St Albans railway station is a commuter railway station on the Sunbury line, which is part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the western suburb of St Albans, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. St Albans station is a below ground premium station, featuring two side platforms. It opened on 1 February 1887, with the current station provided in 2016.[4]
History
St Albans station opened on 1 February 1887.[4] It was provided at the request of a land development company that was sub-dividing the area. The company manager, Alfred Padley, asked for the station be named St Albans, apparently due to his forebears having an association with the English city of the same name.[5]
Originally, only three trains each way passed through St Albans on weekdays, and passengers had to inform the train guard at the prior stop if they wanted to alight there.[6] In 1888, a local service was provided, although it could not start operating to St Albans until 19 November of that year, when a single crossover was added, with tail-ropes probably used to shunt carriages with a locomotive on the adjacent track.
In 1898, that situation was resolved, when a second crossover was added and, by 1899, three non-interlockedsignals had been provided in each direction, with the first proper signal box brought into use on 17 June 1901.[6] Later, steam-era trains operated hourly from Flinders Street to Braybrook Junction, with eight of hose trains continuing to St Albans.
In October 1921, the station became the terminus of the electrified network from the city, and services were improved, with trains operating every 40 minutes by day and hourly at night.[7]
The original station was located at the down end of the former Main Road level crossing, with all terminating electric trains using Platform 2.[7] In 1959, the station was rebuilt, with an island platform built on the up side of the level crossing. One side faced the main line and the other side formed a dock platform for terminating suburban trains. The old westbound platform was removed, but the eastbound platform remained for Spencer Street-bound regional trains.[7]Train stabling sidings were also provided around that time.[4] In 1986, boom barriers replaced interlocked gates at the Main Road level crossing.[8]
A signal box with a mechanical lever frame, now abolished, was located on the former island platform, to control access to the former back platform and sidings.
In January 2002, as part of the extension of the electrified network to Sydenham, the platform that had been located at the down end of the level crossing was replaced by a new platform at the up end of the crossing.[4]
In November 2012, after electrification of the line was extended to Sunbury, V/LineBendigo services ceased stopping at St Albans, and Metro Trains' terminating services also ceased, with Platform 3 no longer regularly used. The stabling yard was still used for train storage, until work on the grade separation project began in 2015.[4]
In late 2015, the Level Crossing Removal Authority commenced a grade separation project that replaced the Main Road level crossing with a road bridge over a lowered rail line. On 1 November 2016, the rebuilt station opened, with the overall project completed by mid-2017. Roughly a third of the station was directly below Main Road, with the remainder also lowered.[10][11][12]
Melbourne bound platform that was located north of the Main Road level crossing, September 2005. It was replaced by a new Platform 1 in January 2002. This platform has since been demolished as part of the grade separation works in 2016.
