Heidelberg railway station

Heidelberg railway station is located on the Hurstbridge line, in Victoria, Australia, serving the north-eastern Melbourne suburb of Heidelberg.

Heidelberg
Platform 2 in August 2005
Location	Studley Road, Heidelberg Australia
Coordinates	37°45′26″S 145°03′39″E
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	Metro
Line(s)	Hurstbridge
Distance	14.04 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	2 (1 island)
Tracks	2
Connections	Bus
Construction
Structure type	Ground
Parking	300
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Status	Premium station
Station code	HDB
Fare zone	Myki zone 1/2 overlap
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	8 May 1888
Electrified	Yes
Traffic
Passengers (2008-2009)	0.953 million[1]
Passengers (2009-2010)	1.121 million[1]  17.75%
Passengers (2010-2011)	1.237 million[1]  10.35%
Passengers (2011-2012)	1.229 million[1]  0.65%
Passengers (2012-2013)	Not measured[1]
Passengers (2013-2014)	0.896 million[1]  27.1%
Services
Preceding station   Metro Trains   Following station Eaglemont towards Flinders Street Hurstbridge line Rosanna towards Hurstbridge

History

Heidelberg station opened on 8 May 1888,[2] at the time when it was the terminating station, on what is now the Hurstbridge line.

The current island station design was officially opened on 1 September 1913.[3]

At one time, there was a goods yard opposite Platform 1, however this made way for an extension of the commuter car park, but the goods shed still exists. Later on, there were three tracks running through the station - two serviced the island platform, and the third track was the last surviving stabling track. The third track was removed after a period of inactivity.

Between 26 January 1942 and 6 February 1942, 14 trains were modified to become ambulance trains. The trains ferried returning wounded World War II servicemen from Melbourne to Heidelberg, where ambulances were waiting to collect them. Heidelberg's role in the war was recognised on 3 November 1995, 50 years after the end of the war, when Vin Heffernan, member for Ivanhoe, erected a plaque at the station to commemorate the event.[4]

During 1988, the former No. 4 and No. 5 tracks were abolished, along with a number of disc signal posts.[5]

In 1992, the station received an enclosed waiting area and ticket facilities, as part of the ‘Travel Safe’ program of the early 1990s. It was upgraded to a Premium station on 21 June 1996.[6]

At 5am on 5 March 1994, after the signals were upgraded to an electronic system, one of the decommissioned mechanical semaphore signals ("Signal No. 4") was relocated from the Melbourne side of the station, to the car park opposite Platform 1, for display purposes. Signal No. 4 was first erected for operation at Heidelberg station in 1912.[7]

At the 2016-17 Victorian State Budget, $140.2 million was allocated to duplicate the single line between Heidelberg and Rosanna, and includes a second rail tunnel, alongside the existing tunnel.[8] Project was completed in May 2018[9]

Platforms and services

Heidelberg has one island platform with two faces. It is serviced by Metro Trains' Hurstbridge line services.[10]

Platform 1:

• Hurstbridge line: all stations and limited stops services to Flinders Street

Platform 2:

• Hurstbridge line: all stations and limited stops services to Eltham, Hurstbridge, Greensborough and Macleod

Transport links

Dysons operates two routes via Heidelberg station:

• 513: Eltham station – Glenroy station[11]
• 546: to University of Melbourne Tram Stop (off peak extension to Queen Victoria Market)[12]

Transdev Melbourne operates one SmartBus route via Heidelberg station:

•  SmartBus  903: Altona station – Mordialloc[13]

Ventura Bus Lines operates one route to and from Heidelberg station:

• 551: to La Trobe University Bundoora Campus[14]

References

1. "Train Station Patronage FY2008-2014". Public Transport Victoria. 14 May 2015. Archived from the original (XLS) on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016. (access from Archived 3 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine)
2. VICSIG Infrastructure - Heidelberg
3. "ca. 1913. Heidelberg Railway Station (new)". Item held by Yarra Plenty Regional Library Service - Heidelberg Historical Society. 11 May 2005. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
4. Plaque inside Heidelberg Station
5. "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. November 1988. p. 346.
6. "Upgrading Eltham to a Premium Station". Newsrail. Australian Railway Heistorical Society. October 1997. p. 310.
7. Sign at Heidelberg Railway Station, Platform 1
8. Hurstbridge Rail Line upgrade Public Transport Victoria
9. https://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/media/news/new-rosanna-station-opens,-with-two-level-crossings-gone-for-good
10. "Hurstbridge Line". Public Transport Victoria.
11. "513 Eltham - Glenroy via Greensborough or Lower Plenty". Public Transport Victoria.
12. "546 Heidelberg Station - Melb Uni - Queen Victoria Market via Clifton Hill and Carlton". Public Transport Victoria.
13. "903 Altona - Mordialloc (SMARTBUS Service)". Public Transport Victoria.
14. "551 Heidelberg - La Trobe University Interchange". Public Transport Victoria.

External links

• Media related to Heidelberg railway station, Melbourne at Wikimedia Commons
• Melway map at street-directory.com.au