The Melbourne–Adelaide rail corridor consists of the 828-kilometre (514-mile) long 1435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard-gauge main line between the Australian state capitals of Melbourne, Victoria and Adelaide, South Australia, and the lines immediately connected to it.

In 1983, studies by the Victorian Railways and Australian National Railways Commission indicated that about $400 million would be required to construct a standard-gauge link between Melbourne and Adelaide.

[3] The route eventually chosen avoided the steep grades of the Ballarat line by going via North Shore[4][5] (near North Geelong) and Cressy, joining the old route at Ararat to continue to Adelaide.

[6] The line was converted to standard gauge in 1995 under a federal infrastructure program.

[7] The line is single track for the entire route with the exception of a short dual-gauge section near Melbourne and a number of 1500–1600 metres (4900–5200 feet) passing loops every 15–45 kilometres (9.3–28.0 miles).