Flemington Bridge railway station


Flemington Bridge station is a railway station operated by Metro Trains Melbourne on the Upfield line, part of the Melbourne rail network. It serves the inner-northern suburb of Flemington, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It opened on 10 April 1885. Initially, the station was called Flemington, and was given its current name on 3 December 1885.
The station is located on an embankment between the Mount Alexander Road and Racecourse Road rail overpasses. An overpass on the CityLink tollway is a short distance west of the station.

History

The station opened seven months after the railway line from North Melbourne was extended to Coburg, and was named after the bridge on nearby Flemington Road that crosses the Moonee Ponds Creek. Originally built in 1851, to improve the connection for gold prospectors travelling to the Bendigo goldfields, the bridge was named Mains Bridge, after James Patrick Mains, a well-known contractor. It was renamed Flemington Road Bridge, before being shortened to Flemington Bridge.
In 1886, permanent station buildings were erected at the station, with timber stairs leading to Boundary and Mount Alexander Roads.
In 1891, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways recommended the construction of a spur line from Flemington Bridge to Pascoe Vale, to relieve crowding on the Essendon line at peak times, as well as providing a shorter alternative route to the city, following the route of what is now CityLink. The committee estimated the single track line would cost £93,000 to build, but recommended that only £30,000 be spent, with the remainder to be made up by donated land. However, the proposal was not taken up by government.
In 1944, the current station buildings, with asbestos cement roofs, were provided and, at the same time, the stairs were replaced by asphalted ramps.
In 1997, to allow construction of an elevated section of CityLink between Flemington Bridge and North Melbourne, a temporary crossover was provided near the Mount Alexander Road bridge, to allow Upfield line trains to terminate, and passengers were shuttled by bus to Newmarket station to continue their journey.

Platforms and services

Flemington Bridge has two side platforms and is served by Upfield line trains.

Transport links

operates one route via Flemington Bridge station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:
Yarra Trams operates two routes via Flemington Bridge station: