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Ararat railway station

Coordinates: 37°16′56″S 142°56′12″E / 37.2823°S 142.9367°E / -37.2823; 142.9367
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Ararat
PTV regional and Journey Beyond inter-city rail station
Westbound view from Platform 2, April 2022
General information
LocationBirdwood Avenue,
Ararat, Victoria 3377
Rural City of Ararat
Australia
Coordinates37°16′56″S 142°56′12″E / 37.2823°S 142.9367°E / -37.2823; 142.9367
Owned byVicTrack
Operated byV/Line
Journey Beyond
Line(s)
Distance210.82 kilometres from
Southern Cross
Platforms2 (1 side, 1 bay)
Tracks4
Connections
  • Regional bus Bus
  • Regional coach Coach
Construction
Structure typeGround
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesYes
Other information
StatusOperational, staffed
Station codeART
Fare zoneMyki not available. Paper ticket only.
WebsitePublic Transport Victoria
History
Opened7 April 1875; 149 years ago (1875-04-07)
Closed27 May 1994
Rebuilt11 July 2004
Passengers
2013–201442,882[1]
2014–201542,447[1] Decrease 1.01%
2015–201641,630[1] Decrease 1.92%
2016–201740,522[1] Decrease 2.66%
2017–2018Not measured[1]
2018–201942,750[1] Increase 5.49%
2019–202031,700[1] Decrease 25.84%
2020–202115,500[1] Decrease 51.1%
Services
Preceding station Railways in Victoria V/Line Following station
Beaufort
towards Southern Cross
 Ararat line Terminus
Beaufort
towards Ballarat
 Ararat line
One daily shuttle service
Preceding station Journey Beyond Following station
Stawell
towards Adelaide
 The Overland North Shore
towards Melbourne
Former service
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Terminus   Ararat–Maryborough line   Ben Nevis
Location
Ararat is located in Victoria
Ararat
Ararat
Location within Victoria

Ararat railway station is located on the Ararat and Western standard gauge lines in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Ararat, and opened on 7 April 1875.[2]

The station is the terminus of the broad gauge line from Southern Cross in Melbourne; and the junction for the Western standard gauge line to Adelaide, the standard gauge line to Maryborough via Avoca, and the Portland line.

Ararat is served by a passenger service operated by V/Line to Melbourne, and Journey Beyond's The Overland passenger service to Adelaide.

History

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Ararat station opened when the railway line from Ballarat was extended to the town.[2] In December 1877, a line south to Portland opened and, in January 1887, the mainline was extended west, reaching the South Australian border at Serviceton. In 1890, the line to Maryborough opened.[3] Two signal boxes ("A" and "B") opened in 1891 and, in 1914, the goods sidings were extended, with the locomotive depot built soon after.[3]

In the late 1930s, the locomotive depot was expanded, in conjunction with the anticipated arrival of the new H class 4-8-4 steam locomotives, intended for use on The Overland passenger train. An 85-foot (26 m) turntable was installed, with 24 roads around it, the largest on the Victorian Railways network. Before that, Stawell had been the major locomotive servicing facility in the region.[4]

During 1985, the passenger facilities in the main station building were refurbished.[5] However, during that time, rationalisation of the facilities began. Signal box "B" was demolished in 1984, with the train control office following in 1988. The footbridge, which was located at the up end of the station, was destroyed in a derailment in May 1986.[6] The Mobil siding and associated points and staff lock were abolished in January 1988.[7] The locomotive depot closed in 1989, the train crew depot closed on 30 June 1994,[8] with signal box "A" following in 1996.

Gauge conversion was carried out at the station in the 1990s, with the main line to Adelaide being converted to standard gauge as part of the One Nation project. On 21 August 1993, V/Line passenger services to Dimboola were withdrawn, and services to Ararat were withdrawn on 27 May 1994 to allow for conversion of the Ararat−Serivceton section of the line to standard gauge. That section of the line was connected to other sections of track also converted as part of the One Nation project to form the Western standard gauge line, which opened in 1995.

On 11 July 2004, the broad gauge line to Ballarat and Melbourne was reopened, with V/Line passenger services being reinstated.[9][10] The contract for the work had been awarded in February 2003.[11] A diamond crossing and associated signalling had to be installed, to allow the broad gauge line to cross the standard gauge line and reach the platform. In January 2005, the Maryborough line was booked out of use.[2]

The Murray Basin Rail Project, which began in 2016, included reopening of the line from Ararat to Maryborough. In early 2018, the line was officially re-opened at Avoca, after having sat idle for more than 13 years.[12]

As part of the Regional Rail Revival project, an extra stabling siding was provided at the station, to accommodate an extra morning service.[13] By early 2021, the project had been completed, with a new timetable being introduced on 31 January of that year.[13] The stabling yard is able to hold two three-carriage VLocity trains.[13]

Platforms, facilities and services

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Ararat has two platforms. The full-length standard gauge platform is on the north side, with broad gauge trains using a bay platform on the south side. There is a railway grade crossing approximately 500 metres east of the station, which allows the broad gauge line to cross the standard gauge line and continue east towards Beaufort and Ballarat, while the standard gauge line heads south towards Geelong.

Control of signals at the station is carried out by both the Australian Rail Track Corporation control centre at Mile End, South Australia, and Centrol, in Melbourne.[2]

Two dead-end sidings, located to the east, are used for stabling broad gauge passenger trains and there are two standard gauge loops, and one dead-end siding, across from the main platform.[14]

Ararat is served by V/Line Ararat line trains on the broad gauge line, and Journey Beyond The Overland services on the standard gauge line.[15][16]

Platform 1:

Platform 2:

[edit]

Ararat Transit operates six bus routes via Ararat station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:[17]

  •  1 : to Ararat West via Brewster Road[18]
  •  2 : to Ararat South via Burke Street[19]
  •  3 : to Ararat North via Baird Street[20]
  • to Maryborough via Elmhurst and Avoca[21]
  • to Hopkins Correctional Centre[22]
  • Ararat – Lake Bolac via Willaura[23]

V/Line operates road coach services from Ararat to Ballarat, Warrnambool and Nhill.[24][25][26] The Ballarat and Nhill services are operated by Firefly Express.

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Railway station and tram stop patronage in Victoria for 2008-2021 Philip Mallis
  2. ^ a b c d "Ararat". vicsig.net. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b The Ararat Story Royal Historical Society of Victoria
  4. ^ Lee, Robert (2007). The Railways of Victoria 1854–2004. Melbourne University Publishing. p. 164. ISBN 978-0-522-85134-2.
  5. ^ "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. May 1985. p. 147.
  6. ^ "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. August 1986. p. 249.
  7. ^ "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. April 1988. p. 123.
  8. ^ "Taildisc". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. July 1994. p. 220.
  9. ^ "Action-Packed Day to Welcome Trains Back to Ararat". Media Release: Minister for Public Transport. www.legislation.vic.gov.au. 5 July 2004. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
  10. ^ "Ararat sleepers awake to new sound - the train". The Age. 10 July 2004. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  11. ^ "$20 Million Contract Signed to Re-open Ararat & Bairnsdale Rail Lines". Media Release: Minister for Public Transport. www.legislation.vic.gov.au. 3 February 2003. Archived from the original on 14 September 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
  12. ^ "Rail freight is back on the Maryborough-Ararat line". The Courier. 13 January 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  13. ^ a b c "Ararat Stabling Upgrade". Victoria's Big Build. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  14. ^ ARTC system maps: Victoria Western Line Australian Rail Track Corporation
  15. ^ Ararat–Melbourne Public Transport Victoria
  16. ^ The Overland Timetable 3 January 2021 Archived 15 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine Journey Beyond
  17. ^ "Ararat transit launched". Ararat Advertiser. yourguide.com.au. 13 May 2008. Archived from the original on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
  18. ^ "Ararat 1 Ararat West via Brewster Road & Lowe Road". Public Transport Victoria.
  19. ^ "Ararat 2 Ararat South via Burke Road & Churchill Avenue". Public Transport Victoria.
  20. ^ "Ararat 3 Ararat North via Baird Street & NMIT & Alfred Street". Public Transport Victoria.
  21. ^ "Ararat - Maryborough via Elmhurst & Avoca". Public Transport Victoria.
  22. ^ "Ararat Station - Hopkins Correctional Centre". Public Transport Victoria.
  23. ^ "Ararat - Lake Bolac via Willaura". Public Transport Victoria.
  24. ^ Ararat–Ballarat Public Transport Victoria
  25. ^ Warrnambool–Ararat Public Transport Victoria
  26. ^ Nhill–Ararat Public Transport Victoria
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