Coburg railway station

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Coburg railway station is a commuter railway station located in the northern suburb of Coburg in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> The station opened on 9 September 1884, with the former ground level station closed and demolished in July 2020 and the current elevated station provided in December 2020 by the Level Crossing Removal Project.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Coburg is an elevated premium station, consisting of two side platforms connected by staircases, lifts and a ground level concourse. The station fully complies with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and is accessible as there is a lift connecting to the ground level concourse and the station platforms on either side.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref>

The station is owned by VicTrack, a state government agency and the station is operated by Metro Trains Melbourne. Coburg station is currently served by the Upfield line, part of the Melbourne railway network. Additionally, the station is also served by eight bus routes, one tram route and two V/Line bus coach services. It includes Broadmeadows Bus Service route 530, Dysons bus routes 513, 514 and 561, Kinetic Melbourne bus routes 512 and 903, Ventura Bus Lines routes 526 and 527 and Yarra Trams route 19. The station is approximately Template:Cvt or around a 25 minute train ride to Flinders Street via the City Loop.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref>

Description

Coburg railway station is located in the northern suburb of Coburg in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The station is owned by VicTrack, a state government agency and the station is operated by Metro Trains Melbourne.<ref name=":1"/> The station is Template:Cvt or around a 25 minute train ride to Flinders Street.<ref name=":4"/> The adjacent stations are Moreland station up towards Flinders Street and Batman station down towards Upfield.<ref name=":4"/>

The station consists of two side platforms with two edges. As is standard in Melbourne, the platform has an asphalt surface with concrete on edges. The side platforms are approximately Template:Cvt long, long enough for a 7 car High Capacity Metro Train.<ref name=":1"/> The station features a ground level concourse, accessible by stairs and lifts up to the elevated platforms.<ref name=":3"/> There is one main station building, opened in 2020, which contains a waiting room, a customer service, PSO office and a ground level concourse inside the main station building.<ref name=":5">Template:Cite web</ref> The station building presents as a civic gesture drawing abstract references to the formal language of classical architecture and has decorative features such as friezes, hexagonal reliefs on the pre-cast elements and the primary colours of the station are orange.<ref name=":6">Template:Cite web</ref>

The station building, concourse and platform largely stayed the same since the station was rebuilt in 2020.<ref name=":1"/> There are 120 parking spaces, including 2 accessible parking spaces and 26 protected bike parking at the station.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The station is listed as fully accessible on the Metro Trains website, as there are lifts and accessible features available at the station.<ref name=":5"/>

History

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Pre level crossing removal

Coburg station opened on 9 September 1884 as the terminus when the railway line was extended from North Melbourne.<ref name="newsrailaug76">Template:Cite journal</ref> Like the suburb itself, the station was named after the Duke of Edinburgh, a member of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.<ref name="vpcoburg">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="heraldsun">Template:Cite web</ref> The suburb was renamed from Pentridge to Coburg in 1870, when the Duke was planning to visit the colony.<ref name=vpcoburg/>

On 8 October 1889, the line was extended to Somerton,<ref name=newsrailaug76/> where it junctioned with the main North East railway line to Albury. On 13 July 1903, the line beyond Coburg was closed, but was reopened to Fawkner on 13 November 1906. On 2 December 1920, the line to Coburg was electrified.<ref name=newsrailaug76/>

In 1962, boom barriers replaced hand-operated gates at the former Bell Street level crossing, which was at the down end of the station.<ref name=VRHistory>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1972, the former ground-level station building was refurbished.<ref name="divisionaldiaryfeb1972">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

A signal box was located at the up end of the station, directly opposite the former Munro Street level crossing. It was provided in 1928 to control the interlocked gates at the former level crossing, and replaced the original signal box.<ref name=newsrailaug76/> In 1983, boom barriers replaced the interlocked gates.<ref name=VRHistory/>

Although the line from Coburg to Fawkner was duplicated in 1959, Coburg continued to have only one side platform, used by trains travelling in both directions. On 11 September 1995, an additional platform (Platform 2) was provided.<ref name=VRHistory/> On 28 June 1996, Coburg was upgraded to a premium station, featuring the addition of customer service facilities and the conversion of the now heritage station building into a waiting room.<ref name="newsrailoct97">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Level Crossing Removal Project

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In 2014, the Andrews government announced a $2.4 billion program to remove and grade separate the Bell Street level crossing, along with 49 other level crossings in Melbourne.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was later formed under the Level Crossing Removal Project program in 2015 and at the time, the Bell Street level crossing had not been decided how the grade separation would be achieved.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 30 November 2018, the Andrews government announced that the Level Crossing Removal Project would remove an additional level crossing at Munro Street, Coburg, along with 24 other level crossings in Melbourne as part of a $6.6 billion program.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 7 May 2019, the Level Crossing Removal Project announced that the Bell Street and Munro Street level crossings was chosen to be elevated and Coburg station to be rebuilt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 12 June 2019, the designs for the new, rebuilt station was announced.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 27 July 2020, the Bell Street and Munro Street level crossings and equipment were eliminated and on the same night, the ground level station was closed and demolished and the Platform 1 heritage building restored during these works.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 2 November 2020, trains started running through the new elevated rail bridge after a four month closure.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 14 December 2020, the rebuilt station opened to passengers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Platforms and services

Coburg has two side platforms. The station is currently served by the Upfield line, part of the metropolitan railway network.<ref name=":4"/> The Upfield line runs from Upfield station, north of Melbourne, joining with the Craigieburn, Sunbury, Werribee and Williamstown lines before travelling through to Flinders Street via the City Loop in a clockwise direction during weekday morning peak hours or all day on weekends and public holidays and to Flinders Street via Southern Cross in an anti-clockwise direction during weekday afternoon and evening peak hours.<ref name=":4"/>

Current