Gardiner railway station

Gardiner
PTV commuter rail station
Eastbound view from Platform 2, January 2021
General information
Location	Burke Road, Glen Iris, Victoria 3146 City of Stonnington Australia
Coordinates	37°51′12″S145°03′06″E / 37.85329°S 145.05163°E / -37.85329; 145.05163
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	Metro Trains
Line(s)	Glen Waverley
Distance	10.61 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	2 side
Tracks	2
Connections	Tram
Construction
Structure type	Below-grade
Parking	220
Bicycle facilities	Yes (26 protected racks)
Accessible	Yes—step free access
Other information
Status	Operational, unstaffed
Station code	GAR
Fare zone	Myki Zone 1
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	24 March 1890;134 years ago (1890-03-24)
Rebuilt	18 January 2016 (LXRP)
Electrified	December 1922 (1500 V DC overhead)
Passengers
2017–2018	480,876 [1]   10.78%

Preceding station	Metro Trains			Following station
Tooronga towards Flinders Street		Glen Waverley line		Glen Iris towards Glen Waverley

Track layout
Legend to Tooronga 1 2 to Glen Iris

Gardiner railway station is a commuter railway station in Glen Iris, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The station opened on 24 March 1890, named after pastoralist John Gardiner, who had settled near the junction of the Yarra River and Gardiners Creek in 1836. ^[2]

The station consists of two side platforms accessed by a pedestrian concourse. ^[3] There is one principal station building located on the concourse which serves as bike parking space and PSO facilities. ^[3] This building is single story and opened in 2016 as part of a station rebuild. ^[3] The station is fully accessible as there are DDA compliant lifts and access ramps provided. ^[4]

The station is owned by VicTrack, a state government agency, and the station is operated by Metro Trains. ^[5] Gardiner railway station is served by the Glen Waverley line, part of the Melbourne railway network. ^[6] The station also connects to the route 72 tram service. ^[7] The journey to Southern Cross railway station in central Melbourne is approximately 10.61 kilometres (6.59 mi) and takes 25 minutes. ^[8]

Description

Gardiner railway station located in the suburb of Glen Iris, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. North of the station is the Monash Freeway and Gardiner Park, and located south of the station is Burke Road shopping precinct. ^[9] The station is owned by VicTrack, a state government agency, and the station is operated by Metro Trains. ^[5] The station is 10.61 kilometres (6.59 mi), or a 25-minute train journey, from Southern Cross station. ^[8] The adjacent stations are Tooronga station up towards Melbourne, and Glen Iris station down towards Glen Waverley. ^[6]

The station consists of two side platforms two platform edges. As is standard in Melbourne, the platform has an asphalt surface with concrete on the edges. The platforms are approximately 160 metres (524 ft 11 in) long, sufficient for a Metro Trains 7-car HCMT. ^[10] The station features a ground level concourse, accessible from the below ground platforms by stairs and lifts. There is one principal station building, opened in 2016, which contains PSO offices and bike storage facilities. ^[3] The station building is made primarily from prefabricated steel, with 1700 pavers used in the station forecourt precinct. ^[3] The building has a contemporary style, characterised by brightly coloured panels and sweeping roofs. ^[3] The signal box, commissioned in 1917, was decommissioned and restored into public open space as part of level crossing removal works in 2016. ^[3]

The station building, concourse, and platform are largely the same as when the station was rebuilt in 2016. There are 220 car and 26 protected bike parking spaces available at the station. ^{[5] [11]} The station is listed as fully accessible on the Metro Trains website, as there are lifts and accessible features available at the station. ^[4]

History

An M-class steam locomotive arriving at the original Gardiner Station, 1900

Gardiner railway station opened on 24 March 1890. The line through the station was originally built to link Burnley to the Outer Circle line at Waverley Road, before continuing onto Oakleigh. The station was named after local pastoralist John Gardiner, who had settled near the junction of the Yarra River and Gardiners Creek in 1836. ^[2] The line to Kooyong was duplicated in 1955, ^[12] with the duplication to Glen Iris occurring in 1957. ^{[13] [14] [15]} Also at this time, three-position signalling was provided along the length of the rail line. ^[12]

The former ground level Platforms, viewed from Platform 2, April 2015

The station was rebuilt in 1975 to coincide with the construction of the South Eastern Arterial link and other station rebuilds along the corridor at the time. ^[16] This was the first station rebuild since its opening. However, it would not be the last, as the station was rebuilt in 2016 to coincide with level crossing removal works. ^{[16] [17]} In 1986, manually controlled boom barriers replaced interlocked gates at the former Burke Road level crossing, which was located at the down end of the station. ^[18] Also at this time, level crossing safety upgrades occurred, with power operated pedestrian gates provided. ^[18]

The former station building on Platform 1, April 2015

The former station building on Platform 2, April 2015

Level Crossing Removal Project

Eastbound view of the station platforms, February 2016

The rebuilt station concourse, February 2016

After numerous accidents at the Burke Road level crossing, the Liberal-National Napthine government announced that the crossing was to be grade-separated by mid-2017. ^{[19] [20]} This crossing was one of the last 4 remaining tram-train level crossings in Melbourne. ^[19] These crossings are notorious for accidents and collisions, as trains and trams have to intersect at different electrical voltages. ^[21] In 2011, Transport Minister Terry Mulder announced that the government began early planning works for the removal of the Burke Road level crossing, however, no commencement/conclusion date was released. ^[19]

In May 2014, the government announced a $524 million package to remove three level crossings across Melbourne, to be delivered by VicRoads. ^[20] The funding package included lowering the rail line underneath Burke Road, the redevelopment of Gardiner station north of its existing location, the construction of a tram super-stop, and the expansion of car parking facilities located south of their current location. ^[22] The Napthine government lost the state election later that year; however, construction still went ahead under the subsequent Andrews government. This project was incorporated into the newly formed Level Crossing Removal Project in 2015. ^[23]

Pilling works during the August 2015 shutdown period (northbound)

Pilling works during the August 2015 shutdown period (south-east)

During 2015, construction began on the project with piling works and service relocations to create the rail trench. Major construction ramped up with closures of the Glen Waverley line to facilitate further piling and excavation works. ^[23] In September 2015, demolition of the original station occurred alongside the opening of a temporary station to continue to facilitate rail services. ^[24] Once the temporary station opened, major excavation works were able to begin. Construction of the station also occurred during this time, with the prefabricated station buildings installed and platforms installed. ^[25] With works continuing throughout the rest of 2015, the level crossing was removed in early 2016 with the reopening of Burke Road and Gardiner station. ^[26] The station opened in a basic state, with elevators, paving, additional exits, and other facilities opening later in early 2016. In April 2016, came the completion of the newly resurfaced carpark, the new tram super-stop located 100 m (328 ft) north of the station, landscaping, and the rebuilt Gardiner Park—used by the project team as vehicle storage and site office facilities throughout the duration of the project. ^{[22] [26]} The redevelopment of Gardiner Park included the construction of a new clubhouse, the installation of a fake grass playing field, and a new playground. ^[22]

As part of level crossing removal works, the Gardiner station signal box, located on Platform 2, was restored into public space after it was no longer needed to control the former road and tramway crossing. ^[27] It was closed on 2 January 2016, 16 days before grade separation works concluding and the station reopened. ^[27] Also built in conjunction with the removal works was an eleven storey high communication tower, aimed at improving identification of trains, and emergency management around the network. ^[28] Gardiner station is one of 16 stations across the network to feature these installations. ^[28]

Platforms and services

Gardiner has two side platforms with two faces. The station is currently served by the Glen Waverley line—a service on the metropolitan rail network. ^[29] The Glen Waverley line runs from Glen Waverley station south east of Melbourne, joining the Belgrave, Lilydale, and Alamein lines at Burnley station before travelling through the city loop. ^[6]

Platform 1:

•   Glen Waverley line   all stations and limited express services to Flinders Street

Platform 2:

•   Glen Waverley line   all stations services to Glen Waverley

Transport links

The Route 72 tram stop on Gardiner Road, connecting to Gardiner station, February 2016

Gardiner station has one tram connection with no bus connections. The route 72 tram service operates from nearby Burke Road up towards the city and down towards Camberwell. ^[7] The station has an accessible platform tram stop located just north of the station, with electronic announcements and shelter facilities available on the island platform. Gardiner station also has train replacement bus stops located adjacent to the station. ^[30]

Tram connections:

• : Melbourne University – Camberwell ^[7]

See also

• Level Crossing Removal Project

References

1. Department of Transport and Planning (30 May 2023). "Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries)". Victorian Government Data Directory. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
2. "Gardiner | Victorian Places". www.victorianplaces.com.au. Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
3. "Burke Road Level Crossing Removal Project. Issue #07". Department of Transport. Level Crossing Removal Project. February 2016.
4. "Access Guide". Metro Trains Melbourne. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
5. "Gardiner". Metro Trains Melbourne. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
6. Public Transport Victoria. "Glen Waverley Line". Public Transport Victoria. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
7. Public Transport Victoria. "72 Melbourne University – Camberwell". Public Transport Victoria. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
8. Rome2rio. "Gardiner to Southern Cross station". Rome2rio. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
9. Dragomir, Laurence (31 October 2018). "Glenarm Square to transform Gardiner Station into a thriving community space". Urban.com.au. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
10. "How long is a railway station platform?". Daniel Bowen. 20 January 2019. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
11. "Parkiteer | Secure cage locations". Bicycle Network. 30 May 2017. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
12. "VICSIG". vicsig.net. Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
13. "VICSIG". vicsig.net. Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
14. "GLEN IRIS LINE". Herald. 28 April 1926. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
15. "GLEN IRIS LINE". Prahran Telegraph. 30 April 1926. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
16. Vincent Adams Winter (1990). VR and VicRail: 1962–1983. V.A. Winter. p. 106. ISBN   0-9592069-3-0.
17. Level Crossing Removal Project (22 June 2022). "Burke Road, Glen Iris". Victoria's Big Build. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
18. "Transport news in brief". Australian Jewish News. 13 June 1986. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
19. Lucas, Clay (6 June 2011). "Level crossing on track for disaster". The Age. Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
20. McKay, Holly (2 May 2014). "Burke Rd level crossing will be removed after a multi-million dollar budget announcement". Herald Sun.
21. "Melbourne Tram Museum: Tramway level crossings in Victoria". www.hawthorntramdepot.org.au. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
22. "Burke Road Community Update". Department of Transport. Level Crossing Removal Project. July 2015.
23. Premier of Victoria's Office (14 July 2015). "Major Construction Begins On First Level Crossing Removal". Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
24. Carey, Adam (31 January 2016). "End of the line for older Melbourne stations being torn down and rebuilt". The Age. Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
25. "Burke Road Community Update". Department of Transport. Level Crossing Removal Project. October 2015.
26. Labor Government delivers new train station in Glen Iris Archived 16 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine Premier of Victoria 18 January 2016
27. Webb, Carolyn (16 December 2015). "End of the line for old railway signal box". The Age. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
28. Lucas, Clay (31 March 2010). "Rail station towers enrage residents". The Age. Archived from the original on 2 April 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
29. Public Transport Victoria. "Gardiner Station". Public Transport Victoria. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
30. "View of 1562 Malvern Rd". Google Maps. February 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.

External links

• Public Transport Victoria
• Media related to Gardiner railway station, Melbourne at Wikimedia Commons