Flemington Bridge railway station

Flemington Bridge
PTV commuter rail station
Northbound view from Platform 1, December 2021
General information
Location	Boundary Road, North Melbourne, Victoria 3051 City of Melbourne City of Moonee Valley Australia
Coordinates	37°47′18″S144°56′22″E / 37.7882°S 144.9394°E / -37.7882; 144.9394
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	Metro Trains
Line(s)	Upfield
Distance	4.06 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	2 side
Tracks	2
Connections	Bus Tram
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Accessible	No (steep ramp)
Other information
Status	Operational, unstaffed
Station code	FBD
Fare zone	Myki Zone 1
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	10 April 1885;140 years ago (1885-04-10)
Electrified	December 1920 (1500 V DC overhead)
Previous names	Flemington (1885)
Passengers
2005–2006	109,888 [1]

Preceding station	Metro Trains			Following station
Macaulay towards Flinders Street		Upfield line		Royal Park towards Upfield

Track layout
Legend to Macaulay CityLink 1 2 to Royal Park This diagram: view talk edit

Flemington Bridge railway station is a commuter railway station on the Upfield line, part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the inner-northern suburb of Flemington, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It opened on 10 April 1885. ^[4] Initially, the station was called Flemington, and was given its current name on 3 December 1885.

The station is located on an embankment between the Mount Alexander Road and Racecourse Road rail overpasses. An overpass on the CityLink tollway is a short distance west of the station.

History

The station opened seven months after the railway line from North Melbourne was extended to Coburg, ^[4] and was named after the bridge on nearby Flemington Road that crosses the Moonee Ponds Creek. ^{[5] [6]} Originally built in 1851, to improve the connection for gold prospectors travelling to the Bendigo goldfields, ^[5] the bridge was named Mains Bridge, after James Patrick Mains, a well-known contractor. ^[6] It was renamed Flemington Road Bridge, before being shortened to Flemington Bridge. ^[6]

In 1886, permanent station buildings were erected at the station, with timber stairs leading to Boundary and Mount Alexander Roads. ^[7]

In 1891, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways recommended the construction of a spur line from Flemington Bridge to Pascoe Vale, to relieve crowding on the Essendon line at peak times, as well as providing a shorter alternative route to the city, following the route of what is now CityLink. The committee estimated the single track line would cost £93,000 to build, but recommended that only £30,000 be spent, with the remainder to be made up by donated land. However, the proposal was not taken up by government. ^[7]

In 1944, the current station buildings, with asbestos cement roofs, were provided and, at the same time, the stairs were replaced by asphalted ramps. ^[7]

In 1997, to allow construction of an elevated section of CityLink between Flemington Bridge and North Melbourne, a temporary crossover was provided near the Mount Alexander Road bridge, to allow Upfield line trains to terminate, ^[8] and passengers were shuttled by bus to Newmarket station to continue their journey.

Platforms and services

Flemington Bridge has two side platforms and is served by Upfield line trains. ^[9]

Platform 1:

•   Upfield line   all stations services to Flinders Street

Platform 2:

•   Upfield line   all stations services to Upfield

Transport links

Ventura Bus Lines operates one route via Flemington Bridge station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

• Night Bus  959 : Melbourne CBD (Queen Street) – Broadmeadows station (Saturday and Sunday mornings only) ^[10]

Yarra Trams operates two routes via Flemington Bridge station:

• : West Maribyrnong – Flinders Street station (via Elizabeth Street) ^[11]
• : Airport West – Flinders Street station (via Elizabeth Street) ^[12]

Gallery

• 
  Southbound view from Platform 1, October 2005

References

1. Estimated Annual Patronage by Network Segment Financial Year 2005–2006 to 2018–19 Department of Transport
2. Railway station and tram stop patronage in Victoria for 2008–2021 Philip Mallis
3. Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries) Data Vic
4. "Flemington Bridge". vicsig.net. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
5. "Flemington". Victorian Places. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
6. "Place Names". Essendon Historical Society. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
7. Saul, Jon; Moore, Wendy (May 1990). Down the line to Upfield. Coburg Public Transport Group.
8. Waugh, Andrew. "VR History by Andrew Waugh – Upfield Line" (PDF). VR History.com. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
9. "Upfield Line". Public Transport Victoria.
10. 959 City – Broadmeadows Station via Niddrie and Airport West Public Transport Victoria
11. "57 West Maribyrnong - Flinders Street Station & City". Public Transport Victoria.
12. "59 Airport West - Flinders Street Station & City". Public Transport Victoria.

External links

Media related to Flemington Bridge railway station, Melbourne at Wikimedia Commons

• Melway map at street-directory.com.au