East: Eastern Rail Line Trail - Mitcham to Yarra River

Over the years cyclist have used roads and paths parallel to the Ringwood rail line as a bicycle route between Mitcham and the Main Yarra Trail in Burnley (Melway 44 K11).

There are some tricky road crossings and it's mostly on-road but is used by many cyclists heading to/from the city. Click here for a map.

Eastern Rail Trail

Whitehorse City Council are looking to revisit the Eastern Rail Trail. Many local riders have consistently been pushing for this vital link and so the council is looking to review the now 10 year old strategy. In coming months council will be asking for public input for feedback and Bicycle Victoria for input. When we hear more we shall be asking you to help the council help cycling in this area.

Feasibility study

In 1996 a feasibility study was carried out on the rail line route to see if a 3m wide trail utlilising railway and other easements would cater for both commuter and recreational cyclists. The study found:

• The trail is a feasible option and in fact could be developed immediately as a 23 km on-road route generally following the railway line
• The 18 km ultimate trail could be constructed generally along the edge of the Public Transport Corporation land and road and other reservations
• Research into the potential users of the trail has indicated that the Eastern Rail Trail could provide a major facility for nearly 50,000 train commuters each day as well as a good proportion of the over 800,000 trips within the 3 km corridor of the Eastern Rail Trail.