Anstey railway station is a commuter railway station on the Upfield line, which is part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the northern suburb of Brunswick, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Anstey station is a ground level unstaffed station, featuring two side platforms. It opened on 15 December 1926.[4]

Anstey
PTV commuter rail station
Southbound view from Platform 1, October 2019
General information
LocationAlbion Street,
Brunswick, Victoria 3056
City of Merri-bek
Australia
Coordinates37°45′40″S 144°57′38″E / 37.761074°S 144.960609°E / -37.761074; 144.960609
Owned byVicTrack
Operated byMetro Trains
Line(s)Upfield
Distance8.04 kilometres from
Southern Cross
Platforms2 side
Tracks2
Connections
  • List of bus routes in Melbourne Bus
  • Trams in Melbourne Tram
Construction
Structure typeGround
ParkingYes
AccessibleYes—step-free access
Other information
StatusOperational, unstaffed
Station codeASY
Fare zoneMyki Zone 1
WebsitePublic Transport Victoria
History
Opened15 December 1926; 97 years ago (1926-12-15)
ElectrifiedDecember 1920
(1500 V DC overhead)
Previous namesNorth Brunswick (1926–1942)
Passengers
2005–2006241,907[1]
2006–2007275,590[1]Increase 13.92%
2007–2008302,529[1]Increase 9.77%
2008–2009353,803[2]Increase 16.94%
2009–2010379,469[2]Increase 7.25%
2010–2011376,610[2]Decrease 0.75%
2011–2012361,545[2]Decrease 4%
2012–2013Not measured[2]
2013–2014371,192[2]Increase 2.67%
2014–2015396,224[1]Increase 6.74%
2015–2016406,596[2]Increase 2.61%
2016–2017433,444[2]Increase 6.6%
2017–2018460,890[2]Increase 6.33%
2018–2019468,600[2]Increase 1.67%
2019–2020357,050[2]Decrease 23.8%
2020–2021159,900[2]Decrease 55.2%
2021–2022187,400[3]Increase 17.19%
Services
Preceding station Railways in Melbourne Metro Trains Following station
Brunswick Upfield line Moreland
towards Upfield
Track layout
Hope Street
(Removing by 2030)
1
2
Albion Street
(Removing by 2030)

Initially opened as North Brunswick, the station was given its current name of Anstey on 1 December 1942.[4]

History

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Anstey station was renamed in honour of former member of parliament, Frank Anstey, who represented the local area in the seats of East Bourke Boroughs and Brunswick in the state parliament, and Burke in the federal parliament, between 1902 and 1934.[5]

In 1971, the station platforms were lengthened.[4] In 1998, boom barriers replaced interlocked gates at the Albion Street level crossing, at the down end of the station.[6] The signal box controlling the level crossing was also abolished during that time.[6]

In 2020, the station became a temporary terminus while level crossing removals occurred at Coburg and Moreland.[7] A temporary crossover was provided at the up end of the station, to allow trains to terminate and return to Flinders Street.[4]

On 19 September 2022, it was announced that the Albion Street level crossing would be removed by grade separation as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project and would be elevated, along with seven other level crossings in Brunswick.[8]

On 19 September 2024, it was announced that Anstey station, along with Brunswick and Jewell stations would be replaced by two new stations located approximately 200 metres to 450 metres from all three existing stations. Anstey station would be replaced by a new station located next to Hope Street, just 200 metres and south of the existing station and the eight level crossings to be elevated and removed by 2030. It was also announced that some heritage listed interlocking hand gates at some closed level crossings will be kept and located at its current spot.[9]

The decision to build two stations in different locations instead of rebuilding Jewell, Brunswick and Anstey generated significant criticism from residents and the local council. Local newspaper Brunswick Voice reported that the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Danny Pearson, claimed "the decision to build two stations followed 18 months of technical and engineering assessments which found fewer stations would boost capacity on the line in the future and deliver more open space", noting that "[the government claimed] the plan would also minimise the impact to heritage in the area, but [the politician] provided no detail about whether the three station buildings and the historic boom gate operators' cabins would be preserved".[10]

Platforms and services

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Anstey has two side platforms. It is served by Upfield line trains.[11]

Platform 1:

Platform 2:

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Dysons operates one route via Anstey station:

  •  503 : Essendon stationBrunswick East[12]

Yarra Trams operates one route via Anstey station:

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Estimated Annual Patronage by Network Segment Financial Year 2005–2006 to 2018–19 Archived 17 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine 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 Archived 17 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine Philip Mallis
  3. ^ Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries) Archived 6 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine Data Vic
  4. ^ a b c d "Anstey". vicsig.net. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Brunswick and Brunswick City". Victorian Places. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Signalling Alterations". Somersault. Signalling Record Society (Victoria). January 1999. p. 5.
  7. ^ Biggest level crossing removal blitz in Victoria's history Archived 27 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine Level Crossing Removal Project
  8. ^ "Eight More Dangerous Level Crossings To Go By 2027 | Premier of Victoria". www.premier.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Have your say on Brunswick level crossing removals". Victoria's Big Build. 19 September 2024. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  10. ^ Phillips, Mark (19 September 2024). "Station to be axed under skyrail revamp". Brunswick Voice. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  11. ^ "Upfield Line". Public Transport Victoria.
  12. ^ "503 Essendon - East Brunswick via Albion Street". Public Transport Victoria.
  13. ^ "19 North Coburg - Flinders Street Station & City". Public Transport Victoria.
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