Highett railway station

Highett railway station is located on the Frankston line, in Victoria, Australia, serving the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Highett. It opened on 19 December 1881 as Highett Road, and was renamed Highett on 14 December 1885.[1]

Highett
Southbound view from Platform 2 in July 2010
Location	Railway Parade, Highett Australia
Coordinates	37°56′55″S 145°02′30″E
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	Metro
Line(s)	Frankston
Distance	20.06 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	2 side
Tracks	2
Connections	Bus
Construction
Structure type	Ground
Parking	116
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Status	Unstaffed
Station code	HIG
Fare zone	Myki Zone 2
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	19 December 1881
Rebuilt	1986
Electrified	Yes
Previous names	Highett Road
Services
Preceding station   Metro Trains   Following station Moorabbin towards Flinders Street Frankston line Southland towards Frankston

The station was built under the endorsement of Thomas Bent, who ordered the railway line be redirected through Highett, but also demanded a higher standard of departmental residences than elsewhere.[2] The current station building was erected in 1883-1884, and was refurbished in 1966,[2] It was refurbished again in 1986, after it was damaged by fire during the previous year.[3]

In 2014 the Victorian State Government launched a Public Safety initiative which involved Protective Services Officers (PSOs) patrolling Railway stations at certain times of the day. Highett station was added to the list of patrolled stations on 1 June 2014.[4] A PSO 'Pod' to provide an office and holding cell for the PSOs was also added to the station.

History

In 1925, a parcel train hit a car at the nearby Wickham Road railway crossing, killing nine people inside the car. The gatekeeper was found not guilty to the charge of manslaughter, the jury finding the incident was due to the fault of the system, and not through human negligence.[5]

In 1932, there was a shootout between a policeman and a burglar, who was killed.[6]

A former lamp room and a wood yard were demolished in 1973.[7]

In October 2017 two Protective Service Officers patrolling Highett station were shot at by a disgruntled 22 year using a battery-powered mechanical handgun, filled with gel pellets. One officer was struck in the temple, but was not seriously injured. The shooter, who fired from the balcony of an apartment overlooking the station, was arrested by regular police and charged with a variety of offences.[8]

Platforms & services

Highett has two side platforms. It is serviced by Metro Trains' Frankston line services.[9]

Platform 1:

• Frankston line: all stations and limited express services to Flinders Street

Platform 2:

• Frankston line: all stations services to Frankston

Transport links

Ventura Bus Lines operates two routes via Highett station:

• 708: Carrum station to Hampton station[10]
• 828: Hampton station to Berwick station[11]

See also

• Southland railway station

References

1. Highett Vicsig
2. "Highett Railway Station, Highett, Vic Profile". www.aussieheritage.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 August 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2008.
3. "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. November 1986. p. 347.
4. "Public Safety on Victoria's Train System" (PDF).
5. "The Highett Railway Disaster". www.brightoncemetery.com. Retrieved 11 May 2008.
6. "Events in the Past: Shooting at Highett: Man Dies". localhistory.kingston.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2008.
7. "Way and Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. October 1973. p. 195.
8. "Man admits to 'firing at PSOs with water gun' because he was angry, court told". www.abc.net.au. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
9. "Frankston Line". Public Transport Victoria.
10. "708 Carrum - Hampton via Southland". Public Transport Victoria.
11. "828 Hampton - Berwick Station via Southland SC & Dandenong". Public Transport Victoria.

External links

Media related to Highett railway station, Melbourne at Wikimedia Commons