113-534: The rail network of Melbourne , Australia , has a significant number of railway lines and yards serving freight traffic. Rail transport in Victoria is heavily focused on Melbourne, and, as a consequence, much of the state's rail freight passes through the metropolitan network. The lines are of two gauges : 1,600 mm ( 5 ft 3 in ) Victorian broad gauge and 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) standard gauge . Because
226-530: A branch was built from Bittern to Red Hill in 1921. Planning for electrification was started by Victorian Railways chairman Thomas James Tait , who engaged English engineer Charles Hesterman Merz to deliver a report on the electrification of the Melbourne suburban network. His first report in 1908 recommended a three-stage plan over two years, covering 200 route-kilometres existing lines and almost 500 suburban carriages (approximately 80 trains). The report
339-525: A direct link via South Yarra before the line had even opened. The line saw little traffic as it traversed empty paddocks, and with no through traffic, the Outer Circle was closed in sections between 1893 and 1897. The Camberwell to Ashburton stretch of the Outer Circle re-opened in 1899, and then in 1900, part of the northern section of the Outer Circle reopened as a shuttle service between East Camberwell and Deepdene station . This line closed in 1927. At
452-430: A dramatic boost to the cause of Federation. The connection was a long-heralded and much-vaunted engineering achievement, which was crowned with the architectural triumph of Albury Railway Station Building. The connection was, above all else, a political accomplishment, and was perceived as marking a turning point in the movement towards Federation. It provided a tangible and inspirational expression of what might develop into
565-472: A large number of sidings that directly served factories and other industrial facilities. With the rise of efficient door to door road transport, suburban rail freight operations ceased in the late 1980s. The majority of goods yards have since been removed and the land used for car parking, or converted to stabling locations for suburban trains. Suburban stations with goods yards or sidings included: In recent years, attempts have been made to run shuttles between
678-436: A limited number of electric freight services historically operated in the metropolitan area, a lack of electrical infrastructure on Victorian mainlines means that no freight services in Melbourne now use electric traction , despite some services operating over the electrified passenger network. Fixed infrastructure, such as track , signals and yards , is largely owned, operated and maintained by government agencies or in
791-561: A link was opened between Victoria Park and Princes Bridge in 1901. The Outer Circle line opened in 1890, linking Oakleigh (on the Gippsland line ) to Riversdale (with a branch to Camberwell on the Lilydale line ) and Fairfield (on the Heidelberg line ). Originally envisaged to link the Gippsland line with Spencer Street station in the 1870s, this reason disappeared with the building of
904-410: A national route. There was no other transport connection like it in scale or character in regional Australia. The long passenger platform was familiar to generations of train travellers. Illustrative materials in addition to Drysdales works indicate a high level of regard for the site and rail connection as national cultural capital. Albury Railway Station and Yard provides an exceptional explanation of
1017-509: A new export grain terminal at the port. Dual gauge access is provided to the majority of sidings in the area. The Westgate Ports sidings at Victoria Dock were opened in October 2009, with two siding tracks (650 and 580 metres long) and a run-around track . The sidings handles trains for Australian Paper at Maryvale in Gippsland , carrying containerised paper reels . The Webb Dock railway line opened on 27 February 1986 to link Webb Dock with
1130-402: A number of offices. Along the platform there is access to the ladies waiting room (divided into first and second class sections), the parcels office (also accessed from the street), stores, porters room, lamp room and male toilets. The stores and toilets are separated from the main building by a passageway and are under separate hipped roofs with dormer gables . A refreshment room was added to
1243-518: A number of sidings still remain for the stabling of trains, as does the West Tower signal box. The land for Tottenham Yard was acquired by the Victorian Railways in 1912 as a location to dump soil and building material removed from the grade separation project between South Yarra and Caulfield stations. Tottenham Yard was opened in the western suburb of Tottenham from the 1920s as part of
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#17328764944541356-478: A pitched roof with hipped ends and hipped transverse bays at the ends of the building. The roof over the booking hall is elevated. The road-side of the building features the clock tower and two verandahs between the projecting bays supported on double cast iron columns . The platform side has a series of gabled roofs running at right angles to the main building; all supported on trusses over cast iron, decorated, fluted columns. Timber valances are still intact on
1469-424: A project to improve freight movement in Victoria. The majority of freight traffic in the state was from the north or western areas, and was being remarshalled into trains at Melbourne Yard. This caused inefficiencies with the large number of trains needing to enter the Melbourne city, so the yard was opened for the marshalling of trains before they were sent to Melbourne Yard. Laid with broad gauge trackage, Tottenham
1582-399: A railwayed nation continent. Contemporaries hoped the connection would encourage the bond of commerce and lead to revision of ungainly trading arrangements. It would, they hoped, help overcome colonial rivalries and jealousies by increasing communication and understanding. It would assist the colonies to defend themselves. Historians have subsequently built on the rhetoric of the time to confirm
1695-408: A slate gabled roof. The building has an asymmetrical design with a projecting bay at the front and a two-storey verandah with decorative cast iron railing and detail to posts. The verandah roof is reverse curve corrugated iron . The arrangement of the building includes a sitting room and dining room with staircase in the front part of the ground floor area with attached kitchen, scullery and pantry at
1808-469: A temporary station building, crew barracks, porters' cottages, Station Master's residence, and carriage shed at Albury was let to a J. Stevens in May 1880. In 1882, a 10 tonne crane and a cart weighbridge were installed, the temporary passenger platform converted to a loading stage, and the signal box moved from the temporary platform to a new location near the station. On 26 February 1882, the new station building
1921-488: A terminal at Altona on the Western standard gauge line in the 1990s for the use of their company. The company was later acquired by QR National , and subsequently by Qube . A number of other railway stations have freight facilities still in use: In the late 1920s, the Victorian Railways introduced their fleet of E class electric locomotives which operated throughout Melbourne for the next 60 years, trains operating during
2034-483: Is a gravitational yard with a slight slope from the Sunshine end towards the city. The yard consists of four groups of sidings: arrival roads, two groups of classification roads , and departure tracks. Heavy usage of the yard ended with the gauge conversion of the main line to Adelaide in 1995, and with the decline of broad gauge traffic in general, large areas of the yard are now used for wagon storage. Tottenham station
2147-543: Is a metropolitan suburban and freight rail system serving the city of Melbourne , Victoria , Australia . The metropolitan rail network is centred around the Melbourne central business district (CBD) and consists of 221 railway stations across 16 lines, which served a patronage of 182.5 million over the year 2023–2024. It is the core of the larger Victorian railway network , with regional links to both intrastate and interstate rail systems. Metro Trains Melbourne operates
2260-450: Is located to the south of the yard. SCT Logistics established a terminal at Laverton on the Western standard gauge line in the 1990s for the use of vanload freight trains operated by the company. Provided with a large number of sidings as well as both refrigerated and non-refrigerated warehouse space, trains from the terminal operate to Adelaide and Perth . The CRT Group established
2373-585: Is now listed on the Victorian Heritage Register . In 1901, in preparation for the occasion of a royal visit by the Duke of York , the first Australian royal train was assembled in Melbourne. The Heidelberg line was extended to Eltham in 1902 and Hurstbridge in 1912. The freight-only Mont Park line was also opened in 1911, branching from Macleod . Finally, on the Mornington Peninsula ,
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#17328764944542486-482: Is of state significance as one of the major railway precincts in NSW which includes one of the most prominent station buildings in NSW. The grandeur of the station building at Albury reflects the importance attributed to this location by the NSW government in the late 19th century and reflects important historical themes, particularly the rivalry between NSW and Victoria and the competition for trade between Australia's colonies in
2599-804: Is owned by VicTrack and leased to train operators through Public Transport Victoria . The railway network is primarily at ground level, with some underground and elevated sections. There were more than 170 level crossings before the Level Crossing Removal Project commenced in 2015 to grade separate 110 of the busiest crossings and rebuild 51 railway stations, with 67 crossings removed by December 2022. The metropolitan network operates primarily between 5:00 a.m. and midnight, with overnight services on Friday night to Saturday morning and Saturday night to Sunday morning, departing from Flinders Street only. Some tracks are also used by freight trains and V/Line regional services . In addition to
2712-429: Is provided with standard gauge access, and is operated by Pacific National. Sidings serve both Swanson Dock east and west, permitting the transfer of shipping containers between sea and rail transport. Originally provided in the 1960s with the development of the port, they were later removed and not restored until 2003, when they became a 1500 metre long siding. Rail sidings at Appleton Dock reopened in 2000 to serve
2825-496: Is the main interchange station between metropolitan and regional V/Line services. A new underground line is currently under construction as part of the Metro Tunnel project, which aims to increase network capacity and provide Melbourne with a turn-up-and-go metro -like service. A major new orbital line is also under construction and would be the network's first autonomous line. A total length of 998 km (620 mi) of track
2938-654: The Intercapital Daylight , Southern Aurora and Spirit of Progress , today the only non-freight service to operate on this line are the NSW TrainLink XPT to Sydney and V/Line passenger services to Albury . The Western standard gauge line was completed in 1995, linking Melbourne to Adelaide and replacing the former broad gauge route. The project was funded as part of the Federal Government One Nation project. The line runs along
3051-547: The Broadmeadows line via Essendon . Built as double track, two major steel viaducts were required to cross the Maribyrnong River and Moonee Ponds Creek valleys. In 1962, the east line was converted to standard gauge as part of the Melbourne to Sydney gauge standardisation project . The South Kensington-West Footscray railway line opened on 21 October 1928 to permit freight trains to avoid Footscray station through
3164-546: The Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company started services on its line from Geelong to Newport . In 1859, the government-owned Victorian Railways Williamstown line opened, connecting Williamstown and Geelong to Spencer Street station . More country lines followed in 1859 when the Victorian Railways opened a line from Footscray , on the Williamstown line, to Sunbury . The Victorian Railways had taken over construction from
3277-630: The Hume Highway bypass in 2005 and 2006 involved the demolition of the Wilson Street footbridge and Dean Street overbridge, and modifications to the eastern end of the footbridge at the station. A grand symmetrical Victorian Italianate style station building with a tall central tower topped with a decorative cupola . The building features load bearing brickwork with face brick and stuccoed and painted detail for pilasters , arches, quoins , pediments , string courses and architraves . The building has
3390-554: The Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company in 1865, forming the Melbourne and Hobsons Bay United Railway Company . The Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company was taken over by the Victorian Government in 1867. The Melbourne and Hobsons Bay United Railway Company was not taken over by the Victorian Government until 1878. The terminals themselves were linked in 1879, when the track was built at street level along
3503-449: The Melbourne, Mount Alexander and Murray River Railway Company , established in 1853 to build a railway to Echuca , but which had failed to make any progress. The first line to Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs was opened in 1859 by the Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company , running from Princes Bridge railway station to Punt Road (Richmond), South Yarra , and Prahran . That line was extended to Windsor in 1860, connecting with
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3616-457: The Port of Melbourne and inland ports . Between 2003 and 2006, CRT Group operated a shuttle to their terminal at Altona, 22 kilometres from the docks. In 2004/05, the service transported 13,000 TEU , this being 42 per cent capacity for import and 58 per cent for export containers. The service ceased due to high access fees charged by track operator ARTC, and delays by interstate freight trains sharing
3729-572: The Puffing Billy Railway . The Gippsland line was electrified in 1954 as part of the works being carried out on the line, but suburban services to Pakenham did not start until 1975. During this rebuilding, several little-used lines were closed on the edges of Melbourne. The Bittern to Red Hill line closed in 1953, the line between Lalaor and Whittlesea closed in 1959, and the Lilydale to Warburton line closed in 1964. The final stages of
3842-531: The Tait trains were introduced as steam-hauled carriages. Track expansion was also carried out, with four tracks being provided between South Yarra and Caulfield, as well as grade separation from roads. Victorian Railways in 1918 opened the Newport Power Station , the largest power station in the urban area, to supply electricity as part of the electrification project. The State Electricity Commission of Victoria
3955-676: The United Kingdom . The first train was locally built by Robertson, Martin & Smith , however, owing to delays in shipping. Australia's first steam locomotive was built in ten weeks and cost £ 2,700. Forming the first steam train to travel in Australia, it made its maiden trip on 12 September 1854. The opening of the line occurred during the period of the Victorian gold rush —a time when both Melbourne and Victoria undertook massive capital works, each with its gala opening. The inaugural journey on
4068-642: The Victorian Railways were able to put their Operation Phoenix rebuilding plan into action. The delivery of the Harris trains, the first steel suburban trains on the network, enabled the retirement of the oldest of the Swing Door trains. Railway lines were extended during this period to encompass Melbourne's growing suburbia. The Ashburton line was extended along the old Outer Circle track formation to Alamein station in 1948. The Fawkner line to Upfield and
4181-517: The Yarra River over which the line crossed). The Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company opened Melbourne's second railway on 13 May 1857, a 4.5 km (2.8 mi) line from the Melbourne (or City) Terminus to St Kilda . The line was later extended by the St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company , which opened a line from St Kilda to Brighton in 1857. The first country line opened in 1857 when
4294-439: The standard gauge , which meant travellers in both directions had to change trains at Albury. This resulted in a 455-metre-long (1,493 ft) platform being built to accommodate that move, then the longest in Australia. Early changes to the station precinct included construction of refreshment rooms, a goods shed and a temporary customs office in 1883, and an engine shed, new covered platform and new goods shed in 1884. In 1887,
4407-605: The "Land Boom" was in full swing in Victoria, re-elected in the passing of the Railway Construction Act 1884 , later known as the Octopus Act , which authorised the building of 66 railway lines throughout the state. The Frankston line began with the opening of a line from Caulfield to Mordialloc in 1881, reaching the terminus in 1882. A second new suburban railway line was opened from Spencer Street Station to Coburg in 1884, and extended to Somerton in 1889, meeting
4520-403: The 1930s, a number of private sidings were opened off the line to serve adjacent industries. Today the majority of them have closed. In 1995, the east line was converted to dual gauge as part of the standardisation of the railway between Melbourne and Adelaide . The Albion to Jacana line opened on 1 July 1929 to allow freight trains to avoid the steeper grades and busy suburban traffic on
4633-428: The 1960s for the transfer of containers between gauges. It is now used as a storage and maintenance yard by a number of small operators including El Zorro . Melbourne Yard is located to the west of the passenger lines from Southern Cross station to North Melbourne and South Kensington . It was the original freight terminal when railways were established in Victoria. Over the years the sidings spread westward towards
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4746-716: The 1970s and 1980s some of the transhipment facilities at Albury were demolished (including the goods shed, wool depot and engine house) . In April 1962, a new standard gauge line to Melbourne's Spencer Street station opened, and thus the Intercapital Daylight , Southern Aurora and Spirit of Progress began to operate without the need to change trains. However, the Riverina Express continued to terminate at Albury until November 1993, with passengers transferring to V/Line services to continue into Victoria. The refreshment room closed in August 1975. The gatekeeper's residence
4859-453: The 19th century. The station building, platform and former Station Master’s residence are prominent civic buildings in Albury which, along with less prominent structures (the former barracks building, signal box, transhipment shed and other items) are extant reminders of the important and continuing role of the railways in Albury since the 1880s. The place is significant as the point at which there
4972-489: The Appleton Dock export terminal at the Port of Melbourne . Broad gauge freight traffic has declined since the purchase of Freight Victoria by Pacific National. Notable services running through Melbourne include: On the freight rail network there are a number of dedicated lines for freight traffic. These lines link the outer suburbs of Melbourne to the various freight terminals in the inner suburbs. The first of these lines
5085-625: The Government also approved the establishment of the Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company and the Melbourne, Mount Alexander and Murray River Railway Company . Work began in March 1853 on the Sandridge railway line, stretching 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the Melbourne (or City) terminus (on the site of modern-day Flinders Street station ) to Sandridge. The line was owned and operated by Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company, opening in 1854. In 1855,
5198-589: The Government conducted enquiries and carried out surveys into country railways. On 1 April 1856, the Railway Department was established as part of the Board of Land and Works with George Christian Darbyshire being appointed Engineer in Chief. On 23 May of that year the Melbourne, Mount Alexander and Murray River Railway Company was taken over by the Government. Trains were ordered from Robert Stephenson and Company of
5311-692: The Hurstbridge line was completed by 1926, the Whittlesea line to Thomastown was electrified in 1929, and the Burnley - Darling line was extended to Glen Waverley in 1930 to become the Glen Waverley line . Railways experienced increased patronage into the 1940s, but railway improvements recommended in the Ashworth Improvement Plan were delayed until after World War II . It was not until 1950 that
5424-460: The Melbourne metropolitan rail network under franchise from the Victorian Government , overseen by Public Transport Victoria , a division of the Department of Transport and Planning . The government-owned entity V/Line operates trains from Melbourne across regional Victoria . The first steam train in Australia commenced service in Melbourne in 1854 between Flinders Street and Sandridge, with
5537-562: The Newport to Sunshine and Albion to Jacana freight lines. The North East line links Melbourne to Albury , and then onto the rest of the standard gauge network across Australia. From Broadmeadows , the line runs parallel to the Seymour line . Constructed from the late 1950s to eliminate the break-of-gauge at Albury for Melbourne to Sydney rail traffic, the first standard gauge freight in Victoria ran on this line on 3 January 1963. Once traversed by
5650-692: The Newport to Sunshine line, then parallel to the Geelong line to North Shore , onto dual gauge tracks towards Ballarat , then onto its own towards Ararat . From here, the original interstate route was gauge converted. The only passenger service on this line is the twice weekly Great Southern Railway The Overland . Where dedicated lines do not exist, intrastate broad gauge freight trains are required to share tracks with Metro Trains Melbourne suburban and V/Line regional services. Freight trains are timetabled off-peak around passenger services, and are often required to wait at freight terminals if they miss their assigned time. Regularly used lines include: In
5763-474: The North Yard (1891), and the extension of the platform (1892 and 1902). A contract for the construction of an engine shed, turntable pit, and coal stage was let to A. Frew in October 1880, with the original engine shed built as a two-track structure with the capacity to accommodate eight locomotives. The original 15.240m turntable was increased in size to 18.288m in 1904 and then to 22.860m in 1926. A coal stage
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#17328764944545876-583: The Reservoir line to Lalor were both electrified in 1959, the Epping line reaching Epping in 1964. A great deal of track amplification was also undertaken, with several single-line sections eliminated. The Upper Ferntree Gully to Belgrave section of the Gembrook narrow gauge line was converted to broad gauge and electrified in 1962. The remainder of the line was closed in 1954 but has been progressively reopened by
5989-485: The Sandridge line was no exception. According to the Argus newspaper 's report of the next day: "Long before the hour appointed . . . a great crowd assembled round the station at the Melbourne terminus, lining the whole of Flinders Street ". Lieutenant-Governor Sir Charles Hotham and Lady Hotham were aboard the train—which consisted of two first-class carriages and one-second class—and were presented with satin copies of
6102-640: The Second World War. The built fabric at the site is an historical record of outstanding importance as a tangible expression of how the Australian nation was forged with the bringing together of sovereign colonies. It demonstrates the notions of colonial division and convergence that underlay, first, the negotiation and, then, the further working out of the federal compact. The connection of the New South Wales and Victorian railway systems at Albury-Wodonga gave
6215-725: The South Dynon, North Dynon, Appleton Dock , and Swanson Dock terminals. Steel trains for OneSteel and BlueScope operate from their mills in South Australia and New South Wales , to the Melbourne Steel Terminal in the inner city, where some of the cargo is transferred to broad gauge trains. Vanload freight to Adelaide and Perth is carried by trains operated by SCT Logistics from their own terminal in Laverton . Finally, grain trains operate into Melbourne, discharging at
6328-460: The St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company line from St Kilda. The new line replaced the indirect St Kilda and Windsor line to the city, which was closed in 1867. Another suburban line was built by the Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company in 1860, running from North Melbourne to Essendon , with a branch line from Newmarket to Flemington Racecourse , which opened in 1861. On the eastern side of
6441-632: The Victorian railway. By 1877, the Great Southern Railway extended from Sydney to as far as Cootamundra and rapidly continued on to Bethungra (1878), Junee (1878), Bomen (1878), Wagga Wagga (1879), and Gerogery (1880). The construction contract for the Wagga Wagga to Albury section was awarded to George Cornwell & F. Mixner on 14 February 1878. The single line opened from Gerogery to Albury on 3 February 1881. The line finally reached
6554-531: The West Melbourne rail yards but was decommissioned in 1992 due to its impractically sharp bends and to enable the development of Docklands . The Yarra River bridge crossing on the rail link was reused as a pedestrian bridge as part of Docklands precinct. Two "Railcams" were installed by Railpage during April 2011 to digitally record all train movements in and out of the Port of Melbourne. The Melbourne Steel Terminal
6667-468: The Yard point to the competing interests of two most populous colonies. The persistence of the two gauges beyond Federation points to the difficulties sovereign colonies had in reconciling differences. Subsequent changes to the Yard illustrate shifts in interstate relations as well as improvements in transhipment processes, especially in times of war. They demonstrate the eventual emergence of a national economy with
6780-513: The border with the extension across the Murray River on 14 June 1883 as a single track, the contract being awarded to Alex Frew on 1 May 1882. The station and yard at Albury opened with a loop, stockyards, toilet, wool stage and a temporary platform on 1 March 1881. Albury and Wodonga were both used as change stations, with the interchange of passengers and goods to take place at Albury and livestock at Wodonga. A contract for construction of
6893-437: The broad gauge, the main freight operator is Pacific National, as well as Qube Logistics and Southern Shorthaul Railroad . On the standard gauge, operations are more varied, with trains run by the aforementioned operators, as well as SCT Logistics . The heaviest freight traffic is intermodal services carrying shipping containers to Sydney and Adelaide , and then on to the rest of the country. These services operate from
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#17328764944547006-526: The city, the Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company opened a branch line from Richmond to Burnley and Hawthorn in 1861. By that point, the railways of Melbourne were a disjointed group of city-centric lines, with various companies operating from three unconnected city terminals— Princes Bridge , Flinders Street , and Spencer Street stations. The smaller companies quickly encountered financial problems. The St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company and Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company were absorbed by
7119-494: The construction of the Bunbury Street tunnel underneath Footscray and additional tracks though West Footscray. Built as double track, both lines were converted to dual gauge in 1962 as part of the Melbourne to Sydney gauge standardisation project. The city end of the line connects to the various freight terminals at the Port of Melbourne , and the former Melbourne Yard. The country end is connected to Tottenham Yard, as well as
7232-658: The direction of the Victoria/NSW border. In Victoria, a proposal for a line to Belvoir ( Wodonga ) was approved in 1869 and completed by 1873. In April 1873, John Sutherland , the Minister for Public Works , set out a policy to complete "the main trunk railways". The policy included the Great Southern Line and was in response to the threat that wool from the Riverina and the west would be diverted to Melbourne via river boats and
7345-467: The docks, and a number of goods sheds were erected for the unloading of freight. Congestion in the yard was reduced by the opening of Tottenham Yard in the 1920s, for the sorting of trains that were not bound for Melbourne or the eastern part of Victoria. During the 1960s Melbourne Yard was rearranged for greater efficiency, with a hump yard opened on 9 December 1970 to assist in the marshalling of wagons. Increased containerisation of freight traffic left
7458-510: The exterior of the building. The awning over the platform extension at the south end is of later design than the station building awning. The platform is covered for its entire length (and with Flinders St, Melbourne is the longest platform in Australia) . Internally the building is arranged along the platform with a central booking hall and ticket office which contains most of its original cedar detailing and panelling. Opening off this space are
7571-464: The home front Battle of Albury. Russell Drysdales pictures of the Albury Railway Station during the Second World War have entered the national imagination of home front perceptions of the menace of war in 1942 and 1943, just as surely as his pictures of the 1944 drought shaped the national imagination of the outback. Albury Railway Station and Yard developed as a significant punctuation point on
7684-482: The importance of establishing the rail link. It is still symbolic that the concepts of national unity in Australia did not receive any dramatic boost until the driving-in of the last spike in the Sydney Melbourne railway at Albury on the border of our two dominant colonies. The Station Building was, and is, interpreted as an expression of the sense of accomplishment felt by its designer, John Whitton, in having reached
7797-482: The inner city, freight trains are routed via the westernmost lines at Southern Cross station , the double track (newest) of the Flinders Street Viaduct , and the southern tracks at Flinders Street station . The majority of the rail terminals and yards are clustered about the Port of Melbourne and Dynon. A number of inland ports have also been established in outer suburbs, with shuttle trains running from
7910-584: The inner city. Freight terminals in the Dynon area were established from the 1950s on reclaimed swamplands between the CBD and Footscray . The North Dynon sidings are located next to South Kensington station, and form a common user terminal. Presently, Qube trains operate from it. The terminal includes both broad gauge and standard gauge tracks. The South Dynon complex is the main intermodal container facility in Melbourne. Located between Footscray and Dynon Roads, it
8023-457: The inner section of the Ringwood line due to regrading works. The original electrification scheme was completed in 1923, but over the next three years, several short extensions were carried out. The Ashburton line was electrified in 1924, and final works on the Lilydale line were completed in 1925, as was electrification on the line to Upper Ferntree Gully . Electrification on the outer ends of
8136-494: The introduction of standard gauge and, more recently, the development of a single national freight network. The break-of-gauge was a strategically important as an impediment when Japanese submarine activity virtually halted coastal shipping, and the nation prepared to resist a possible invasion during the Second World War. The people involved in transhipment activities related to moving munitions, goods and passengers at Albury Railway Station and Yard played an important part in fighting
8249-556: The line had been sold. Albury railway station Albury railway station is a heritage-listed railway station at Railway Place, Albury , New South Wales , Australia, adjacent to the border with Victoria , in Australia . It was designed under the direction of John Whitton and built from 1880 to 1881. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register in 1999. The railway precinct at Albury
8362-432: The line to Seymour and Albury - Wodonga . In 1879, the Gippsland line was opened from South Yarra to Caulfield , Pakenham and Bairnsdale . The 1870s and 1880s were a time of great growth and prosperity in Melbourne. Land speculation companies were formed, to buy up outer suburban land cheaply, and to agitate for suburban railways to be built or extended to serve those land holdings and increase land values. By 1880,
8475-426: The line was planned in the 1870s to serve a sugar beet mill near Caulfield. Construction commenced in 1883, followed by rebuilding in 1888. Ross's debts grew, and he attempted to sell the line many times without success. It never opened to traffic and was later dismantled. The stock market crash of early 1890s led to an extended period of economic depression in Victoria and put an end to most railway construction until
8588-485: The main line from Spencer Street to Wodonga. Land developers opened a private railway from Newport to Altona in 1888, but it was closed in 1890, due to lack of demand. The line from Hawthorn was extended, to Camberwell in 1882, Lilydale in 1883, and Healesville in 1889. In addition, a branch line (now known as the Belgrave line ) was opened from Ringwood to Upper Ferntree Gully in 1889. A short branch two station
8701-492: The metro area a franchisee to the government. However, all freight services are run by private operators, and some sidings and intermodal facilities are under their control. Freight traffic in Victoria is divided into two main segments: interstate freight on standard gauge , and intrastate freight on broad gauge . All track is owned by VicTrack , but is leased to and managed by differing organisations. The broad gauge lines were leased to Freight Victoria in 1999 as part of
8814-399: The metropolitan rail network having grown over the last two centuries to cover much of the city and greater Melbourne area. The metropolitan network is a suburban rail system designed to transport passengers from Melbourne's suburbs into the Melbourne central business district (CBD) and associated city loop stations, with the main hub at Flinders Street station . Southern Cross station
8927-607: The next day. The Burnley–Darling line , the Fawkner line , the reopened branch to Altona, and the Williamstown line followed in 1920. The line to Broadmeadows, the Whittlesea line to Reservoir , the Bendigo line to St Albans , and the inner sections of the Hurstbridge line was electrified in 1921. The Gippsland line to Dandenong and Frankston line were electrified in 1922, as was
9040-546: The next decade. By the 1900s, the driving force for new railway lines was agriculturalists in what are now Melbourne's outer suburbs. In the Dandenong Ranges a narrow gauge 762 mm line was opened from Upper Ferntree Gully to Belgrave and Gembrook in 1900 to serve the local farming and timber community. In the Yarra Valley , a branch was opened from Lilydale to Yarra Junction and Warburton in 1901. Part of this line
9153-542: The now defunct Register of the National Estate on 21 March 1978, was transferred to the Australian National Heritage List on its establishment in 2012 and its scope widened to include the station and its associated yards with the following statement of significance: Albury Railway Station and Yard was particularly important in the movement towards Federation and in the defence of the nation during
9266-427: The off-peak and at night. As late as the 1970s, most suburban railway stations had goods yards for general freight, as well as the local distribution of huge quantities of brown coal briquettes and firewood , which were the principal forms of industrial and domestic heating. Briquette traffic peaked in 1960/61 when 1.7 million tons were moved within Victoria, second only to the wheat harvest in volume. There were also
9379-434: The operation of the transhipment area, where military supplies were loaded and unloaded. The barracks building at Albury is an excellent, representative example of late 19th century accommodation for railway workers and is one of the oldest remaining railway barracks in NSW. It demonstrates standard late 19th century and 20th century railway practices, namely the accommodation of railway crews at strategic locations throughout
9492-535: The political character of Australia before and after Federation, and, through the artworks it inspired, provides a powerful evocation of the nature of the home front during the direst times of the Second World War. On 2 April 1999, the Victorian Italianate railway station, signal box and station master's residence were collectively listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register with the following statement of significance: The railway precinct at Albury
9605-460: The primary commuter and freight railway networks, Melbourne also features heritage railways such as Puffing Billy and has the world's largest urban tram network . On 7 September 1851, a public meeting called for the construction of Australia's first railway to link Melbourne and Sandridge (now known as Port Melbourne ), which led to the establishment of the privately owned Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company in 1853. On 8 February 1853,
9718-560: The privatisation of the rail network. Pacific National bought Freight Australia in August 2004 and in May 2007 the lease and management of the track was sold to V/Line . The interstate standard gauge lines are leased and managed by the Australian Rail Track Corporation . Freight terminals are mainly leased from VicTrack or owned outright by private operators. There are also a number of 'common user' terminals managed by VicTrack, which are open to any freight operator. On
9831-507: The railway's timetable and bylaws . The trip took 10 minutes, none of the later stations along the line having been built. On arriving at Station Pier (onto which the tracks extended), it was hailed with gun salutes by the warships HMS Electra and HMS Fantome . By March 1855, the four engines ordered from the UK were all in service, with trains running every half-hour. They were named Melbourne , Sandridge , Victoria , and Yarra (after
9944-412: The rear. Upstairs there are two large bedrooms, one with closet, two smaller bedrooms, all with fireplaces and one very small bedroom under a lower roof, probably for a servant or used as a study. Heritage-listed infrastructure at the station also includes: As at 19 July 2013, the station buildings are in very good condition. Other structures are generally in good condition with some repairs required to
10057-486: The rebuilding stretched into the 1970s, with track amplification carried out to Footscray , and Box Hill , and the first deliveries of the stainless steel Hitachi trains. Detailed planning for the Doncaster line also commenced in that period and, by 1972, the route was finalised. Despite rising costs, state governments of the period continued to give assurances that the line would be built but, by 1984, land reserved for
10170-480: The same time as the Outer Circle, a railway was opened from Burnley to Darling and a junction with the Outer Circle at Waverley Road (near the current East Malvern station). A stub of the future Glen Waverley line, it was cut back to Darling in 1895. Railway building during the land boom hit a peak with the construction of the Rosstown Railway between Elsternwick and Oakleigh. Built by William Murry Ross ,
10283-1019: The same track making the reliable operation of two trips per day impossible. The service restarted in 2005, but failed for the same reasons. A second port shuttle has operated to the Austrack terminal at Somerton during various periods since 1998, with difficulties faced including inefficient track layouts, high rail transfer charges at the port, and inconvenient timetables dictated by long-distance freight services. Railways in Melbourne Alamein Belgrave Glen Waverley Lilydale Cranbourne Pakenham Hurstbridge Mernda Craigieburn Sunbury Upfield Flemington Racecourse Frankston Werribee Williamstown The Melbourne rail network
10396-709: The signal box and transhipment shed . The station buildings, signal box and Station Master's residence have a high level of integrity/intactness. Albury is served by NSW TrainLink XPT services from Sydney Central to Melbourne Southern Cross services and terminating V/Line services to and from Melbourne Southern Cross. Greyhound Australia operates two services in both directions between Canberra and Melbourne , via Albury station. NSW TrainLink operates road coach services from Albury station to Echuca . V/Line operates road coach services from Albury station to Kerang, Adelaide, Canberra, Seymour and Wangaratta. The railway station, initially entered onto
10509-435: The southern side of Flinders Street, connecting with Spencer Street station , although the track was only used at night, for freight traffic. It was not until 1889 that the two-track Flinders Street Viaduct was built between the two city terminus stations. The outward expansion also continued, with major trunk lines being opened in rural Victoria. The Victorian Railways extended its line to Broadmeadows in 1872, as part of
10622-457: The southernmost point in the network of railways throughout New South Wales that he had established as railway Engineer-in-Chief. It was a monumental border marker: a palpable indicator that New South Wales, with this railway, was reclaiming the trade of the border district. At the same time, the Yard was designed to facilitate the interchange of goods and passenger traffic arriving on different railway gauges. The sets of two-gauged railway lines in
10735-403: The standard gauge lines were developed to facilitate interstate freight decades after the establishment of the original broad gauge network, they are used almost exclusively by freight services; while some broad gauge lines are used exclusively for freight, but many are shared with the suburban and regional passenger networks operated by Metro Trains Melbourne and V/Line respectively. Although
10848-413: The station and southern end of the yard were interlocked and the southern yard remodelled. Other changes at Albury in the late 19th century included alterations to the barracks (1890), provision of a furnace for heating foot warmers (1890), provision of a special booking office on the platform for sleeping berth tickets for passengers from Victorian trains (1890), new drivers' barracks (1890), interlocking of
10961-467: The station building in the 1880s at the Sydney end of the main building and in a similar style to the main building. It has a separate awning structure of later construction which extends beyond the station building. Also the north end of the building has been extended by the addition of a second storey to provide additional accommodation space for the refreshment rooms. A large two-storey brick residence with
11074-411: The station for the duration of World War II. Many changes were made to the station precinct and goods yard at Albury prior to and during World War II. Some of the major changes included the addition of a timber transhipment platform, lengthening of the station platform by 66m, and expansion of the goods yard on the western side of Parkinson Street. The railway transhipment platform remained in use after
11187-444: The war but activity within the Albury yard declined as road transport gradually displaced rail transport in the second half of the 20th century. Another important change was the introduction of standard gauge track between Wodonga and Melbourne in 1961, reducing the need for transhipment facilities at Albury, although not entirely as the transhipment platform remained in use after the introduction of standard gauge in Victoria. However, by
11300-448: The war. Rail traffic (for civilian and military purposes) increased significantly between Victoria and NSW during World War II with the number of passengers at Albury trebling from 1938 to 1941 and goods traffic increasing from 25,000 to 123,000 tonnes during the same period. The increased volume of traffic and the military presence at the border had significant implications for Albury with the Australian defence forces virtually commandeering
11413-456: The yard outdated, with the Dynon complex of terminals taking over the freight task, with the hump yard last used in September 1987. The Melbourne Docklands and Docklands Stadium developments of the 1990s removed most of the sidings and goods sheds to the west of Southern Cross station . Only historic goods sheds, such as the 1889 No 2 Goods Shed , were retained, To the north of Dudley Street,
11526-402: Was a break-of-gauge between the different gauges used in Victoria and NSW and where, from 1881, the transfer of passengers and goods took place near the border between Victoria and NSW. The railway precinct at Albury was also a significant location during World War II when the transfer of freight and military personnel at Albury made an important contribution to the war effort, particularly through
11639-627: Was a yard used for the transfer of steel products from standard gauge interstate trains to broad gauge trains running to the Bluescope Steel works at Long Island on the Stony Point line . Originally equipped with overhead cranes, the terminal was located at E-Gate between Footscray Road and North Melbourne. The Melbourne Steel Terminal was closed in 2015 and its functions incorporated into the South Dynon terminal. The Canal Yard or Contrans sidings were constructed by Thomas Nationwide Transport (TNT) in
11752-692: Was also opened from Hawthorn to Kew in 1887. The Brighton Beach line was also extended to Sandringham in 1887. In 1888, railways came to the northeastern suburbs with the opening of the Inner Circle line from Spencer Street station via Royal Park station to what is now Victoria Park station, and then on to Heidelberg . A branch was also opened off the Inner Circle in Fitzroy North , to Epping and Whittlesea in 1888 and 1889. Trains between Spencer Street and Heidelberg reversed at Victoria Park until
11865-446: Was built in 1887, the last was built in 1929. The only passenger traffic using these lines are V/Line services to Albury , the less frequent NSW TrainLink XPT to Sydney , and Great Southern Rail's The Overland , as well as V/Line services in times of disruptions to normal services. The interfaces between the freight and passenger networks are limited, meaning delays to one do not affect another. The Newport to Sunshine line
11978-584: Was considered by the Government and the Railway Commissioners, and Merz was engaged to deliver a second report based on their feedback. Delivered in 1912, this second report recommended an expanded system of electrification to 240 route km. of existing lines (463 track km), and almost 800 suburban carriages (approximately 130 trains). The works were approved by the State Government in December 1912. It
12091-513: Was demolished in 1984 and the Institute building demolished in 1986. Railway residences at 528–538 Young Street and the railway barracks at 540 Young street were sold to private ownership c. 1991 and are no longer heritage listed. Conservation works were undertaken to the main station building in 1995. The goods shed, tripod crane and various other buildings and structures in the northern yard were demolished prior to 2000 The construction of
12204-410: Was envisaged that the first electric trains would be running by 1915, and the project would be completed by 1917. However, progress fell behind because World War I restrictions prevented electrical equipment from being imported from the United Kingdom . Rolling stock construction continued, with several older suburban carriages converted for electric use as the Swing Door trains, while the first of
12317-524: Was formed in 1921 but did not take over Newport A power station until 1951. The first trials did not occur until October 1918 on the Flemington Racecourse line . Driver training continued on this line until 18 May 1919, when the first electric train ran between Sandringham and Essendon , simulating revenue services. Electric services started on 28 May 1919 with the first train running to Essendon, then on to Sandringham, with full services starting
12430-930: Was introduced in c. 1950 . Numerous changes were made to the station and yard in the 20th century, with some of the major alterations or additions including extension of the carriage shed (1905), extension of the platform and awning at the Country (southern) end (1907), erection of an additional carriage shed (1912), provision of an Institute building (1921), and extension of the awning (1944). Major improvements were made to railway infrastructure at Albury and Wodonga during, and immediately prior to, World War II. The importance of improving railway links between states had been understood by military planners since Federation and became more acute after Japan entered World War II. The threat posed to coastal shipping by enemy ships and submarines, combined with restrictions on petrol and rubber, made rail transport increasingly important during
12543-502: Was opened on 24 September 1887 to permit freight trains from the western and northern areas of Victoria to access the then-important port at Williamstown . 4.29 miles (6.90 km) in length, it is also known as the Brooklyn Loop line, for the intermediate signal box on the line. Passenger platforms have never been provided along the line. Between Newport and Brooklyn the line was provided with bidirectional double track lines. By
12656-424: Was opened. Designed in an Italianate style under the direction of John Whitton , the grandeur of the new building stood as a symbol of NSW's colonial pride. The premiers of both New South Wales and Victoria attended the official opening of the 1881 station, marking the first time in Australian history that two colonial premiers had appeared together publicly. The New South Wales Government Railways were built to
12769-582: Was the terminus for the Main Southern Line from 1881 until 1962. It remains as an operational railway yard and passenger station and is the last station before the NSW/ Victoria border. By the late 19th century, colonial rivalry between Victoria and NSW, particularly with regard to the competition for wool trade from the Riverina , was the catalyst for the rapid expansion of rail networks in both states in
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