Ballarat railway station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ballarat
PTV regional rail station
Station building, looking east in 2011
Location	Lydiard Street North Ballarat Central, Victoria 3350 Australia
Coordinates	37°33′31″S 143°51′34″E / 37.5587°S 143.8594°E / -37.5587; 143.8594
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	V/Line
Line(s)	Geelong–Ballarat Mildura Serviceton
Distance	118.80 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	2
Tracks	3
Train operators	V/Line
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Other information
Status	Operational, staffed
Station code	BAL
Fare zone	8
History
Opened	11 April 1862 (1862-04-11)
Electrified	No
Services
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Former service Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station Terminus   Geelong–Ballarat line   Warrenheip

Ballarat railway station is a historic train station in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. It is on the Serviceton line. The station first opened its doors on 11 April 1862.

This large building complex is very important to Ballarat's history and architecture. Most of its original features from the 1800s are still there. These include the biggest working mechanical swing gates in Victoria at Lydiard Street. It also has old signal boxes and goods sheds. Ballarat is one of only three stations in Victoria that had a train shed in the 1800s. The entire railway area is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.

Some old, unused stations are located near Ballarat. These include Ballarat East, Warrenheip, Bungaree, and Gordon. They are all between Ballarat and Ballan.

Station History: A Journey Through Time

Construction of Ballarat West Railway Station began in 1862. The first buildings cost almost 22,000 pounds. The original railway line connected Ballarat to Melbourne via Geelong. This line was built to serve the busy goldfields in Ballarat.

A bluestone engine shed was added to the south in 1863. A goods shed was also built to the north that same year. In 1877, a footbridge and waiting rooms were added on the south side. Hand-operated railway gates were installed at Lydiard Street in 1885. The "B" signal box, which controlled these gates, was also added.

The Golden Age of Ballarat Station

In December 1889, a direct train line opened from Ballarat to Melbourne. More people started using the station because of this new line. This led to plans to make the station even better.

A grand portico, a stationmaster's office, and a clocktower were designed in 1888. These were added in 1891, but a clock was not put in the tower at that time. In 1921, the Ballarat East and West Town Councils joined together. Ballarat East station closed, and the station slowly became known simply as Ballarat.

Saving a Piece of History

On 13 December 1981, a fire caused a lot of damage to the inside of the 1888 section. This included the station-master's office, waiting room, and booking office. The clock tower was also damaged. All these areas were later fixed and kept. Many original features were restored. However, some parts, like the booking office, were updated to look more modern.

In 1983, the Public Transport Corporation wanted to remove the level crossing gates at Lydiard Street. The City of Ballarat, National Trust, and Historic Buildings Council worked together to save them. A clock was finally added to the tower in 1984.

In 1990, people who wanted to protect old buildings succeeded in keeping the railway gates. A new automatic system was built so the historic gates could still be used. More restoration work was done in 2005. The roof was replaced with special Welsh slate, just like the original roof.

A New Era of Growth

After the 2006 Regional Fast Rail project, more modern V/Line VLocity trains were introduced. Services to Ararat also started in 2005. Because of this, the number of passengers at Ballarat station grew by as much as 40% each year.

This led to the need for a second station. Wendouree opened in June 2009. This helped reduce crowding, especially from people who drove to the station and then took the train. The station saw even more trains when services to Maryborough started again.

Train Incidents

On 30 May 2020, a VLocity passenger train did not stop at Ballarat station. It crashed into the crossing gates at Lydiard Street North level crossing. Four men were on the train, including the driver and conductor. They were injured in the crash. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is looking into what happened.

Their first report came out on 6 September. It said the train went through the station at 11:35 PM. It was going about 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph). The train passed a red signal and stopped 600 metres west of the station. It had gone through two other level crossings.

Platforms and Services

Ballarat station has two platforms, one on each side. It is served by V/Line trains on the Ballarat, Ararat, and Maryborough lines.

Platform 1:

• <span style="background-color:#Lua error: expandTemplate: template "V/Line color" does not exist.; border:1px solid #Lua error: expandTemplate: template "V/Line color" does not exist.;"> Ballarat line  V/Line services to Wendouree & Southern Cross
• <span style="background-color:#Lua error: expandTemplate: template "V/Line color" does not exist.; border:1px solid #Lua error: expandTemplate: template "V/Line color" does not exist.;"> Ararat line  V/Line services to Ararat & Southern Cross
• Maryborough line: V/Line services to Maryborough

Platform 2:

• <span style="background-color:#Lua error: expandTemplate: template "V/Line color" does not exist.; border:1px solid #Lua error: expandTemplate: template "V/Line color" does not exist.;"> Ballarat line  V/Line services to Wendouree
• <span style="background-color:#Lua error: expandTemplate: template "V/Line color" does not exist.; border:1px solid #Lua error: expandTemplate: template "V/Line color" does not exist.;"> Ararat line  V/Line services to Ararat
• Maryborough line: V/Line services to Maryborough

Getting Around: Transport Links

V/Line also runs bus services from Ballarat station to other towns. These include:

• Bendigo (via Maryborough & Castlemaine)
• Halls Gap & the Grampians National Park (via Ararat & Stawell)
• Horsham, Dimboola, Nhill & Adelaide
• Geelong
• Hamilton & Mount Gambier
• Ouyen, Donald and Mildura

CDC Ballarat also operates local town bus services from Ballarat station.

Walking and Cycling Trails

The station is the official starting point for two trails that can be used for walking or cycling:

• The Wallaby Track, which is part of the Great Dividing Trail, goes to Daylesford and Buninyong.
• The Ballarat-Skipton Rail Trail goes to Skipton.

Images for kids

• 

  View of the station clocktower in December 2007

• 

  Ballarat Railway Station platform two in 2017.

• 

  Station front in December 2011

• 

  A2 986 locomotive at platform two

• 

  Eastbound view from Platform 1 in December 2007