Jewell railway station is a commuter railway station on the Upfield line, part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the northern suburb of Brunswick in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Jewell station is a ground-level unstaffed station, featuring two side platforms. It opened on 9 September 1884.[4]
Initially opened as South Brunswick, the station was given its current name of Jewell on 1 February 1954.[4]
In 1997, siding "A", a crossover, and a number of points and signal discs at the station were abolished.[4] In August 1998, the former level crossing at Barkly Street, at the up end of the station, was closed to vehicle traffic.[7] In September of that year, boom barriers replaced interlocked gates at the Union Street level crossing at the down end of the station.[8] The signal box protecting the level crossing was also abolished during that time.[8]
In June 2012, VicTrack announced its intention to revamp the station as part of a mixed development that could include station restoration, enhanced open space, and a new commercial and residential development adjacent to the eastern side of the station. A program of community consultation was undertaken to find out local people's priorities for any alterations. Safety and better access were identified as main the concerns. VicTrack was to seek interest from developers in 2013.[9] In 2018, upgrades to the station were completed.[10][11]
On 19 September 2022, it was announced that the Union Street level crossing would be removed by grade separation as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project and would be elevated, along with seven other level crossings in Brunswick.[12]
On 19 September 2024, it was announced that Jewell station, along with Brunswick and Anstey stations would be replaced by two new stations located approximately 200 metres to 450 metres from all three existing stations. Jewell station would be replaced by a new station located between Union Street and Dawson Street, just 200 metres and north of the existing station and the eight level crossings to be elevated and removed by 2030. It was also announced that the heritage listed station building on Platform 1 at the existing station and some heritage listed interlocking hand gates at some closed level crossings will be kept and located at its current spot.[13]
The decision to build two stations in different locations instead of rebuilding Jewell, Brunswick and Anstey generated significant criticism from residents and the local council. Local newspaper Brunswick Voice reported that the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Danny Pearson, claimed "the decision to build two stations followed 18 months of technical and engineering assessments which found fewer stations would boost capacity on the line in the future and deliver more open space", noting that "[the government claimed] the plan would also minimise the impact to heritage in the area, but [the politician] provided no detail about whether the three station buildings and the historic boom gate operators' cabins would be preserved".[14]
Platforms and services
A Comeng train on a Flinders Street-bound service arrives at Platform 1, September 2015
^"Jewell, James Robert". Re-Member (former members). Parliament of Victoria. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
^"Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). October 1998. p. 317.
^ ab"Signalling Alterations". Somersault. Signalling Record Society (Victoria). November 1998. p. 108.
