Albert Park light rail station explained

Albert Park
Type:PTV tram stop
Style:Yarra Trams
Address:South Melbourne, Victoria 3205
Country:Australia
Coordinates:-37.8406°N 144.9588°W
Structure:At grade
Platform:2 (2 side)
Tracks:2
Opened:27 November 1860
Closed:1 August 1987
Rebuilt:21 November 1987
Code:128
APK (former)
Zone:Myki Zone 1
Status:Operational
Former:Albert Park railway station
Accessible:Yes
Other Services Header:Former services
Other Services Collapsible:1

Albert Park is a light rail station on the former St Kilda line, located in the Melbourne suburb of Albert Park, Victoria. The station is located on Ferrars Street just to the north of Albert Road, just minutes walk from the Bob Jane Stadium, current home of the South Melbourne Soccer club and the former home of the South Melbourne Football Club. A pair of low level side platforms now serve route 96 trams on the light rail line.

History

Albert Park station opened in 1860, not long after the line though it was opened in 1857. It was originally known as Butts, being renamed to Albert Park in 1872.[1] The station had a signal box on the citybound platform, which controlled the interlocked gates the Bridport Street level crossing, located at the Melbourne end of the station.[2] An annett locked crossover also existed at the St Kilda end of the station between the two lines, being used by goods trains serving St Kilda station. The crossover was removed in 1959 when the goods service was withdrawn, and the signal box was abolished on 28 September 1960 when boom barriers were erected at the level crossing.[2]

The St Kilda line was closed in 1987 and converted to light rail, with the route 96 tram now running through the former station. The last train service ran on 31 July 1987 with the light rail officially commissioned on 21 November in the same year.[3] The high level platforms used by trains and the station buildings have been fenced off from public access and the up platform is now a café and a Victorian Railways antiquities museum.[1]

Tram services

Yarra Trams operates one route via Albert Park station:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Albert Park. VICSIG - Infrastructure. www.vicsig.net. 2008-07-05.
  2. Book: S.E. Dornan and R.G. Henderson . Electric Railways of Victoria . Australian Electric Traction Society . 1979 . 0-909459-06-1 .
  3. March 1997 . Rail Passenger Service Withdrawals Since 1960 . Chris Banger . Newsrail . Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division) . 77–82 .
  4. tram.