Essendon railway station is a commuter and regional railway station on the suburban Craigieburn line and the regional Seymour line, part of the Melbourne and Victorian railway networks. It serves the northern suburb of Essendon in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Essendon station is a ground level premium station, featuring three platforms, an island platform with two faces and one side platform. It opened on 1 November 1860, with the current station provided in 1871. It initially closed on 1 July 1864, then reopened on 9 October 1871.[4]
In 1878, a completely new station, with a single platform, was provided, on the site of the present island platform, with passenger subways and footbridges added in 1886, along with conversion of the island platform to the current layout. It was also at that time that a rail overpass was provided at Mount Alexander Road, in what was one of the first grade separation projects to be carried out in the state. In 1909, the present buildings were provided, along with a centre track between Platforms 1 and 2.[5]
In 1919, electric train services between the city and Essendon were inaugurated, with electrification extended to Broadmeadows in 1921. However, Essendon remained the terminus of most suburban services, with a shuttle service operating beyond until 1925, and all-day through services to Broadmeadows not provided until 1941.[8]
In 1965, the double line block signalling between Broadmeadows and Essendon was abolished, and was replaced with three position signalling.[4] In 1969, the station took the layout it has today, with the abolition of the centre track, the closure of the stand-alone signal box, the provision of automatic signalling along the line, and the replacement of the interlocked gates with boom barriers at the former Buckley Street level crossing. A signal panel was provided within the station office in that same year.[4]
On 7 March 1974, Harris motor 518M and Tait motor 368M were destroyed by fire whilst stabled at the station.[9][10][11] Tait trailer 85G was also damaged in the fire.[9][10][11]
On 8 June 1987, stabling of suburban trains at Essendon ceased, with the overhead wiring of all sidings removed just over a year later.[12] On 1 September 1988, the former sidings near Rose Street were removed.[12]
On 16 August 1996, Essendon was upgraded to a premium station.[13] Also in that year, siding "B" was taken out of service.[14] On 7 June 2014, the signal panel was abolished.[15]
On 20 September 2016, the Victorian State Government announced the grade separation of the Buckley Street level crossing.[16] Construction began in 2018, with the level crossing removed and Buckley Street reopening on 28 September of that year. Buckley Street now passes under the railway line in a trench.[16]
As part of the Melbourne Metro Rail Tunnel, it is expected that the turnback facilities at the station will be upgraded, to allow services to start at Essendon when the tunnel opens in 2025.[17]
Platforms and services
Essendon has one island platform with two faces and one side platform. Platform 1 is only used by V/Line services to overtake Metro Trains' services, or when three-car trains are terminating, as it is unable to accommodate a six-car train.[4]
^ abcdef"Essendon". vicsig.net. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
^ abTurton, Keith W (1973). Six And A Half Inches From Destiny. The first hundred years of the Melbourne-Wodonga Railway 1873-1973. Australian Railway Historical Society. pp. 23, 86. ISBN0-85849-012-9.
^"MM-Business-Case-Feb-2016-APPENDIX-03.PDF"(PDF). metrotunnel.vic.gov.au. Archived(PDF) from the original on 9 March 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2018. Infrastructure to facilitate short turnback of services at Essendon
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