Flagstaff railway station

Last updated

Flagstaff
PTV commuter rail station
Flagstaff Railway Station.jpg
Eastbound view from Platform 1, November 2023
General information
Location La Trobe Street,
Melbourne, Victoria 3000
City of Melbourne
Australia
Coordinates 37°48′43″S144°57′22″E / 37.81194°S 144.95611°E / -37.81194; 144.95611
Owned by VicTrack
Operated by Metro Trains
Line(s)
Platforms4 (2 island)
Tracks4
Connections Melbourne tram logo.svg Tram
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
Depth32 m [1]
Platform levels2
AccessibleYes—step free access
Other information
StatusOperational, premium station
Station codeFGS
Fare zone Myki Zone 1
Website Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened27 May 1985;39 years ago (1985-05-27)
ElectrifiedJanuary 1981
(1500 V DC overhead)
Passengers
2008–20094.188 million [2]
Preceding station Melbourne train logo.svg Metro Trains Following station
Southern Cross
One-way operation
Mernda line Melbourne Central
towards Mernda
Hurstbridge line Melbourne Central
towards Hurstbridge
Southern Cross Pakenham line Melbourne Central
One-way operation
Cranbourne line
Direction of travel on metropolitan lines below between stations on the City Loop changes to either Southern Cross or Melbourne Central depending on the line and time of day.
Southern Cross Lilydale line Melbourne Central
towards Lilydale or Belgrave
Belgrave line
Alamein line
Select weekday peak services only
Melbourne Central
towards Alamein
Glen Waverley line Melbourne Central
towards Glen Waverley
North Melbourne
towards Upfield
Upfield line Melbourne Central
North Melbourne
towards Craigieburn
Craigieburn line
North Melbourne
towards Sunbury
Sunbury line
Future services (2025)
Southern Cross Frankston line Melbourne Central
towards Frankston
Track layout
BSicon MFADEg.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon MFADEg.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon MFADEg.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon tSTR2.svg
BSicon tSTRc3.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon tSTRc1.svg
BSicon tSTRc2.svg
BSicon tSTR+4.svg
BSicon tSTR3+l.svg
BSicon MFADEfq.svg
BSicon tSTRq.svg
BSicon tSTRf.svg
BSicon tSTRg.svg
BSicon tSTRc2.svg
BSicon tKRZ3+1to.svg
BSicon tSTRc4.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon MFADEg.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon SEP~L.svg
BSicon MFADEg.svg
BSicon tSTR+1.svg
BSicon SEP~R.svg
BSicon tSTRc4.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon SEP~L.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon SEP~R.svg
BSicon tSTRg.svg
BSicon tSTRg.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon SEP~L.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon SEP~R.svg
BSicon tSTRf.svg
BSicon tSTRf.svg
BSicon tPSTR(L).svg
BSicon POINTERf@gq.svg
1
BSicon SEP~L.svg
BSicon POINTERg@fq.svg
BSicon tPSTR(R).svg
BSicon tPSTR(L).svg
BSicon SEP~R.svg
3
BSicon tPSTR(R).svg
L1 (upper)
BSicon tPSTR(L).svg
BSicon SEP~L.svg
BSicon tPSTR(R).svg
BSicon SEP~R.svg
BSicon tPSTR(L).svg
BSicon tPSTR(R).svg
BSicon tPSTR(L).svg
2
BSicon SEP~L.svg
BSicon tPSTR(R).svg
BSicon tPSTR(L).svg
BSicon SEP~R.svg
BSicon POINTERf@gq.svg
4
BSicon POINTERg@fq.svg
BSicon tPSTR(R).svg
L2 (lower)
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon SEP~L.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon SEP~R.svg
BSicon tSTRg.svg
BSicon tSTRg.svg
BSicon tSTRf.svg
BSicon SEP~L.svg
BSicon tSTRg.svg
BSicon SEP~R.svg
BSicon tSTRf.svg
BSicon tSTRf.svg
BSicon MFADEf.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon SEP~L.svg
BSicon MFADEf.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon SEP~R.svg
BSicon MFADEf.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon MFADEf.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg

Flagstaff railway station is a commuter railway station on the Burnley, Caulfield, Clifton Hill and Northern group lines, serving the Melbourne CBD in Victoria, Australia. Flagstaff is an underground premium station on the City Loop, featuring four platforms, two island platforms on two floors connected to street level via an underground concourses. It opened on 27 May 1985.

Contents

The station takes its name from the nearby Flagstaff Hill, a significant site in Melbourne's early colonial history, and serves Melbourne's legal district. It is located under La Trobe and William streets, near the north-western corner of the CBD.

History

The station was constructed by mining methods, and has four levels to a maximum depth of 32 metres (105 ft 0 in). The site was a geological "sandwich" of basalt in the arch area, Silurian mudstone bedrock in the lower half, and silt in the middle, which precluded the construction of lower and upper platforms as separately driven tunnels. [5]

Instead, the station platforms consist of two chambers linked by cross tunnels, each having two platforms on top of each other. The side of each chamber was made up of two drift tunnels, one at the top and one at the bottom. They were then linked by 228 vertically raise bored shafts, 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) in diameter and 3 metres (9 ft 10 in) apart. The shafts and drifts were then filled with concrete, and formed the side skeleton of the station chambers. The arch of each chamber was then constructed across the top of the two side walls, the material below the arch being excavated down to the bottom of the side walls, with temporary cross struts added between the raise bored columns, until the permanent elements were added. That innovative method resulted in a $1 million saving in construction costs. [6]

Flagstaff was the last station to open on the City Loop. Although trains had run through the station site since 24 January 1981, when the Loop began operating, Flagstaff did not open to passengers until 27 May 1985. [7] [8] Initially, the City Loop did not operate at all on Sundays. That was changed with the introduction of Sunday trading but, at the same time that the other two underground loop stations opened on Sundays, Flagstaff station had its Saturday services cancelled. [9]

In May 2017, CDC Melbourne operated bus route 605 to Gardenvale from Flagstaff Station.

In 2017/18, Flagstaff was the sixth-busiest station on Melbourne's metropolitan network, with 4.75 million passenger movements. [3] Flagstaff station began opening on weekends and public holidays from 1 January 2016. [10] [11] It had been the only station in Melbourne to be closed on weekends and public holidays. That was due to its proximity to business-related buildings such as the Commonwealth Law Complex, banks and major office buildings, which were usually closed on weekends and public holidays.

Facilities

The station is located under the intersection of La Trobe and William streets and has two entrances – via lift or escalator south of La Trobe Street, and by stairs on the north. Flagstaff has three underground levels. The concourse level has a ticket office, ticket-operated gates, toilets, a news stand and a hot snack shop. Flagstaff's four platforms are on the two levels below, with each level having an island platform. The levels are linked by elevators, 14 escalators and stairs. [6] The four platforms serve a separate group of rail lines that leave the loop and radiate out into the city's suburbs.

Weekend opening campaign

In October 2012, it was revealed that traders and residents in the north-west area of the Melbourne CBD had begun a campaign to have Flagstaff station opened on weekends, arguing that its closure had a deadening effect on the life of the area. However, a petition calling for the station's weekend opening only collected about 150 signatures in the first week. [9]

After a number of residential developments had been built in the area, the station was scheduled to open on weekends from June 2015, with both major political parties having committed to that in the 2014 Victorian state election. [12] However, that was deferred until January 2016. [10] [11]

Station layout

GStreet levelEntrances/Exits
CConcourseCustomer service, toilets
PPlant RoomStaff only
L1
Platforms
Platform 1
Island platform, doors will open on the left
Platform 2
L2
Platforms
Platform 3
Island platform, doors will open on the left or right
Platform 4
Route NumberFromToStop location
Melbourne tram route 30 icon.svg St Vincent's Plaza Docklands Stadium La Trobe Street
Melbourne tram route 35 icon.svg The District Docklands The District Docklands La Trobe Street
Melbourne tram route 58 icon.svg West Coburg Toorak William Street

Notes

  1. Weekday pre-peak and post-peak only

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Cross railway station</span> Railway station in Melbourne, Australia

Southern Cross railway station is a major railway station in Docklands, Melbourne. It is on Spencer Street, between Collins and La Trobe streets, at the western edge of the Melbourne central business district. The Docklands Stadium sports arena is 500 metres north-west of the station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Loop</span> Rail tunnel through the Melbourne CBD

The City Loop is a piece of underground commuter rail infrastructure in the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parliament railway station</span> Railway station in Melbourne, Australia

Parliament railway station is a commuter railway station on the Burnley, Caulfield, Clifton Hill and Northern group lines, serving the Melbourne CBD and the suburb of East Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. Parliament is an underground premium station on the City Loop, featuring four platforms, two island platforms on two floors connected to street level via two underground concourses. It opened on 24 January 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnegie railway station</span> Railway station in Melbourne, Australia

Carnegie railway station is a commuter railway station located in the suburb of Carnegie, in the southeastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The station originally opened in 1879 as Rosstown. The station received its current name in 1909 alongside the renaming of the suburb. The station consists of a single island platform connected to the station concourse on Koornang Road via escalators, lifts and a staircase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clayton railway station, Melbourne</span> Railway station in Melbourne, Australia

Clayton railway station is a commuter railway station located in the suburb of Clayton, in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The station originally opened in 1880 as "Clayton's Road". It did not receive its current name until 1890. The station consists of a single island platform connected to the station concourse on Clayton Road via escalators, lifts and a staircase. The station was previously at grade; however, in 2018, a new elevated station was rebuilt as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunshine railway station, Melbourne</span> Railway station in Melbourne, Australia

Sunshine railway station is a commuter and regional railway station on the Sunbury line, Geelong and Ballarat lines, which are part of the Metropolitan and Regional railway networks. It serves the western suburb of Sunshine, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Sunshine station is a ground level premium station, connected by a footbridge and concourse. It features four platforms, an island platform with two faces and two side platforms. It opened on 7 September 1885, with the current station provided in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Melbourne railway station</span> Railway station in Melbourne, Australia

North Melbourne railway station is the junction for the Craigieburn, Flemington Racecourse, Sunbury, Upfield, Werribee and Williamstown lines in Victoria, Australia. It serves the inner-northern Melbourne suburb of West Melbourne, and opened on 6 October 1859.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Richmond railway station</span> Railway station in Melbourne, Australia

North Richmond railway station is a commuter railway station on the Mernda and Hurstbridge lines, which are part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the inner-eastern suburb of Richmond, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. North Richmond station is a ground-level unstaffed station, featuring two side platforms. It opened on 21 October 1901, with the current station provided in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis railway station</span> Railway station in Victoria, Australia

Dennis 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 Northcote, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Dennis station is a ground level unstaffed station, featuring two side platforms. It opened on 4 February 1924, with the current station provided in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rushall railway station</span> Railway station in Melbourne, Australia

Rushall railway station is a commuter railway station on the Mernda line, which is part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the north-eastern suburb of Fitzroy North, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Rushall station is a ground level unstaffed station, featuring two side platforms. It opened on 1 January 1927.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reservoir railway station</span> Railway station in Melbourne, Australia

Reservoir railway station is a commuter railway station on the Mernda line, which is part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the north-eastern suburb of Reservoir, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Reservoir station is an elevated structure premium station, with an island platform. It opened on 8 October 1889, with the current station provided in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belgrave line</span> Passenger rail service in metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

The Belgrave line is a commuter railway line on the Melbourne metropolitan railway network serving the city of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, the line is coloured dark blue and is one of the four lines that constitute the Burnley group. It is the city's fourth-longest metropolitan railway line at 41.8 kilometres (26.0 mi). The line runs from Flinders Street station in central Melbourne to Belgrave station in the cities east, serving 31 stations via Burnley, Box Hill, Ringwood, and Upper Ferntree Gully. Beyond Belgrave, the narrow-gauge line has been restored as the Puffing Billy Railway, which runs tourist services to the original terminus of Gembrook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Waverley line</span> Passenger rail service in metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

The Glen Waverley line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's sixth shortest metropolitan railway line at 21.3 kilometres (13.2 mi). The line runs from Flinders Street station in central Melbourne to Glen Waverley station in the east, serving 20 stations including Burnley, Kooyong, East Malvern, and Jordanville. The line operates for approximately 19 hours a day with 24 hour service available on Friday and Saturday nights. The line operates with headways of up to 10 minutes during peak hours and as long as 30 minutes during off-peak hours. Trains on the Glen Waverley line run with two three-car formations of X'Trapolis 100 trainsets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frankston line</span> Passenger rail service in metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

The Frankston line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's third-longest metropolitan railway line, at 42.7 kilometres (26.5 mi). The line runs from Flinders Street station in central Melbourne to Frankston station in the south-east, serving 28 stations via South Yarra, Caulfield, Moorabbin, and Mordialloc. The line continues to Stony Point on the non-electrified Stony Point line. The line operates for approximately 20 hours a day with 24 hour service available on Friday and Saturday nights. During peak hour, headways of up to 5 to 10 minutes are operated with services every 10–20 minutes during off-peak hours. Trains on the Frankston line run with a two three-car formations of Comeng, Siemens Nexas, and X'Trapolis 100 trainsets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandringham line</span> Passenger rail service in Melbourne, Australia

The Sandringham line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's fourth shortest metropolitan railway line at 17.9 kilometres (11.1 mi). The line runs from Flinders Street station in central Melbourne to Sandringham station in the south-east, serving 14 stations via South Yarra, Balaclava, Elsternwick, and Brighton. The line operates from approximately 5am to 12am, daily, with 24 hour service available on Friday and Saturday nights. Services run every 7–8 minutes during peak hour, with services running every 15 minutes during the inter-peak period on weekdays, and every 20 minutes at night and during the day on weekends. Additionally, services run every 60 minutes overnight on Friday and Saturday nights as part of the Night Network. Trains on the Sandringham line run with a two three-car formations of Comeng or Siemens Nexas trainsets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mernda line</span> Passenger rail service in metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

The Mernda line is a commuter railway line on the Melbourne metropolitan railway network serving the city of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, the line is coloured red and is one of the two lines that constitute the Clifton Hill group. It is the city's eighth longest metropolitan railway line at 33.1 kilometres (20.6 mi). The line runs from Flinders Street station in central Melbourne to Mernda station in the north, serving 29 stations via Clifton Hill, Reservoir, Epping, and South Morang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Werribee line</span> Passenger rail service in metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

The Werribee line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's ninth longest metropolitan railway line at 32.9 kilometres (20.4 mi). The line runs from Flinders Street station in central Melbourne to Werribee station in the south west, serving 17 stations via Footscray, Newport, and Altona. The line operates for approximately 19 hours a day with 24 hour service available on Friday and Saturday nights. During peak hour, headways of up to 5–20 minutes are operated with services every 20–30 minutes during off-peak hours. Trains on the Werribee line run with a two three-car formations of Comeng, Siemens Nexas, and X'Trapolis 100 trainsets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williamstown line</span> Passenger rail service in metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

The Williamstown Line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's third shortest metropolitan railway line at 16.2 kilometres (10.1 mi). The line runs from Flinders Street station in central Melbourne to Williamstown station in the inner west, serving 12 stations via Footscray, Yarraville, and Newport. The line operates for approximately 19 hours a day with 24-hour service available on Friday and Saturday nights. During peak hours, the line operates with headways of up to 20 minutes, ensuring frequent service for commuters. During off-peak hours, the service intervals are adjusted to provide service every 20–30 minutes, accommodating the lower demand. Trains on the Williamstown Line run with two three-car formations of Comeng, Siemens Nexas, and X'Trapolis 100 trainsets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne Central railway station</span> Railway station in Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne Central railway station is a commuter railway station on the Burnley, Caulfield, Clifton Hill and Northern group lines, serving the Melbourne CBD in Victoria, Australia. Melbourne Central is an underground premium station on the City Loop, featuring four platforms, two island platforms on two floors connected to street level by a shopping and commercial precinct. It opened on 24 January 1981, with station refurbishments underway as of June 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Library railway station</span> Planned railway station in Melbourne CBD, Victoria, Australia

State Library railway station is a rapid transit railway station on the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines, serving the Melbourne CBD in Victoria, Australia. When opened as part of the Metro Tunnel project, State Library will be an underground premium station, featuring an island platform with two faces. The station will connect directly to Melbourne Central via an underground concourse. Major construction commenced in April 2018, with completion in early 2025.

References

  1. History of Melbourne's Metropolitan Rail System and the adoption of the Underground Rail Loop concept Metropolitan Transit Authority
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Train Station Patronage FY2008-2014". Public Transport Victoria. 14 May 2015. Archived from the original (XLS) on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016. (access from Archived 3 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine )
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Station Patronage Data 2013–2018". Philip Mallis. Transport for Victoria. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries) Data Vic
  5. "The Melbourne Underground Railway Loop". Technology in Australia 1788–1988. www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au. p. 383. Retrieved 20 July 2008.
  6. 1 2 History of Melbourne's Underground Rail System Metropolitan Transit Authority
  7. Stations opened, stations closed Electric Traction August 1985 page 123
  8. Department of Infrastructure. "Public transport – City Loop history". www.doi.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 20 May 2009. Retrieved 20 July 2008.
  9. 1 2 Carey, Adam (23 October 2012). "Push for Flagstaff to open 7 days". The Age. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  10. 1 2 Gough, Deborah; Dmytryshchak, Goya (28 November 2015). "Countdown to Flagstaff Station opening on weekends". The Age. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  11. 1 2 "Flagstaff Station to open on weekends in under a month". Public Transport Victoria. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  12. "Flagstaff station to open on weekends" Railway Digest November 2014 page 24
  13. "Mernda Line". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  14. "Hurstbridge Line". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  15. "Pakenham Line". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  16. "Cranbourne Line". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  17. "Craigieburn Line". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  18. "Upfield Line". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  19. "Sunbury line". Public Transport Victoria.
  20. "Lilydale Line". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  21. "Belgrave Line". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  22. "Glen Waverley Line". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  23. "Alamein Line". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 8 May 2023.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Flagstaff railway station at Wikimedia Commons