Aspendale railway station
Aspendale station is a railway station operated by Metro Trains Melbourne on the Frankston line, which is part of the Melbourne rail network. It serves the south-eastern suburb of Aspendale, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Aspendale station is a ground-level unstaffed station, featuring two side platforms. It opened in April 1891, with the current station provided in 1981.
Initially opened as Aspendale Park Racecourse, the station was given its current name of Aspendale on 1 August 1905.
History
Aspendale station opened in April 1891 and, like the suburb itself, the station was named after Aspen, a race-winning mare owned by James Crooke, who had purchased land east of the present-day station to build the former Aspendale Racecourse. The first race meeting at the racecourse was in 1891, coinciding with the opening of the station.In 1966, a crossover at the up end of the station was abolished. On 1 December 1969, the goods yard was closed to traffic.
In 1977, boom barriers replaced interlocked gates at the Groves Street level crossing, located at the down end of the station. Occurring in that year, a control panel was provided. In 1981, the current station buildings were provided.
In 1992, another crossover at the station was abolished, as well as the connection to the former siding. Occurring in that year, the control panel was abolished.
In early 2014, a man was hit and killed by a Frankston-bound train, causing the boom gates at the level crossing to stay down, meaning that road traffic could not travel between the Nepean Highway and Station Street.
On 9 October 2022, it was announced that Aspendale would be lowered into a trench, as part of the removal of seven level crossings on the line. Further details, designs and a construction timeline are to be released closer to the opening of the new station in 2029.