Meeandah railway station

Meeandah
Station statistics
Address	Kingsford Smith Drive, Pinkenba
Coordinates	27°25′47″S 153°06′30″E / 27.4297°S 153.1083°E / -27.4297; 153.1083Coordinates: 27°25′47″S 153°06′30″E / 27.4297°S 153.1083°E / -27.4297; 153.1083
Lines	Pinkenba Line
Connections	Bus
Platforms	1 side platform
Other information
Closed	September 27, 1993 (1993-09-27)
Owned by	Queensland Rail
Fare zone	2
Services
Preceding station   Queensland Rail   Following station Bunour toward Roma Street Pinkenba Line Pinkenba Terminus

Meeandah railway station is an abandoned railway station on the Pinkenba railway line, just 8.7 km (5.4 mi) from the Brisbane central business district; 13.4 km from Central station by rail. It closed on 27 September 1993.

The name Meeandah comes from the English word "meander," after the twisting and turning route of the nearby Brisbane River.^[1] Meeandah railway station falls within the suburb of Pinkenba.

History

The line to Pinkenba opened on 3 September 1882. During World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945), troop camps were located in the area because of deep berthing available to ships at Pinkenba on the mouth of the Brisbane River. Passenger ships of the Orient Steam Navigation Company—later P&O—used the Pinkenba wharf, and special trains ran from Brisbane.^[2]

The HMS Nabreekie Mobile Naval Air Base and a large army camp defense storage and warehouse facility were located near Meeandah railway station during World War II; the army camp remains today as the Damascus Barracks.^[3]

In 1988, part of the Pinkenba line was electrified; however, only as far as the earlier Eagle Farm station. Diesel-hauled passenger services in stainless steel carriages infrequently operated passenger services through Meeandah. All passenger services on the line were suspended on 27 September 1993 by the Goss Labor Party government's rationalisation of the state rail network with the suspending or closing of unprofitable and underutilised rail lines.

Current status

Sign advising that buses replace trains

All that remains of Meeandah railway station today is its original low-level platform.

Replacement bus service

The bus stop for the replacement TransLink bus service (303) is immediately beside Meeandah station in Kingsford Smith Drive.

See also

• Citytrain
• TransLink (South East Queensland)

References

1. ^ Potter, Ron. "Place Names of South East Queensland". Piula Publications. http://www.dovenetq.net.au/~piula/Placenames/page42.html. Retrieved 2007-11-25. 
2. ^ Hallam, Greg (2005). Brisbane's Biography (Steamtrain Sunday). QR Limited. 
3. ^ Dunn, Peter (2003-06-09). "Army Camp at Meeandah, Brisbane during WW2". http://home.st.net.au/~pdunn/ozatwar/campmeeandah.htm. Retrieved 2007-11-25.