Marion railway station

Marion
Railways in Adelaide - List of Railway Stations
Train Services
Noarlunga Centre Line
Location
Street	Farne Terrace Minchinbury Terrace
Suburb	Marion
Distance from Adelaide	11.4 km
Access by	Level pedestrian crossing Elevated pedestrian crossing
Frequency
Hi-Frequency Station	No
Peak Frequency	Every 30 Mins
Weekday Frequency	Every 30 Mins
Weekend Frequency	Every 30 Mins
Night Frequency	Every 60 Mins
Facilities
Passenger Information Display	No
Passenger Information Speaker	Yes
Number of Platforms	2
Platform Layout	Centre platform
Toilets	No
Car Parking	Yes
Bike Storage	Yes
Lounge	No
Kiosk	No
Wheelchair access	Yes
Other facilities	None
History
Opened	1954
Adjacent Stations
« Previous Ascot Park	Next » Oaklands

Marion railway station is a railway station on the Noarlunga Centre railway line, and is located in the southwestern Adelaide suburb of Marion. It is located 11.4 km by railway from the Adelaide Railway Station.

History

Footbridge over the station

Until the early 1950s the Ascot Park and Oaklands stations serviced the Marion area with a single rail track. In 1953 the line was duplicated as far as Oaklands, and as part of that work the new station was constructed at Marion.^[1]

Marion received a station building similar to that still remaining at Woodlands Station. In the 1960s concerns were raised regarding the safety of pedestrians crossing at the southern end of the station, where no pedestrian barriers had been installed. This lack was seen as contributing to a fatality in 1967.^[2]

Approximate model of Southern-end of Marion Station pre 1967 fatality

In response, a pedestrian footbridge was constructed in 1970 at a cost of $35,000,^[3] and the then existing pedestrian maze barrier-equipped crossing at the northern end was removed. This ensured that the footbridge provided the sole personal access to both the platform and to the other side of the line. Other stations, such as Oaklands, Woodlands, Warradale and the relocated Ascot Park stations, all subsequently had pedestrian subways installed as their sole access. But problems with drainage due to a water-table only 2–3 metres below ground level in winter, made the footbridge more cost-effective at Marion.^[3] At the northern end, a more convenient low-level track crossing and station access was re-installed in the 1990s, as had already been done at Warradale, Oaklands, and Woodlands stations.

The completed upgrade to the Oaklands Railway Station may increase the chances of an upgrade to Marion in the future.

Proposed underpass

The Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure are currently proposing a $3.5M underpass^[4] to replace the existing pedestrian overpass and pedestrian crossing with a single underpass.^[5]

The underpass is proposed for the northern end of the station in order to avoid storm water infrastructure at the southern end of the station, placing it closer to Marion Road and further from nearby Westminster School.^[4] Upgrading or replacing the existing overpass was considered, but eventually discarded due concerns of high construction and operation costs.^[4]

Works were previously expected to begin in July 2013,^[4] but are now on hold due to public outcry at a community meeting on 6 July 2013 against the underpass and the lack of public consultation in the planning process.^[6] Works are due to be completed by the end of 2013.^[4]

Concerns with the proposed underpass

This move is opposed by some residents who cite safety concerns with an underpass, and the impact that the underpass will have on the significant vegetation in the area, and that this may in turn impact the character area in which the station is located, as the proposed underpass was "out of character for the area".^[7][8][9][6] Residents expressed concerns about undesirable activity in underpasses, and that the underpass "would become a haven for 'unsavoury' behaviour".^[6]

The Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure acknowledge that their intended placement of the underpass at the eastern/northern end of the station will increase crossing distance for students from adjacent Westminster School,^[4] and who the department claim support an underpass in preference to a level crossing.^[4] Students from Westminster School are major users of the existing overpass and level crossing.

Resident opposition to the proposed underpass and lack of consultation was sufficiently widespread that on 6 July more than 140 local residents met to voice their concerns. This opposition prompted local politician and ex-transport minister Pat Conlon to offer to request that the transport minister, Tom Koutsantonis, hold the commencement of construction of the underpass to allow for public consultation.^[6]

Location

The station is situated a short walk from the corner of Marion Road and Daws Road, next to Westminster School and between Farne and Minchinbury Terraces. Marion Railway Station is close to Marion Primary School and Park Holme Shopping Centre.

Services

Marion Railway Station is frequented by trains on the Noarlunga Centre railway line, terminating at or travelling from either Noarlunga Centre Interchange or Brighton Railway Station and the Adelaide Railway Station. Services run between 20 to 30 minutes on weekdays during peak hours, and up to 1 hour at all other times. While the station is on the Noarlunga line, many daytime Noarlunga trains are express between Oaklands and Adelaide, so a transfer to the Brighton train at either Oaklands or Brighton railway stations may be required.

See also

• List of Adelaide railway stations
• List of closed Adelaide railway stations
• Adelaide Metro
• List of suburban and commuter rail systems
• Railways in Adelaide
• Rail transport in South Australia

References

External links

• South Australia Central
• Office of Public Transport
• TransAdelaide
• Adelaide Metro

Coordinates: 34°59′56″S 138°33′10″E / 34.9989538°S 138.5528014°E / -34.9989538; 138.5528014