North Melbourne railway station

Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox station

North Melbourne railway station is a commuter and regional railway station on the suburban Craigieburn, Flemington Racecourse, Sunbury, Upfield, Werribee and Williamstown lines; and the regional Seymour line, part of the Melbourne and Victorian railway networks. It serves the inner north-western suburb of West Melbourne, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. North Melbourne is a ground level premium station and major junction, featuring six platforms: two side platforms, and two island platforms with two faces each. It opened on 6 October 1859, with the current station provided in 2009.<ref name="VicsigNorthMelbourne">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=RailGeelong>Template:Cite web</ref>

The station is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.<ref name=VictorianHeritage>Template:Cite AHPI</ref>

History

The first railway through the site of North Melbourne station was today's Williamstown line, and the first section of the Melbourne, Mount Alexander and Murray River Railway Company line (to Sunbury), which both opened on 13 January 1859. On 6 October 1859, the first passenger station, with two platforms, was opened, and on 9 June 1886, the present six-platform station opened.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The new station was of free classical architecture. Red brick was used, with cream brick banding, along with verandas and cast iron lace work.<ref name=VictorianHeritage/> As built in 1886, North Melbourne had six platforms, with four platform buildings containing ladies' toilets and a ladies' waiting room. The main booking office, waiting room and station master's office were near the ramp to Platform 1, and the men's toilets and porters' offices were located under the ramps themselves.<ref name=VictorianHeritage/>

In December 1973, the suburban train stabling yard to the north of the station opened, as part of the City Loop project.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The footbridge that links the sidings with the Macaulay stabling yard was also provided around that time.<ref name="newsrailfeb74">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1974, the station buildings on the northern concourse were provided<ref name=VictorianHeritage/> and, in the 1980s, as part of the construction works for the City Loop, the ramps to Platforms 1 and 2 were altered, and the platform extended at the down end.

In May 1995, a washing plant and additional sidings in Melbourne Yard, located to the west of the station, were provided, as part of the Jolimont Yard rationalisation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 19 July 1996, North Melbourne was upgraded to a premium station.<ref name="newsrailoct97">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In May 2006, it was announced that the station was to be redeveloped as part of a $36 million project.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Dead link</ref> Work included a new main entrance at the up (southern) end of the station, with escalators, stairs and lifts installed for quicker access to other platforms and to cater for disabled passengers. Work started in May 2007, and was completed on 16 November 2009.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Concrete Concepts Template:Webarchive Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia</ref> To aid construction and avoid disruption to train passengers, a crash deck was erected over the tracks, to allow trains to run normally underneath while building work continued overhead.<ref name=RailGeelong/>

In March 2008, bus route 401 began operating from North Melbourne to the Royal Melbourne Hospital and University of Melbourne in Carlton and Parkville, removing the need for passengers to those destinations to travel via the City Loop.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>North Melbourne Shuttle Service a Hit with Commuters Template:Webarchive Minister for Public Transport 13 March 2008</ref>

After December 2013, V/Line Geelong and Warrnambool services no longer stopped at the station, due to the opening of the first section of the Regional Rail Link (RRL) between Southern Cross and South Kensington. The line runs to the west of North Melbourne, but no platforms were provided.<ref>Changes to Geelong line services from Sunday 22 December 2013 Template:Webarchive Public Transport Victoria</ref> On 11 July 2014, Ballarat, Ararat, Bendigo, Swan Hill and Echuca line services also ceased stopping at North Melbourne, having moved to the RRL tracks.<ref>Major Regional Rail Link signalling works planned for June and July Premier of Victoria 13 June 2014</ref>

In November 2017, the Victorian State Government announced that North Melbourne would be renamed West Melbourne, to better reflect its geographical location, and to allow one of the new stations constructed as part of the Metro Tunnel project to be named North Melbourne.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The change was abandoned in 2020, with the Metro Tunnel station being named Arden instead.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

From 1 February 2026, the Sunbury line would cease stopping at North Melbourne station as it would be routed via the Metro tunnel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Platforms, facilities and services

North Melbourne has six platforms: two side platforms and two island platforms with four faces. It is served by Craigieburn, Sunbury, Upfield, Werribee and Williamstown line trains,<ref>Template:Cite PTV route</ref><ref>Template:Cite PTV route</ref><ref>Template:Cite PTV route</ref><ref>Template:Cite PTV route</ref><ref>Template:Cite PTV route</ref> as well as V/Line Seymour and Shepparton line services.<ref>Seymour – Melbourne timetable Public Transport Victoria</ref><ref>Bendigo – Melbourne timetable Public Transport Victoria</ref><ref>Shepparton – Melbourne timetable Public Transport Victoria</ref>

The main station entrance is at the southern end of the platforms, at the intersection of Adderley and Dryburgh Streets. The station building contains the main booking office, public toilets and a kiosk, with platform access via escalators and lifts. At the north end, the original asphalt ramps link all six platforms, with Platforms 2 through to 6 having heritage-listed verandas and brick waiting rooms.

At the north end of the station are 1970s-era brown brick buildings, built over the former Dynon Road overpass, which include public toilets and the former railway parcels office. Until November 2009, that building was also the main exit to Ireland Street and Railway Place, and contained the booking office and a kiosk, until those facilities were moved to the new concourse at the south end. The north end also has an exit leading west to the Melbourne Yard rail freight terminal, which is not open to public access.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Current (Metropolitan)

colspan="6" style="background:#Template:Rcr;background-image: linear-gradient(to right, #Template:Rcr, #Template:Rcr); " \|North Melbourne platform arrangement
Platform	Line	Destination	Via	Service Pattern	Notes
1	Template:RouteBox Template:RouteBox	Flinders Street	City Loop	All stations	See City Loop for operating patterns
2	Template:RouteBox Template:RouteBox	Craigieburn, Upfield		All stations
3	Template:RouteBox	Flinders Street	City Loop	All stations	See City Loop for operating patterns
4	Template:RouteBox	Sunbury		Limited express
5	Template:RouteBox Template:RouteBox	Flinders Street, Frankston	Flinders Street	All stations
6	Template:RouteBox Template:RouteBox	Werribee, Williamstown		All stations and limited express services
6	Template:RouteBox (Limited services)	Craigieburn		All stations	Services run direct from Flinders Street

Current (Regional)

colspan="5" style="background:#Template:Rcr;background-image: linear-gradient(to right, #Template:Rcr); " \|North Melbourne platform arrangement
Platform	Line	Destination	Service Pattern	Notes
1	Template:RouteBox Template:RouteBox	Southern Cross	Weekday services for Seymour line, two weekday services for Shepparton line	Pick up only
2	Template:RouteBox Template:RouteBox	Seymour, Shepparton	Weekday services for Seymour line, two weekday services for Shepparton line	Set down only

Special Event services

colspan="5" style="background:#Template:Rcr;background-image: linear-gradient(to right, #Template:Rcr); " \|North Melbourne platform arrangement
Platform	Line	Destination	Service Pattern	Notes
1	Template:Color box	Flinders Street, Southern Cross	All stations	Special event days only
2	Template:Color box	Showgrounds, Flemington Racecourse	Express services	Special event days only
5	Template:Color box	Flinders Street	All stations	Special event days only
6	Template:Color box	Showgrounds, Flemington Racecourse	Express services	Special event days only

From 1 February 2026 to 29 April 2026

colspan="6" style="background:#Template:Rcr;background-image: linear-gradient(to right, #Template:Rcr, #Template:Rcr); " \|North Melbourne platform arrangement
Platform	Line	Destination	Via	Service Pattern	Notes
1	Template:RouteBox	Flinders Street	City Loop	All stations	See City Loop for operating patterns
2	Template:RouteBox	Upfield		All stations
3	Template:RouteBox	Flinders Street	City Loop	All stations	See City Loop for operating patterns
4	Template:RouteBox	Craigieburn		All stations
5	Template:RouteBox Template:RouteBox	Flinders Street		All stations
6	Template:RouteBox Template:RouteBox	Werribee, Williamstown		All stations and limited express services

After 29 April 2026

colspan="6" style="background:#Template:Rcr;background-image: linear-gradient(to right, #Template:Rcr, #Template:Rcr); " \|North Melbourne platform arrangement
Platform	Line	Destination	Via	Service Pattern	Notes
1	Template:RouteBox	Flinders Street	City Loop	All stations	See City Loop for operating patterns
2	Template:RouteBox	Upfield		All stations
3	Template:RouteBox	Flinders Street	City Loop	All stations	See City Loop for operating patterns
4	Template:RouteBox	Craigieburn		All stations
5	Template:RouteBox Template:RouteBox	Flinders Street, Sandringham	Flinders Street	All stations and limited express services
6	Template:RouteBox Template:RouteBox	Werribee, Williamstown, Laverton		All stations and limited express services