Richmond railway station, Melbourne

MelbourneRailwayStation1
NAME=Richmond
IMAGELINK=Richmond-station-platforms.jpg
CAPTION=Platforms at Richmond station, looking towards the city
CODE=RMD
DISTANCE=2.4 km
LINES=
Alamein,
Bairnsdale,
Belgrave,
Cranbourne,
Frankston,
Glen Waverley,
Lilydale,
Pakenham,
Sandringham
PLATFORMS=10
TRACKS=10
STATUS=Premium Station
FACILITIES= [http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/stop/view/19908 Link]
TIMETABLES= [http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/stop/view/19908#linkInfomation Link]
MELWAY= [http://www.street-directory.com.au/sd_new/genmap.cgi?x=144.98915073166&y=-37.8239043721171&sizex=650&sizey=650&level=6&star=1&circle= Link]

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&z=16&ll=-37.823692,144.988621&spn=0.01256,0.019956&om=1 Link]
ZONE=1

Richmond station is a suburban railway station in Melbourne, Australia. It is located in the suburb of Richmond, and is built on an embankment immediately east of Punt Road with platforms extending west across the Punt Road railway bridge.

Richmond station has ten platforms connected by three subways, and is the junction of all of Melbourne's eastern and south eastern rail lines, with trains on the Frankston, Glen Waverley, Pakenham, Sandringham, Cranbourne, Belgrave, Lilydale and Alamein lines passing through the station.

Located 2.4 km from Flinders Street Station, Melbourne's central suburban railway station, Richmond station is located close to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Punt Road Oval and Melbourne Park, so is often busy during sporting and other special events.

Tram route 70 runs past Richmond Station along Swan Street. Punt Road underpasses directly under the station via a major interchange with Swan Street and Brunton Avenue.

History

Richmond station has been relocated and rebuilt four times. The first station in Punt Road was at ground level and opened on 8 February, 1859. It closed the same year on 12 December, 1859. On the same day the new station, also at ground level, opened in Swan Street. In 1885, an elevated station just north of Swan Street was opened with six platforms.

By the 1930s the station was struggling with the patronage, with the 1940 Ashworth Improvement Plan recommending that it be rebuilt but funding issues during World War II prevented it from happening.cite book |author=Lee, Robert |title=The Railways of Victoria 1854-2004 |publisher=Melbourne University Publishing Ltd |date=2007 |isbn= 9780522851342 |page=p.185] The station had also deteriorated to the point that it was condemned by the local council, and so work begun in the 1950s on a replacement. Part of Operation Phoenix, the postwar rebuilding of Victorian Railways,cite book |author=Public Relations and Betterment Board |title=Phoenix Pauses |publisher=Victorian Railway Commissioners |date=1952 (VR publicity brochure)] it was not until 26 March, 1960 that the present station was completed. Located slightly west of the previous station, the bridges at each end of the station across Punt Road and Swan Street were also rebuilt to accommodate the ten tracks. For a period, platforms at both the old and new stations operated, before the original station finally closed and was demolished.

The station was upgraded to Premium Station status on December 4 1996.cite journal
year = 1997
month = October
title = Upgrading Eltham to a Premium Station
journal = Newsrail
publisher = Australian Railway Heritage Society (Victorian Division)
pages = page 310 ]

The condition of Richmond station was criticised again in 2005, with claims made that it served as a poor gateway for spectators watching the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The Victorian Government considered redeveloping the station, but was shelved due to the cost. [cite news |first=Dan |last=Silkstone |title=Call to revamp 'shabby' Richmond station |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/call-to-revamp-shabby-richmond-station/2005/08/03/1122748699989.html |work=The Age |date=August 4, 2005 |accessdate=2008-03-02 ]

Film

Richmond station was the filming location for the opening scene of the 1992 Australian film "Romper Stomper", although it was credited as Footscray station in the film.

Diagram

References

MetlinkVlineStations
Line1 = Alamein, Belgrave, Glen Waverley & Lilydale lines
Next1plain = East Richmond or Burnley
Previous1plain = Parliament (via City Loop) or Flinders Street (direct)
Line2 = Cranbourne, Frankston, Pakenham & Sandringham lines
Next2 = South Yarra
Previous2plain = Parliament (via City Loop) or Flinders Street (direct)
VLine = Bairnsdale line
VNext = Caulfield
VPreviousplain = Flinders Street
VICORMELB = Melbourne