Ballan railway station
Ballan railway station is located on the Serviceton railway line, in Victoria, Australia, serving the town of Ballan. It opened on 22 December 1886, as the terminus of a short line from Ballarat. On 4 December 1889, the line was extended to Bacchus Marsh, meaning that trains could then run from Melbourne to Ballarat via Ballan.[1]
Ballan | |||||||||||
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Station front in December 2008 | |||||||||||
Location | Atkinson Street, Ballan Australia | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 37.6041°S 144.2254°E | ||||||||||
Owned by | VicTrack | ||||||||||
Operated by | V/Line | ||||||||||
Line(s) | Serviceton | ||||||||||
Distance | 79.48 kilometres from Southern Cross | ||||||||||
Platforms | 1 (second platform under construction) | ||||||||||
Tracks | 1 (second track under construction) | ||||||||||
Construction | |||||||||||
Structure type | Ground | ||||||||||
Disabled access | Yes | ||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||
Status | Staffed | ||||||||||
Station code | BLN | ||||||||||
Fare zone | Myki Zone 4 | ||||||||||
Website | Public Transport Victoria | ||||||||||
History | |||||||||||
Opened | 22 December 1886 | ||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||
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History
Before the line via Ballan and Bacchus Marsh was constructed, Ballarat was only indirectly linked to Melbourne via the Melbourne-Geelong and Geelong-Ballarat lines.
Being on a single track section of track, the station served as a crossing loop, with an interlocked signal box erected in 1890. In 1893, a turntable was added and by 1908, the station had a four road yard, a passenger platform, a goods shed and goods platform.
In 1967, the turntable was removed. In early 1973, a dead-end siding at the Up (Southern Cross) end of the station was removed.[2] More tracks in the yard were removed during 1987 and 1988, leaving only the platform road and a loop remaining. In 1996, the loop was abolished and the signal box closed, meaning that Ballan was no longer available for crossing trains. In 2004, as part of the Regional Fast Rail project, the track at the eastern end of the station was realigned in order to permit an increase in the maximum speeds of trains though the curve.
The closed stations Ingliston and Rowsley were located between Ballan and Bacchus Marsh. Between Ballan and Ballarat, closed stations include Gordon, Millbrook, Wallace, Bungaree, Warrenheip and Ballarat East.
Platforms & services
Ballan has two platforms. It is served by V/Line Ballarat, Ararat and Maryborough line trains.[3][4][5]
Platform 1:
- Ballarat line: V/Line services to Wendouree & Southern Cross
- Ararat line: V/Line services to Ararat & Southern Cross
Platform 2
- Ballarat line: V/Line services to Wendouree & Southern Cross
- Ararat line: V/Line services to Ararat & Southern Cross
Ballarat line upgrade
The Victoria Government's Regional Rail Revival Ballarat Line Upgrade[6][7] includes an additional track and platform at Ballan, which will deliver two side platforms, an accessible pedestrian overpass and improved parking.[8]
References
- Ballan Vicsig
- "Way and Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. April 1973. p. 73.
- Ballarat - Melbourne timetable Public Transport Victoria
- Ararat - Melbourne Public Transport Victoria
- Maryborough - Melbourne via Ballarat Public Transport Victoria
- Minister for Public Transport (1 March 2017). "$518 Million Ballarat Line Upgrade Released To Market". Premier of Victoria website. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
- "Ballarat Line Upgrade". Rail Projects Victoria. 2 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
- "Ballan Station". Rail Projects Victoria. 29 January 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
External links
Media related to Ballan railway station at Wikimedia Commons - Victorian Railway Stations gallery
- Melway map at street-directory.com.au