Willison railway station

Railway station in Melbourne, Australia

37°50′09″S 145°04′13″E / 37.8357°S 145.0703°E / -37.8357; 145.0703Owned byVicTrackOperated byMetro TrainsLine(s)AlameinDistance12.15 kilometres from
Southern CrossPlatforms2 sideTracks2ConstructionStructure typeGroundParkingYesBicycle facilitiesYesAccessibleNo—steep rampOther informationStatusOperational, unstaffedStation codeWSNFare zoneMyki Zone 1WebsitePublic Transport VictoriaHistoryOpened8 June 1908; 115 years ago (1908-06-08)Rebuilt19 December 1954ElectrifiedOctober 1924
(1500 V DC overhead)Previous namesGolf Links (1908-1936)Passengers2005–200684,779[1]2006–200796,596[1] Increase 13.93%2007–2008102,947[1] Increase 6.57%2008–200996,312[2] Decrease 6.44%2009–201096,346[2] Increase 0.035%2010–201197,112[2] Increase 0.79%2011–201287,210[2] Decrease 10.19%2012–2013Not measured[2]2013–201487,614[2] Increase 0.46%2014–201587,730[1] Increase 0.13%2015–201694,688[2] Increase 7.93%2016–201797,248[2] Increase 2.7%2017–2018104,182[2] Increase 7.13%2018–2019102,600[2] Decrease 1.51%2019–202080,300[2] Decrease 21.73%2020–202132,400[2] Decrease 59.65%2021–202235,750[3] Increase 10.34%2022–202362,800[3] Increase 75.66% Services
Preceding station Railways in Melbourne Metro Trains Following station
Riversdale Alamein line Hartwell
towards Alamein
Track layout
Legend
to Riversdale
1
2
to Hartwell

Willison railway station is located on the Alamein line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the eastern Melbourne suburb of Camberwell, and opened on 8 June 1908 as Golf Links. It was renamed Willison on 23 July 1936.[4]

History

Willison station was not part of the original Outer Circle line. It was provided for the convenience of members of the Riversdale Golf Club, which was originally adjacent to the site. It has been said that influential club members did not appreciate having to walk to either Riversdale or Hartwell, and pressed for a closer alternative.[5] That almost certainly explains why Willison was built so close to Riversdale, being only 400 metres away. The club moved from the site in 1927 and, on 23 July 1936, the station was renamed Willison, after A. J. Willison, a former member of Camberwell Council.[6][7]

The station was originally served by the so-called Deepdene Dasher, which ran a shuttle on the remnant of the Outer Circle line between Ashburton and Deepdene. After the Deepdene Dasher ceased operation in 1927, the station was served by Ashburton line trains. Twelve years later, on 28 June 1948, the line was extended from Ashburton to Alamein,[8] the service which still exists today.

In 1954, the current station platforms were provided when the line was duplicated between Riversdale and Hartwell.[4] In 1972, both platforms were extended at the down end, and a pedestrian crossing was relocated.[9]

During the 2018/2019 financial year, Willison was the sixth-least-used station on Melbourne's metropolitan network, with 102,600 passenger movements.[10]

Platforms and services

Willison has two side platforms. It is served by Alamein line trains.[11]

Platform 1:

  •  Alamein line  weekday all stations and limited express services to Flinders Street; all stations shuttle services to Camberwell

Platform 2:

  •  Alamein line  all stations services to Alamein

References

  1. ^ a b c d Estimated Annual Patronage by Network Segment Financial Year 2005-2006 to 2018-19 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 Philip Mallis
  3. ^ a b Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries) Data Vic
  4. ^ a b "Willison". vicsig.net. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Riversdale Station". City of Boroondara. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
  6. ^ "News in brief". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 22 July 1936. p. 18. Retrieved 11 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ First, Jamie (7 January 2014). "The A-Z story of Melbourne's suburbs". Herald Sun. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  8. ^ "News of the Day". The Age. 29 June 1948. p. 2.
  9. ^ "Way and Works". Divisional Diary. Australian Railway Historical Society. March 1972. p. 6.
  10. ^ Mallis, Philip. "Which were the least and most used stations in Victoria before COVID?". Victorian Department of Transport. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Alamein Line". Public Transport Victoria.

External links

  • Media related to Willison railway station, Melbourne at Wikimedia Commons
  • Melway map at street-directory.com.au
  • v
  • t
  • e
Public Transport Victoria railway stations
Metro Trains Melbourne services and stations
Alamein
V/Line services and stations
  • Stations and services in italics are planned or under construction
  • Stations in (parentheses) are uncommon stops for the listed service