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Richmond railway station, Melbourne

Coordinates: 37°49′25″S 144°59′20″E / 37.82361°S 144.98889°E / -37.82361; 144.98889
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Richmond
PTV commuter and regional rail station
Westbound view from Platform 5, September 2024
General information
LocationPunt Road,
Richmond, Victoria 3121
City of Melbourne
City of Yarra
Australia
Coordinates37°49′25″S 144°59′20″E / 37.82361°S 144.98889°E / -37.82361; 144.98889
Owned byVicTrack
Operated byMetro Trains
Line(s)
Distance3.80 kilometres from
Southern Cross
Platforms10 (5 island)
Tracks10
Connections
  • List of bus routes in Melbourne Bus
  • Melbourne tram route 70 Tram
Construction
Structure typeElevated
AccessibleNo—steep ramp
Other information
StatusOperational, premium station
Station codeRMD
Fare zoneMyki Zone 1
WebsitePublic Transport Victoria
History
Opened8 February 1859; 165 years ago (1859-02-08)
RebuiltDecember 1859
Mid 1880s
Late 1950s
ElectrifiedMay 1919 (1500 V DC overhead)
Previous namesPunt Road (1859)
Swan Street (1859–1866)
Passengers
2019–20202,965,500[1][2] Decrease 29.84%
2020–20211,292,650[1] Decrease 56.41%
2021–20221,966,800[3] Increase 52.15%
2022–20233,105,850[3] Increase 57.91%
2023–20243,722,400[4] Increase 19.85%
Services
Preceding station Railways in Melbourne Metro Trains Following station
Flinders Street or Parliament
towards Flinders Street
 Lilydale line East Richmond
towards Lilydale
Belgrave line East Richmond
towards Belgrave
Alamein line
Weekday peaks only
 East Richmond
towards Alamein
Glen Waverley line East Richmond
towards Glen Waverley
Darling
Weekday peak express services
towards Glen Waverley
Pakenham line South Yarra
towards East Pakenham
Cranbourne line South Yarra
towards Cranbourne
Flinders Street
towards Werribee or Williamstown
 Frankston line South Yarra
towards Frankston
Flinders Street
Terminus
 Sandringham line South Yarra
towards Sandringham
Preceding station Railways in Victoria V/Line Following station
Flinders Street
towards Southern Cross
 Gippsland line Caulfield
towards Traralgon or Bairnsdale
Track layout
Legend
to Flinders Street
to Parliament
1
3
5
7
9
2
4
6
8
10
to South Yarra
to East Richmond
This diagram:

Richmond railway station is a commuter and regional railway station on the suburban Alamein, Belgrave, Cranbourne, Frankston, Glen Waverley, Lilydale, Pakenham, and Sandringham lines; and the regional Gippsland line, part of the Melbourne and Victorian railway networks. It serves the inner east suburb of Richmond, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Richmond station is an elevated premium station and major junction, featuring ten platforms: five island platforms with two faces each. It opened on 8 February 1859, with the current station provided in the late 1950s.[5]

Initially opened as Punt Road, the station was renamed two times. The station was renamed to Swan Street on 12 December 1859, then it was given its current name of Richmond on 1 January 1867.[5]

History

[edit]

Richmond station has been relocated and rebuilt four times. The first station was at ground level, and opened on 8 February 1859 as Punt Road. It closed in the same year, on 12 December. On the same day, a new station called Swan Street, also at ground level, opened. It was re-named Richmond on 1 January 1867.[5] In 1885, an elevated station was opened just north of Swan Street, with six platforms.

By the 1930s, the station was struggling to cope with patronage. The 1940 Ashworth Improvement Plan recommended that it be rebuilt, but funding problems during World War II prevented that from happening.[6] The station had also deteriorated to the point that it was condemned by the local council. In the 1950s, work began on a replacement, as part of Operation Phoenix, the postwar rebuilding of the Victorian Railways.[7] However, 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 time, platforms at both the old and new stations were used, before the original station was closed and demolished.

In 1973, the flyover for the down Burnley local line was built at the up end of Platforms 9 and 10,[5] with the junction to the east of Platforms 7, 8, 9 and 10 abolished in the same year.[5]

Richmond station was the filming location for the opening scene of the 1992 Australian film Romper Stomper where it was used as a stand-in for Footscray station.

In 1994, major re-signalling works occurred between Richmond and South Yarra.[5] On 4 December 1996, Richmond was upgraded to a premium station.[8]

During 2015, the verandahs on all platforms were lengthened and roofs installed over the ramps leading to the pedestrian subway at the up end of the station.[9] The additional verandahs filled in the gaps between the existing verandahs, giving passengers coverage against inclement weather and to reduce overcrowding.[9]

During the 2018/2019 financial year, it was the ninth-busiest station in metropolitan Melbourne, with 4.17 million boardings per year.[10]

Platforms, facilities and services

[edit]
Platform 5 and 6 station PIDS displaying an East Pakenham and Flinders Street services, July 2024

Richmond has ten platforms: five island platforms with two faces each. It is built on an embankment immediately east of Punt Road, with platforms extending west across the Punt Road railway bridge. The station is connected by three subways, with access to the platforms by ramps. There are no lifts at the station.

The station is located in Melbourne's sporting precinct. A special-events entrance at the western end is opened during events at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne Park and AAMI Park.

A High Capacity Metro Train on an East Pakenham bound service arrives at Platform 6, July 2024

It is serviced by Metro Trains' Alamein, Belgrave, Cranbourne, Frankston, Glen Waverley, Lilydale, Pakenham and Sandringham line services, and V/Line's Gippsland line services.

Platform 6 signage for Gippsland and Dandenong group lines

Platform 1:

Platform 2:

Platform 3:

Platform 4:

Platform 5:

Platform 6:

Platform 7 and 8:

Platform 9 and 10:

Schematic diagram of the station
[edit]

Kinetic Melbourne operates one bus route via Richmond station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

  •  246 : Elsternwick station – Clifton Hill[11]

Yarra Trams operates one route via Richmond station:

Usage

[edit]
A chart showing passenger usage at Richmond Station between 2008 and 2024 sorted by financial year.

In 2023-24 financial year, Richmond was the sixth-busiest station on Melbourne's metropolitan network.

[edit]
  • Westbound view from Platform 6, with the now replaced Sydney style blue and yellow tactile, which were replaced with the regular orange and yellow tactile in mid-2010s, March 2008
    Westbound view from Platform 6, with the now replaced Sydney style blue and yellow tactile, which were replaced with the regular orange and yellow tactile in mid-2010s, March 2008
  • Westbound view from Platform 1, January 2021. The junction of Punt Road and Olympic Boulevard is to the left, with AAMI Park in the distance
    Westbound view from Platform 1, January 2021. The junction of Punt Road and Olympic Boulevard is to the left, with AAMI Park in the distance
  • The exterior building and entrance on the southern side of the station, September 2024
    The exterior building and entrance on the southern side of the station, September 2024
  • Westbound view from Platform 6, July 2024
    Westbound view from Platform 6, July 2024

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ weekday peaks only

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Railway station and tram stop patronage in Victoria for 2008–2021 Philip Mallis
  2. ^ Estimated Annual Patronage by Network Segment Financial Year 2005–2006 to 2018–19 Department of Transport
  3. ^ a b Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries) Data Vic
  4. ^ "Railway station patronage for Melbourne and Victoria 2008 – 2024 | Philip Mallis". Philip Mallis. Victorian Department of Transport and Planning. 13 October 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Richmond". Vicsig. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  6. ^ Lee, Robert (2007). The Railways of Victoria 1854–2004. Melbourne University Publishing Ltd. p. 185. ISBN 978-0-522-85134-2.
  7. ^ Public Relations and Betterment Board (1952). Phoenix Pauses. Victorian Railway Commissioners. (VR publicity brochure)
  8. ^ "Upgrading Eltham to a Premium Station". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. October 1997. pp. 303–315.
  9. ^ a b "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. August 2016. p. 243.
  10. ^ "Station Patronage Data 2013–2018". Philip Mallis. Transport for Victoria. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  11. ^ "246 Elsternwick - Clifton Hill via St Kilda". Public Transport Victoria.
  12. ^ "70 Waterfront City Docklands - Wattle Park". Public Transport Victoria.
[edit]

Media related to Richmond railway station, Melbourne at Wikimedia Commons

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