Stawell railway station

Stawell railway station is located on the Western standard gauge line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Stawell, opening in 1877. It was the temporary terminus of the line from Ararat, until 17 December 1878, when the line was extended to Murtoa.[1]

Stawell
Station in August 2011
LocationNapier Street, Stawell
Australia
Coordinates37°03′34″S 142°46′22″E
Owned byVicTrack
Operated byV/Line
Line(s)Western standard gauge
Distance241.14 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms1
Tracks1
Construction
Structure typeGround
Disabled accessYes
Other information
StatusUnstaffed
Station codeSTL
Fare zoneMyki Zones 20/21 overlap
WebsitePublic Transport Victoria
History
Opened1877
Services
Preceding station Journey Beyond Following station
Ararat
towards Melbourne
 The Overland Horsham
towards Adelaide

History

The station was first built in 1877, following the extension of the Serviceton line from Ararat. The Ararat to Stawell railway line was first approved by the Victorian Government by Act No. 475, which passed into law on 25 November 1873. In 1876, the Ararat to Stawell line was completed, and a temporary station was set up just south of the town. This was named Wild Cat, and was only used until the completion of the current station.

Boom barriers were provided at the nearby Seaby Street level crossing in 1978, replacing hand-operated gates.[2]

In 1981, the former water tower at Stawell was dismantled. The tower dated back to around 1910–15.[3]

Rationalisation of the yard occurred in 1984, including removing two roads at the Up end, and No. 4 road also was abolished. This resulted in triple crosses almost impossible to occur.[4]

CTC signalling was provided at Stawell during 1985. Rationalisation also occurred again around this time, with No. 2 road (crossing loop) abolished, along with two signal boxes.[5]

The station was served by V/Line Dimboola services, until these services were withdrawn on 21 August 1993.[6] After passenger services ceased, the Stawell and District Cultural Associated was formed. In March 1995, the association was granted use of the station, with an art gallery opened.

For a number of years after the discontinuation of the Dimboola service, local residents called for The Overland to make an additional stop at Stawell. When it was announced that The Overland would additionally stop at Nhill in 2007, Stawell, despite representations made, was not included.[7] This was redressed, and in April 2011, The Overland commenced stopping at Stawell, with 60 seats available.[8] A $710,000 upgrade was carried out to the station in preparation for the return of train services.[9]

Platforms & services

Stawell has one platform. It is serviced by Journey Beyond Overland services.[10]

Platform 1:

V/Line operate road coach services from Stawell to Halls Gap.[11]

References
  1. Stawell Vicsig
  2. "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. October 1978. p. 213.
  3. "Traffic". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. November 1981. p. 272.
  4. "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. December 1984. p. 378.
  5. "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. September 1985. p. 281.
  6. Chris Banger (March 1997). "Rail Passenger Service Withdrawals Since 1960". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society: 77–82.
  7. Overland bypasses Stawell station Stawell Times 23 January 2007
  8. Trains return to Stawell Premier of Victoria 10 April 2011
  9. All Aboard: Train Services to Return to Stawell Minister for Public Transport 14 October 2010
  10. The Overland Great Southern Rail
  11. Halls Gap - Melbourne Public Transport Victoria
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