated by Pacific National and SCT Logistics.

Journey Beyond's The Overland is the only scheduled passenger service to traverse the full route, calling at Murray Bridge and Bordertown stations.

[7] Prior to December 1990, the Blue Lake passenger to Mount Gambier served some towns along the line till Wolseley.