Westgarth railway station

Last updated

Westgarth
PTV commuter rail station
Westgarth railway station Platform 2 (north-east view)(7 November 2024).jpg
North-east bound view from Platform 2, November 2024
General information
LocationEvans Crescent,
Northcote, Victoria 3070
City of Darebin
Australia
Coordinates 37°46′51″S144°59′57″E / 37.7807°S 144.9993°E / -37.7807; 144.9993
Owned by VicTrack
Operated by Metro Trains
Line(s) Hurstbridge
Distance7.55 kilometres from
Southern Cross
Platforms2 side
Tracks2
Connections
  • Victoria bus logo.svg Bus
  • Melbourne tram logo.svg Tram
Construction
Structure typeGround
Parking22
Bicycle facilities5
AccessibleYes—step free access
Other information
StatusOperational, unstaffed
Station codeWTG
Fare zone Myki Zone 1
Website Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened8 May 1888;137 years ago (1888-05-08)
ElectrifiedJuly 1921 (1500 V DC overhead)
Previous namesWestgarth Street (1888)
Northcote South (1888-1906)
Passengers
2005–2006256,862 [1]
Preceding station Melbourne train logo.svg Metro Trains Following station
Clifton Hill Hurstbridge line Dennis
towards Eltham or Hurstbridge
Track layout
BSicon MFADEg.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon MFADEg.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon KRWg+l.svg
BSicon KRWgr.svg
BSicon STRg.svg
BSicon STRf.svg
BSicon SKRZ-G2BUE.svg
BSicon SKRZ-G2BUE.svg
Westgarth Street
1
BSicon PSTR(R).svg
2
BSicon PSTR(L).svg
BSicon PSTR(R).svg
BSicon PSTR(L).svg
BSicon STRg.svg
BSicon STRf.svg
BSicon MFADEf.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon MFADEf.svg
BSicon STR.svg
to Dennis
Location
Westgarth railway station

Westgarth 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. Westgarth station is a ground level unstaffed station, featuring two side platforms. It opened on 8 May 1888. [4]

Contents

Initially opened as Westgarth Street, the station was renamed two times. It was renamed to Northcote South on 1 August 1888 and then given its current name of Westgarth on 10 December 1906. [4]

History

Westgarth station opened on 8 May 1888 as Westgarth Street, along the newly opened railway line between Collingwood and Heidelberg. [4] Westgarth station, like the locality itself, was named after William Westgarth, a merchant, historian and a member of both the New South Wales Legislative Council and the Victorian Legislative Council. [5] [6] Shortly after, on 1 August 1888 the station's name was changed to Northcote South. [7]

On 10 December 1906, the station was renamed from Northcote South to its current name, Westgarth. This was done to prevent confusion as there were several train stations in Northcote named after the suburb at the time. [8]

In late 1912, whilst the line was being duplicated between Westgarth and Alphington. [4] Westgarth was relocated from the up end to the down end; directly north of Westgarth Street where it remains today. [9] The current weatherboard station buildings were also built at this time. [10]

In 1913, complaints arose regarding the substandard facilities and the lack of staff and pedestrian crossing at the newly constructed station. [11] [12] Described as "an island in a sea of mud" [13] commuters were said to "climb the fence and walked along the railway reserve, to save a walk a quarter of a mile." [11] This prompted a timber footbridge to be constructed, which remains in the same place today.

In 1968, boom barriers replaced interlocked gates at the Westgarth Street level crossing, located at the up end of the station. [14] The signal box for the level crossing was also abolished at that time. [4]

During late 2008 and early 2009, 750 meters of single track between Westgarth and Clifton Hill was duplicated. This included a second bridge over the Merri Creek running parallel to the original 1888 rail bridge. On 27 January 2009, the duplicated track and bridge opened. [15]

Platforms and services

A PID on Platform 1 displaying a Flinders Street-bound service, September 2024 Westgarth railway station Platform 1 PID (15 September 2024).jpg
A PID on Platform 1 displaying a Flinders Street-bound service, September 2024

Westgarth has two side platforms. It is served by Hurstbridge line trains. [16]

Platform 1:

Platform 2:

Dysons operates one route to and from Westgarth station:

Kinetic Melbourne operates two bus routes via Westgarth station:

Yarra Trams operates one route via Westgarth station:

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Estimated Annual Patronage by Network Segment Financial Year 2005-2006 to 2018-19 Department of Transport
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Railway station and tram stop patronage in Victoria for 2008-2021 Philip Mallis
  3. Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries) Data Vic
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Westgarth". vicsig.net. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  5. "Westgarth". Victorian Places. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  6. First, Jamie (7 January 2014). "The A-Z story of Melbourne's suburbs". Herald Sun . Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  7. "NORTHCOTE". Mercury and Weekly Courier. 8 August 1888. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  8. "THE RAILWAYS". Age. 19 October 1906. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  9. "HEIDELBERG DUPLICATION". Argus. 21 February 1912. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  10. "THE RAILWAYS". Age. 5 July 1912. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  11. 1 2 "WESTGARTH STATION". Age. 31 January 1913. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  12. "AN UNDERMANNED STATION". Age. 25 July 1913. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  13. "WESTGARTH STATION". Age. 11 March 1913. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  14. "Westgarth Street". vicsig.net. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  15. "First-passenger-trains-on-new-rail-bridge-today". ALP Media Release. Retrieved 30 January 2009.[ dead link ]
  16. "Hurstbridge Line". Public Transport Victoria.
  17. "506 Moonee Ponds - Westgarth Station via Brunswick". Public Transport Victoria.
  18. "250 City (Queen St) - La Trobe University". Public Transport Victoria.
  19. "251 City (Queen St) - Northland SC". Public Transport Victoria.
  20. "86 Bundoora RMIT - Waterfront City Docklands". Public Transport Victoria.