West Footscray railway station

West Footscray railway station is a commuter railway station on the Sunbury line, which is part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the western suburb of West Footscray, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. West Footscray station is a ground-level unstaffed station, featuring three platforms, an island platform with two faces and one side platform, accessible by a pedestrian footbridge. It opened on 1 October 1888, with the current island platform provided in 2013 and the current side platform provided in 2020.[4]

West Footscray
PTV commuter rail station
Westbound view from Platform 1, August 2021
General information
LocationSunshine Road,
West Footscray, Victoria 3012
City of Maribyrnong
Australia
Coordinates37°48′06″S 144°53′07″E / 37.8018°S 144.8853°E / -37.8018; 144.8853
Owned byVicTrack
Operated byMetro Trains
Line(s)Sunbury
Distance7.33 kilometres from
Southern Cross
Platforms3 (1 island, 1 side, middle platform disconnected)
Tracks7
ConnectionsList of bus routes in Melbourne Bus
Construction
Structure typeGround
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes—step-free access
Other information
StatusOperational, unstaffed
Station codeWFY
Fare zoneMyki Zone 1
WebsitePublic Transport Victoria
History
Opened1 October 1888; 136 years ago (1888-10-01)
ClosedNovember 2012
Rebuilt1976
14 October 2013
6 July 2020
ElectrifiedOctober 1921
(1500 V DC overhead)
Previous namesFootscray West (1888–1912)
Passengers
2005–2006300,313[1]
2006–2007336,312[1]Increase 11.98%
2007–2008351,421[1]Increase 4.49%
2008–2009392,650[2]Increase 11.73%
2009–2010398,015[2]Increase 1.36%
2010–2011426,490[2]Increase 7.15%
2011–2012355,557[2]Decrease 16.63%
2012–2013Not measured[2]
2013–2014448,029[2]Increase 26%
2014–2015596,277[1]Increase 33.08%
2015–2016671,539[2]Increase 12.62%
2016–2017734,860[2]Increase 9.42%
2017–2018751,584[2]Increase 2.27%
2018–2019733,050[2]Decrease 2.46%
2019–2020515,950[2]Decrease 29.61%
2020–2021213,500[2]Decrease 58.62%
2021–2022283,750[3]Increase 32.9%
Services
Preceding station Railways in Melbourne Metro Trains Following station
Middle Footscray Sunbury line Tottenham
Track layout
to Tottenham Yard
1
2
3

Initially opened as Footscray West, the station was given its current name of West Footscray on 1 September 1912.[4]

Two dual gauge tracks run to the north of the station, forming the South Kensington – West Footscray freight line, which links the Port of Melbourne and other freight terminals to the rest of the state. The tracks also form part of the Melbourne – Sydney and Melbourne – Adelaide standard gauge lines. Two Regional Rail Link tracks run to the south of the station.

History

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In 1976, the original station buildings were demolished, and replaced with brick structures.[5] In 2013, the station was rebuilt 200 metres further west, to accommodate two lines to the south as part of the Regional Rail Link project. On 14 October of that year, the new station opened, and the old station was demolished soon after.[6][7][8]

A third platform has been built to the north of the existing island platform, as part of the Metro Tunnel project, to allow services to terminate and return. Work commenced in late 2018 and the new platform was opened on 6 July 2020.[9][10][11]

Platforms, facilities and services

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West Footscray has one island platform with two faces and one side platform. It is served by Sunbury line trains, but express services do not stop there.[12] Access to the platforms is provided by stairs, lifts and ramps from an overhead footbridge, which also includes a cycling path.[6]

Platform 1:

Platform 2 (currently closed):

Platform 3 (formerly Platform 2):

By June 2025, it is planned that services on the Sunbury line will be through-routed to the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines, via the new Metro Tunnel.

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CDC Melbourne operates three bus routes via West Footscray station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

  •  411 : Laverton stationFootscray[13]
  •  412 : Laverton station – Footscray[14]
  •  414 : Laverton station – Footscray station[15]

Transit Systems Victoria operates two routes via West Footscray station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Estimated Annual Patronage by Network Segment Financial Year 2005-2006 to 2018-19 Department of Transport
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Railway station and tram stop patronage in Victoria for 2008-2021 Philip Mallis
  3. ^ Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries) Data Vic
  4. ^ a b "West Footscray". vicsig.net. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  5. ^ Vincent Adams Winter (1990). VR and VicRail: 1962–1983. V.A. Winter. p. 106. ISBN 0-9592069-3-0.
  6. ^ a b West Footscray railway station Regional Rail Link
  7. ^ New Train Station Opens in West Footscray Minister for Public Transport 13 October 2013
  8. ^ Byrne, Bridie (14 October 2013). "Brand new train station at West Footscray officially opened". Maribyrnong Leader. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  9. ^ "Construction at West Footscray station". Metro Tunnel. Victoria State Government. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  10. ^ Carey, Adam (27 November 2016). "West Footscray next in line for housing boom along Melbourne's railways". The Age. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  11. ^ Millar, Benjamin (26 April 2016). "Overhaul for new West Footscray station". Star Weekly. Archived from the original on 30 May 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Sunbury Line". Public Transport Victoria.
  13. ^ "411 Laverton Station - Footscray via Altona Meadows & Altona & Millers Rd". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  14. ^ "412 Laverton Station - Footscray via Altona Meadows & Altona & Mills St". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  15. ^ "414 Laverton Station - Footscray via Geelong Rd". Public Transport Victoria.
  16. ^ "472 Williamstown - Moonee Ponds via Footscray". Public Transport Victoria.
  17. ^ "947 Footscray - Newport Station via Altona North". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
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