Alamein railway station is the terminus of the suburban electrified Alamein line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the eastern Melbourne suburb of Ashburton, and it opened on 28 June 1948.[4]

Alamein
PTV commuter rail station
Southbound view in May 2008
General information
LocationAshburn Grove,
Ashburton, Victoria 3147
City of Boroondara
Australia
Coordinates37°52′06″S 145°04′47″E / 37.8683°S 145.0797°E / -37.8683; 145.0797
Owned byVicTrack
Operated byMetro Trains
Line(s)Alamein
Distance16.12 km (10.02 mi) from
Southern Cross
Platforms1
Tracks1
Construction
Structure typeGround
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes—step free access
Other information
StatusOperational, unstaffed
Station codeALM
Fare zoneMyki Zone 1
WebsitePublic Transport Victoria
History
Opened28 June 1948; 75 years ago (1948-06-28)
ElectrifiedJune 1948 (1500 V DC overhead)
Passengers
2005–2006135,678[1]
2006–2007164,563[1]Increase 21.28%
2007–2008175,432[1]Increase 6.6%
2008–2009176,067[2]Increase 0.36%
2009–2010169,994[2]Decrease 3.44%
2010–2011175,858[2]Increase 3.44%
2011–2012153,094[2]Decrease 12.94%
2012–2013Not measured[2]
2013–2014150,090[2]Decrease 1.96%
2014–2015138,669[1]Decrease 7.6%
2015–2016148,024[2]Increase 6.74%
2016–2017133,093[2]Decrease 10.08%
2017–2018138,439[2]Increase 4.01%
2018–2019145,700[2]Increase 5.24%
2019–2020113,450[2]Decrease 22.13%
2020–202146,350[2]Decrease 59.14%
2021–202254,200[3]Increase 16.93%
2022–202378,100[3]Increase 44.09%
Services
Preceding station Railways in Melbourne Metro Trains Following station
Ashburton Alamein line Terminus

History edit

Alamein station opened on 28 June 1948, and was the last station to be built on what is now the line of the same name. It opened on the reservation of the former Outer Circle line. The section on which Alamein is now located was closed to all traffic in 1895.[5]

The station served a new Housing Commission estate that had been constructed for people who were displaced after World War II.[6] The station still bears the name of the estate, which in turn had been named after the World War II battlefield in North Africa.[6] It opened without much fanfare; there was no official ceremony from the Victorian Railways, local politicians or local councillors.[7] Only 103 tickets were sold up to 10:30 a.m. on the first day of operations.[7]

On 31 December 1956, an incident involving Swing Door driving trailer 10D and motor 155ABM occurred at the station after 10D, which was the leading car of the 16:29 service from Camberwell, overshot the platform and crashed into a timber buffer at the down end of the platform.[8][9] 10D derailed in the incident as it pushed down on the buffer, before lifting upwards and coming to a stop leaning on an angle and a few metres away from a stanchion.[8][9] There was no injuries reported from the fifteen people in 10D.[8][9] At the time, the cause of the crash was due to faulty brakes.[8][9]

During the 2011/2012 financial year, it was the 8th least used station on Melbourne's metropolitan network, with 153,000 passenger movements.[10]

Platforms and services edit

Alamein has one platform. It is serviced by Metro Trains' Alamein line services.[11]

Platform 1:

Transport links edit

The Outer Circle Trail for cyclists and walkers continues along the Outer Circle alignment after Alamein as far as Gardiners Creek and the Malvern Valley Public Golf Course. It then connects with the Gardiners Creek Trail and a path to East Malvern.

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. ^ a b Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries) Data Vic
  4. ^ "Alamein". vicsig.net. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  5. ^ David Beardsell & Bruce Herbert (1979). The Outer Circle: A history of the Oakleigh to Fairfield Park Railway. Australian Railway Historical Society. p. 59. ISBN 0-85849-024-2.
  6. ^ a b "Alamein". Victorian Places. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  7. ^ a b "News of the Day". The Age. 29 June 1948. p. 2.
  8. ^ a b c d Mark Cauchi (March 2023). "The Alamein Accident". Newsrail. Victorian Rail Publishing Inc. pp. 80–81.
  9. ^ a b c d "Passengers Shaken in Train Upset". The Age. 1 January 1957. p. 3.
  10. ^ Station Patronage Research Archived 23 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine Public Transport Victoria
  11. ^ "Alamein Line". Public Transport Victoria.

External links edit