Elsternwick railway station, Melbourne

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Elsternwick
Station information

Code	ELS
Distance from Flinders St	9.8 km
Line	Sandringham
Number of platforms	2
Number of tracks	2
Station status	Premium Station
Station facilities, connecting transport and timetables	Link
Melway map of station
Google map of station	Not available
Zone location	1

Entrance to Elsternwick railway station.

Elsternwick is a railway station on the Sandringham line in Melbourne, Australia. It is located 9.8 km from Flinders Street Station and is in Metcard Zone 1. It is a Premium Station, meaning it is staffed all day, sells all ticket types and has toilet facilities. The station consists of an island platform accessible via a pedestrian walkway from the station building on Glenhuntly Road.

Nearby attractions are the Elsterwick Golf course, the ABC's Ripponlea studios, The Daily Planet brothel and the National Trust of Australia listed Rippon Lea Estate in Elsternwick. The Classic Cinema, recently extended to multiplex status, is directly opposite the station.

The carpark is multistorey with a lift and holds around 200 vehicles; on weekdays it fills up by about 08:30.

The ticket office is above island platform, as is a ticket machine.

The station includes toilets and indoor seating.

Citybound trains normally arrive on the western side of the island platform, while southbound trains normally arrive on the eastern side of the island platform.

[edit] History

The first station was opened in 1859, as part of the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay United Railway Company's network.

As with the suburb Ripponlea, which had been named after the adjacent "Rippon Lea Estate" of Sir Frederick Sargood, Elsternwick had been named after the largest property in the district, Charles Hotson Ebden's "Elster";^[1].

In the 1880s, the station was also the Melbourne end of the railway line to the large scale sugar beet processing mill at Rosstown (see Rosstown Railway) — now known as Carnegie — and beyond. This railway was seldom used and it ceased to function in 1916.

A tramline between Elsternwick and Point Ormond opened in 1915; it closed on 22 October 1960.^[2] The tram terminated at the railway station.

The station carpark (a large mudflat) was closed in 2002 and 2003 while a residential/retail development was built on it in a deal where the developer got the land and built a multistorey carpark with lift access for commuters.

The station was refurbished in 2004.

A coffee shop made a welcome return to the station in May 2005.

[edit] Connecting services

A number of bus lines connect with Elsternwick station.

The 246 departs from Horne Street on the west side of the station. The 246 is a frequent service that runs west from the station towards the beach, then up Barkly Street.

The 216 and 219 also depart from Horne Street, but services are not as frequent.

The 627 terminates at Elsternwick station in Riddell Street.

The number 67 tram stops in front of Elsternwick station.