Albion railway station, Melbourne

Albion
PTV commuter rail station
South-east bound view from Platform 1,
December 2013
General information
LocationSt Albans Road,
Albion, Victoria 3020
City of Brimbank
Australia
Coordinates37°46′38″S 144°49′28″E / 37.7772°S 144.8244°E / -37.7772; 144.8244
Owned byVicTrack
Operated byMetro Trains
Line(s)Sunbury
Distance13.65 kilometres from
Southern Cross
Platforms2 (1 island)
Tracks4
ConnectionsList of bus routes in Melbourne Bus
Construction
Structure typeGround
Parking567
Bicycle facilities18
AccessibleNo—steep ramp
Other information
StatusOperational, host station
Station codeALB
Fare zoneMyki Zone 1/2 overlap
WebsitePublic Transport Victoria
History
Opened5 January 1860; 164 years ago (1860-01-05)
Closed1 January 1861
Rebuilt24 March 1891
24 November 1919
ElectrifiedOctober 1921
(1500 V DC overhead)
Previous namesAlbion and Darlington (1860-1861)
Passengers
2005–2006609,932[1]
2006–2007706,570[1] Increase 15.84%
2007–2008759,149[1] Increase 7.44%
2008–2009785,147[2] Increase 3.42%
2009–2010808,922[2] Increase 3.02%
2010–2011802,370[2] Decrease 0.8%
2011–2012679,577[2] Decrease 15.3%
2012–2013Not measured[2]
2013–2014801,210[2] Increase 17.89%
2014–2015796,442[1] Decrease 0.59%
2015–2016766,337[2] Decrease 3.77%
2016–2017660,670[2] Decrease 13.78%
2017–2018667,975[2] Increase 1.1%
2018–2019686,100[2] Increase 2.71%
2019–2020537,450[2] Decrease 21.66%
2020–2021204,500[2] Decrease 61.95%
2021–2022203,100[3] Decrease 0.68%
Services
Preceding station Railways in Melbourne Metro Trains Following station
Sunshine
towards Flinders Street
 Sunbury line Ginifer
towards Sunbury or Watergardens
Track layout
Legend
to Sunshine
1
2
to Albion–Jacana line
to Ginifer
Broad gauge, electrified
Broad gauge, non-electrified
Dual gauge, non-electrified

Albion railway station is a commuter railway station on the Sunbury line, which is part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the western suburb of Albion, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Albion station is a ground level host station, featuring an island platform. It opened on 5 January 1860, with the current station provided in 1919. The station was originally closed on 1 January 1861, then reopened on 24 March 1891.[4]

Initially opened as Albion and Darlington, the station was given its current name of Albion on 24 March 1891, upon its reopening.[4]

The Melbourne – Sydney standard gauge line passes to the east of the station and, along with the Albion – Jacana freight line, branches off north of the station.

History

The Melbourne & Murray River Railway (now the Bendigo line) opened in 1859, operating from Footscray to Sunbury. By the early 1860s, the line had been extended to Bendigo. A station named Albion and Darlington was built on the site of the current station, opening on 5 January 1860. Albion and Darlington only remained open for a single year. In 1891, a new station, named Albion, opened to the west of the previous station. In 1919, Albion was relocated to its current site.[4]

In 1961, the former Ballarat Road level crossing was grade separated, and was replaced with a road overpass, just north of the station.[5]

Until 1961, the station had a signal box to control of the junction with the Albion – Jacana freight line, after which it was replaced by a signal panel, which was moved to the Sunshine signal box in 1965.[5] In 1972, both platforms were extended.[6] In 2022, both platforms were again extended at the up end.[4]

As part of the Melbourne Airport rail link project, Albion is scheduled to be rebuilt. An 18-metre high flyover will be built above the station and Ballarat Road.[7][8][9]

Platforms and services

Albion has one island platform with two faces. It is served by Sunbury line trains.[10]

Platform 1:

Platform 2:

By June 2025, it is planned that services on the Sunbury line will be through-routed to the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines, via the new Metro Tunnel.

Kinetic Melbourne operates two bus routes via Albion station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

  •  215 : Caroline Springs – Highpoint Shopping Centre[11]
  •  426 : Caroline Springs – Sunshine station[12]

Transit Systems Victoria operates one bus route via Albion station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

  •  456 : Sunshine station – Woodgrove Shopping Centre (Melton)[13]
  • South-east bound view from Platform 2, December 2013
    South-east bound view from Platform 2,
    December 2013
  • North-west bound view from Platform 2 with a Comeng train at Platform 2 on a Sunbury bound service, December 2013
    North-west bound view from Platform 2 with a Comeng train at Platform 2 on a Sunbury bound service, December 2013

References

  1. ^ a b c d Estimated Annual Patronage by Network Segment Financial Year 2005-2006 to 2018-19 Department of Transport
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Railway station and tram stop patronage in Victoria for 2008-2021 Philip Mallis
  3. ^ Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries) Data Vic
  4. ^ a b c d "Albion". vicsig.net. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b Dornan, S.E.; Henderson, R.G. (1979). Electric Railways of Victoria. Australian Electric Traction Society. p. 68. ISBN 0-909459-06-1.
  6. ^ "Weekly Notices-New Works". Divisional Diary. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). September 1972. p. 7.
  7. ^ "Delivering New Stations For The West | Premier of Victoria". www.premier.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  8. ^ Build, Victoria’s Big (6 October 2022). "New Station for Albion". Victoria’s Big Build. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  9. ^ "Albion Station rebuild and flyover". Victoria's Big Build. State Government of Victoria. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  10. ^ "Sunbury Line". Public Transport Victoria.
  11. ^ "215 Caroline Springs - Highpoint SC". Public Transport Victoria.
  12. ^ "426 Caroline Springs - Sunshine Station". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  13. ^ "456 Sunshine Station - Melton via Caroline Springs". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 15 May 2023.