| Royal Park | |
| Other Name: | Royal Park – Zoo |
| Type: | PTV commuter rail station |
| Style: | Melbourne |
| Address: | Poplar Road, Parkville, Victoria 3052 |
| Borough: | City of Melbourne |
| Country: | Australia |
| Coordinates: | -37.7813°N 144.9517°W |
| Distance: | 5.46 kilometres from Southern Cross |
| Other: |
|
| Structure: | Ground |
| Platform: | 2 side |
| Tracks: | 2 |
| Electrified: | December 1920 (1500 V DC overhead) |
| Accessible: | Yes—step free access |
| Code: | RPK |
| Owned: | VicTrack |
| Operator: | Metro Trains |
| Zone: | Myki Zone 1 |
| Status: | Operational, unstaffed |
| Other Services Header: | Former services |
| Other Services Collapsible: | yes |
| Website: | Public Transport Victoria |
| Map State: | expanded |
Royal Park railway station is located on the Upfield line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the northern Melbourne suburb of Parkville, and it opened on 9 September 1884.[1]
It is located in the park of the same name, and is the nearest station to Melbourne Zoo. A disused signal box is located at the up end of Platform 1.
Royal Park station opened on 9 September 1884, when the railway line was extended from North Melbourne to Coburg.[1] The original plan for the route of the line through Royal Park was to be east of the Zoological Gardens, but after local protests against the destruction of the park, a decision was made to build the line to the west for "reasons of economy". On opening, only temporary station buildings were provided, along with a signal box and gatekeepers cottage.[2]
On 8 May 1888, Royal Park became a junction, with the opening of the Inner Circle line, to both Clifton Hill and Northcote. At the same time, a timber station building and station masters residence were erected. Between 1889 and 1912, there was a goods siding near the station, named Royal Park Cutting Siding.[2]
In 1920, the current station building on Platform 1 opened, after the original station building was destroyed by fire in 1919.[1] It opened with a tile roof in the "Gisborne style" and, in 1936, a new waiting shed and ticket office replaced earlier structures on Platform 2.[2]
In 1971, boom barriers replaced interlocked gates at the Poplar Road level crossing, located at the up end of the station, when automatic signaling reached the station from Jewell, with automatic signaling extended to Macaulay in 1972.[3] In 1981, the Inner Circle line (by then a goods-only stub to Fitzroy) was closed and, in 1989, the waiting shed on Platform 2 was destroyed by arson. In 1994, the signal box on Platform 1 was closed.[3]
Royal Park has two side platforms. It is serviced by Metro Trains' Upfield line services.[4]
Platform 1:
Platform 2:
Dysons operates one route via Royal Park station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:
Yarra Trams operates one route via Royal Park station: