Wikipedia

Westgarth railway station

Westgarth railway station is a commuter railway station on the Hurstbridge line, which is part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the north-eastern suburb of Northcote, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Westgarth station is a ground level unstaffed station, featuring two side platforms. It opened on 8 May 1888.[4]

Westgarth
PTV commuter rail station
North-east bound view from Platform 2, November 2024
General information
LocationEvans Crescent,
Northcote, Victoria 3070
City of Darebin
Australia
Coordinates37°46′51″S 144°59′57″E / 37.7807°S 144.9993°E / -37.7807; 144.9993
Owned byVicTrack
Operated byMetro Trains
Line(s)Hurstbridge
Distance7.55 kilometres from
Southern Cross
Platforms2 side
Tracks2
Connections
  • List of bus routes in Melbourne Bus
  • Melbourne tram route 86 Tram
Construction
Structure typeGround
Parking22
Bicycle facilities5
AccessibleYes—step free access
Other information
StatusOperational, unstaffed
Station codeWTG
Fare zoneMyki Zone 1
WebsitePublic Transport Victoria
History
Opened8 May 1888; 136 years ago (1888-05-08)
ElectrifiedJuly 1921 (1500 V DC overhead)
Previous namesWestgarth Street (1888)
Northcote South (1888-1906)
Passengers
2005–2006256,862[1]
2006–2007269,208[1] Increase 4.8%
2007–2008281,994[1] Increase 4.74%
2008–2009292,978[2] Increase 3.89%
2009–2010297,036[2] Increase 1.38%
2010–2011323,125[2] Increase 8.78%
2011–2012294,679[2] Decrease 8.8%
2012–2013Not measured[2]
2013–2014296,589[2] Increase 0.64%
2014–2015307,759[1] Increase 3.76%
2015–2016318,973[2] Increase 3.64%
2016–2017339,690[2] Increase 6.49%
2017–2018264,834[2] Decrease 22.04%
2018–2019298,000[2] Increase 12.52%
2019–2020227,000[2] Decrease 23.83%
2020–2021108,300[2] Decrease 52.3%
2021–2022124,700[3] Increase 15.14%
Services
Preceding station Railways in Melbourne Metro Trains Following station
Clifton Hill
towards Flinders Street
 Hurstbridge line Dennis
towards Hurstbridge
Track layout
Legend
to Clifton Hill
Westgarth Street
1
2
to Dennis

Initially opened as Westgarth Street, the station was renamed two times. It was renamed to Northcote South on 1 August 1888 and then given its current name of Westgarth on 10 December 1906.[4]

History

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Westgarth station opened on 8 May 1888 as Westgarth Street, along the newly opened railway line between Collingwood and Heidelberg.[4] Westgarth station, like the locality itself, was named after William Westgarth, a merchant, historian and a member of both the New South Wales Legislative Council and the Victorian Legislative Council.[5][6] Shortly after, on 1 August 1888 the station's name was changed to Northcote South.[7]

On 10 December 1906, the station was renamed from Northcote South to its current name, Westgarth. This was done to prevent confusion as there were several train stations in Northcote named after the suburb at the time.[8]

In late 1912, whilst the line was being duplicated between Westgarth and Alphington.[4] Westgarth was relocated from the up end to the down end; directly north of Westgarth Street where it remains today. [9] The current weatherboard station buildings were also built at this time. [10]

In 1913, complaints arose regarding the substandard facilities and the lack of staff and pedestrian crossing at the newly constructed station.[11][12] Described as "an island in a sea of mud"[13] commuters were said to "climb the fence and walked along the railway reserve, to save a walk a quarter of a mile."[11] This prompted a timber footbridge to be constructed, which remains in the same place today.

In 1968, boom barriers replaced interlocked gates at the Westgarth Street level crossing, located at the up end of the station.[14] The signal box for the level crossing was also abolished at that time.[4]

During late 2008 and early 2009, 750 meters of single track between Westgarth and Clifton Hill was duplicated. This included a second bridge over the Merri Creek running parallel to the original 1888 rail bridge. On 27 January 2009, the duplicated track and bridge opened.[15]

Platforms and services

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A PID on Platform 1 displaying a Flinders Street-bound service, September 2024

Westgarth has two side platforms. It is served by Hurstbridge line trains.[16]

Platform 1:

Platform 2:

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Dysons operates one route to and from Westgarth station:

  •  506 : to Moonee Ponds Junction[17]

Kinetic Melbourne operates two bus routes via Westgarth station:

Yarra Trams operates one route via Westgarth station:

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  •  
    North-east bound view from Platform 2, May 2014
  •  
    South-west bound view from Platform 1 at night, March 2018
  •  
    South-west bound view of Platform 2 and footbridge, July 2020
  •  
    South-west bound view from Platform 2, with the Westgarth Street level crossing seen ahead, November 2024
  •  
    South-west bound view of the station platforms, November 2024
  •  
    Station building and entrance to Platform 1, November 2024
  •  
    Station building and entrance to Platform 2, November 2024

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 "Westgarth". vicsig.net. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Westgarth". Victorian Places. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  6. ^ First, Jamie (7 January 2014). "The A-Z story of Melbourne's suburbs". Herald Sun. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  7. ^ "NORTHCOTE". Mercury and Weekly Courier. 8 August 1888. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  8. ^ "THE RAILWAYS". Age. 19 October 1906. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  9. ^ "HEIDELBERG DUPLICATION". Argus. 21 February 1912. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  10. ^ "THE RAILWAYS". Age. 5 July 1912. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  11. ^ a b "WESTGARTH STATION". Age. 31 January 1913. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  12. ^ "AN UNDERMANNED STATION". Age. 25 July 1913. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  13. ^ "WESTGARTH STATION". Age. 11 March 1913. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  14. ^ "Westgarth Street". vicsig.net. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  15. ^ "First-passenger-trains-on-new-rail-bridge-today". ALP Media Release. Retrieved 30 January 2009.[dead link‍]
  16. ^ "Hurstbridge Line". Public Transport Victoria.
  17. ^ "506 Moonee Ponds - Westgarth Station via Brunswick". Public Transport Victoria.
  18. ^ "250 City (Queen St) - La Trobe University". Public Transport Victoria.
  19. ^ "251 City (Queen St) - Northland SC". Public Transport Victoria.
  20. ^ "86 Bundoora RMIT - Waterfront City Docklands". Public Transport Victoria.
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