Sunshine railway station, Melbourne
Encyclopedia
Sunshine is a railway station in Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
, located in the suburb of Sunshine
, on the Sydenham railway line. It is the junction for the line west to Ballarat. The Melbourne - Sydney standard gauge line is also adjacent to the station.
Classed as a Premium Station
, Sunshine is in the Metcard
and myki
Zones 1+2 overlap.
The station consists of a side platform
and an island format
; Platform 1 has a large weatherboard building housing an enclosed waiting area, ticket facilities and toilets, while platform 2 & 3 has a small brick building. Metcard
and myki
ticket vending machines are located inside the waiting area, which are able to dispense most ticketing options available and also accept notes and coins. A small coin-only Metcard ticket vending machine is located at the entrance to the island platform, with a myki vending machine by its side.
A signal box
is situated at the Watergardens
end of the station, whist a disused SG (standard gauge) platform is adjacent to platform 1. An underpass is also situated at the Watergardens end of the station.
Platform 1:
Platform 2:
Platform 3:
and beyond, however no station was built at that time on the current site; the closest station was Albion and Darlington which is on the site of the current Albion station
. It was in 1885, when a railway direct from Melbourne to Ballarat via Bacchus Marsh was being built branching off from the railway to Bendigo, that a station at the junction of the two lines was built. The station opened on September 7, 1885, as Braybrook Junction - named such as it was at the junction of the two lines and lay in the Shire of Braybrook.
In 1887 a railway connecting the new station at Braybrook Junction to Newport
and Williamstown
, Victoria's major cargo port at the time, was opened.
In 1907 Braybrook Junction station was renamed Sunshine when H. V. McKay moved his Sunshine Harvester Works
adjacent to the station.
The Sunshine train disaster
was a terrible episode and the worst train crash in Victorian railway history. On the night of 20 April 1908, 44 people were killed and over 400 injured when a Melbourne-bound train from Bendigo collided with the rear of a train from Ballarat, which was just leaving the station. Around 1,100 people were aboard the two trains. Almost all of the casualties were from the Ballarat train, as the Bendigo train was cushioned by its two AA class locomotive
s. A temporary mortuary was set up at Spencer Street Station (Melbourne's regional terminus), and flags at the station flew at half-mast.
The Albion-Jacana line opened in 1929 connecting Sunshine station with the North East railway line so that freight trains could avoid the steeper grades and now busy suburban traffic on the line between North Melbourne
, Essendon and Broadmeadows
.
The road level crossing
at Sunshine was removed when grade separation was carried out in 1961. Boom barriers were provided at Anderson Road for the Bendigo line in the same year.
A fourth platform was opened at the station in January 1963 on the adjacent North East standard gauge line, to enable passengers to transfer between the interstate Sydney and Adelaide expresses. In 1965 control of signals
at Albion station
was transferred to the signal box
at Sunshine.
Boom barriers were provided at Anderson Street for the Ballarat line in 1977.
The station was designated as a Premium Station on 26 July 1996.
will have great effect on Sunshine station. Once finished, regional trains between Melbourne and Geelong will pass through Sunshine station. This will make Sunshine an even more important interchange for Victoria's western regional railway lines as all three will meet at Sunshine. Accordingly, Sunshine station is set to be "transformed" and extra platforms will be built.
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...
, 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...
, located in the suburb of Sunshine
Sunshine, Victoria
Sunshine is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia lying 11 to 13 km west of the CBD. Its Local Government Area is the City of Brimbank. At the 2006 Census, Sunshine had a population of 8,070.-History:...
, on the Sydenham railway line. It is the junction for the line west to Ballarat. The Melbourne - Sydney standard gauge line is also adjacent to the station.
Classed as a Premium Station
Premium station
A premium station is a category of railway station on Melbourne's Metro Rail Network which is operated by Metro Trains Melbourne. In terms of station standards, a premium station is a high standard station which sits above the medium standard host stations and the low standard unmanned...
, Sunshine is in the Metcard
Metcard
"OneLink" redirects here. For the computer/cable company, see OneLink Communications.Metcard is the brand name of an integrated ticketing system used to access public transport in Melbourne, Australia. It is a universal ticket which allows users to ride on the city's Metlink network, consisting of...
and myki
Myki
myki is the contactless smartcard ticketing system being introduced on public transport in Victoria, Australia. myki is designed to replace a number of ticket systems in Victoria, primarily the Metcard and V/Line ticketing systems...
Zones 1+2 overlap.
Facilities
Sunshine is located between Monash Street and Durham Road, with station access from both.The station consists of a side platform
Side platform
A Side platform is a platform positioned to the side of a pair of tracks at a railway station, a tram stop or a transitway. A pair of side platforms are often provided on a dual track line with a single side platform being sufficient for a single track line...
and an island format
Island 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...
; Platform 1 has a large weatherboard building housing an enclosed waiting area, ticket facilities and toilets, while platform 2 & 3 has a small brick building. Metcard
Metcard
"OneLink" redirects here. For the computer/cable company, see OneLink Communications.Metcard is the brand name of an integrated ticketing system used to access public transport in Melbourne, Australia. It is a universal ticket which allows users to ride on the city's Metlink network, consisting of...
and myki
Myki
myki is the contactless smartcard ticketing system being introduced on public transport in Victoria, Australia. myki is designed to replace a number of ticket systems in Victoria, primarily the Metcard and V/Line ticketing systems...
ticket vending machines are located inside the waiting area, which are able to dispense most ticketing options available and also accept notes and coins. A small coin-only Metcard ticket vending machine is located at the entrance to the island platform, with a myki vending machine by its side.
A 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...
is situated at the Watergardens
Watergardens railway station, Melbourne
Watergardens is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Sydenham, on the Sydenham railway line. Watergardens is classed as a premium station and is in Metcard Zone 2...
end of the station, whist a disused SG (standard gauge) platform is adjacent to platform 1. An underpass is also situated at the Watergardens end of the station.
Platform 1:
- Sydenham line - limited stops services to Flinders Street
- Bendigo line - V/Line services to Southern Cross
Platform 2:
- Sydenham line - all stations and limited stops services to St Albans, Watergardens
- Ballarat line - V/Line services to Bacchus Marsh, Ballarat, Wendouree (3 services per day extend to Ararat, 1 service per day extends to Maryborough)
- Bendigo line — V/Line services to Sunbury, Kyneton, Bendigo (1 service per day extends to Echuca)
Platform 3:
- Ballarat line - V/Line services to Southern Cross
History
The Melbourne and Murray River Railway (now named the Bendigo line) originating from Spencer Street Station was first laid out through the area in the late 1850s from Footscray station on its way to SunburySunbury, Victoria
Sunbury is a regional city, located north-west of Melbourne's central business district, in the state of Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hume. At the 2006 Census, Sunbury had a population of 31,000...
and beyond, however no station was built at that time on the current site; the closest station was Albion and Darlington which is on the site of the current Albion station
Albion railway station, Melbourne
Albion is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located on the border of the suburbs of Sunshine and Albion, Victoria, on the Sydenham railway line...
. It was in 1885, when a railway direct from Melbourne to Ballarat via Bacchus Marsh was being built branching off from the railway to Bendigo, that a station at the junction of the two lines was built. The station opened on September 7, 1885, as Braybrook Junction - named such as it was at the junction of the two lines and lay in the Shire of Braybrook.
In 1887 a railway connecting the new station at Braybrook Junction to Newport
Newport railway station, Melbourne
Newport is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Newport, at the junction of the Werribee and Williamstown railway lines...
and Williamstown
Williamstown, Victoria
Williamstown is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Williamstown had a population of 12,733....
, Victoria's major cargo port at the time, was opened.
In 1907 Braybrook Junction station was renamed Sunshine when H. V. McKay moved his Sunshine Harvester Works
Sunshine Harvester Works
The Sunshine Harvester works, was an Australia factory operated by industrialist H. V. McKay. Having established an agricultural implement works in Ballarat he moved his factory and many of his employees to Braybrook Junction, in 1906,where he had earlier purchased the Braybrook Implement Works...
adjacent to the station.
The Sunshine train disaster
Sunshine train disaster
The Sunshine rail disaster occurred at the Sunshine railway station, which is the junction for the Ballarat and Bendigo railway lines, from Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia....
was a terrible episode and the worst train crash in Victorian railway history. On the night of 20 April 1908, 44 people were killed and over 400 injured when a Melbourne-bound train from Bendigo collided with the rear of a train from Ballarat, which was just leaving the station. Around 1,100 people were aboard the two trains. Almost all of the casualties were from the Ballarat train, as the Bendigo train was cushioned by its two AA class locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s. A temporary mortuary was set up at Spencer Street Station (Melbourne's regional terminus), and flags at the station flew at half-mast.
The Albion-Jacana line opened in 1929 connecting Sunshine station with the North East railway line so that freight trains could avoid the steeper grades and now busy suburban traffic on the line between North Melbourne
North Melbourne railway station
North Melbourne is a railway station located on the northern edge of the central business district of Melbourne, Australia. The station is the point through which pass the west and north-west bound Craigieburn, Flemington Racecourse, Sydenham, Upfield, Werribee and Williamstown suburban railway...
, Essendon and Broadmeadows
Broadmeadows railway station, Melbourne
Broadmeadows is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Broadmeadows, on the Craigieburn railway line. Broadmeadows is classed as a Premium Station and is in Metcard Zone 2.-Facilities:...
.
The road level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
at Sunshine was removed when grade separation was carried out in 1961. Boom barriers were provided at Anderson Road for the Bendigo line in the same year.
A fourth platform was opened at the station in January 1963 on the adjacent North East standard gauge line, to enable passengers to transfer between the interstate Sydney and Adelaide expresses. In 1965 control of signals
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...
at Albion station
Albion railway station, Melbourne
Albion is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located on the border of the suburbs of Sunshine and Albion, Victoria, on the Sydenham railway line...
was transferred to the 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...
at Sunshine.
Boom barriers were provided at Anderson Street for the Ballarat line in 1977.
The station was designated as a Premium Station on 26 July 1996.
Future plans
The Regional Rail LinkRegional Rail Link
The Regional Rail Link is a 47.5 km railway track currently under construction through the western suburbs of Melbourne from Southern Cross Station, running through Sunshine, Tarneit and meeting the Geelong Line at West Werribee...
will have great effect on Sunshine station. Once finished, regional trains between Melbourne and Geelong will pass through Sunshine station. This will make Sunshine an even more important interchange for Victoria's western regional railway lines as all three will meet at Sunshine. Accordingly, Sunshine station is set to be "transformed" and extra platforms will be built.