Port Melbourne railway line, Melbourne

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C class tram (Route 109) at Port Melbourne railway station. The station building has been converted to other uses and a lower platform visible to the left of the tram is used for passengers to board and alight.

The Port Melbourne railway line was a suburban railway in Melbourne, Australia. The line was the first significant railway in Australia and was opened by the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company to carry passengers arriving in Victoria at Station Pier, and to alleviate the high cost of shipping goods using small vessels up the Yarra River to Melbourne.

[edit] Construction

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 line was opened in September 1854 (three years after the discovery of gold at Ballarat) and 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).

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).

The line was taken over by the Government of Victoria in 1878 to become part of Victorian Railways. The line was electrified in the 20th century.

[edit] Closure

Looking towards Port Melbourne from the Swallow Street level crossing. The railway signals have been removed and have been replaced with signals resembling traffic signals for the trams.

The line was closed in 1987, along with the St Kilda railway line and replaced by light rail. The last service ran on October 10, 1987 with the official opening of the light rail line being on December 18, 1987.^[1]

Melbourne tram route 109 now operates on the converted track. The section from Southbank Junction to Port Melbourne was converted to light rail, requiring the conversion from broad gauge 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) used by the Melbourne rail network to standard gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) tram track as well as reducing the overhead voltage from 1500V DC to 600V DC required for the trams. Additionally, low level platforms were built on the sites of the former stations to accommodate the trams which contained steps to street level. Low floor trams have since been introduced to the route.

[edit] List of stations

Bold stations are termini.

Port Melbourne railway line
Legend City Loop Flinders Street City Loop Sandridge Bridge over Yarra St Kilda line Montague North Port Graham Port Melbourne Princes Pier Station Pier

[edit] References

• Victorian Railways 1950s map (PDF). Victorian Railways Resources.