Mobiltown railway station

Mobiltown
Railway tracks near the former Mobiltown station site
General information
Other namesStandard Oil Platform (1953–1954)
Coordinates37°51′05″S 144°51′11″E / 37.85139°S 144.85306°E / -37.85139; 144.85306
SystemClosed commuter rail station
LineWerribee
Distance13.93 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms1
Tracks1
Other information
StatusDemolished
History
Opened9 November 1953 (9 November 1953)[1]
Closed18 January 1985 (18 January 1985)
Former services
Preceding station MetRail Following station
Newport
towards Flinders Street
 Werribee line Seaholme
towards Werribee
List of closed railway stations in Melbourne
Location

Mobiltown was a railway station on the Altona loop of the Werribee line, which was part of the Melbourne rail network.[2][3] It was located immediately north of the Kororoit Creek Road level crossing next to the oil refinery in the suburb of Altona North.[4][5]

History

The station opened in 1953 as the Standard Oil Platform, serving workers of the oil refinery operated by the Standard Vacuum Oil Company.[6] Construction of the platform was paid for by the company.[7] It was located near the former site of the Williamstown Racecourse station, which was immediately south of the Kororoit Creek Road level crossing and closed in May 1950.[8][9]

Shortly after the company changed its trading name to Mobil Australia, the station's name was changed to Mobiltown on 1 June 1954.[10][11]

Mobiltown was made a public platform in 1958.[6] In October 1977, VicRail told Altona City Council that it intended to close the station "as soon as formalities have been completed" because of low patronage, with most refinery workers using the nearby Paisley station.[12]

The station was officially closed on 18 January 1985.[6][13] Paisley was bypassed and closed three months later, leaving Altona North without a railway station.[14][15]

By 1992, Mobiltown station was demolished and no trace of the platform remained.[16][17] The Kororoit Creek Road level crossing was removed in 2018, with a rail overpass now overshadowing the former site of the station.[18][19] As part of this process, the line was partially duplicated.[20][21]

Australian singer-songwriter Broderick Smith sang about the "Last Train from Mobiltown" on his group's 1981 album Broderick Smith's Big Combo.[22]

Platforms and services

The station at Mobiltown had one platform.[23] It was served by Werribee line trains travelling from Spencer Street station (now known as Southern Cross).[23]

Mobiltown platform arrangement
Platform Line Destination
1  Werribee line  Werribee

See also

References

  1. ^ "Altona Rail History". Beautiful Altona. 20 July 2011. Archived from the original on 15 January 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  2. ^ "BUILDERS LABORERS DID NOT SEE EYE TO EYE". Williamstown Advertiser. 20 August 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  3. ^ "Metropolitan District working timetable (Part I)" (PDF). Victorian Railways. 23 November 1974. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 August 2025. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  4. ^ "Somersault, Vol 9 No 6" (PDF). Signalling Record Society Victoria. November 1986. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 March 2025. Retrieved 5 March 2026. MOBILTOWN–SEAHOLME: The speed around the curve at the up end of the bridge over Kororoit Creek has been increased from 35 km/h to 60 km/h. (I thought we closed Mobiltown – Ed).
  5. ^ "Survey of Post-War Built Heritage in Victoria: Stage One (Part 1)" (PDF). Heritage Alliance. October 2008. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 March 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026. Several pre-war suburban stations were rebuilt, and some entirely new ones created. The latter included two stations specially built for factory employees – Mobiltown Station on the Werribee line at Altona (1953) and General Motors Station on the Pakenham Line at Dandenong (1956)
  6. ^ a b c "Mobiltown Station". Rail Geelong. Archived from the original on 14 December 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  7. ^ "Report of the Victorian Railways Commissioners for the year ended 30 June 1954" (PDF). Victorian Railways. 30 June 1954. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2025. Retrieved 5 March 2026. A new station (Mobiltown) was provided on the Altona line for employees of the Standard-Vacuum Refining Co. Ltd., which paid the cost of construction.
  8. ^ "Williamstown Racecourse Station". Rail Geelong. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  9. ^ "Hobsons Bay Heritage Study" (PDF). Hobsons Bay City Council. 2017. p. 55. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2025. Retrieved 5 March 2026. Mobiltown (railway station was) initially built as a platform called Standard Oil Platform. It was constructed in 1953, quite near to the old Williamstown Racecourse station, which was dismantled in 1951, and had been unused since racing had been discontinued during the Second World War.
  10. ^ "Town". The Age. 20 May 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 5 March 2026. This new locality, to be known as Mobiltown from June 1, can be found between Newport and Seaholme on the Altona line. It is known at present as Standard Oil Platform.
  11. ^ "Report of the Victorian Railways Commissioners for the year ended 30 June 1955" (PDF). Victorian Railways. 30 June 1955. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2025. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  12. ^ "Mobiltown to close?". Altona Star. 12 October 1977. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  13. ^ "Altona" (PDF). Public Transport Users Association. January 1985. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 December 2025. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  14. ^ "Timetables & closed stations: Transport chaos in the western suburbs" (PDF). Public Transport Users Association. July 1985. pp. 8–9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 December 2025. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  15. ^ Dmytryshchak, Goya (17 February 2021). "Altona North train station call". Star Weekly. Archived from the original on 6 February 2025. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  16. ^ "Mobiltown Looking towards Melbourne from Kororoit Creek Road". Weston Langford Railway Photography. 7 February 1992. Archived from the original on 5 March 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  17. ^ "Survey of Post-War Built Heritage in Victoria: Stage One (Part 2)" (PDF). Heritage Alliance. October 2008. p. 111. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 February 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026. Erected for employees at the adjacent GMH factory, this station represents a rare example of a public transport facility being provided for private venture. Its nearest counterpart, the Mobiltown station on the Altona line, has been demolished.
  18. ^ "Kororoit Creek Road Level Crossing Removal". Beautiful Altona. 10 June 2018. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  19. ^ "Kororoit Creek Road, Williamstown North – Project Area Designation". Victoria's Big Build. 10 January 2019. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  20. ^ Dmytryshchak, Goya (6 June 2016). "Second track to improve Altona loop services". Star Weekly. Archived from the original on 5 March 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  21. ^ "Partial duplication of the Altona Loop announced". Victoria's Big Build. 9 June 2016. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  22. ^ "Last Train from Mobiltown". Beautiful Altona. 21 July 2011. Archived from the original on 15 January 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  23. ^ a b "Mobiltown". VICSIG. 3 October 2007. Archived from the original on 14 December 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
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