Wikipedia

Merri railway station

Merri railway station is a commuter railway station on the Mernda line, which is part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the north-eastern suburb of Northcote, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Merri station is a ground level unstaffed station, featuring two side platforms. It opened on 8 October 1889, with the current station provided in 1910.[4]

Merri
PTV commuter rail station
Northbound view from Platform 2, July 2024
General information
LocationRailway Street,
Northcote, Victoria 3070
City of Darebin
Australia
Coordinates37°46′40″S 144°59′35″E / 37.7778°S 144.9931°E / -37.7778; 144.9931
Owned byVicTrack
Operated byMetro Trains
Line(s)Mernda
Distance8.04 kilometres from
Southern Cross
Platforms2 side
Tracks2
Connections
  • List of bus routes in Melbourne Bus
  • List of Melbourne tram routes Tram
Construction
Structure typeGround
Parking6
AccessibleYes—step free access
Other information
StatusOperational, unstaffed
Station codeMER
Fare zoneMyki Zone 1
WebsitePublic Transport Victoria
History
Opened8 October 1889; 135 years ago (1889-10-08)
Rebuilt1910
ElectrifiedJuly 1921 (1500 V DC overhead)
Previous namesNorthcote (1889-1906)
Passengers
2005–2006192,755[1]
2006–2007202,653[1] Increase 5.13%
2007–2008211,789[1] Increase 4.5%
2008–2009220,480[2] Increase 4.1%
2009–2010242,520[2] Increase 10%
2010–2011246,079[2] Increase 1.46%
2011–2012222,770[2] Decrease 9.47%
2012–2013Not measured[2]
2013–2014176,555[2] Decrease 20.75%
2014–2015181,403[1] Increase 2.74%
2015–2016185,671[2] Increase 2.35%
2016–2017194,309[2] Increase 4.65%
2017–2018208,180[2] Increase 7.14%
2018–2019196,550[2] Decrease 5.59%
2019–2020153,450[2] Decrease 21.93%
2020–202170,400[2] Decrease 54.1%
2021–202272,550[3] Increase 3.05%
Services
Preceding station Railways in Melbourne Metro Trains Following station
Rushall
towards Flinders Street
 Mernda line Northcote
towards Mernda
Track layout
Legend
to Rushall
1
2
Charles Street
to Northcote

Initially opened as Northcote, the station was given its current name of Merri on 10 December 1906.[4]

History

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Merri station opened on 8 October 1889, when the Inner Circle line was extended from North Fitzroy to Reservoir.[4] The original conception of the station was to act as a major junction in a planned "North Suburban Railway System. The Argus reported in 1887 that; "The Station at Union-street, as shown on our plan, must necessarily be the most important in the Northern System, as lines branch from this point to Preston and Whittlesea on the north ; Heidelberg, Kew, &.c., on the east; Carlton, Royal-park, North Melbourne, and Spencer-street on the south-west; Fitzroy, East Melbourne, and Flinders-street on the south; and if the alternative route is adopted, Clifton-hill, Collingwood, Richmond, and Flinders street on the south east.",[5] while land sale plans advertised the upcoming construction of the Grand Central Junction Station".[6]

In 1910, the station building was rebuilt to accommodate an increased population in the area.[7]

The nearby level crossing at Charles Street had hand-operated gates until 1924, when they were replaced with interlocked gates, operated from the nearby signal box, following several serious traffic accidents.[8] In 1986, these gates were replaced with boom barriers.[9][10] In 1987, the signal box was abolished.[4]

In 1973, both platforms were extended at the down end of the station.[4]

During October 1987, the double line block system between Merri – Northcote was abolished, and replaced with three position signalling,[11] with all two position signals between Merri – Thornbury also abolished.[11]

Announced as part of a $21.9 million package in the 2022/23 Victorian State Budget, Merri, alongside other stations, will receive accessibility upgrades, the installation of CCTV, and platform shelters.[12] The development process will begin in late 2022 or early 2023, with a timeline for the upgrades to be released once construction has begun.

Platforms and services

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Merri has two side platforms. It is served by Mernda line trains.[13]

Platform 1:

Platform 2:

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Dysons operates one bus route via Merri station:

  •  506 : Moonee Ponds Junction – Westgarth station[14]

Yarra Trams operates two routes via Merri station:

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  •  
    Station building on Platform 1, May 2014
  •  
    Northbound view from Platform 1,
    November 2022

References

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  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 c d e "Merri". vicsig.net. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  5. ^ The Argus 9 December 1887
  6. ^ "Fitzroy Junction Estate" land sale advertisement 1887
  7. ^ Darebin Heritage Study 2000 - Merri - Northcote
  8. ^ The Argus, 13 Nov 1924
  9. ^ "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. March 1987. p. 89.
  10. ^ John Sinnatt (January 1990). "Level Crossing Protection". Somersault. Signalling Record Society Victoria. pp. 9–17.
  11. ^ a b "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. January 1988. p. 27.
  12. ^ "Improving transport accessibility across the state". Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  13. ^ "Mernda Line". Public Transport Victoria.
  14. ^ "506 Moonee Ponds - Westgarth Station via Brunswick". Public Transport Victoria.
  15. ^ "11 West Preston - Victoria Harbour Docklands". Public Transport Victoria.
  16. ^ "86 Bundoora RMIT - Waterfront City Docklands". Public Transport Victoria.
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