The group hired an old diesel train to take them to Ballarat, Maryborough and Geelong on tracks currently only used by freight trains.

Their aim was to make the case for commuter services to be made available between Bendigo and Geelong.

Rail Revival Alliance's Scott Ramsay said the event was a "sensational success".

He said there was a "real sense of euphoria" among passengers about the possibilities of cross-regional travel.

When the group reached Maryborough there was a pipe and drums band to welcome them. Then they marched to an amphitheatre for speeches and cake. 

The trip was organised to coincide with the 140th anniversary of the construction of the rail line between Maryborough and Castlemaine - a stretch of track that is currently in disrepair and unusable for freight or passengers.

If the track were fixed, the group says there could be a commuter service running between Bendigo, Castlemaine, Maryborough, Ballarat and Geelong.

"It's a fantastic rail line, it's a great shame in its 140th year that it's lying in such a deteriorated state," Mr Ramsay said.

"Why can’t people in these regional cities have the capacity to travel to work in other major regional centres," he said.

Mr Ramsay said freight workers had told him they would also use the line between Maryborough and Castlemaine if it was operational.

He said "political negligence" by Labor and Liberal governments was the reason for the line's poor condition.

"The last time a commuter service was on the Geelong to Ballarat line was 25 years ago and the Kennett government removed the passenger service from that line," he said.

Mr Ramsay said there was little indication that the current government would act on it.

"It's a great shame that Mr Mulder (the state minister for transport) can’t see the vision of it," he said. "It can be done and should be done." 

The Greens recently announced their support for re-opening the rail lines.