Bacchus Marsh railway station

Bacchus Marsh railway station is located on the Serviceton line, in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Bacchus Marsh, and opened on 10 February 1887, as the temporary terminus of the line from Melbourne. On 4 December 1889, the line was extended to Ballan, which completed the direct Melbourne to Ballarat line.[2]

Bacchus Marsh
Station front in May 2008
LocationStation Street, Bacchus Marsh
Australia
Coordinates37°41′15″S 144°26′13″E
Elevation105 metres (343 ft)[1]
Owned byVicTrack
Operated byV/Line
Line(s)Serviceton
Distance50.86 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms1 (second platform under construction)
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus
Construction
Structure typeGround
Disabled accessYes
Other information
StatusStaffed
Station codeBMH
Fare zoneMyki zone 2
WebsitePublic Transport Victoria
History
Opened10 February 1887
Services
Preceding station   V/Line   Following station
Melton
Serviceton line
Ballan
towards Wendouree or Ararat

A number of sidings opposite the station are used to stable trains. It also has an operational 70-foot long (21 m) turntable, that is mainly used for turning steam locomotives on special trains.

History

The contract for the construction of the station building was awarded in 1889, for £1809/8/11. A 45 lever interlocking frame, in a signal box, was brought into use in 1890. By this time, the station had a main platform, with a dock platform at the eastern end, a main line and crossing loop, turntable, and a number of sidings. The station was originally provided with a 53-foot long (16 m) turntable. In 1957, it was replaced by a 70-foot unit.[3]

In the late 1940s, brown coal, mined at nearby Maddingley, began to be transported in large quantities by rail, with dedicated trains running between Bacchus Marsh and the APM Siding, in the Melbourne suburb of Fairfield. The coal was used to fire the boilers at the Australian Paper Manufacturers paper mill, with 400 tonnes of coal per day transferred in two trains per day. This traffic continued until the late 1970s, when the boilers were converted to natural gas firing.[4]

Control of trains on the single track was controlled with the Electric Staff system until 1967, when the Automatic and Track Control (ATC) system was provided. At the same time, remote control of the signals Bank Box Loop was provided, with the same being done to the track towards Parwan Loop in 1987. Also around 1987, a number of changes to the station layout occurred, including the removal of a number of points, signals and their relevant posts, and the sleeving of a number of levers.[5] Control of the signals at Rockbank were moved into the signal box in 1990.[3]

As part of the Regional Fast Rail project, the control of signals was relocated to Ballarat,[6] and the platform was extended eastwards, in order to increase the speed of trains passing through the curve, at the western end of the station. In addition, the curves over the Parwan Creek valley were realigned for higher speeds. In 2008, 160 additional car parks were opened at the station, for the use of rail commuters.[7]

At the 2016 Victorian State Budget, money has been allocated for an additional platform and crossing loop, and for stabling facilities at nearby Rowsley.[8][9] This is part of a larger $518 million project along the Ballarat line, including the duplication of the line between Deer Park and Melton, and between Warrenheip and Ballarat East, additional crossing loops at Ballan (which will include an extra platform) and Bungaree, and stabling facilities at Melton.[8][9]

Closed station Parwan was located between Bacchus Marsh and Melton, while closed stations Rowsley and Ingliston were located between Bacchus Marsh and Ballan.

Platforms & services

Bacchus Marsh has two platforms. It is serviced by V/Line Ballarat, Ararat and Maryborough line services. Some trains terminate here instead of heading to Ballarat.[10][11][12]

Platform 1:

Platform 2:

Bacchus Marsh Coaches operates three routes via Bacchus Marsh station:

  • 433: Bacchus Marsh Shopping Centre – Hillview Estate[13]
  • 434: to Telford Park[14]
  • 435: to Darley[15]

Ballarat line upgrade

The Victoria Government's Regional Rail Revival Ballarat Line Upgrade[16][17] includes duplication from Deer Park to Melton and an additional platform at Bacchus Marsh which will deliver two side platforms, an accessible pedestrian overpass, improved parking and bus bays and new train stabling facilities at Maddingley west of Bacchus Marsh station.[18]

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References
  1. VR Public timetable 1960, pg20
  2. Bacchus Marsh Vicsig
  3. Bacchus Marsh Victorian Station Histories
  4. S Cauchi (November 1994). "Closure of the Australian Paper Ltd siding at Fairfield". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. pp. 328–331.
  5. "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. March 1988. p. 89.
  6. Bacchus Marsh Signal Box Vicsig
  7. 160 Extra Car Parking Spaces for Bacchus Marsh Parkways Minister for Public Transport 24 January 2008
  8. Labor Government Delivers Upgrade That Ballarat Line Needs Minister for Public Transport 27 April 2016
  9. Ballarat Line Upgrade Public Transport Victoria
  10. Ballarat - Melbourne timetable Public Transport Victoria
  11. Ararat - Melbourne Public Transport Victoria
  12. Maryborough - Melbourne via Ballarat Public Transport Victoria
  13. "433 Bacchus Marsh - Hillview Estate via Bacchus Marsh Station". Public Transport Victoria.
  14. "434 Bacchus Marsh Station - Telford Park via Bacchus Marsh". Public Transport Victoria.
  15. "435 Bacchus Marsh Station - Darley via Bacchus Marsh". Public Transport Victoria.
  16. Minister for Public Transport (1 March 2017). "$518 Million Ballarat Line Upgrade Released To Market". Premier of Victoria website. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  17. "Ballarat Line Upgrade". Rail Projects Victoria. 2 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  18. "Bacchus Marsh Station". Rail Projects Victoria. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
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