Williamstown Pier railway station

Williamstown Pier was the original terminus of the Williamstown railway line, on the Melbourne suburban rail system. It was in the suburb of Williamstown, to the west of central Melbourne. The station existed primarily to serve the Williamstown docks precinct.

Williamstown Pier
Closed commuter rail station
General information
Coordinates37°51′57″S 144°54′38″E / 37.86583°S 144.91056°E / -37.86583; 144.91056
Line(s)Williamstown
Distance14.7 kilometres from
Southern Cross
Platforms1
Tracks1
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Other information
StatusClosed
Station codeWPR
History
Opened17 January 1859
Closed25 March 1987
Previous namesPier
Former services
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Terminus   Williamstown line   Williamstown
towards Newport
Track layout
Before station closure (March 1987)

History

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Originally named Pier, it opened on 17 January 1859.[1] It opened to passengers on 15 May 1881,[1] and relocated to a new site on 8 January 1905.[1]

The station contained a goods yard that was used for grain shipments, up until the 1960s.

By mid-1978, the station building was demolished and was replaced with two smaller brick structures.[2] The last services terminated at the station on 25 March 1987,[1] following a derailment on the sharply curved track leading to the station. All rails, sleepers, overhead wires and signals were removed by October 1988,[3] with the platform track and overhead currently ending just under the Ann Street footbridge, at the down end of Williamstown station.[3] The station was subsequently demolished, and replaced with a car park and a parkland.

Today little remains of Williamstown Pier remain mostly demolished aforementioned in the late 1980s until the early 1990s. A short section of disused tracks beyond Williamstown station is the only remains of the old line.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Williamstown Pier Vicsig
  2. ^ "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. June 1978. p. 118.
  3. ^ a b "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. October 1988. p. 314.