Eltham railway station, Melbourne

Eltham
PTV commuter rail station
Northbound view from Platform 2, August 2024
General information
Location	Main Road, Eltham, Victoria 3095 Shire of Nillumbik Australia
Coordinates	37°42′50″S145°08′52″E / 37.7138°S 145.1477°E / -37.7138; 145.1477
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	Metro Trains
Line(s)	Hurstbridge
Distance	27.39 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	2 (1 island)
Tracks	7
Connections	Bus
Construction
Structure type	Ground
Parking	355
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Accessible	No—steep ramp
Other information
Status	Operational, premium station
Station code	ELT
Fare zone	Myki Zone 2
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	5 June 1902;122 years ago (1902-06-05)
Rebuilt	1960 2013
Electrified	April 1923 (1500 V DC overhead)
Passengers
2005–2006	663,742 [1]

Preceding station	Metro Trains			Following station
Montmorency towards Flinders Street		Hurstbridge line		Diamond Creek towards Hurstbridge

Track layout
Legend to Montmorency Diamond Creek Trestle Bridge 1 2 Diamond Street Railway Road Wattletree Road Research Creek Occupation Crossing (Unprotected) to Diamond Creek

Eltham railway station is a commuter railway station on the Hurstbridge line, which is part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the north-eastern suburb of Eltham, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Eltham station is a ground level premium station, featuring an island platform. It opened on 5 June 1902, with the current platforms provided in 1960 and the upgrades in 2013. ^[4]

Eltham is the terminus for a number of peak and off-peak services on the line. Five stabling sidings are located to the west of Platform 2, with the site previously having been a goods yard. The last timber trestle bridge on the Melbourne suburban network is located to the south of the station.

History

Eltham station opened on 5 June 1902, when the railway line from Heidelberg was extended. ^[4] It remained a terminus until June 1912, when the line was extended to Hurstbridge. ^[4] Like the suburb itself, the station is named after the district of Eltham in Kent, England. ^[5]

In 1960, Platform 1 was converted from a south-facing bay platform to a through platform, with a connection to the main line provided at the down end of the station. ^[4] Also in that year, the current station building was provided. ^[6] In 1969, flashing light signals were provided at the Diamond Street level crossing, located nearby in the down direction from the station. ^[4]

In 1977, a ramped goods platform was abolished, with a goods shed believed to be demolished around the same time. ^[6] By 1984, goods traffic to and from the station ceased. ^[6] In 1987, boom barriers were provided at the Diamond Street level crossing. ^[7]

On 4 July 1996, Eltham was upgraded to a premium station. ^[6] A minor refurbishment of the station also occurred during this time. ^[6]

On 25 December 2011, following a large storm and subsequent flooding, parts of the line at the down end of the level crossing were washed away. ^{[4] [8]} The flooding also eroded a culvert, exposing a small timber bridge. ^{[4] [8]}

Eltham was one of the last stations in Melbourne to be controlled by mechanical safeworking, including the use of semaphore signals. It was also a break between two different types of safeworking: Greensborough to Eltham was controlled by miniature electric staff, whilst Eltham to Hurstbridge was controlled by train staff and ticket. Both safeworking systems were converted to Automatic Track Control (ATC) in early 2013. ^[9] A new amenities building for train drivers was constructed around that time, as well as an upgrade to the stabling sidings. ^[4]

On 15 May 2019, the Level Crossing Removal Project announced that planning for the duplication of 3 kms of track between Eltham and Greensborough was underway, with early works began in 2021, with major construction started in 2022. ^[10] The Eltham Trestle Bridge would not be affected by the project. The project was completed in 2023. ^{[11] [12]}

Platforms and services

Eltham has one island platform with two faces. Trains in either direction can depart from either platform, although Hurstbridge bound services almost always depart from Platform 1, and Flinders Street bound services usually depart from Platform 2.

It is served by Hurstbridge line trains. ^[13]

Platform 1:

•   Hurstbridge line   all stations services to Hurstbridge
•   Hurstbridge line   all stations and limited express services to Flinders Street

Platform 2:

•   Hurstbridge line   all stations and limited express services to Flinders Street
•   Hurstbridge line   all stations services to Hurstbridge

Transport links

Dysons operates two routes via Eltham station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

•  513 : to Glenroy station (via Lower Plenty) ^[14]
•  514 : to Glenroy station (via Greensborough) ^[15]

Kinetic Melbourne operates one SmartBus route via Eltham station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

• SmartBus  902 : Chelsea station – Westfield Airport West ^[16]

Panorama Coaches operates four routes to and from Eltham station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

•  578 : to Warrandyte ^[17]
•  579 : to Warrandyte ^[18]
•  580 : to Diamond Creek ^[19]
•  582 : to Eltham station (Eltham Town Service) ^[20]

Gallery

• 
  Southbound view from Platform 2,
  November 2013
• 
  A Metro X'Trapolis train crosses the trestle bridge, November 2013
• 
  Southbound view from Platform 1, June 2024
• 
  Southbound view from Platform 2, with two X'Trapolis trains seen sitting in the station sidings, August 2024
• 
  Southbound view of the station platforms,
  August 2024

References

1. Estimated Annual Patronage by Network Segment Financial Year 2005–2006 to 2018–19 Archived 17 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine Department of Transport
2. Railway station and tram stop patronage in Victoria for 2008–2021 Archived 17 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine Philip Mallis
3. Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries) Archived 6 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine Data Vic
4. "Eltham". vicsig.net. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
5. Saxton, John George (1907). Victoria Place-Names and Their Origin. Clifton Hill, Australia: Saxton and Buckie, Printers and Publishers. p. 24.
6. "Upgrading Eltham to a Premium Station". Newsrail . Australian Railway Historical Society. October 1997. pp. 303–315.
7. "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. January 1987. p. 27.
8. "General News". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. February 2012. pp. 37–38.
9. Hurstbridge Line Archived 30 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine VICSIG. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
10. "Hurstbridge Line Upgrade Stage 2 planning underway". Level Crossing Removal Project. 13 December 2022. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
11. Jacks, Timna (23 June 2021). "Butterfly flaps its wings in Montmorency – and upends $530m rail plan". The Age. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
12. "How a butterfly derailed a multi-million dollar rail project". 3AW Melbourne. 24 June 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
13. "Hurstbridge Line". Public Transport Victoria.
14. "513 Eltham - Glenroy via Lower Plenty". Public Transport Victoria.
15. "514 Eltham - Glenroy via Greensborough". Public Transport Victoria.
16. "902 Chelsea - Airport West (SMARTBUS Service)". Public Transport Victoria.
17. "578 Eltham Station - Warrandyte via Research & Kangaroo Ground-Warrandyte Road". Public Transport Victoria.
18. "579 Eltham Station - Warrandyte via Research & Research-Warrandyte Road". Public Transport Victoria.
19. "580 Diamond Creek - Eltham Station via Ryans Rd". Public Transport Victoria.
20. "582 Eltham Town Service via Woodridge Estate". Public Transport Victoria.

External links

• Media related to Eltham railway station, Melbourne at Wikimedia Commons
• Melway map at street-directory.com.au