North Melbourne railway station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
North Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Commuter and regional rail station | ||
Station front in November 2009
|
||
| Location | Railway Place, West Melbourne, Victoria Australia |
|
| Coordinates | 37°48′23″S 144°56′28″E / 37.8063°S 144.9411°E | |
| Owned by | VicTrack | |
| Operated by | Metro Trains Melbourne | |
| Line(s) | Craigieburn Flemington Racecourse (special events only) Sunbury Upfield Werribee Williamstown |
|
| Distance | 1.68 kilometres from Southern Cross | |
| Platforms | 6 (2 side, 2 island) | |
| Tracks | 6 | |
| Construction | ||
| Structure type | Ground | |
| Disabled access | Yes | |
| Other information | ||
| Status | Premium station | |
| Station code | NME | |
| Fare zone | 1 | |
| Website | Public Transport Victoria | |
| History | ||
| Opened | 6 October 1859 | |
| Electrified | Yes | |
| Services | ||
| Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Adjacent stations/V/Line' not found.
|
||
North Melbourne railway station is a busy train station in Melbourne, Australia. It's located just outside the main city area, known as the central business district. This station is a key meeting point for many train lines. These include the Craigieburn, Flemington Racecourse, Sunbury, Upfield, Werribee and Williamstown lines. The station first opened on 6 October 1859. It is also listed on the Victorian Heritage Register because of its important history.
Contents
Station Features
North Melbourne station is in West Melbourne. You can find its main entrance at the south end of the platforms. This entrance is where Adderley and Dryburgh Streets meet. Inside this building, you'll find the main ticket office, public toilets, and a small shop. You can reach the train platforms using escalators and lifts, which is great for everyone, including those with disabilities.
At the north end of the station, there are older brick buildings from the 1970s. These buildings are built over what used to be the Dynon Road overpass. They have more public toilets. Until 2009, this was the main exit with its own ticket office and shop. Now, those have moved to the new southern entrance. There's also an exit to the west that leads to the Melbourne Yard freight terminal, but this area is not open to the public.
Station History
The very first train tracks here were for the Williamstown line. They opened on 13 January 1859. The first passenger station at North Melbourne opened on 6 December 1859. It had two platforms. The station we see today, with six platforms, opened on 9 June 1886.
The new station built in 1886 had a classic design. It used red bricks with cream-coloured stripes. It also featured nice verandas and fancy cast-iron decorations. The station had six platforms, and four of them had buildings with waiting rooms and toilets for ladies. The main ticket office was near the ramp to platform 1. Men's toilets and offices for porters were under the ramps.
In December 1973, a train yard for suburban trains was opened near the station. This was part of the big City Loop project. A footbridge connecting the train tracks to the Macaulay maintenance centre also opened around this time. More washing facilities for trains were added in May 1995.
The station buildings at the northern end were built in 1974. In the 1980s, during the construction of the City Loop, the ramps to Platforms 1 and 2 were changed. The platforms were also made longer towards the north.
North Melbourne station was upgraded to a Premium station on 19 July 1996. This means it offers more services and facilities to passengers.
In May 2006, plans were announced to redevelop the station. This was a big project costing $36 million. The work included building a new main entrance at the southern end. This new entrance has escalators, stairs, and lifts. These make it easier and faster to get to the platforms. They also help passengers with disabilities. Construction began in May 2007 and finished on 16 November 2009. To keep trains running during construction, a special platform was built over the tracks. This allowed building work to continue above while trains passed safely below.
In March 2008, a new bus route, 401, started from North Melbourne station. This bus goes to the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the University of Melbourne. This new route helped people avoid travelling through the busy City Loop.
From December 2013, some regional train services stopped using North Melbourne station. These were the Geelong and Warrnambool services. This happened because a new section of track, the Regional Rail Link, opened. This new track allowed these trains to bypass North Melbourne. On 11 July 2014, other regional services also stopped at North Melbourne. These included the Ballarat, Ararat, Bendigo, Swan Hill and Echuca lines. They also switched to the Regional Rail Link tracks.
In November 2017, the government considered renaming North Melbourne station to West Melbourne. This was to better match its location. It would also allow a new nearby station to be called North Melbourne. However, the plan to change the name was later dropped.
Platforms and Services
North Melbourne station has six platforms. It serves trains operated by Metro Trains and V/Line.
Metro Trains services include:
- Craigieburn Line
- Sunbury Line
- Upfield Line
- Werribee Line
- Williamstown Line
- Flemington Racecourse Line (for special events only)
V/Line services include:
- Seymour Line
- Shepparton Line
Trains from these lines travel to and from Flinders Street in the city, and to various suburbs and regional towns.
Transport Connections
Sita Buslines operates one bus route that connects to North Melbourne station:
- Route 401: This bus goes to the University of Melbourne.
Images for kids
-
Schematic diagram of the station
