Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company
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The Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company built Australia's first railway broad gauge (1600 mm) line, opened in September 1854, which ran for 4km from the Melbourne (or City) Terminus (on the site of modern day Flinders Street Station), crossing the Yarra River on the original Sandridge Bridge to Sandridge (now Port Melbourne). Work began on laying the railway in March 1853. Trains were ordered from Robert Stephenson and Company of the United Kingdom, but the first train was locally built by Robertson, Martin and Smith, because of shipping delays. Australia's first steam locomotive was built in ten weeks and cost £2,700.
[edit] Opening
The opening of the line occurred during the period of the Victorian gold rush - a time when both Melbourne and Victoria undertook massive capital works, each with its own gala opening. The inaugural journey on the Sandridge line was no exception. According to the Argus newspaper's report of the next day: "Long before the hour appointed ... a great crowd assembled round the station at the Melbourne terminus, lining the whole of Flinders Street". Lieutenant-Governor Sir Charles Hotham and Lady Hotham were aboard the train - which consisted of two first class carriages and one second class - and were presented with satin copies of the railway's timetable and bylaws.
The trip took 10 minutes, none of the later stations along the line having been built. On arriving at Station Pier (onto which the tracks extended), it was hailed with gun-salutes by the warships HMS Electra and HMS Fantome.
[edit] Subsequent history
By March 1855, the four engines ordered from the UK were all in service, with trains running every half-hour. They were named Melbourne, Sandridge, Victoria, and Yarra (after the Yarra River over which the line crossed).
This line became part of the Melbourne suburban electrified network during the 20th century and most of it was converted to standard gauge light rail in the 1987 as Melbourne tram route 109. In 1857, it opened a 4.5 km line to St Kilda. This was also converted to light rail (Melbourne tram route 96) in 1987.
Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company absorbed two other private railways in suburban Melbourne, St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company and the Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company in 1865. The combined company, known as the Melbourne and Hobsons Bay United Railway Company was taken over by the Government of Victoria in 1878 and it became part of Victorian Railways.
