Flemington Bridge railway station

Flemington Bridge railway station is located on the Upfield line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the inner-northern Melbourne suburbs of Flemington and North Melbourne, and opened on 10 April 1885 as Flemington. It was renamed Flemington Bridge on 3 December of that year.[4]

Flemington Bridge
PTV commuter rail station
Northbound view from Platform 1, December 2021
General information
LocationBoundary Road,
North Melbourne, Victoria 3051
City of Melbourne
City of Moonee Valley
Australia
Coordinates37°47′18″S 144°56′22″E / 37.7882°S 144.9394°E / -37.7882; 144.9394
Owned byVicTrack
Operated byMetro Trains
Line(s)Upfield
Distance4.06 kilometres from
Southern Cross
Platforms2 side
Tracks2
Connections
  • List of bus routes in Melbourne Bus
  • Trams in Melbourne Tram
Construction
Structure typeElevated
AccessibleNo (steep ramp)
Other information
StatusOperational, unstaffed
Station codeFBD
Fare zoneMyki Zone 1
WebsitePublic Transport Victoria
History
Opened10 April 1885; 139 years ago (1885-04-10)
ElectrifiedDecember 1920
(1500 V DC overhead)
Previous namesFlemington (1885)
Passengers
2005–2006109,888[1]
2006–2007129,246[1]Increase 17.61%
2007–2008140,339[1]Increase 8.58%
2008–2009164,718[2]Increase 17.37%
2009–2010176,879[2]Increase 7.38%
2010–2011194,221[2]Increase 9.8%
2011–2012209,958[2]Increase 8.1%
2012–2013Not measured[2]
2013–2014227,614[2]Increase 8.41%
2014–2015240,218[1]Increase 5.53%
2015–2016254,264[2]Increase 5.84%
2016–2017290,732[2]Increase 14.34%
2017–2018280,952[2]Decrease 3.36%
2018–2019286,650[2]Increase 2.03%
2019–2020225,150[2]Decrease 21.45%
2020–202194,250[2]Decrease 58.1%
2021–2022123,300[3]Increase 30.82%
Services
Preceding station Railways in Melbourne Metro Trains Following station
Macaulay Upfield line Royal Park
towards Upfield
Track layout
1
2

The station is located on an embankment between the Mount Alexander Road and Racecourse Road rail overpasses. An overpass on the CityLink tollway is located a short distance west of the station.

History edit

The station opened seven months after the railway line from North Melbourne was extended to Coburg,[4] and was named after the nearby bridge on Flemington Road that passes over the Moonee Ponds Creek.[5][6] Originally built in 1851, to improve the connection for gold prospectors travelling to the Bendigo goldfields,[5] the bridge was named Mains Bridge, after James Patrick Mains, a well-known contractor.[6] It was later renamed Flemington Road Bridge, before being shortened to Flemington Bridge.[6]

In 1886, permanent station buildings were erected at the station, with timber stairs leading to Boundary and Mount Alexander Roads.[7]

In 1891, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways recommended the construction of a spur line from Flemington Bridge to Pascoe Vale, to relieve crowding on the Essendon line at peak times, as well as providing a shorter alternative route to the city, following the route of what is now CityLink. The committee estimated the single track line would cost £93,000 to build, but recommended that only £30,000 be spent, with the remainder to be made up by donated land. However, the proposal was not taken up by government.[7]

In 1944, the current station buildings, with asbestos cement roofs, were provided and, at the same time, the stairs were replaced by asphalted ramps.[7]

In 1997, to allow construction of an elevated section of CityLink between Flemington Bridge and North Melbourne, a temporary crossover was provided near the Mount Alexander Road bridge, to allow Upfield line trains to terminate,[8] and passengers were shuttled by bus to Newmarket station to continue their journey.

Platforms and services edit

Flemington Bridge has two side platforms. It is served by Upfield line trains.[9]

Platform 1:

Platform 2:

Transport links edit

Ventura Bus Lines operates one route via Flemington Bridge station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

  • Night Bus  959 : Melbourne CBD (Queen Street) – Broadmeadows station (Saturday and Sunday mornings only)[10]

Yarra Trams operates two routes via Flemington Bridge station:

Gallery edit

References edit

  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 "Flemington Bridge". vicsig.net. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Flemington". Victorian Places. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "Place Names". Essendon Historical Society. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Jon Saul and Wendy Moore (May 1990). Down the line to Upfield. Coburg Public Transport Group.
  8. ^ Waugh, Andrew. "VR History by Andrew Waugh – Upfield Line" (PDF). VR History.com. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
  9. ^ "Upfield Line". Public Transport Victoria.
  10. ^ 959 City – Broadmeadows Station via Niddrie and Airport West Public Transport Victoria
  11. ^ "57 West Maribyrnong - Flinders Street Station & City". Public Transport Victoria.
  12. ^ "59 Airport West - Flinders Street Station & City". Public Transport Victoria.

External links edit

  Media related to Flemington Bridge railway station, Melbourne at Wikimedia Commons