Ararat railway station, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Ararat railway station is a railway station located in the city of Ararat
, Victoria
, Australia
. It is located where the Western standard gauge line
intersects with the broad gauge Ararat line, and is also the junction for the Ararat - Maryborough line.
. The standard gauge platform is to the north, with broad gauge trains using a dock platform on the south face. A grade crossing exists at the eastern end of the station to allow the broad gauge to continue east, while the standard gauge turns south.
Control of signals is by the Australian Rail Track Corporation
control centre at Mile End, South Australia
and Centrol in Melbourne
. A dead end siding is located to the east for broad gauge passenger trains, and across from the main platform are two loop and one dead end standard gauge sidings.
n border at Serviceton
in 1887. The line to Maryborough
opened in 1890. Two signal box
es ('A' and 'B') were opened in 1891, and in 1914 the goods sidings were extended, with the locomotive depot built soon after. The locomotive depot was expanded in the late 1930s in conjunction with the massive new H class
4-8-4 steam locomotives intended for use on the Overland passenger train. An 85 feet (25.9 m) turntable was installed with 24 roads around it - the largest on the Victorian Railways
system. Before this time Stawell
was the major servicing facility in the region.
Rationalisation to the facilities begun in the 1980s, the 'B' box was demolished in 1984 and the train control office following in 1988. The locomotive depot closed in 1989, with 'A' box following in 1996. Gauge conversion
also came to the station in the 1990s, with the main line to Adelaide converted to standard gauge as part of the One Nation
project. The lines west and south were converted, with the line to Maryborough converted to dual gauge
soon after. The former main line to Ballarat had services suspended in 1995 and was left as broad gauge. V/Line passenger services westward to Dimboola
had been withdrawn on August 21, 1993. The rail service from Ballarat - Ararat didn't survive long after and was cut on the 27th of May, 1994 (after only another 9 months of service).
In 1977 (at approx 3am)July 8th victorianrailways history there was a head on collision with an "UP" grain freight train (X Class Long end forward, which was pulling into the main 2nd line) and the yards Pilot (Y145). It was suggested that either a signal failure occurred or driver error was responsible.
In 1999 there was a head-on collision
between two freight trains at the station, when the points
for the yard were incorrectly set.
The line to Ballarat was reopened in July 2004 when the V/Line
passenger services was reinstated. The contract for the works was awarded in February 2003, and required a diamond crossing
and signalling
to be installed to allow the broad gauge line to reach the platform. The Maryborough line was booked out of use in 2005.
Platform 1: (SG)
Platform 2: (BG)
Since 2008 the Ararat Transit bus
service has operated 5 days a week, providing 86 services and connecting with train services.
Interstate freight services also operate though the station, primarily intermodal container
s, but also general freight, steel products and grain.
Ararat, Victoria
Ararat is a city in south-west Victoria, Australia, about west of Melbourne, on the Western Highway on the eastern slopes of the Ararat Hills and Cemetery Creek valley between Victoria's Western District and the Wimmera...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is located where the Western standard gauge line
Western standard gauge line
The Western standard gauge is a railway line in western Victoria, Australia. Opened in 1995, it forms part of the Melbourne-Adelaide railway and serves as the principal interstate rail link between Victorian and the western states...
intersects with the broad gauge Ararat line, and is also the junction for the Ararat - Maryborough line.
Facilities
Ararat has two platform faces, set up in an island formatIsland platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
. The standard gauge platform is to the north, with broad gauge trains using a dock platform on the south face. A grade crossing exists at the eastern end of the station to allow the broad gauge to continue east, while the standard gauge turns south.
Control of signals is by the Australian Rail Track Corporation
Australian Rail Track Corporation
Australian Rail Track Corporation is a federal government owned corporation established in 1997 that owns, leases, maintains and controls the majority of main line standard gauge railway lines on the mainland of Australia, known as the Defined Interstate Rail Network .-History:The Interstate...
control centre at Mile End, South Australia
Mile End, South Australia
Mile End is an inner western suburb of Adelaide, located in the City of West Torrens, around 2 kilometres from the Adelaide city centre. It has a census area population of 3,918 people...
and Centrol in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. A dead end siding is located to the east for broad gauge passenger trains, and across from the main platform are two loop and one dead end standard gauge sidings.
History
The railway first reached Ararat from Ballarat in 1875. The line south to Portland opened in 1877, and the mainline was extended west reaching the South AustraliaSouth Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
n border at Serviceton
Serviceton, Victoria
Serviceton is a small town in Victoria, Australia, located near the Victorian-South Australian border, 437 kilometres north-west of Melbourne. The town was named after James Service, Premier of Victoria in 1880 and from 1883-86...
in 1887. The line to Maryborough
Maryborough, Victoria
-Education:Maryborough has three schools:*Highview Christian Community College*Maryborough Education Centre Years Prep–12*St Augustine's Primary School Grades Prep–6-Music:...
opened in 1890. Two signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
es ('A' and 'B') were opened in 1891, and in 1914 the goods sidings were extended, with the locomotive depot built soon after. The locomotive depot was expanded in the late 1930s in conjunction with the massive new H class
Victorian Railways H class
The H class was an express passenger steam locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways from 1941 to 1958. Intended to eliminate the use of double heading A2 class locomotives on Overland services on the steeply graded Western line to Adelaide, wartime restrictions led to only one locomotive being built...
4-8-4 steam locomotives intended for use on the Overland passenger train. An 85 feet (25.9 m) turntable was installed with 24 roads around it - the largest on the Victorian Railways
Victorian Railways
The Victorian Railways operated railways in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companies failed or defaulted, the Victorian Railways was established to take over their operations...
system. Before this time Stawell
Stawell, Victoria
Stawell , is a town in the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia. The town is located in Shire of Northern Grampians Local Government Area, west-north-west of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Stawell had a population of 6,035....
was the major servicing facility in the region.
Rationalisation to the facilities begun in the 1980s, the 'B' box was demolished in 1984 and the train control office following in 1988. The locomotive depot closed in 1989, with 'A' box following in 1996. Gauge conversion
Gauge conversion
In rail transport, gauge conversion is the process of converting a railway from one rail gauge to another, through the alteration of the railway tracks...
also came to the station in the 1990s, with the main line to Adelaide converted to standard gauge as part of the One Nation
One Nation (Infrastructure)
One Nation was an Australian Government program of infrastructure development carried out under the Keating Government from 1991 to 1996. Much of the program was implemented as a means of stimulating the economy in the aftermath of the Early 1990s recession....
project. The lines west and south were converted, with the line to Maryborough converted to dual gauge
Dual gauge
A dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway has railway track that allows trains of different gauges to use the same track. Generally, a dual-gauge railway consists of three rails, rather than the standard two rails. The two outer rails give the wider gauge, while one of the outer rails and the inner rail...
soon after. The former main line to Ballarat had services suspended in 1995 and was left as broad gauge. V/Line passenger services westward to Dimboola
Dimboola, Victoria
Dimboola is located in Shire of Hindmarsh in the Wimmera region of Western Victoria, Australia, 334 kilometres north-west of Melbourne.Situated on the Wimmera River in the State of Victoria,the town of Dimboola was previously known as 'Nine Creeks'.Following a survey conducted in late 1862 by...
had been withdrawn on August 21, 1993. The rail service from Ballarat - Ararat didn't survive long after and was cut on the 27th of May, 1994 (after only another 9 months of service).
In 1977 (at approx 3am)July 8th victorianrailways history there was a head on collision with an "UP" grain freight train (X Class Long end forward, which was pulling into the main 2nd line) and the yards Pilot (Y145). It was suggested that either a signal failure occurred or driver error was responsible.
In 1999 there was a head-on collision
Head-on collision
A head-on collision is one where the front ends of two ships, trains, planes or vehicles hit each other, as opposed to a side collision or rear-end collision.-Rail transport:...
between two freight trains at the station, when the points
Railroad switch
A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....
for the yard were incorrectly set.
The line to Ballarat was reopened in July 2004 when the V/Line
V/Line
V/Line is a not for profit regional passenger train and coach service in Victoria, Australia. It was created after the split-up of VicRail in 1983. V/Line is owned by the V/Line Corporation which is a Victorian State Government statutory authority...
passenger services was reinstated. The contract for the works was awarded in February 2003, and required a diamond crossing
Level junction
In U.S. railroad practice, a level junction is a railway junction that has a track configuration in which merging or crossing railroad lines provide track connections with each other that require trains to cross over in front of opposing traffic at grade In U.S. railroad practice, a level junction...
and signalling
Railway signalling
Railway signalling is a system used to control railway traffic safely, essentially to prevent trains from colliding. Being guided by fixed rails, trains are uniquely susceptible to collision; furthermore, trains cannot stop quickly, and frequently operate at speeds that do not enable them to stop...
to be installed to allow the broad gauge line to reach the platform. The Maryborough line was booked out of use in 2005.
Platforms/Services & Connecting bus services
- Great Southern RailwayGreat Southern Railway (Australia)Great Southern Railway , owned by Serco Asia Pacific, is a tourism business and rail transport operator in Australia.GSR operates interstate passenger trains aimed at the tourist market:* The Indian Pacific...
- The Overland services to Melbourne (Southern Cross StationSouthern Cross StationSouthern Cross is a major railway station and transport hub in Melbourne Docklands, Victoria, Australia. It is located on Spencer Street between Collins and La Trobe Streets at the western edge of the central business district...
) and AdelaideAdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
Platform 2: (BG)
- Ballarat/Ararat line - terminating services; returning as intercity services to Southern Cross
Since 2008 the Ararat Transit bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
service has operated 5 days a week, providing 86 services and connecting with train services.
Interstate freight services also operate though the station, primarily intermodal container
Intermodal container
An intermodal container is a standardized reusable steel box used for the safe, efficient and secure storage and movement of materials and products within a global containerized intermodal freight transport system...
s, but also general freight, steel products and grain.