Footscray railway station facts for kids

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Footscray

Regional and commuter rail station

Looking south from platform 6 in April 2010, with disused signal box on platform 5 in the foreground

Location

Irving Street, Footscray
Australia

Coordinates

37°48′06″S 144°54′09″E / 37.8016°S 144.9024°E

Owned by

VicTrack

Operated by

Metro Trains

Line(s)

Sunbury
Werribee
Williamstown
Serviceton
Warrnambool

Distance

5.62 kilometres from Southern Cross

Platforms

6 (2 side, 2 island)

Tracks

Construction

Structure type

Ground

Disabled access

Yes

Other information

Status

Premium station

Station code

FSY

Fare zone

Website

Public Transport Victoria

History

Opened

17 January 1859

Rebuilt

2012-2014

Electrified

Yes

Traffic

Passengers (2008-2009)

3.705 million

Passengers (2009-2010)

3.648 million

1.54%

Passengers (2010-2011)

3.856 million

5.7%

Passengers (2011-2012)

4.199 million

8.9%

Passengers (2012-2013)

Not measured

Passengers (2013-2014)

3.767 million

10.29%

Passengers (2014-2015)

Not measured

Passengers (2015-2016)

5.01 million

32.99%

Passengers (2016-2017)

5.10 million

1.81%

Passengers (2017-2018)

5.26 million

3.08%

Services

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Footscray railway station is a busy train station in the western part of Melbourne, Victoria. It serves the suburb of Footscray. The station first opened on January 17, 1859.

This station is a major hub for both local trains (called Metro Trains) and regional trains (called V/Line services). Metro trains on the Sunbury, Werribee, and Williamstown lines stop here. V/Line trains going to places like Ballarat, Bendigo, and Geelong also use Footscray.

Footscray station is one of the busiest in Melbourne. In 2017/18, over 5.26 million passengers used it! You can still see an old, unused signal box on Platform 5. Below the station, there are special tracks that freight trains use to carry goods to and from the Port of Melbourne.

Station History
Platforms & Services
Getting Around: Transport Links
- Bus Services
- Tram Services
Gallery

Station History

Early Days of Footscray Station

The first train line to Footscray opened on January 17, 1859. It connected Spencer Street in Melbourne to the important port town of Williamstown. This line crossed the Maribyrnong River using a new railway bridge. The very first Footscray station was on Napier Street, not where the current station is today.

Soon after, Footscray became a "junction station." This means it was a place where train lines split off in different directions. A second line opened on March 1, 1859, going to Sunbury. This new line was later extended to Bendigo. A second station was built on Nicholson Street for this new line.

On September 16, 1900, the current Footscray station opened. It was built right where the two train lines met. The two older stations then closed down.

Changes Over Time

Over the years, the station saw many changes. In 1928, special tracks were built underneath the station. These tracks were later upgraded in the 1960s to handle trains with different track widths, connecting Melbourne to Albury.

In 1976, more tracks were added towards Melbourne. This change meant the old signal box was no longer needed. The building where the signal box was is now a protected historical site.

Footscray station was upgraded to a "Premium station" in 1996. This meant it had better facilities like an enclosed waiting area and ticket offices. These improvements had actually been built a few years earlier in 1993.

In 2010, a new footbridge was built over the platforms. It cost $15 million and was named after William Cooper, an important Indigenous activist. This new bridge has stairs and lifts to help people get around. Some people have said the new bridge is not as easy to use as the old one. Its roof does not fully protect from bad weather, and the lifts sometimes break down.

Big Upgrade: Regional Rail Link

Between 2012 and 2014, Footscray station had a huge upgrade as part of the Regional Rail Link project. This project aimed to separate the local Metro trains from the regional V/Line trains.

Two new platforms were built for the Metro trains. On January 20, 2014, the platforms were renumbered. The new platforms became Platforms 1 and 2. The old Platforms 1 to 4 became Platforms 3 to 6. Platforms 3 and 4 were then rebuilt for V/Line services. They reopened on July 16, 2014. A new waiting area and toilets were also added for regional passengers.

The footbridge built in 2010 was partly changed to fit the new station layout. New roofs, stairs, and escalators were added. Wide ramps and new lifts were also installed to make it easier to reach the platforms.

The car park on Irving Street was moved to McNab Avenue. A new open area with plants and seats was created near the Irving Street entrance. Two new shops also opened there. One famous shop was the Olympic Hot Doughnuts kiosk, which had a big opening day in July 2014.

All the upgrade work at Footscray station was finished by November 2014.

Platforms & Services

Footscray station has six platforms. It serves both Metro Trains and V/Line services.

Platform 1:

Sunbury line All local trains to Flinders Street (in the city).

Platform 2:

Sunbury line All local trains to Watergardens and Sunbury.

Platform 3:

Ballarat line V/Line trains arriving from regional areas to Southern Cross (passengers can only get off here).
Ararat line V/Line trains arriving from regional areas to Southern Cross (passengers can only get off here).
Bendigo line V/Line trains arriving from regional areas to Southern Cross (passengers can only get off here).
Echuca line V/Line trains arriving from regional areas to Southern Cross (passengers can only get off here).
Swan Hill line V/Line trains arriving from regional areas to Southern Cross (passengers can only get off here).
Geelong line V/Line trains arriving from regional areas to Southern Cross (passengers can only get off here).
Warrnambool line V/Line trains arriving from regional areas to Southern Cross (passengers can only get off here).

Platform 4:

Ballarat line V/Line trains going to Ballarat (passengers can only get on here).
Ararat line V/Line trains going to Ararat (passengers can only get on here).
Bendigo line V/Line trains going to Bendigo, Epsom and Eaglehawk (passengers can only get on here).
Echuca line V/Line trains going to Echuca (passengers can only get on here).
Swan Hill line V/Line trains going to Swan Hill (passengers can only get on here).
Geelong line V/Line trains going to Wyndham Vale, Geelong & Waurn Ponds (passengers can only get on here).
Warrnambool line V/Line trains going to Warrnambool (passengers can only get on here).

Platform 5:

Werribee line All local trains to Flinders Street.
Williamstown line Weekday local trains to Flinders Street.

Platform 6:

Werribee line All local trains to Laverton & Werribee.
Williamstown line Weekday local trains to Williamstown.

Getting Around: Transport Links

Footscray station is a major transport hub. Many bus routes and a tram line connect here, making it easy to travel to other parts of Melbourne.

Bus Services

CDC Melbourne runs six bus routes from Footscray station:

* 406: to Keilor East * 409: Yarraville – Highpoint Shopping Centre * 410: to Sunshine station * 411: to Laverton station * 412: to Laverton station * 414: to Laverton station

Dysons operates three Night Bus routes from Footscray station:

* Night Bus 941: City – Watergardens station * Night Bus 942: City – St Albans station * Night Bus 952: City – Broadmeadows station

Sita Buslines operates four routes from Footscray station:

* 402: to East Melbourne * 403: to University of Melbourne Parkville Campus * 404: to Moonee Ponds Junction * 472: Williamstown – Moonee Ponds Junction

Transdev Melbourne operates three routes from Footscray station:

* 216: Sunshine station – City via Dynon Road * 220: Sunshine station – City via Footscray Road * 223: Yarraville – Highpoint Shopping Centre

Tram Services

Yarra Trams operates one tram route from Footscray station:

* to Moonee Ponds Junction

Gallery

Footbridge that links all platforms taken from Irving Street in December 2011
The same view from Irving Street in May 2014
Westbound view from Platform 2 in May 2014
The South Kensington - West Footscray railway line cutting runs beneath the south-western end of Platforms 5 and 6 in September 2008

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