Williamstown Pier railway station
Williamstown Pier | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Satellite view of Williamstown Pier station in 1945 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other names | Pier (1859–1880) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 37°51′57″S 144°54′38″E / 37.86583°S 144.91056°E | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| System | Closed commuter rail station | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line | Williamstown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 14.7 kilometres from Southern Cross | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Demolished | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Station code | WPR | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 17 January 1859[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | 25 March 1987[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Williamstown Pier was a railway station that served as the original terminus of the Williamstown line on the Melbourne rail network.[3] It was located in the suburb of Williamstown and existed primarily to serve the Williamstown docks precinct.[4]
History
The station was opened on 17 January 1859.[5] It was originally named Pier, but the name was changed to Williamstown Pier by 1880.[6][7] The station contained a goods yard that was used for grain shipments up until the 1960s.[5]
Williamstown Pier station was opened to passengers on 15 May 1881.[5] The original goods sheds were destroyed by fire on 24 January 1900.[8] The station relocated to a new site on 8 January 1905.[5][9]
Not all Williamstown line trains served Williamstown Pier, with several running during peak hour to serve dock workers on weekdays, while some trains also ran on weekends for people taking day trips to the area.[10]
By mid-1978, the station building was demolished and was replaced with two smaller brick structures.[11] The last services terminated at the station on 25 March 1987, following a derailment on the sharply curved track leading to the station.[5] All rails, sleepers, overhead wires and signals were removed by October 1988, with the platform track and overhead currently ending just under the Ann Street footbridge, at the down end of Williamstown station.[12] The station was subsequently demolished and replaced with a car park and parkland.[5][13]
The station building was demolished around the early 1990s.[5] A short section of disused tracks beyond Williamstown station was the only remains of the line towards Williamstown Pier, until it was removed in 2021 around the time of the Ferguson Street level crossing removal.[14][15]
References
- ^ "Williamstown Station, Time Ball Tower, Sea Works Maritime Museum, Customs House Hotel & HMAS Castlemaine Corvette Ship" (PDF). Australian Railway Historical Society. 10 January 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 February 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ^ "Victorian Railways Timeline". Victorian Railways. Archived from the original on 11 February 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ^ "WILLIAMSTOWN PIER STATION". The Age. 16 November 1921. p. 10. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ^ Leon, Anne-Marie (7 June 2012). "Heritage Walk in Williamstown". Weekend Notes. Archived from the original on 6 March 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Williamstown Pier". VICSIG. 28 January 2022. Archived from the original on 13 April 2025. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ^ Waugh, Andrew (1999). "Railway Map of Victoria, 1870" (PDF). Victorian Railways Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 August 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ^ Waugh, Andrew (1999). "Railway Map of Victoria, 1880" (PDF). Victorian Railways Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 August 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ^ "WILLIAMSTOWN PIER RAILWAY STATION". Sydney Morning Herald. 25 January 1900. p. 7. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ^ "WILLIAMSTOWN PIER STATION". The Age. 9 January 1905. p. 9. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ^ "Were there more trains 100 years ago? (Part one)". Daniel Bowen. 22 October 2020. Archived from the original on 6 March 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ^ "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. June 1978. p. 118.
- ^ "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. October 1988. p. 314.
- ^ "Williamstown Pier". Victorian Railway Stations. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ^ "Williamstown". Victorian Railway Stations. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ^ "Ferguson Street level crossing removed". Victoria's Big Build. 17 December 2021. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2026.