Victorian Speed Signalling - Explained!

This video attempts to explain common railway signalling aspects in the state of Victoria, Australia. This type of signalling originally used upper-quadrant semaphore signals, but today is entirely colour lights.

If you're still confused after watching, the key points are:
-Green: This signal and next signal clear
-Yellow: Prepare to stop at next signal
-Red: Stop
-Displayed on top light: Normal Speed (max permitted speed of line and train)
-Displayed on bottom light: Medium Speed (40km/h unless otherwise indicated)

As mentioned at the end of the video, I have no official connection with the railways. I have learned this information through reading and observation. While I am confident the information shown is correct, please don't take my word for it if you're learning signalling for a safety critical role!

Locations shown in the video are Hawksburn and Greensborough, with still images from Macleod, Rosanna and South Yarra.

[andrewpalm]

Thank you so much for these signalling videos! I wish there were more of these from around the world, as I've always been interested in this topic. Cheers from Wisconsin.

[doctorstrange]

NSW Signals are so much more intuitive to follow.

[johnmurfett]

I’ve tried to work this out myself my travelling on Victorian trains, and I found I could not do so. Now I don’t feel so bad about that. This seems to have no logical basis, just something train drivers need to learn by rote.

[jeffreylynn]

Thanks for posting this. I have had the signaling explained to me before by a train traffic controller, but with the aspects shown clearly here, it makes more sense. I still can't get over the fact that Victorian train drivers have to pass red aspects constantly, as red on most other systems purely means stop; I can't help feeling they get inured to passing reds (as a part of the speed aspects), making it easier to make mistakes. Still, it seems to have worked for a long time now.

[skoodledoo]

As a train driver in UK, this is so needlessly complex. Biased but British signalling is simpler and clearer. Know the max line speed as part of your route knowledge and then green, double yellow, yellow or red tells you where the train ahead is and you adjust speed accordingly. Driver adjusts train speed knowing where next conflict could be, not what two signals tell you. I applaud those that drive this system but there’s easier ways.

[Ashley_van_Schooneveld]

Very similar to Canadian signals for exception that they feature 3 lights and some feature flashing aspects.

[coewem]

this is way different from belgian signalling, i'm a train driver in belgium, this is much more complex :)

[Techno-Universal]

There’s also switching direction lights which are white arrows or are a couple of letters that represent the destination beyond the signal. The white arrows are used for indicating the direction of the points on the junction inbound from Box Hill while the abbreviated destination lights can be seen at stations where the line splits off to different lines such as at Burnley or Ringwood! :)

[petercheems]

Home signals can be passed at stop too. There's a couple of reasons but the main one being defective. The authorities to pass them differ depending on what they're protecting.

[donestelle]

Thanks for the eplenation of this signal system I seen it in Australia on the line from Traralgon and wondered what the signals ment! I did have to Pause the video rather a lot so I could read the text! (Its still cooking my Swede lol)

[scottrussell]

awesome video mate thanks as im going to hopefully be a trainee driver great to know any chance to do a video on banner indicators aswell

[christopherclark]

NZ uses very similar speed signalling to this, however automatic signals have the bottom signal head/marker to the right of the top head rather than the left.

[Greenman]

Maybe one day I’ll actually be able to properly ‘read’ these, but until then they still seem totally counter intuitive.

[dang]

Thanks so much for a hard to come by information .👍👍👍👍👍.

[joshuawojcik]

What about the letters from the signal boxes there M, R, D, W, B, L, F and G display on it

[_beans]

Great video. What is the difference between the traffic light type signals and single light signals? is it just two styles of the same? I ask as it seems there might be a risk if someone was colour blind at not being able to understand the signals if only a single light.

[lachlantrainvideos]

What circumstances would allow a passing of a Automatic Stop signal?

[xymaryai]

thanks, i hate it. singlehandedly makes me nope on being a train driver here, my brain will 100% mess this up no matter how many exams i take on it

[iannewberry]

Never seen such an unnecessarily complicated and confusing system

[charlesgault]

Not too much different than most north American signalling systems.