Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company

The rich Riverina district of New South Wales, which lies between the Murray and the Murrumbidgee Rivers, was handicapped in the middle of the 19th century by its distance from the seaboard. The Government of Victoria sought to capture the trading potentialities of the area.

A broad gauge (5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm)) railway was opened by the Victorian Railways (VR) between Melbourne and Echuca in September 1864 for goods traffic and in October for passenger business. Echuca lies on the Murray River, which forms the border between Victoria and New South Wales. Consequently, pressure arose to have the line extended across the river, northward to Deniliquin. However, the Government of New South Wales was adamant in its refusal to construct a railway which, to a large extent, would have only served Victorian interests.

On 1 December 1923, under the terms of the 1922 Border Railways Act, the Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company was taken over by the New South Wales government for transfer to the Victorian Railways. Since that date, the line has been part of the Victorian railway system.