Kangaroo Flat railway station, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Kangaroo Flat is a railway station on the Melbourne-Bendigo railway in the southern Bendigo
Bendigo, Victoria
Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...

 suburb of Kangaroo Flat
Kangaroo Flat, Victoria
Kangaroo Flat is an outer suburb of Bendigo in Victoria, Australia. The suburb is neighbours with Golden Square.-History:Prior to the gold rush the Bendigo district was part of a large station "the Ravenswood Run". The discovery of very significant gold deposits in the 1850's resulted in a huge...

, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, 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...

.

History

The contract for construction of Kangaroo Flat station was let in 1862. In 1904 it was renamed Kangaroo, being renamed to the original name in 1916. By 1926 facilities included a signal frame
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...

, a pair of side platform
Side platform
A Side platform is a platform positioned to the side of a pair of tracks at a railway station, a tram stop or a transitway. A pair of side platforms are often provided on a dual track line with a single side platform being sufficient for a single track line...

s on the double track
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 :...

, a goods siding and shed on the eastern side of the line, and a crossover between tracks. In 1938 the stationmaster was withdrawn, being worked by the Porter-in-charge under Caretaker conditions.

From 1889 the station had been a block point under the Winters Block system, being capable of 'switching out' in times of quieter traffic. This status remained until 1980, when the signal box was only 'switched in' when required. In 1987 the signal box was closed, and all points and signals removed.

After a fire in 1990 that caused extensive damage, the station building was left unused and only two trains per weekday stopped at the station. The Regional Fast Rail project
Regional Fast Rail project
The Regional Fast Rail project was a rail transport project of the State Government of Victoria, Australia undertaken between 2000 and 2006 aimed at improving the passenger services on the Victorian regional railway network , specifically to reduce travel times, enhance service frequency and...

 saw the line though the station closed in 2005, not being reopened until 2006. The line towards Melbourne was singled, with the line becoming double track at the Melbourne end of Kangaroo Flat and continues until Bendigo, being worked by the signal box there. The decision to single the line was criticised by both rail enthusiasts and communities along the line.

On 26 April 2009 more than 50 people gathered on the station platform to celebrate the first anniversary of additional services to Kangaroo Flat following a community campaign. In the absence of any official ceremony since the extra services and refurbishment of the station building, those present performed a simple ceremony to mark the occasion.

Platforms and services

In the morning, trains to Melbourne depart from Platform 1, while Bendigo trains depart from Platform 2, this reverses in the afternoon. Long distance services to Swan Hill do not stop at Kangaroo Flat.

Platforms 1 and 2:
  • Bendigo line - V/Line services to Southern Cross
  • Bendigo line - V/Line services to Bendigo (1 service per day extends to Echuca)

Upgrades

A $
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...

350,000 upgrade of the station was announced in February 2008, involved the construction of a new booking office, 50 bay car park, bus interchange, and refurbishment of the waiting room.
Part of the reason for the rebuilding of the station was due to car parking shortages at nearby Bendigo station, the upgrade allowing residents of Maiden Gully
Maiden Gully, Victoria
Maiden Gully is a suburb of the regional city of Bendigo in central Victoria, Australia, located west of the central business district along Calder Highway. At the 2006 census, Maiden Gully had a population of 3,225....

, Lockwood and Big Hill to use another station.

From 27 April 2008, the Bendigo line timetable was altered to provide 168 extra train services a week at the station, 17 each weekday. The station is staffed for ticket sales Monday to Friday until lunchtime, and 140 bus services stop at the station providing connections to shops and residential areas. There was also a community campaign to reopen the station. A temporary car park was constructed, with a permanent car park due by mid 2008. Works are still to be completed on the carpark.
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