Beaconsfield railway station, Melbourne

Beaconsfield railway station is a commuter railway station on the Pakenham line, which is part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the south-eastern suburb of Beaconsfield, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Beaconsfield station is a ground-level unstaffed station, featuring an island platform. It opened on 1 December 1879.[4]

Beaconsfield
PTV commuter rail station
Southbound view of the station building,
April 2006
General information
LocationKenilworth Avenue,
Beaconsfield, Victoria 3809
Shire of Cardinia
Australia
Coordinates38°03′03″S 145°21′58″E / 38.0509°S 145.3660°E / -38.0509; 145.3660
Owned byVicTrack
Operated byMetro Trains
Line(s)Pakenham
Distance46.99 kilometres from
Southern Cross
Platforms2 (1 island)
Tracks2
ConnectionsList of bus routes in Melbourne Bus
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Parking260 spaces
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleNo — steep ramp
Other information
StatusOperational, unstaffed
Station codeBFD
Fare zoneMyki Zone 2
WebsitePublic Transport Victoria
History
Opened1 December 1879; 145 years ago (1879-12-01)
ElectrifiedJuly 1954 (1500 V DC overhead)
Passengers
2005–2006145,381[1]
2006–2007167,017[1]Increase 14.88%
2007–2008193,210[1]Increase 15.68%
2008–2009226,322[2]Increase 17.13%
2009–2010237,027[2]Increase 4.73%
2010–2011236,642[2]Decrease 0.16%
2011–2012239,137[2]Increase 1.05%
2012–2013Not measured[2]
2013–2014213,051[2]Decrease 10.9%
2014–2015227,724[1]Increase 6.88%
2015–2016279,817[2]Increase 22.87%
2016–2017306,721[2]Increase 9.61%
2017–2018293,840[2]Decrease 4.19%
2018–2019273,329[2]Decrease 6.98%
2019–2020234,200[2]Decrease 14.31%
2020–2021109,600[2]Decrease 53.2%
2021–2022119,350[3]Increase 8.89%
2022–2023209,400[3]Increase 75.45%
Services
Preceding station Railways in Melbourne Metro Trains Following station
Berwick Pakenham line Officer
Track layout
Eumemmering Creek
1
2
Station Street
(Removing by 2025)
Cranbourne pipe line

History

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Beaconsfield station opened on 1 December 1879, just over two years after the railway line from Dandenong was extended to Pakenham.[4] The station gets its name from statesman Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom between 1874 and 1880.[5][6]

In 1967, the goods siding was closed to traffic,[4] and was removed later in that same year.[4]

In 1978, flashing light signals were provided at the Station/Goff Street level crossing, located nearby in the down direction of the station,[4] with boom barriers provided later on in 1986.[7]

There is a car-park nearby for travellers. In mid December 2020, a further expansion of an additional car-park of 150 spaces was completed on state-owned land.[8] Improved lighting and CCTV was provided, along with a secure bicycle parking shed and extra bicycle stands. More than 250,000 commuters use the station each year.[9]

On 29 July 2021, the Level Crossing Removal Project announced that the Station Street/Goff Street level crossing will be grade separated by 2025, with a new road bridge to be built over the railway line.[10][11] In November 2023, major construction started on the project to remove the Station Street/Goff Street level crossing.[12] On 5 February 2024, final designs for the new road bridge were released.[13]

The former railway house at 20 Beaconsfield Avenue was built in 1888 and, in 1900, was acquired for use as a station master's house. It is now a private residence.

Platforms and services

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Beaconsfield has one island platform with two faces. It is located at the corner of Woods Street and Beaconsfield Avenue. From the opposite side of the railway line, it is located along Kenilworth Avenue.

It is serviced by Metro Trains' Pakenham line services.[14]

Platform 1:

Platform 2:

By June 2025, it is planned that trains on the Pakenham line will be through-routed with those on the Sunbury line, via the new Metro Tunnel.

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Ventura Bus Lines operates two routes via Beaconsfield station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

  •  836 : Berwick station – Eden Rise Shopping Centre[15]
  •  926 : Pakenham stationWestfield Fountain Gate[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Estimated Annual Patronage by Network Segment Financial Year 2005-2006 to 2018-19 Archived 17 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine Department of Transport
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Railway station and tram stop patronage in Victoria for 2008-2021 Archived 17 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine Philip Mallis
  3. ^ a b Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries) Archived 6 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine Data Vic
  4. ^ a b c d e "Beaconsfield". vicsig.net. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Beaconsfield". Victorian Places. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  6. ^ First, Jamie (7 January 2014). "The A-Z story of Melbourne's suburbs". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 26 December 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  7. ^ John Sinnatt (January 1990). "Level Crossing Protection". Somersault. Signalling Record Society Victoria. pp. 9–17.
  8. ^ "Beaconsfield station gets new car park as work is underway at Craigieburn". Rail Express. 14 July 2020. Archived from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  9. ^ Department of Economic Development, Jobs. "Better parking for Beaconsfield commuters". transport.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  10. ^ "10 more level crossings to go by 2025". Victoria's Big Build. 29 July 2021. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Station Street, Beaconsfield". Victoria's Big Build. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Major works underway at Beaconsfield". Victoria's Big Build. 9 November 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Final designs released for Station Street, Beaconsfield level crossing removal". Victoria's Big Build. 5 February 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Pakenham Line". Public Transport Victoria.
  15. ^ "836 Berwick Station - Eden Rise SC via Bridgewater Estate". Public Transport Victoria. Archived from the original on 30 April 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  16. ^ "926 Pakenham Station - Fountain Gate Shopping Centre via Lakeside & Beaconsfield". Public Transport Victoria.
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