In the first six months of 2026 there were 14 incidents where a train struck livestock.
In 2025, there were 61 livestock strike incidents on the V/Line network, involving 53 sheep, two cattle, five pigs and one goat.
With warmer months approaching, V/Line chief executive Will Tieppo encouraged farmers and landowners to regularly check the condition of fences around their property, keep a close watch on their animals and be aware of trains travelling through their area.
“Animal strikes are a concern across the V/Line network, with cattle, sheep, horses and other livestock in danger of being hit by a train when they wander away from properties looking for food,” Mr Tieppo said.
He said not only did strikes represent a significant loss to landowners, they also disrupted passenger services as replacement coaches had to be called in. This represents a significant cost to the taxpayer.
Since January 2023 there have been 4921 reported strikes — including livestock — 1409 in 2023, 1881 in 2024, 1099 in 2025 and 532 between January and June this year.
About 25 per cent of instances of trains requiring washing after a strike are due to livestock, the remainder being kangaroos and other wildlife.
Mr Tieppo says that roughly one train is taken off the network (due to a livestock strike) for washing at V/Line’s train maintenance facilities per day, resulting in a loss of around 440 seats for passengers.
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