Melbourne Central railway station

Melbourne Central
Commuter rail station
Location	La Trobe Street, Melbourne
Coordinates	37°48′36″S 144°57′46″E / 37.81000°S 144.96278°ECoordinates: 37°48′36″S 144°57′46″E / 37.81000°S 144.96278°E
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	Metro
Line(s)	Alamein (weekday pre-peak and post-peak only) Belgrave Craigieburn Cranbourne Frankston (weekday peaks and weekends only) Glen Waverley Hurstbridge Lilydale Pakenham Sandringham (weekends only) South Morang Sunbury Upfield Werribee (weekends only)
Platforms	4 (2 island)
Tracks	4
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Platform levels	2
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Status	Premium station
Station code	MCE
Fare zone	1
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	24 January 1981
Electrified	Yes
Traffic
Passengers (2013/14)	15.925 million  11.3%
Services
Direction of travel on metropolitan lines between stations on the City Loop changes to either Flagstaff or Parliament depending on the line and time of day. Preceding station   Metro Trains   Following station Flagstaff One-way operation South Morang line Parliament toward South Morang Hurstbridge line Parliament toward Hurstbridge Flagstaff toward Flinders Street Lilydale line Parliament toward Lilydale Belgrave line Parliament toward Belgrave Alamein line Parliament toward Alamein Glen Waverley line Parliament toward Glen Waverley Pakenham line Parliament toward Pakenham Cranbourne line Parliament toward Cranbourne Frankston line Parliament toward Frankston Sandringham line Parliament One-way operation Flagstaff toward Upfield Upfield line Parliament toward Flinders Street Flagstaff toward Craigieburn Craigieburn line Flagstaff toward Sunbury Sunbury line Flagstaff One-way operation Werribee line Customers for the Williamstown line must change at Southern Cross (weekday mornings), North Melbourne (weekday afternoons) or Newport (weekends).

Melbourne Central railway station is an underground station on the metro network in Melbourne, Australia. It is one of five stations (and one of three underground) on the City Loop, which encircles the Melbourne CBD. The station is under La Trobe Street, between Swanston and Elizabeth Streets, on the northern edge of the CBD. The station is named after the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre which it is beneath. It feeds into Melbourne's main metro network station, Flinders Street and also Southern Cross Melbourne's main regional terminus. In 2013/14 it was the 3rd busiest station in Melbourne's metropolitan network, with 15.925 million passenger movements.^[1]

History

The station was built using cut and cover construction. In December 1973 to permit excavation of the station, La Trobe Street and its tram tracks were temporarily relocated to the south onto the site of what is now the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, and moved back on completion of the work in 1978.^[2] The pit was 168 metres (551 ft) long and 22.5 metres (74 ft) wide, 29 metres (95 ft) deep at the Swanston Street end and 22 metres (72 ft) deep at the Elizabeth Street end. Seven layers of struts were used to support the excavation, with 2,600 tonnes of steel temporary supports required.^[3]

The station opened as Museum on 24 January 1981 after the adjacent Melbourne Museum in the State Library of Victoria complex on Swanston Street. It was the first station on the loop to open,^[4] initially services only operated for the Burnley and Caulfield Groups on platforms 2 and 4, with trains from the Clifton Group starting to use platform 1 on 31 October 1982, and trains from the Northern Group starting to use platform 3 on 1 May 1984. The Elizabeth Street entrance to the station opened on 5 April 1982.

The adjoining Melbourne Central Shopping Centre opened in 1991,^[5] being built around the existing escalators to street level, with only minor integration between the station concourse and shopping centre. The Melbourne Museum moved in 1995 to its current premises beside the Royal Exhibition Building in the Carlton Gardens, with the station being renamed after the shopping centre on 16 February 1997.^[6][7]

The station concourse was redeveloped in 2002/03 as part of the renovation of the wider centre, while the direct escalators from the concourse to Swanston Street closed in November 2003, and were replaced by a path through the shopping centre.^[8]

Facilities

Melbourne Central, has an underground concourse and two levels of platforms below it (2 island platforms and four tracks). Each platform serves a separate group of rail lines that leave the Loop and radiate out into the city's suburbs. At peak times with a train arriving every 2.5 minutes, the station has a passenger flow of 30,000 per hour. Three elevators were initially provided, as well as 21 escalators.^[3] Melbourne Central is a Premium station, meaning that it is staffed from first to last train and provides extra customer services.

The concourse has two sections separated by the shopping centre food court:

• The Elizabeth Street concourse has stairs and three escalators providing access to the street, a walkway to the Swanston Street concourse, a booking office, ticket barriers, toilets, and stairs and five escalators leading down to the platforms.
• The Swanston Street concourse was altered in the early 2000s when redevelopment works were carried out at the adjacent Melbourne Central Shopping Centre. Inside the ticket barriers there are toilets, and two lifts and five escalators going to the platforms. Outside is a food court, an exit to La Trobe Street and Level LG of the shopping centre (which passes under Little Lonsdale Street). There is also a lift and four escalators to the shopping centre level above. On the next level up (Level G) there is access to Little Lonsdale and La Trobe Streets via the shopping centre. Access to Swanston Street is via three escalators rising another floor (or the lift to level 1 and a 70m walk), and a walk through the shopping centre past the shot tower.

Platforms & services

Platform 1 - Clifton Group

• South Morang line: all stations and limited stops services to South Morang
• Hurstbridge line: all stations and limited stops services to Hurstbridge

Platform 2 - Caulfield Group

• Pakenham line: all stations and limited stops services to Pakenham
• Cranbourne line: all stations and limited stops services to Cranbourne
• Frankston line: all stations and limited stops services to Frankston
• Sandringham line: all stations and limited stops services to Sandringham

Platform 3 - Northern Group

• Craigieburn line: all stations and limited stops services to Craigieburn
• Upfield line: – all stations and limited stops services to Upfield
• Sunbury line: all stations and limited stops services to Sunbury
• Werribee line: all stations and limited stops services to Werribee

Platform 4 - Burnley Group

• Lilydale line: all stations and limited stops services to Lilydale
• Belgrave line: all stations and limited stops services to Belgrave
• Glen Waverley line: all stations and limited stops services to Glen Waverley
• Alamein line: all stations and limited stops services to Alamein

Transport links

Transdev Melbourne operate seven routes from Lonsdale Street (Melbourne Central side):

• 200: to Bulleen^[9]
• 201: to Westfield Doncaster^[10]
• 203: to Bulleen^[11]
• 207: to Donvale^[12]
• 250 to La Trobe University^[13]
• 251: to Northland Shopping Centre^[14]
• 253: to Carlton North^[15]

Transdev Melbourne operate twelve routes from Lonsdale Street (Myer side):

• 250 to Garden City^[13]
• 251: to Garden City^[14]
• 253: to Garden City^[15]
• 302: to Queen Street City^[16]
• 303: to Queen Street City^[17]
• 305: to Spencer Street City^[18]
• 309: to Queen Street City^[19]
• 318: to Spencer Street City^[20]
•  SmartBus  905: to Spencer Street City^[21]
•  SmartBus  906: to Spencer Street City^[22]
•  SmartBus  907: to Spencer Street City^[23]
•  SmartBus  908: to Spencer Street City^[24]

Transdev Melbourne operate nine routes from Swanston/Lonsdale Streets (QV):

• 302: to Box Hill Central Shopping Centre^[16]
• 303: to Ringwood North^[17]
• 305: to The Pines Shopping Centre^[18]
• 309: to Donvale^[19]
• 318: to Deep Creek^[20]
•  SmartBus  905: to The Pines Shopping Centre^[21]
•  SmartBus  906: to Warrandyte Bridge^[22]
•  SmartBus  907: to Mitcham station^[23]
•  SmartBus  908: to The Pines Shopping Centre^[24]

References

1. Station Patronage Research Public Transport Victoria
2. SE Dornan & RG Henderson (1979). Electric Railways of Victoria. Australian Electric Traction Society. p. 93. ISBN 0-909459-06-1.
3. History of Melbourne's Underground Rail System Metropolitan Transport Authority
4. Department of Infrastructure. "Public transport – City Loop history". www.doi.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
5. "Melbourne Central Tower – Building Profile". melbournecentraltower.com.au. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
6. "Museum Becomes Central" Railway Digest February 1997 page 15
7. "Upgrading Eltham to a Premium Station". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. October 1997. p. 310.
8. "Melbourne Central set to prey on captive commuters". The Age. 4 November 2003. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
9. Route 200 City - Bulleen timetable Public Transport Victoria
10. Route 201 City - Doncaster Shoppingtown timetable Public Transport Victoria
11. Route 203 City - Bulleen timetable Public Transport Victoria
12. Route 207 City - Donvale timetable Public Transport Victoria
13. Route 250 Garden City - La Trobe University timetable Public Transport Victoria
14. Route 251 Garden City - Northland timetable Public Transport Victoria
15. Route 253 Garden City - North Carlton timetable Public Transport Victoria
16. Route 302 City - Box Hill timetable Public Transport Victoria
17. Route 303 City - North Ringwood timetable Public Transport Victoria
18. Route 305 City - The Pines Shopping Centre timetable Public Transport Victoria
19. Route 309 City - Donvale timetable Public Transport Victoria
20. Route 318 City - Deep Creek timetable Public Transport Victoria
21. Route 905 City - The Pines Shopping Centre timetable Public Transport Victoria
22. Route 906 City - Warrandyte Bridge timetable Public Transport Victoria
23. Route 907 City - Mitcham timetable Public Transport Victoria
24. Route 908 City - The Pines timetable Public Transport Victoria

External links

• Media related to Melbourne Central railway station at Wikimedia Commons
• Melway