Geelong railway station

Geelong railway station is located on the Warrnambool line, in Victoria, Australia. It serves the city of Geelong, and opened on 1 November 1856.[1][2] It is (together with Ballarat) one of only two stations in Victoria to have a 19th-century train shed, and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.[3] The railway station complex has also been listed by the National Trust of Australia as being of state-level significance.[4]

Geelong
Southward view in October 2006
Location	Gordon Avenue, Geelong Australia
Coordinates	38°08′40″S 144°21′18″E
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	V/Line
Line(s)	Warrnambool
Distance	72.57 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	3 (1 island, 1 side)
Tracks	9
Construction
Structure type	Ground
Parking	Yes
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Status	Staffed
Station code	GLG
Fare zone	Myki Zone 4
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	1 November 1856
Services
Preceding station V/Line Following station North Geelong towards Southern Cross Geelong line South Geelong towards Waurn Ponds Warrnambool line Limited service South Geelong towards Warrnambool Footscray towards Southern Cross Warrnambool line Warrnambool line Weekdays only Waurn Ponds towards Warrnambool

History

The station was built as the terminus of the Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company line. It was a dead-end terminus, located on the site of the present law courts complex. In November 1876, the railway was extended south to Winchelsea,[1] necessitating the relocation of the station to the west, and between 1877 and 1881, the current station building was constructed.[5]

The station building was upgraded in 1988,[6] and included new passenger waiting areas and booking offices.[6]

Until the 1990s, there was a goods yard, including a large goods shed, located on the eastern side of the station.[7] It is now the site of Geelong's law courts and police station. A locomotive depot remains to the north, and carriage stabling sidings are to the west.

In March 2015, a further upgrade to the station was completed, which included the installation of a new DDA-compliant pedestrian overpass connecting all platforms, which included lifts, avoiding the need to use the original heritage-protected pedestrian bridge, which only has stairs.[8]

Platforms and services

Geelong has one island platform with two faces, and one side platform. It is serviced by V/Line Geelong and Warrnambool line services.[9][10] Some services terminate at Geelong, although most continue south.

Prior to the Regional Rail Link opening, almost all trains used platform 1. Platforms 2 & 3 were only used when platform 1 was occupied. Platform 1: Up trains to Southern Cross and down trains to South Geelong, Marshall, and Waurn Ponds.

Platform 2: Up and Down Warrnambool trains, terminating services and other services if platform 1 was occupied.

Platform 3: Terminating services, Special Heritage services and other services if platform 1 was occupied.

After the opening of the Regional Rail Link, Geelong now has three times as many services running, requiring trains to cross at Geelong on a regular basis. The platforms have now been divided into up and down platforms.

Platform 1: Down trains to South Geelong, Marshall, Waurn Ponds, and Warrnambool.

Platform 2: Up trains when platform 3 is occupied, special heritage services

Platform 3: Up trains to Southern Cross, terminating services.

It is common for a trains to be in all three platforms e.g. Platform 1: Down Waurn Ponds

Platform 2: Up stopping all stations

Platform 3: Up express from Warrnambool.

Platform 1:

•  Geelong line  V/Line services to South Geelong, Marshall, Waurn Ponds, and Southern Cross
•  Warrnambool line  V/Line services to Warrnambool, and Southern Cross

Platform 2:

•  Geelong line  V/Line services from South Geelong, Marshall, Waurn Ponds to Southern Cross
•  Warrnambool line  V/Line services from Warrnambool to Southern Cross

Platform 3:

•  Geelong line  V/Line services from South Geelong, Marshall, Waurn Ponds to Southern Cross
•  Warrnambool line  V/Line services from Warrnambool to Southern Cross

Peak hour terminating services.

Transport links

V/Line operates road coach services from Geelong to Apollo Bay, Ballarat, Colac and Warrnambool.[11] McHarry's Buslines and CDC Geelong also operate town bus services within Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula from Geelong station.[12][13]

References

1. Geelong Vicsig
2. Geelong Station Rail Geelong
3. Geelong Railway Station Victorian Heritage Register
4. Geelong Railway Station Complex National Trust Database
5. Wong, Marcus. "Geelong Station". Rail Geelong. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
6. "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. November 1988. p. 349.
7. Geelong Railway Station Complex National Trust of Australia (Victoria)
8. Geelong Station Disability Access Project Archived 16 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine Public Transport Victoria
9. Geelong - Melbourne timetable Public Transport Victoria
10. Warrnambool - Melbourne via Colac Public Transport Victoria
11. Warrnambool - Melbourne via Apollo Bay Public Transport Victoria
12. "Geelong bus timetables & maps". CDC Victoria. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
13. "Timetables". McHarry's Buslines. Retrieved 9 February 2021.

External links

• Media related to Geelong railway station at Wikimedia Commons
• Victorian Railway Stations gallery