Flemington Racecourse railway line, Melbourne

NOTE:

Showgrounds and Flemington Racecourse
are only manned when services operate to
the respective stations.

|}

The Flemington Racecourse railway line is a suburb

Suburb

The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

an electric railway

Rail transport

Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...

line in Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. The line has two stations, Showgrounds

Showgrounds railway station, Melbourne

Showgrounds is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Flemington Racecourse railway line in the suburb of Flemington, adjacent to the Melbourne Showgrounds....

and Flemington Racecourse, both in Metcard

Metcard

"OneLink" redirects here. For the computer/cable company, see OneLink Communications.Metcard is the brand name of an integrated ticketing system used to access public transport in Melbourne, Australia. It is a universal ticket which allows users to ride on the city's Metlink network, consisting of...

ticketing Zone 1.

Description

The Flemington Racecourse line is a short branch off the Craigieburn line that serves the Royal Melbourne Show

Royal Melbourne Show

The Royal Melbourne Show is an agricultural show held at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds every September. The Royal Show began in 1848. The focus of the show is the display of rural industry, including livestock and produce. There are associated competitions and awards...

grounds and Flemington Racecourse

Flemington Racecourse

Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is Australia's richest horse race. The racecourse is situated on low alluvial flats, next to the Maribyrnong River...

. The line is fairly level and has only minor earthworks. It has one level crossing

Level crossing

A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...

and one rail-over-road bridge.

The line has no regular services, as it only opens for special events: racedays at the racecourse such as the Melbourne Cup

Melbourne Cup

The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races...

or Oaks Day, and large events at the Showgrounds such as the Royal Melbourne Show itself in September, or the Big Day Out in January. It is otherwise used to store trains between peak hours

Rush hour

A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...

.

At times, services are quite intense, with trains running as frequently as every four minutes. Services are usually operated to either the Showgrounds or the Racecourse. It is rare for any trains to stop at both places.

History

The Flemington Racecourse branch from Newmarket

Newmarket railway station, Melbourne

Newmarket is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Flemington, on the Craigieburn railway line. Newmarket is classed as a Host station and is in Metcard Zone 1.-Facilities:...

was opened by the Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company

Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company

The Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company built a railway line from North Melbourne in Melbourne, Australia to Essendon in 1860. It subsequently built a branch line from Newmarket to Flemington Racecourse in 1861...

in February 1861, but closed three years later, in July 1864. The line was taken over by the Victorian Railways

Victorian Railways

The Victorian Railways operated railways in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companies failed or defaulted, the Victorian Railways was established to take over their operations...

and reopened in November 1867.

The line was electrified

Railway electrification system

A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...

in 1918 for testing of electric trains, and therefore became the first electrified line in Melbourne. The first electric train ran a test trip from Newmarket to Flemington Racecourse station in October 1918.

Automatic signalling

Railway signal

A signal is a mechanical or electrical device erected beside a railway line to pass information relating to the state of the line ahead to train/engine drivers. The driver interprets the signal's indication and acts accordingly...

, using two-position signals, was provided in September 1919. The line also had siding

Rail siding

A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line or branch line or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end...

s serving the Newmarket sale yards and other industries, and the line was operated as a siding most of the time, the points being connected to adjacent point levers and the signals being put out of use. When passenger services were operated on the line, the points were connected to the signal box

Signal box

On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...

es and the signals were brought into use. This arrangement finished in the 1980s or 1990s when the sidings were closed.

Infrastructure

The line is double-tracked

Double track

A double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...

throughout, although a third track used to be available for down trains from the Showgrounds platform to the Racecourse, but it is now blocked at the Showgrounds end and used as a siding

Rail siding

.

The Flemington Racecourse line has Melbourne's only example of two-position automatic signaling, apart from the Hurstbridge line between Greensborough & Hurstbridge. The short line has three mechanical signal boxes, including the Flemington Racecourse box opened in 1895.

Terminating facilities are provided at both the Showgrounds platform and the Racecourse. Stabling facilities are provided at the Racecourse. The Showgrounds has only one platform, on the up track, as trains terminate at the Showgrounds when that station is in use. However, down trains can be routed via the platform then back to the down line to the Racecourse if necessary.

Stations

Showgrounds

Showgrounds railway station, Melbourne

Showgrounds is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Flemington Racecourse railway line in the suburb of Flemington, adjacent to the Melbourne Showgrounds....

station is an intermediate station on the line, and is named for the adjacent Melbourne Showgrounds. The station is only open during special events, such as the annual Royal Melbourne Show

Royal Melbourne Show

. The station has turnstiles for entry to the Melbourne Showgrounds, and a Ticketek

Ticketek

Ticketek is an Australian event ticketing company. Formed in 1979, the company is owned by Nine Entertainment Co. and operates ticketing operations for entertainment and sporting events in Australia, and New Zealand....

booking office for show admission tickets located on the platform.

A wooden station building is located at the station for selling rail tickets. The station has no Metcard

Metcard

ticket machine

Ticket machine

A ticket machine, also known as a ticket vending machine , is a vending machine that produces tickets. For instance, ticket machines dispense train tickets at railway stations and tram tickets at some tram stops and in some trams...

s or validator

Validator

A validator is a computer program used to check the validity or syntactical correctness of a fragment of code or document. The term is commonly used in the context of validating HTML, CSS and XML documents or RSS feeds though it can be used for any defined format or language.-HTML validator:In the...

s, meaning that the booking office, when staffed for special events can only sell pre-encoded tickets, and that tickets sold here cannot be validated until arrival at the final destination.

Three signal box

Signal box

es are located at Showgrounds - Epsom Road box to control trains at the up end, Showgrounds Junction box to control trains at the down end, and Showgrounds Rostrum box (above the station platform )to controls all movements into platform.

Flemington Racecourse

Flemington Racecourse station is the terminus of the line, and is named for the adjacent racecourse. The station is only open on race days and during other special events, such as the annual Melbourne Cup

Melbourne Cup

during the Spring Racing Carnival

Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival

The Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival is the name of a Melbourne, Australia Thoroughbred horse racing series held annually during October and November .-The Carnival and its status in the wider community:...

. At other times it is used to stable trains between peak hours

Rush hour

Possible Extension

Some have suggested, including a former lord mayor of the City of Melbourne

City of Melbourne

The City of Melbourne is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located in the central city area of Melbourne. The city has an area of 36 square kilometres and has an estimated population of 93,105 people. The city's motto is "Vires acquirit eundo" which means "She gathers strength as she...

, that the line is under utilized in periods outside of events at the racecourse and showgrounds (most of the year) and should be extended to the west to service suburbs such as Maribyrnong

Maribyrnong, Victoria

Maribyrnong is a suburb 8 km north-west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maribyrnong, part of River Ward. At the 2006 Census, Maribyrnong had a population of 8242....

(including a new housing estate being proposed by the State Government) and Keilor

Keilor, Victoria

Keilor is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 18 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Brimbank and Hume...

whilst also servicing the nearby Victoria University

Victoria University, Australia

Victoria University is a multi-sector tertiary institution based in Melbourne, Australia with 10 campuses.VU offers qualifications in higher education, vocational education , and short courses...

campus and the Highpoint Shopping Centre

Highpoint Shopping Centre

Highpoint Shopping Centre is a major shopping centre located in Maribyrnong, Victoria, in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The centre has over 400 stores including a four-level Myer department store, Target, Big W, Harris Scarfe, Safeway supermarket, Best and Less, Rebel...

Line guide

Bold stations are termini, where some train services terminate; italic stations are staffed.

Branches from the Craigieburn line at
Newmarket

Newmarket railway station, Melbourne

External links

Statistics and detailed schematic map at the VicSig enthusiast website

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.