Richmond railway station, Melbourne

Richmond
Westbound view from Platform 6 in March 2008
Location	Punt Road, Richmond
Coordinates	37°49′25″S 144°59′20″E / 37.82361°S 144.98889°ECoordinates: 37°49′25″S 144°59′20″E / 37.82361°S 144.98889°E
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	Metro
Line(s)	Alamein Belgrave Cranbourne Frankston Glen Waverley Lilydale Pakenham Sandringham
Distance	3.80 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	10 (5 island)
Tracks	10
Connections	Tram
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Other information
Status	Premium station
Station code	RMD
Fare zone	Myki zone 1
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	12 December 1859
Electrified	Yes
Services
Preceding station   Metro Trains   Following station Flinders Street or Parliament toward City Loop Lilydale line East Richmond toward Lilydale Belgrave line East Richmond toward Belgrave Alamein line East Richmond toward Alamein Glen Waverley line East Richmond toward Glen Waverley Pakenham line South Yarra toward Pakenham Cranbourne line South Yarra toward Cranbourne Frankston line South Yarra toward Frankston Sandringham line South Yarra toward Sandringham Preceding station   V/Line   Following station Flinders Street toward Southern Cross Gippsland line Caulfield toward Traralgon or Bairnsdale

Richmond railway station is located on the Alamein, Belgrave, Cranbourne, Frankston, Glen Waverley, Lilydale, Pakenham and Sandringham lines in Victoria, Australia. It serves the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Richmond opening on 12 December 1859 as Swan Street, being renamed Richmond on 1 January 1867.^[1]

Station overview

Facilities

Richmond station is built on an embankment immediately east of Punt Road with platforms extending west across the Punt Road railway bridge.

The station has ten platforms connected by three subways, and is the junction of all of Melbourne's eastern and south eastern rail lines, with trains on the Alamein, Belgrave, Cranbourne, Frankston, Glen Waverley, Lilydale, Pakenham and Sandringham lines serving the station.

Richmond station is located in Melbourne's sporting precinct. A special events entrance at the western end is opened during events at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne Park and AAMI Park.

Tram route 70 runs past Richmond station along Swan Street. Punt Road underpasses directly under the station via a major interchange with Swan Street and Brunton Avenue.

History

Richmond station has been relocated and rebuilt four times. The first station in Punt Road was at ground level and opened on 8 February 1859. It closed the same year on 12 December 1859. On the same day the new station, also at ground level, opened in Swan Street. In 1885, an elevated station just north of Swan Street was opened with six platforms.

By the 1930s the station was struggling with the patronage, with the 1940 Ashworth Improvement Plan recommending that it be rebuilt but funding issues during World War II prevented it from happening.^[2] The station had also deteriorated to the point that it was condemned by the local council, and so work begun in the 1950s on a replacement. Part of Operation Phoenix, the postwar rebuilding of Victorian Railways,^[3] it was not until 26 March 1960 that the present station was completed. Located slightly west of the previous station, the bridges at each end of the station across Punt Road and Swan Street were also rebuilt to accommodate the ten tracks. For a period, platforms at both the old and new stations operated, before the original station finally closed and was demolished.

It was upgraded to a Premium station on 4 December 1996.^[4]

Richmond station was the filming location for the opening scene of the 1992 Australian film Romper Stomper. In the film's story the location was named as Footscray station.

Platforms and services

Richmond has ten platforms.

Platform 1:

• Sandringham line: all stations and limited stops services to Flinders Street

Platform 2:

• Sandringham line: all stations and limited stops services to Sandringham

Platform 3:

• Frankston line: all stations and limited stops services to Flinders Street

Platform 4:

• Frankston line: all stations and limited stops services to Frankston

Platform 5:

• Pakenham line: all stations and limited stops services to Flinders Street
• Cranbourne line: all stations all stations and limited stops services to Flinders Street
• Gippsland line: V/Line services to Southern Cross

Platform 6:

• Pakenham line: all stations and limited stops services to Pakenham
• Cranbourne line: all stations and limited stops services to Cranbourne
• Gippsland line: V/Line services to Traralgon

Platform 7 & 8:

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

Platform 9 & 10:

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

Transport links

CDC Melbourne operates one route via Richmond station:

• 605: Gardenvale - Lonsdale Street, City^[5]

Transdev Melbourne operates one route via Richmond station:

• 246 Elsternwick station - Clifton Hill station^[6]

Yarra Trams operates one route via Richmond station:

• 70: Docklands - Wattle Park^[7]

Schematic diagram of the station

References

1. Richmond Vicsig
2. Lee, Robert (2007). The Railways of Victoria 1854-2004. Melbourne University Publishing Ltd. p. 185. ISBN 978-0-522-85134-2.
3. Public Relations and Betterment Board (1952). Phoenix Pauses. Victorian Railway Commissioners. (VR publicity brochure)
4. "Upgrading Eltham to a Premium Station". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. October 1997. p. 310.
5. Route 605 Gardenvale - City timetable Public Transport Victoria
6. Route 246 Elsternwick - Clifton Hill/La Trobe University timetable Public Transport Victoria
7. Route 70 Waterfront City Docklands - Wattle Park timetable Public Transport Victoria

External links

• Media related to Richmond railway station, Melbourne at Wikimedia Commons
• Melway map