Officer railway station explained

Officer
Type:PTV commuter rail station
Style:Melbourne
Address:Station Street,
Officer, Victoria 3809
Borough:Shire of Cardinia
Country:Australia
Coordinates:-38.0662°N 145.411°W
Distance:51.45 kilometres from
Southern Cross
Structure:Ground
Platform:2 side
Tracks:2
Parking:20
Rebuilt:13 May 1956
1990s
Electrified:July 1954 (1500 V DC overhead)
Accessible:Yes—step free access
Code:OFC
Owned:VicTrack
Operator:Metro Trains
Zone:Myki Zone 2
Status:Operational, unstaffed
Former:Officer's Siding (1881-1888)
Website:Public Transport Victoria
Map State:expanded

Officer railway station is a commuter railway station on the Pakenham line, which is part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the south-eastern suburb of Officer, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Officer station is a ground-level unstaffed station, featuring two side platforms. It opened on 4 August 1881, with the current station provided in 1956.[1]

Initially opened as Officer's Siding, the station was given its current name of Officer on 13 February 1888.[2]

History

Officer station opened on 4 August 1881, almost four years after the railway line was extended from Dandenong to Pakenham.[3] Like the suburb itself, the station was named after Robert Officer, a local pastoralist.[4] Another theory is that the station and suburb were named after the Officer family, who were originally from Deniliquin, New South Wales.[5]

In 1955, the line between Officer and Pakenham was duplicated[3] and, on 13 May 1956, duplication between Officer and Berwick was provided. In that year, a new station was also provided east of the original site.[3]

In 1976, flashing light signals were provided at the former Station Street level crossing, which was located nearby in the up direction of the station.[6] A decade later, in 1986, boom barriers were provided.[7] [8]

On 8 May 1987, a collision involving a Flinders Street-bound Comeng train set and V/Line locomotive N457, operating an up Traralgon service, occurred in the down direction of the station.[9] [10] 45 people were injured in the collision.[9] [10] Comeng carriage 388M was later scrapped due to the collision, however, part of the carriage was later used as a café in the pedestrian underpass at Werribee.[11]

In 1988, the former goods siding was taken out of service.[12] The main line points leading into the siding were spiked, and were removed at a later date.[12]

Sometime during or after 1995, the present station shelters were provided, replacing timber station buildings.[13] [14]

During the 2011/2012 financial year, it was the second least used station on Melbourne's metropolitan system, with 55,000 passenger movements.[15]

On 29 July 2021, the Level Crossing Removal Project announced that the Station Street level crossing will be closed to vehicle traffic by 2025, and was replaced with the pedestrian gates located further up next to the station.[16] [17]

On 18 May 2024, Station Street level crossing and equipment was removed and the road was permanently closed. It was replaced by the existing pedestrian crossing gates located further up next to Officer station.[18] [19] [20]

Platforms and services

Officer has two side platforms. It is serviced by Metro Trains' Pakenham line services.[21]

Platform 1:

Platform 2:

By June 2025, it is planned that trains on the Pakenham line will be through-routed with those on the Sunbury line, via the new Metro Tunnel.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Victorian Government Gazette (10 February 1888, p. 455). slv.vic.gov.au. 28 March 2023. 28 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230328024125/https://gazette.slv.vic.gov.au/images/1888/V/general/1888_455.gif. live.
  2. Web site: Victorian Government Gazette (10 February 1888, p. 455). slv.vic.gov.au. 28 March 2023. 28 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230328024125/https://gazette.slv.vic.gov.au/images/1888/V/general/1888_455.gif. live.
  3. Web site: Officer. vicsig.net. 27 January 2023. 10 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221210111620/https://vicsig.net/infrastructure/location/Officer. live.
  4. Web site: Officer. Victorian Places. 27 January 2023. 14 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221214115943/https://www.victorianplaces.com.au/officer. live.
  5. Web site: Jamie. First. The A-Z story of Melbourne's suburbs. Herald Sun. 7 January 2014. 27 January 2023. 26 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221226135637/https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/the-az-story-of-melbournes-suburbs/news-story/6f7611b7df20e55ad02f5e9615885e21. live.
  6. July 1976. Works. Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. 160.
  7. March 1987. Works. Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. 91.
  8. January 1990. Level Crossing Protection. John Sinnatt. Somersault. Signalling Record Society Victoria. 9–17.
  9. News: Two suspended after train smash. Burchall. Greg. 8 May 1987. 1. The Age.
  10. News: 45 hurt as passenger trains hit near station. Ayres. Bill. Yates. Michael. 8 May 1987. 1. The Herald.
  11. Web site: Suburban Trains. 9 November 2021. Vicsig. english. 9 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211109061155/https://vicsig.net/index.php?page=suburban&section=rollingstock&carriage=388&cartype=M&traintype=Comeng. live.
  12. June 1988. Works. Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. 186.
  13. News: Tenders–Upgrade of Officer Station. Corporation. Public Transport. 17 June 1995. 85. The Age.
  14. Web site: Officer. When there were stations. 30 April 2023. 14 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221214115935/http://www.stationspast.net/victoria/gippsland-line/officer/. live.
  15. http://ptv.vic.gov.au/about-ptv/ptv-data-and-reports/research-and-statistics/ Station Patronage Research
  16. Web site: 10 more level crossings to go by 2025. Victoria's Big Build. 29 July 2021 . 30 April 2023. 30 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210730004647/https://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/media/news/10-more-level-crossings-to-go-by-2025. live.
  17. Web site: Station Street, Officer. Victoria's Big Build. 30 April 2023. 23 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220323021055/https://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/projects/station-street-officer. live.
  18. Web site: 17 April 2024 . Designs unveiled for Officer level crossing closure . 10 May 2024 . Victoria’s Big Build . en.
  19. Web site: 24 April 2024 . Station Street, Officer – permanent road closure and major works starting. 10 May 2024 . Victoria’s Big Build . en.
  20. Web site: Reminder: Station Street, Officer to permanently close this Saturday . 22 May 2024 . levelcrossingremovalproject.cmail20.com.
  21. train.