Ararat railway station
Ararat railway station is located on the Serviceton and Western standard gauge lines in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Ararat, and opened on 7 April 1875.[2]
Ararat | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| PTV regional and Journey Beyond inter-city rail station | |||||||||||||||||||||
Westbound view from Platform 2, April 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Birdwood Avenue, Ararat, Victoria 3377 Rural City of Ararat Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 37°16′56″S 142°56′12″E / 37.2823°S 142.9367°E | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | VicTrack | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Operated by | V/Line Journey Beyond | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Line(s) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 210.82 kilometres from Southern Cross | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 (1 side, 1 bay) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Connections |
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| Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Structure type | Ground | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Parking | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Operational, staffed | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Station code | ART | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Fare zone | Myki not available. Paper ticket only. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Public Transport Victoria | ||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 7 April 1875 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | 27 May 1994 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 11 July 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | 42,882[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | 42,447[1] 1.01% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | 41,630[1] 1.92% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | 40,522[1] 2.66% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Not measured[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | 42,750[1] 5.49% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | 31,700[1] 25.84% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | 15,500[1] 51.1% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Location | |||||||||||||||||||||
Ararat Location within Victoria | |||||||||||||||||||||
The station is the terminus of V/Line's Ararat line services, and is also the junction for the Ararat – Maryborough line.
History edit
Ararat station opened when the railway line from Ballarat was extended to the town.[2] In December 1877, a line south to Portland opened and, in January 1887, the mainline was extended west, reaching the South Australian border at Serviceton. In 1890, the line to Maryborough opened.[3] Two signal boxes ("A" and "B") opened in 1891 and, in 1914, the goods sidings were extended, with the locomotive depot built soon after.[3]
In the late 1930s, the locomotive depot was expanded, in conjunction with the anticipated arrival of the new H class 4-8-4 steam locomotives, intended for use on The Overland passenger train. An 85-foot (26 m) turntable was installed, with 24 roads around it, the largest on the Victorian Railways network. Before that, Stawell had been the major locomotive servicing facility in the region.[4]
During 1985, the passenger facilities in the main station building were refurbished.[5] However, during that time, rationalisation of the facilities began. Signal box "B" was demolished in 1984, with the train control office following in 1988. The footbridge, which was located at the up end of the station, was destroyed in a derailment in May 1986.[6] The Mobil siding and associated points and staff lock were abolished in January 1988.[7] The locomotive depot closed in 1989, the train crew depot closed on 30 June 1994,[8] with signal box "A" following in 1996. Gauge conversion was carried out at the station in the 1990s, with the main line to Adelaide being converted to standard gauge as part of the One Nation project. The lines west and south, and the line to Maryborough, were converted soon after.
In April 1995, all services on the former broad gauge mainline to Ballarat and Melbourne were suspended.[2] V/Line passenger services westward to Dimboola had been withdrawn on 21 August 1993, and the Ballarat to Ararat service had been withdrawn on 27 May 1994.[9]
On 11 July 2004, the broad gauge line to Ballarat was reopened, with V/Line passenger services being reinstated.[10][11] The contract for the work had been awarded in February 2003.[12] A diamond crossing and associated signalling had to be installed, to allow the broad gauge line to cross the standard gauge line and reach the platform. In January 2005, the Maryborough line was booked out of use.[2]
The Murray Basin Rail Project, which began in 2016, included reopening of the line from Ararat to Maryborough. In early 2018, the line was officially re-opened at Avoca, after having sat idle for more than 13 years.[13]
As part of the Regional Rail Revival project, an extra stabling siding was provided at the station, to accommodate an extra morning service.[14] By early 2021, the project had been completed, with a new timetable being introduced on 31 January of that year.[14] The stabling yard is able to hold two three-carriage VLocity trains.[14]
Platforms, facilities and services edit
Ararat has two platforms. The full-length standard gauge platform is on the north side, with broad gauge trains using a bay platform on the south side. There is a railway grade crossing approximately 500 metres east of the station, which allows the broad gauge line to cross the standard gauge line and continue east towards Beaufort and Ballarat, while the standard gauge line heads south towards Geelong.
Control of signals at the station is carried out by both the Australian Rail Track Corporation control centre at Mile End, South Australia, and Centrol, in Melbourne.[2]
Two dead-end sidings, located to the east, are used for stabling broad gauge passenger trains and there are two standard gauge loops, and one dead-end siding, across from the main platform.[15]
Ararat is served by V/Line Ararat line trains on the broad gauge line, and Journey Beyond The Overland services on the standard gauge line.[16][17]
Platform 1:
- The Overland Journey Beyond services to Adelaide Parklands and Melbourne (Southern Cross) (two per week)
Platform 2:
- Ararat line V/Line services to Southern Cross
Transport links edit
Ararat Transit operates six bus routes via Ararat station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:[18]
- 1 : to Ararat West via Brewster Road[19]
- 2 : to Ararat South via Burke Street[20]
- 3 : to Ararat North via Baird Street[21]
- to Maryborough via Elmhurst and Avoca[22]
- to Hopkins Correctional Centre[23]
- Ararat – Lake Bolac via Willaura[24]
V/Line operates road coach services from Ararat to Ballarat, Warrnambool and Nhill.[25][26][27] The Ballarat and Nhill services are operated by Firefly Express.
Gallery edit
- Station front, entrance and bus interchange, March 2008
- VLocity set VL60 sits at Platform 2, September 2022
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h Railway station and tram stop patronage in Victoria for 2008-2021 Philip Mallis
- ^ a b c d e "Ararat". vicsig.net. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ a b Royal Historical Society of Victoria
- ^ Lee, Robert (2007). The Railways of Victoria 1854–2004. Melbourne University Publishing. p. 164. ISBN 978-0-522-85134-2.
- ^ "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. May 1985. p. 147.
- ^ "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. August 1986. p. 249.
- ^ "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. April 1988. p. 123.
- ^ "Taildisc". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. July 1994. p. 220.
- ^ Chris Banger (March 1997). "Rail Passenger Service Withdrawals Since 1960". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. pp. 77–82.
- ^ . Media Release: Minister for Public Transport. www.legislation.vic.gov.au. 5 July 2004. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
- ^ "Ararat sleepers awake to new sound - the train". The Age. 10 July 2004. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- ^ . Media Release: Minister for Public Transport. www.legislation.vic.gov.au. 3 February 2003. Archived from the original on 14 September 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
- ^ "Rail freight is back on the Maryborough-Ararat line". The Courier. 13 January 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
- ^ a b c "Ararat Stabling Upgrade". Victoria's Big Build. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
- ^ Australian Rail Track Corporation
- ^ Ararat–Melbourne Public Transport Victoria
- ^ The Overland Timetable 3 January 2021 15 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine Journey Beyond
- ^ . Ararat Advertiser. yourguide.com.au. 13 May 2008. Archived from the original on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
- ^ "Ararat 1 Ararat West via Brewster Road & Lowe Road". Public Transport Victoria.
- ^ "Ararat 2 Ararat South via Burke Road & Churchill Avenue". Public Transport Victoria.
- ^ "Ararat 3 Ararat North via Baird Street & NMIT & Alfred Street". Public Transport Victoria.
- ^ "Ararat - Maryborough via Elmhurst & Avoca". Public Transport Victoria.
- ^ "Ararat Station - Hopkins Correctional Centre". Public Transport Victoria.
- ^ "Ararat - Lake Bolac via Willaura". Public Transport Victoria.
- ^ Ararat–Ballarat Public Transport Victoria
- ^ Warrnambool–Ararat Public Transport Victoria
- ^ Nhill–Ararat Public Transport Victoria
External links edit
- Rail Geelong gallery
- Victorian Railway Stations gallery
- When there were Stations gallery
- Melway map at street-directory.com.au