diff --git a/src/Core/ConsoleApplication/CMakeLists.txt b/src/Core/ConsoleApplication/CMakeLists.txt
index 44f46d796d..8eb939a85d 100644
--- a/src/Core/ConsoleApplication/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/Core/ConsoleApplication/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ SCIRUN_ADD_LIBRARY(Core_ConsoleApplication
 TARGET_LINK_LIBRARIES(Core_ConsoleApplication
   Core_Application
   Core_Command
+  Core_Serialization_Network_Importer
 )
 
 IF(BUILD_WITH_PYTHON)
diff --git a/src/Core/ConsoleApplication/ConsoleCommandFactory.cc b/src/Core/ConsoleApplication/ConsoleCommandFactory.cc
index 6fa935754c..7dcd861e77 100644
--- a/src/Core/ConsoleApplication/ConsoleCommandFactory.cc
+++ b/src/Core/ConsoleApplication/ConsoleCommandFactory.cc
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@ CommandHandle ConsoleGlobalCommandFactory::create(GlobalCommands type) const
     return makeShared<PrintVersionCommand>();
   case GlobalCommands::LoadNetworkFile:
     return makeShared<LoadFileCommandConsole>();
+  case GlobalCommands::ImportNetworkFile:
+    return makeShared<ImportFileCommandConsole>();
   case GlobalCommands::PrintModules:
     return makeShared<PrintModulesCommand>();
   case GlobalCommands::SaveNetworkFile:
diff --git a/src/Core/ConsoleApplication/ConsoleCommands.cc b/src/Core/ConsoleApplication/ConsoleCommands.cc
index 895df66f96..858e28cee8 100644
--- a/src/Core/ConsoleApplication/ConsoleCommands.cc
+++ b/src/Core/ConsoleApplication/ConsoleCommands.cc
@@ -26,12 +26,14 @@
 */
 
 
+#include <cstdlib>
 #include <Core/ConsoleApplication/ConsoleCommands.h>
 #include <Core/Algorithms/Base/AlgorithmVariableNames.h>
 #include <Dataflow/Engine/Controller/NetworkEditorController.h>
 #include <Core/Application/Application.h>
 #include <Dataflow/Serialization/Network/XMLSerializer.h>
 #include <Dataflow/Serialization/Network/NetworkDescriptionSerialization.h>
+#include <Dataflow/Serialization/Network/Importer/NetworkIO.h>
 #include <Dataflow/Network/Module.h>
 #include <Core/Logging/ConsoleLogger.h>
 #include <Core/Python/PythonInterpreter.h>
@@ -63,20 +65,19 @@ namespace
 /// @todo: real logger
 #define LOG_CONSOLE(x) std::cout << "[SCIRun] " << x << std::endl;
 
-bool LoadFileCommandConsole::execute()
+std::string NetworkFileProcessCommandConsole::resolveFilename() const
+{
+  return get(Variables::Filename).toFilename().string();
+}
+
+bool NetworkFileProcessCommandConsole::execute()
 {
   quietModulesIfNotVerbose();
 
-  auto inputFiles = Application::Instance().parameters()->inputFiles();
-  std::string filename;
-  if (!inputFiles.empty())
-    filename = inputFiles[0];
-  else
-  {
-    filename = get(Variables::Filename).toFilename().string();
-  }
+  auto filename = resolveFilename();
+  const auto verb = actionVerb();
 
-  LOG_CONSOLE("Attempting load of " << filename);
+  LOG_CONSOLE("Attempting " << verb << " of " << filename);
   if (!boost::filesystem::exists(filename))
   {
     LOG_CONSOLE("File does not exist: " << filename);
@@ -84,24 +85,61 @@ bool LoadFileCommandConsole::execute()
   }
   try
   {
-    auto openedFile = XMLSerializer::load_xml<NetworkFile>(filename);
+    auto file = processFile(filename);
 
-    if (openedFile)
+    if (file)
     {
       Application::Instance().controller()->clear();
-      Application::Instance().controller()->loadNetwork(openedFile);
-      LOG_CONSOLE("File load done: " << filename);
+      Application::Instance().controller()->loadNetwork(file);
+      LOG_CONSOLE("File " << verb << " done: " << filename);
       return true;
     }
-    LOG_CONSOLE("File load failed: " << filename);
+    LOG_CONSOLE("File " << verb << " failed: " << filename);
+  }
+  catch (std::exception& e)
+  {
+    LOG_CONSOLE("File " << verb << " failed: " << filename << ", exception: " << e.what());
   }
   catch (...)
   {
-    LOG_CONSOLE("File load failed: " << filename);
+    LOG_CONSOLE("File " << verb << " failed: " << filename);
+  }
+
+  // Mirrors FileImportCommand/NetworkFileProcessCommand (GUI): a failure that
+  // matters in regression mode must exit non-zero so ctest reports it,
+  // instead of silently continuing.
+  if (failTestOnErrorInRegressionMode() && Application::Instance().parameters()->isRegressionMode())
+  {
+    LOG_CONSOLE("Regression " << verb << " failed, exiting non-zero: " << filename);
+    // std:: qualifier avoided: libc++'s using-declaration for quick_exit fails
+    // to resolve on Xcode 15.4 (macOS-14 CI runners); the global C symbol works fine.
+    quick_exit(1);
   }
   return false;
 }
 
+std::string LoadFileCommandConsole::resolveFilename() const
+{
+  auto inputFiles = Application::Instance().parameters()->inputFiles();
+  if (!inputFiles.empty())
+    return inputFiles[0];
+  return NetworkFileProcessCommandConsole::resolveFilename();
+}
+
+NetworkFileHandle LoadFileCommandConsole::processFile(const std::string& filename) const
+{
+  return XMLSerializer::load_xml<NetworkFile>(filename);
+}
+
+NetworkFileHandle ImportFileCommandConsole::processFile(const std::string& filename) const
+{
+  auto dtdPath = Core::Application::Instance().executablePath();
+  const auto& modFactory = Core::Application::Instance().controller()->moduleFactory();
+  std::ostringstream legacyImportLog;
+  LegacyNetworkIO lnio(dtdPath.string(), modFactory, legacyImportLog);
+  return lnio.load_net(filename);
+}
+
 bool SaveFileCommandConsole::execute()
 {
   return !saveImpl(get(Variables::Filename).toFilename().string()).empty();
diff --git a/src/Core/ConsoleApplication/ConsoleCommands.h b/src/Core/ConsoleApplication/ConsoleCommands.h
index 8f3743cd72..0ce69cc9c6 100644
--- a/src/Core/ConsoleApplication/ConsoleCommands.h
+++ b/src/Core/ConsoleApplication/ConsoleCommands.h
@@ -31,19 +31,45 @@
 
 #include <Core/Command/Command.h>
 #include <Core/Application/Application.h>
+#include <Dataflow/Network/NetworkFwd.h>
 #include <Core/ConsoleApplication/share.h>
 
 namespace SCIRun {
 namespace Core {
 namespace Console {
 
-  class SCISHARE LoadFileCommandConsole : public Commands::FileCommand<Commands::ConsoleCommand>
+  // Shared logic for the two commands that turn a file on disk into a loaded
+  // network: resolve a filename, hand it to a format-specific parser, and
+  // load the result into the controller. Load (.srn5) and Import (legacy
+  // .srn/.net) differ only in how the filename is resolved, how the file is
+  // parsed, and whether a parse failure should fail a regression test.
+  class SCISHARE NetworkFileProcessCommandConsole : public Commands::FileCommand<Commands::ConsoleCommand>
+  {
+  public:
+    bool execute() final;
+  protected:
+    virtual std::string resolveFilename() const;
+    virtual Dataflow::Networks::NetworkFileHandle processFile(const std::string& filename) const = 0;
+    virtual std::string actionVerb() const = 0;
+    virtual bool failTestOnErrorInRegressionMode() const { return false; }
+  };
+
+  class SCISHARE LoadFileCommandConsole : public NetworkFileProcessCommandConsole
   {
   public:
     LoadFileCommandConsole();
-    bool execute() override;
-  // private:
-  //   int index_ = 0;
+  protected:
+    std::string resolveFilename() const override;
+    Dataflow::Networks::NetworkFileHandle processFile(const std::string& filename) const override;
+    std::string actionVerb() const override { return "load"; }
+  };
+
+  class SCISHARE ImportFileCommandConsole : public NetworkFileProcessCommandConsole
+  {
+  protected:
+    Dataflow::Networks::NetworkFileHandle processFile(const std::string& filename) const override;
+    std::string actionVerb() const override { return "import"; }
+    bool failTestOnErrorInRegressionMode() const override { return true; }
   };
 
   class SCISHARE SaveFileCommandConsole : public Commands::FileCommand<Commands::ConsoleCommand>, public Commands::SaveFileCommandHelper