Footscray Railway Station (Greater Melbourne)

Footscray is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Footscray, on the Sydenham, Werribee and Williamstown railway lines. Footscray is classed as a Premium Station and is in Metcard Zone 1. It is the junction for all three lines.

Footscray is located between Irving Street and Hyde Street, with station access from Irving Street, Hyde Street, and McNab Avenue.

The station consists of an island layout and two side platforms; Platform 1 has a semi-large red brick building, platform 2 & 3 has a large red brick building housing an enclosed waiting area, ticket facilities and toilets, while platform 4 has a red brick building similar to platform 1. A large Metcard ticket vending machine is located inside the waiting area and at the entrance to platform 1, which is able to dispense most ticketing options available and also accept notes and coins. Small coin-only Metcard ticket vending machines are located inside the waiting area and at the entrance to platform 4.

Tram route 82 terminates near the station, on Leeds Street. Car parking facilities are available along McNab Avenue and Hyde Street. A footbridge is situated at the Down end of the station.

A disused signal box is located on the island platform at the Flinders Street end of the station, and a pair of dual gauge tracks form the mainly goods only South Kensington - West Footscray line under the station, running in a cutting before entering the Bunbury Street tunnel, providing a rail link to the Port of Melbourne and other freight terminals, as well as access to Southern Cross Station for the CountryLink XPT and The Overland.

Footscray station opened on 17 January, 1859. It was established as a junction on the railway lines to Newport and to Bendigo, and two separate stations were provided - at Nicholson Street (Middle Footscray) for country traffic towards Bendigo, and at Napier Street (Footscray) for suburban traffic. A signal box was provided at the junction from 1879.

In 1901 the original stations were replaced by the current station, located at the junction of the two lines. A number of sidings once existed at the station, now covered by car parking on the eastern side of the Newport bound lines.

The two tracks under the station were opened on 21 October, 1928 as part of the South Kensington - West Footscray line, and was dual gauged in the 1960s as part of the construction of the Melbourne-Albury standard gauge line. Quadruplication of the tracks towards the city in 1976 put an end to the junction and closed the signal box. The building is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.

It was upgraded to a Premium Station on 31 May 1996, although the enclosed waiting area and ticket facilities were built in 1993 as part of the 'Travel Safe' program in the early 1990s.

www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/stop/view/20025

Categories: train station