Essendon railway station

Essendon
Northbound view from Platform 1
Location	Russell Street, Essendon
Coordinates	37°45′22″S 144°54′58″E / 37.7560°S 144.9161°ECoordinates: 37°45′22″S 144°54′58″E / 37.7560°S 144.9161°E
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	Metro
Line(s)	Craigieburn
Distance	8.01 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	3 (1 side, 1 island)
Tracks	3
Connections	Bus Tram
Construction
Structure type	Ground
Parking	508
Bicycle facilities	12
Other information
Status	Premium station
Station code	ESD
Fare zone	Myki zone 1
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	1 November 1860
Closed	1 July 1864
Rebuilt	9 October 1871
Electrified	Yes
Services
Preceding station   Metro Trains   Following station Moonee Ponds toward Flinders Street Craigieburn line Glenbervie toward Craigieburn Preceding station   V/Line   Following station North Melbourne toward Melbourne (Southern Cross) Seymour line Broadmeadows toward Seymour

Essendon railway station is located on the Craigieburn line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the northern Melbourne suburb of Essendon, opening on 1 November 1860, as the terminus of the private Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company line. The station closed with the line on 1 July 1864, but was reopened on 9 October 1871, under government ownership.^[1][2]

History

The line to the north was opened in 1872, as part of the North East railway to Wodonga. A completely new station, with a single platform, was provided in 1878, 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 this time that a road 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.^[2]

Electric train services between the city and Essendon were inaugurated in 1919, with electrification extended to Broadmeadows in 1921. However, Essendon remained the terminus of most suburban services, with a shuttle service operating beyond until 1925, with all day through services to Broadmeadows not provided until 1941.^[3] The station took the layout it has today in 1969, with the abolition of the centre track, closure of the stand-alone signal box, provision of automatic signalling along the line, and replacement of the Buckley Street interlocked crossing gates with boom barriers.

Platforms & services

Essendon has one island platform with two faces and one side platform. It is serviced by Metro Trains' Craigieburn line services^[4] and V/Line Seymour services.^[5] Platform 1 is rarely used, but it is used by V/Line services to overtake Metro Trains services, or when 3 car trains are terminating.

Platform 1:

• through platform only

Platform 2:

• Craigieburn line: all stations services to Flinders Street
• Seymour line: V/Line services to Southern Cross

Platform 3:

• Craigieburn line: all stations services to Craigieburn
• Seymour line: V/Line services to Seymour

Transport links

Kastoria Bus Lines operates three routes via Essendon station:

• 475: Moonee Ponds Junction – Keilor East^[6]
• 476: Moonee Ponds Junction – Plumpton^[7]
• 501: Moonee Ponds Junction – Niddrie^[8]

Moonee Valley Coaches operates one route to and from Essendon station:

• 503: to Brunswick East^[9]

Moreland Buslines operates one route to and from Essendon station:

• 510: to Ivanhoe station^[10]

Ryan Brothers Bus Service operates two routes to and from Essendon station:

• 465: to Keilor Park^[11]
• 468: to Highpoint Shopping Centre^[12]

Sunbury Bus Service operates one route via Essendon station:

• 483: Sunbury station – Moonee Ponds Junction^[13]

Transdev Melbourne operates one SmartBus route via Essendon station:

•  SmartBus  903: Altona station – Mordialloc station^[14]

Tullamarine Bus Lines operates one route via Essendon station:

• 477: Moonee Ponds Junction – Broadmeadows station^[15]

Yarra Trams operates one route via Essendon station:

• 59: Westfield Airport West – Elizabeth Street, City^[16]

Gallery

• 

  H 220 leads the northbound Albury Express past the signalbox at Essendon, circa 1949

References

1. Essendon Vicsig
2. Turton, 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. ISBN 0-85849-012-9.
3. SE Dornan & RG Henderson (1979). Electric Railways of Victoria. Australian Electric Traction Society. p. 54. ISBN 0-909459-06-1.
4. Craigieburn Line timetable Public Transport Victoria
5. Seymour - Melbourne timetable Public Transport Victoria
6. Route 475 Moonee Ponds - East Keilor timetable Public Transport Victoria
7. Route 476 Moonee Ponds - Plumpton timetable Public Transport Victoria
8. Route 501 Moonee Ponds - Niddrie timetable Public Transport Victoria
9. Route 503 Essendon - East Brunswick timetable Public Transport Victoria
10. Route 510 Essendon - Ivanhoe timetable Public Transport Victoria
11. Route 465 Essendon Station - Keilor Park timetable Public Transport Victoria
12. Route 468 Essendon - Highpoint SC timetable Public Transport Victoria
13. Route 483 Sunbury - Moonee Ponds timetable Public Transport Victoria
14. Route 903 Altona - Mordialloc timetable Public Transport Victoria
15. Route 477 Moonee Ponds - Broadmeadows Station timetable Public Transport Victoria
16. Route 59 Airport West - City Elizabeth St timetable Public Transport Victoria

External links

• Media related to Essendon railway station at Wikimedia Commons
• Melway