Echuca railway station

Echuca railway station is located on the Deniliquin line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of the same name, and opened on 19 September 1864.[2]

Echuca
PTV regional rail station
Southbound view of station platform and building with a VLocity train at the platform, August 2007
General information
Location116 Sturt Street,
Echuca, Victoria 3564
Shire of Campaspe
Australia
Coordinates36°07′52″S 144°45′12″E / 36.131138°S 144.753387°E / -36.131138; 144.753387
Owned byVicTrack
Operated byV/Line
Line(s)
Distance249.99 kilometres from
Southern Cross
Platforms1
Tracks5
Connections
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
ParkingYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
StatusOperational, staffed part-time
Station codeECH
Fare zoneMyki not available. Paper ticket only.
WebsitePublic Transport Victoria
History
Opened19 September 1864; 160 years ago (1864-09-19)
Services
One per weekday to Southern Cross (two on weekends).
Trains travelling in the opposite direction terminate here.
Preceding station Railways in Victoria V/Line Following station
Rochester Echuca line Terminus
Former services
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Moama
towards Deniliquin
  Deniliquin line   Line open
Terminus   Toolamba–Echuca line   Tongala
towards Toolamba
Official nameEchuca Railway Station Complex
Designated20 August 1982
Reference no.H1059[1]
Location
Echuca is located in Victoria
Echuca
Echuca
Location within Victoria

It is the northern-most operating passenger railway station on the Deniliquin line, and is the terminus for Echuca line services. It also serves as the terminus of the freight-only Toolamba–Echuca line. The Deniliquin line extends northwards, over the New South Wales state border, and is open for freight traffic. Freight sidings and a silo are located opposite the station.

History

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The railway reached Echuca in 1864 and, with the opening of the Echuca Wharf, the town was transformed into a major river port, encouraging substantial urban growth in the 1870s.[3] In 1876, the Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company opened its 71 km (44 mi)-long private railway northwards to Deniliquin.[4]

The brick station building at Echuca was provided with the opening of the line, along with a double-gabled brick goods shed, and a three-road locomotive depot. The station building was expanded in 1877, and a large water tower was erected in the same year (demolished in 1977).[5] An iron footbridge was added in 1880.[6] In June 1974, the former northern waiting room section of the station building was demolished.[7] A concrete rail bridge over the Murray River, to the north of the station, was opened in February 1989, replacing a combined road and rail bridge that had opened in 1878.[3]

A short branch line between Echuca and the port opened with the line, but was closed in 1971. In 2000, $150,000 was provided to fund the reconstruction of the line.[8] By 2002, work was under way, with the cost having increased to $330,000. However, by 2007, the branch was again out of use and was disconnected from the main line.[9]

The branch line from Echuca to Toolamba closed in 2007, but was reopened in October 2013.[10][11] Services on the line were suspended in January 2020.[12]

Platforms and services

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Echuca has one platform and is the terminus for Echuca line trains from Southern Cross station.[13]

Platform 1:

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Echuca is also served by V/Line road coaches running between Bendigo and Moama,[13] and NSW TrainLink road coaches to Albury and Wagga Wagga.[14]

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References

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  1. ^ "Echica Railway Station Complex". Victorian Heritage Database. Government of Victoria. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  2. ^ Echuca Vicsig
  3. ^ a b "Echuca-Moama Road Rail Bridge over Murray River". Office of Environment & Heritage. NSW Government. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
  4. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics. "Private Railways". Year Book Australia, 1921. www.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 20 July 2008.
  5. ^ "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). August 1977. p. 182.
  6. ^ "Echuca Railway Station Complex (listing VICH1059)". Australia Heritage Places Inventory. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
  7. ^ "Items of Interest". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. August 1974. p. 185.
  8. ^ "Minister Announces Funding for the Port of Echuca Rail Link". Media Release: Minister for Transport. www.dpc.vic.gov.au. 29 May 2000. Retrieved 3 January 2009.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ "Switchpoint: Victorian Rail Freight Network Review" (PDF). p. 70. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
  10. ^ Coalition government reopens Echuca to Toolamba line for rail freight Premier of Victoria 3 October 2013
  11. ^ Echuca to Toolamba reopens Archived 2014-05-12 at the Wayback Machine Rail Express 9 October 2013
  12. ^ Toolamba-Echuca Line Vicsig
  13. ^ a b Echuca/Moama - Melbourne timetable Public Transport Victoria
  14. ^ "Southern timetable". NSW TrainLink. 7 September 2019.
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