Caulfield railway station

Caulfield railway station is a commuter railway station on the northern boundary of Caulfield East, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.^[5] Opened in 1879 and rebuilt from 1913 to 1914, the station complex is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register and is noted as an example of Federation Free Style architecture.^[6] It is named after the nearby suburb of Caulfield, located southwest of the station.^[7]

Caulfield
PTV commuter and regional rail station
Eastbound view from Platform 1 in January 2021
General information
Location	1 Sir John Monash Drive,^[1] Caulfield East, Victoria Australia
Coordinates	37°52′38″S 145°02′32″E / 37.8773°S 145.0423°E / -37.8773; 145.0423
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	Metro Trains
Line(s)	Pakenham Cranbourne Frankston Gippsland
Distance	11.79 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	4 (2 side, 1 island)
Tracks	4
Train operators	Metro Trains V/Line
Connections	Tram Bus
Construction
Structure type	Ground
Parking	130 spaces
Bicycle facilities	26 protected racks plus more unprotected
Accessible	No—steep ramp
Other information
Status	Operational, premium station
Station code	CFD
Fare zone	Myki Zone 1
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	7 May 1879; 144 years ago (1879-05-07)
Rebuilt	1914
Electrified	5 March 1922 (1500 V DC overhead)^[2]
Passengers
2017–2018	4,708,018^[3]
2018–2019	4,175,031^[3]  11.32%
2019–2020	2,853,200^[3]  31.66%
2020–2021	1,370,650^[3]  51.96%
2021–2022	1,874,050^[4]  36.72%
Services Preceding station Metro Trains Following station Anzac towards Sunbury Sunshine–Dandenong corridor (under construction) (from 2025) Carnegie towards Cranbourne or Pakenham Malvern Limited services towards Flinders Street Pakenham line South Yarra towards Flinders Street Malvern Limited services towards Flinders Street Cranbourne line South Yarra towards Flinders Street Malvern towards Werribee or Williamstown via Flinders Street Frankston line Glen Huntly towards Frankston Malvern Citybound express services towards Werribee or Williamstown via Flinders Street Frankston line Weekday peak express services Moorabbin towards Frankston South Yarra towards Werribee or Williamstown via Flinders Street Preceding station V/Line Following station Richmond towards Southern Cross Gippsland line Clayton towards Traralgon or Bairnsdale Gippsland line Bairnsdale express Dandenong towards Bairnsdale
Victorian Heritage Register
Official name	Caulfield Railway Station Complex
Criteria	A, B, C, D, E
Designated	20 August 1982
Reference no.	H1665^[1]
Track layout Legend to Malvern 1 2 4 3 to Glen Huntly to Carnegie

The station consists of an island platform and two side platforms, all accessed by a pedestrian underpass. There are three principal station buildings located on the platforms, including a small brick building located on Platform 1, near the main platform building. This building was provided in 1974 and originally served as a ticket office for the Caulfield Racecourse, which is directly adjacent.^[8][9] The station complex also features a rare "horse platform" used when horses were delivered to the racecourse.^[6][9] The station is only partially accessible due to a steep access ramp.^[10]

Caulfield railway station is served by the Pakenham, Cranbourne, Frankston, and Gippsland lines, which are part of the Melbourne railway network.^[5][11] The station also connects to the Route 3 tram service and routes 624 and 900 bus services.^[12][13] The journey to Flinders Street railway station is approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) and takes 19 minutes.

Description

Caulfield railway station is on the boundary of Caulfield East and Malvern East, suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria. North of the station is Dandenong Road, and south of the station is Normanby Road. The station is located nearby to the Caulfield Village apartment and shopping complex, Caulfield Racecourse, and Monash University. The station is owned by VicTrack, a state government agency, and the station is primarily operated by Metro Trains. The station is approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi), or a 19-minute train journey, from Flinders Street railway station. The adjacent stations are Malvern station up towards Melbourne and Carnegie and Glen Huntly stations down towards Dandenong or Frankston.^[5]

 

The heritage listed station building on Platform 4

Designed by railway architect J. W. Hardy, the station complex was built in 1913–1914 in the Federation Free Classical style.^[6][9] The station consists of a single island platform and two side platforms with a total of four platform edges. Standard in Melbourne, the platform has an asphalt surface with concrete on the edges. The platforms are approximately 160 metres (520 ft) long, enough for a Metro Trains 7-car HCMT. The station has a pedestrian subway, accessed from the centre of the platforms by a ramp. In addition to the four passenger platforms, there is a horse platform which Heritage Council Victoria notes is "a rare structure of its type" although its physical characteristics are "undistinguished".^[6] The Caulfield Railway Complex has three principal station buildings, a former lamp/store room, and a signal box—all heritage listed.^[6]

Unique architectural features in the three red brick station buildings include elaborately decorated parapets and radiating bands of render around the arched openings.^[14] Original fittings that have been retained from the 1914 station reconstruction include the timber palisade gates, timber seating, and ticket office fittings. The signal box was built around 1920. Constructed out of red brick, it has a tiled hip roof and retains its original fittings.^[14]

The station building, platform, and underpass are largely the same as when originally built, with the main changes being updated signage, technology, and the addition of two new ramp canopies, amongst other minor building and platform upgrades.^[15] There is a small 130-space car park on the south side of the station. The station is listed as an "assisted access" station on the Metro Trains website, as the access ramp is too steep and would require assistance for wheelchair customers to traverse.^[10]

History

 

A platform, tracks, signals and switching station around 1915, with the station sign at the right

Caulfield railway station was opened on 7 May 1879, with the station consisting of a single platform and track for commuter and freight service.^[16] The first station buildings were opened on the site between 1881 and 1883 to coincide with the duplication of track between the city and Oakleigh.^[14] The current station was constructed in 1913–1914 to provide new and improved facilities for a station that was facing rapidly increasing growth.^[14] The station rebuild was part of level crossing removal works that removed all level crossings, rebuilt all stations, and quadruplicated the corridor between South Yarra and Caulfield by 1914.^[17] In late 1922, the line was electrified using 1500 V DC overhead wires, with "three position" signalling also introduced.^[16]

The station has mostly stayed the same since 1914, with only minor upgrades taking place. In 1977, the goods yard and loading platform was closed to traffic. This platform had been used for cargo, postal, farming, and Caulfield Racecourse horse deliveries during its operational life; however, it was decommissioned after the reduction in use. In 1985, a number of sidings and their associated points and signals were abolished.^[16] The station underwent minor upgrades in 1994 and 2015–2016, and in June 1996, it was upgraded to a premium station.^[18][19] In July 2022, the signal box at the station was closed, with operations handled remotely from the Kananook signal control centre.^[20]

In conjunction with the Metro Tunnel project, Caulfield station has received upgrades to its heritage structures, platforms, ticketing facilities, and signage.^[21] These projects have been undertaken to make Caulfield station into a hub and major interchange station. Despite these upgrades, many news outlets and public transport commentators have called for more drastic upgrades to the station, including making the station fully accessible, increasing connectivity to other modes of transport, and reducing overcrowding that is often faced at the station.^[22]

Caulfield railway disaster

 

A plaque commemorating the Caulfield railway disaster

On 26 May 1926 the 6:02 pm Oakleigh-bound train crashed into the rear of a stationary train at Platform 4 of Caulfield Station, in the first fatal collision to occur on the newly electrified rail system in Melbourne.^[23] Casualties included three dead and 170 people injured.^[24]

A highly politicised story at the time, the coroner's verdict found that "the weight of evidence is certainly against the driver in a more serious degree, and perhaps to a lesser degree against the guard."^[23] On 12 September 1926, the relieving stationmaster who had been on duty at the time of the crash, shot and killed himself on the island platform.^[25][26] Later that month, the court found the driver and the guard not guilty with the rider that "In the opinion of the jury, from the evidence given regarding the running of electric trains, the precautions taken to safeguard the public at this particular point are inadequate, and should be rectified immediately."^[23]

Seven years after the fatal crash, an automatic "trip" system which cut power to trains entering a section against a signal was installed at Caulfield Railway Station.^[23][27]

A plaque was unveiled on Platform 4 in 2011 by the Friends of Cheltenham and Regional Cemeteries to memorialise victims of the crash.^[14]

Platforms and services

Caulfield has two side platforms and one island platform with four faces. The station is currently served by Pakenham, Cranbourne, and Frankston line trains and is also served by V/Line Traralgon and Bairnsdale services. Caulfield station is served by the Pakenham, Cranbourne, and Frankston lines on the metropolitan train network and the Gippsland line on the regional V/Line network. The Pakenham line runs between Pakenham station and Flinders Street station via the City Loop.^[28] The Cranbourne line also follows a similar route, joining the Pakenham line at Dandenong before continuing to the city.^[29] The Frankston line runs from Frankston station south east of Melbourne, joining the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines at Caulfield station before continuing onto the Werribee or Williamstown lines via Flinders Street station.^[30] The station is also serviced by V/Line's Gippsland line heading up towards Southern Cross station or down towards Traralgon or Bairnsdale stations.^[31] From 2025, the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines will run via the Metro Tunnel before continuing onto the Sunbury line to Sunbury.^[32] From 2029, Airport services will stop at Caulfield station.^[33]

Platform 1:

•  Frankston line  all stations and limited express services to Flinders Street, Werribee and Williamstown

Platform 2:

•  Frankston line  all stations and limited express services to Frankston

Platform 3:

•  Pakenham line  express services to Flinders Street
•  Cranbourne line  express services to Flinders Street
•  Gippsland line  V/Line services to Southern Cross (set down only)

Platform 4:

•  Pakenham line  all stations and limited express services to Pakenham
•  Cranbourne line  all stations and limited express services to Cranbourne
•  Gippsland line  V/Line services to Traralgon and Bairnsdale (pick up only)

Future services:
In addition to the current services, the opening of the Metro Tunnel will link the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines to both the Sunbury line and under-construction Melbourne Airport rail link from 2025 and 2029, respectfully.^[32][33]

•  Sunbury line  express services to Sunbury (2025 onwards)
•  Airport line  express services to Melbourne Airport (2029 onwards)

Transport links

Caulfield station has one tram connection and two bus connections. The route 3 tram service operates from nearby Derby road up towards the city and down towards Malvern East.^[34] The station has two bus connections; route 624 from Kew to Oakleigh station and the route 900 SmartBus from Caulfield station to Stud Park Shopping Centre in Rowville.^[35][36] The station does not have an accessible tram platform or a bus interchange and instead is operated through on-street bus and tram stops. Caulfield station is also a major hub for train replacement bus and coach services due to the junction located east of the station. The station has numerous train replacement bus and coach stops located north and south of the station, with the ability for the southern carpark to be converted into a transfer point.^[37][38]

Tram connections:

•  : Melbourne University – Malvern East^[34]

Bus connections:

•  624 : Kew – Oakleigh station^[35]
• SmartBus  900 : to Stud Park Shopping Centre (Rowville)

References

1. "Caulfield Railway Station Complex". Victorian Heritage Database. Government of Victoria. from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
2. "Caulfield Electrification: Traffic Alterations To-morrow". The Argus. 4 March 1922. p. 21. from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
3. Railway station and tram stop patronage in Victoria for 2008-2021 17 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine Philip Mallis
4. Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries) 6 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine Data Vic
5. Public Transport Victoria. "Caulfield Station". Public Transport Victoria. from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
6. "Caulfield Railway Station Complex". Victorian Heritage Database. from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
7. School of Historical Studies, Department of History. "Caulfield – Place – eMelbourne – The Encyclopedia of Melbourne Online". www.emelbourne.net.au. from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
8. "Way & Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. June 1974. p. 137.
9. Avery, Steven (16 March 2022). "Statement of recommendation from the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria, to the Heritage Council of Victoria" (PDF). Heritage Council Victoria. (PDF) from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
10. "Access Guide". www.metrotrains.com.au. from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
11. Public Transport Victoria. "Caulfield Railway Station". Public Transport Victoria. from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
12. Public Transport Victoria. "Caulfield Railway Station/Derby Rd #57". Public Transport Victoria. from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
13. Public Transport Victoria. "Caulfield Railway Station/Sir John Monash Dr". Public Transport Victoria. from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
14. "Caulfield Railway Station Complex". Victorian Heritage Database. from the original on 22 April 2019.
15. "Caulfield Station, Melbourne". Lysaght. from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
16. "VICSIG". vicsig.net. from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
17. Rothenbury, Camryn (10 April 2018). "Level-crossing removals: learning from Melbourne's experience". Melbourne School of Design. from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
18. "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. June 1994. p. 184.
19. "Upgrading Eltham to a Premium Station". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. October 1997. p. 310.
20. Victoria’s Big Build (19 July 2022). "Easier train rides with new control centre". Victoria’s Big Build. from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
21. "Victoria's Big Build Continues To Back Our Recovery". Premier of Victoria. from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
22. Jacks, Timna (8 February 2021). "'Time is running out': Calls to upgrade Caulfield Station before Metro Tunnel opens". The Age. from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
23. "And So Ends the Story of the Caulfield Railway Disaster". Kingston Local History. from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
24. "Remembering the 1926 Caulfield Disaster". Public Record Office Victoria. from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
25. "Suicide on Platform – Railway Officer's Death – Sequel to Caulfield Accident". The Argus. Melbourne, Victoria. 13 September 1926. from the original on 9 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023 – via Trove.
26. "Stationmaster's Death – Accident Preyed on Mind". The Brisbane Courier. 13 September 1926. from the original on 9 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023 – via Trove.
27. Sellers, Travis M. (19 October 2008). Whitehead, Graham (ed.). "Caulfield Tragedy: Trauma for the Railway Men". Kingston Local History. from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
28. "Pakenham Line". Public Transport Victoria.
29. "Cranbourne Line". Public Transport Victoria.
30. "Frankston Line". Public Transport Victoria.
31. . Public Transport Victoria. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Public Transport Victoria
32. Victoria’s Big Build (28 November 2022). "About the Metro Tunnel Project". Victoria’s Big Build. from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
33. Victoria’s Big Build (30 October 2022). "Melbourne Airport Rail overview". Victoria’s Big Build. from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
34. "3-3a Melbourne University - East Malvern". Public Transport Victoria.
35. "624 Kew - Oakleigh via Caulfield & Carnegie & Darling and Chadstone (From 4-11-2018)". Public Transport Victoria.
36. "900 Stud Park SC (Rowville) - Caulfield via Monash University & Chadstone (SMARTBUS Service)". Public Transport Victoria.
37. "Confused by the Melbourne train disruptions? Here's what you need to know". ABC News. 5 April 2019. from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
38. Public Transport Victoria. "Train Replacement Bus Stops". from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022 – via Yumpu.

External links

• Public Transport Victoria
•   Media related to Caulfield railway station, Melbourne at Wikimedia Commons