Rockbank railway station

Rockbank railway station is located on the Serviceton line, in Victoria, Australia, and serves the outer Melbourne township of Rockbank.[1]

Rockbank
Eastbound view from Platform 2 in October 2010
LocationStation Street, Rockbank
Coordinates37°43′45″S 144°39′03″E
Owned byVicTrack
Operated byV/Line
Line(s)Serviceton
Distance30.19 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms2 side
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeGround
Parking10
Disabled accessYes
Other information
StatusUnstaffed
Station codeRBK
Fare zoneMyki Zone 2
WebsitePublic Transport Victoria
History
Opened2 April 1884
Services
Preceding station   V/Line   Following station
Caroline Springs
Serviceton line
towards Wendouree or Ararat

The station will eventually become part of the metropolitan network under the Western Rail Plan, announced by the Andrews government in 2018.[2]

History

The station opened as Mount Atkinson on 2 April 1884, at the same time as the Serviceton line though it, and was renamed Rockbank in 1889. Being on a single track railway line, it provided a crossing loop for trains, and continues to do so today. By 1914, it had a three road yard, a passenger platform on the southern track, a goods platform on the northern track, and an interlocked signal box.[3] The station served the local farming community. With a chaff mill established in the 1890s, and the recreation reserve and tennis club located nearby, the station became the focus of the Rockbank community.[4]

In 1960, the crossing loop was extended for longer trains of up to 730 metres, and a short platform was provided on the loop road. In 1976, centralised traffic control was provided on the line from Sunshine to Rockbank. By the 1970s, the mill was disused, and the station building was demolished circa 1985. In 1986, the yard was rationalised to main line and crossing loop, and in 1990, the mechanical signals and points were removed, and replaced by remotely controlled signalling, operated from the Bacchus Marsh signal box. The current northern platform (Platform 2) was not added until 1992,[5] replacing the former short platform. As part of the Regional Fast Rail project, control of the signals was transferred to the Ballarat signal box in 2005.[3]

In March 2018, as part of Ballarat line upgrade under Regional Rail Revival project,[6][7] work began on station's reconstruction. Two side platforms were completely rebuilt to fit 6-carriage VLocity trains and an accessible pedestrian overpass was installed over the tracks with lifts, ramps and stairs. Also, station will have a new sealed car park for over 350 cars, new bus and taxi bays, secure bike storage areas and drop-off zones.

The upgraded station was opened to passengers on 26 August 2019.[8]

Platforms & services

Rockbank has two side platforms. It is serviced by V/Line Ballarat line services.[9] Platform 1 is located on the main line, with all stopping services scheduled to use this platform. Platform 2 is located on a crossing loop, permitting trains up to 750 metres long to cross.[10] The former short platform is located at the Down end of the station, located on the crossing loop.

Platform 1:

Platform 2:

Sita Buslines operates two routes via Rockbank station:

References
  1. Rockbank Vicsig
  2. "A Real Plan For Fast Regional Rail And Metro Rail For The West". Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  3. "Victorian Station Histories - Rockbank" (PDF). www.vrhistory.com. Retrieved 26 May 2008.
  4. "Rockbank Railway Station". Department of Planning & Community Development. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  5. "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. October 1992. p. 331.
  6. Minister for Public Transport (1 March 2017). "$518 Million Ballarat Line Upgrade Released To Market". Premier of Victoria website. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  7. "Ballarat Line Upgrade". Rail Projects Victoria. 2 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  8. Rockbank Station Regional Rail Revival - Ballarat
  9. Ballarat - Melbourne timetable Public Transport Victoria
  10. Train Operating Data: Southern Cross to Ararat Archived 2 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine V/Line 18 October 2013
  11. "PTV Bus Route 444 Rockbank - Aintree". Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  12. "PTV Bus route 456 Sunshine to Melton". Retrieved 28 July 2020.
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