Craigieburn railway line
# Craigieburn railway line

The Craigieburn line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's sixth shortest metropolitan railway line at 27.0 kilometres (16.8 mi). The line runs from Flinders Street station in central Melbourne to Craigieburn station in the north, serving 21 stations via North Melbourne, Essendon, and Broadmeadows. The line operates for approximately 19 hours a day (from approximately 5:00 am to around 12:00 am) with 24 hour service available on Friday and Saturday nights. During peak hour, headways of up to 5 minutes are operated with services every 20–30 minutes during off-peak hours. Trains on the Craigieburn line run with a two three-car formations of Comeng or Siemens Nexas trainsets.

Services on the line began from North Melbourne to Essendon by the Melbourne & Essendon Railway Company in November 1860. It was closed shortly after, however, the Victorian Railways reopened the Flemington Racecourse line (including the Essendon line as far as Newmarket) in November 1867, and in January 1871, to Essendon. The line was progressively electrified and, in 1921, the line was electrified to Broadmeadows, where it remained till the extension of electrification in 2007.

Since the 2000s, due to the heavily utilised infrastructure of the Craigieburn line, improvements and upgrades have been made. Works have included replacing sleepers, upgrading signalling technology, the extension of the line to Craigieburn, the construction of new stations, the removal of level crossings, the introduction of new rolling stock, and station accessibility upgrades.

## History

### 19th century

The line from North Melbourne to Essendon was opened by the Melbourne & Essendon Railway Company in November 1860. Soon after, the company opened a branch from Newmarket to Flemington Racecourse. Both lines were closed shortly after, in July 1864. The Victorian Railways reopened the Flemington Racecourse line (including the Essendon line as far as Newmarket) in November 1867, and in January 1871, to Essendon. In April 1872, the line was extended to a temporary terminus outside Seymour, awaiting completion of a bridge over the Goulburn River. In December 1894, through services were provided from Essendon to Brighton Beach on the Sandringham line.

### 20th century

Automatic Block Signalling was introduced on the line in 1918, with Kensington to Essendon being converted in June of that year, and North Melbourne to Kensington in October. In May 1919, Flinders Street to Essendon and the Sandringham line were the first lines to be electrified in Melbourne, apart from a test installation on the Flemington Racecourse line. In 1921, the line was electrified to Broadmeadows, where it remained till the extension of electrification in 2007.

In January 1924, an extra pair of tracks, including a flying junction, opened between North Melbourne and Kensington, enabling the separation of passenger and goods traffic in the busy section. Further works were carried out in 1929, when the double tracked Albion–Jacana freight line opened, permitting freight trains to avoid the line via Essendon.

A branch line was opened during the Second World War to Broadstore, designed to connect Broadmeadows station with the Maygar Barracks. The line opened on 12 October 1942 and remaining in operation until 1982, when usage of the base began to.

Automatic Block Signalling was extended to Broadmeadows in November 1965.

### 21st century

In 2003, an unmanned suburban train rolled the length of the line from Broadmeadows station for nearly 17 kilometres (11 mi), eventually crashing into another stationary train at Spencer Street station. 11 people sustained minor injuries, however, nobody was seriously injured or killed from the accident.

On 30 September 2007, electrification of the Broadmeadows line was extended along the regional V/Line tracks to Craigieburn. The Craigieburn rail project delivered projects including:

* Upgrading Craigieburn station to premium station status
* A new station at Roxburgh Park
* New train stabling facilities at Craigieburn
* Construction of overhead wiring system with new sub-stations
* Installation of new signalling systems along the Broadmeadows—Craigieburn corridor
* The provision for a new station at Coolaroo (this ended up being built under another government)

The Craigieburn Rail project started construction in May 2005 and was completed in late September 2007. An additional set of projects were delivered later on, with a new station at Coolaroo opened in 2007 and the construction of a fully-fledged train maintenance facility under the Brumby government.

## Future

### Level Crossing Removals

The Level Crossing Removal Project has announced the removal of 2 level crossings on the line, to be completed in stages from 2018 to 2022. In 2018, one level crossing was removed at Buckley Street, Essendon. The crossing was removed by lowering the road line underneath the rail line. The second crossing to be removed was the one at Glenroy Road, Glenroy, by lowering the rail line underneath the road. In addition, Glenroy station was rebuilt with a modern, wheelchair accessible, lowered design. At the end of these removals, the Craigieburn line will have 5 remaining crossings on the corridor that aren't slatered for removal.

### Wallan extension

Highlighted in the 2018 Victorian Rail Plan, a proposal exists for the Craigieburn line to be connected to the Upfield line, via the construction of a rail link along the Somerton rail corridor. In addition, the Upfield line would be extended to Wallan. The 2018 Victorian Rail Plan has proposed the following projects take place as part of the Wallan extension:

| Stage | Project | Notes |
| - | - | - |
| Stage 2 (Metro Tunnel Day One) | Rerouting of Seymour and Shepparton services via the Upfield line instead of the Craigieburn line | This project is meant to be completed by the opening of the Metro Tunnel in 2025, however, there has not been any recent progress |
| Stage 3 | Somerton to Craigieburn quadruplication | |
| Stage 4 | Extension of the Upfield line to Wallan Electrifying the Somerton link Electrifying the regional track between Craigieburn and Wallan Upgrading Wallan and Donnybrook stations Constructing a new station at Lockerbie Reopening Beveridge station | The Craigieburn line would remain terminating at Craigieburn station, with the Upfield line continuing past Craigieburn, stopping at 3 other stations before terminating at Wallan |

In 2018, the government announced that a business case would be completed for to further investigate the positivity for these series of projects to commence. A business case was completed, however, it was not released to the public. Since the business case in 2018, there has been little developments despite the 'Metro Tunnel Day One' milestone of the 2018 Plan fast approaching. Only a small amount of attention has been given by local residents, council, an action group and some political parties.

## Network and operations

### Services

Services on the Craigieburn line operates from approximately 5:00 am to around 12:00 daily. In general, during peak hours, train frequency is 5–10 minutes in the AM peak on the Craigieburn line while during non-peak hours the frequency is reduced to 20–30 minutes throughout the entire route. On Friday nights and weekends, services run 24 hours a day, with 60 minute frequencies available outside of normal operating hours.

Train services on the Craigieburn line are also subjected to maintenance and renewal works, usually on selected Fridays and Saturdays. Shuttle bus services are provided throughout the duration of works for affected commuters.

**Stopping patterns**

Legend — Station status

* ◼ Premium Station – Station staffed from first to last train
* ◻ Host Station – Usually staffed during morning peak, however this can vary for different stations on the network.

Legend — Stopping patterns Some services do not operate via the City Loop

* ● – All trains stop
* ◐ – Some services do not stop
* ▼ – Only outbound trains stop
* | – Trains pass and do not stop

### Operators

The Craigieburn line has had a total of 8 operators since its opening in 1860. The majority of operations throughout its history have been government run: from the acquisition of the service from private operator the Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company in 1871 until the 1999 privatisation of Melbourne's rail network, four different government operators have run the line. These operators, Victorian Railways, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, the Public Transport Corporation, and Bayside Trains have a combined operational length of 129 years.

Bayside Trains was privatised in August 1998 and later rebranded M>Train. In 2002, M>Train was placed into receivership and the state government regained ownership of the line, with KPMG appointed as receivers to operate M>Train on behalf of the state government. Two years later, rival train operator Connex Melbourne took over the M>Train operations including the Frankston line. Metro Trains Melbourne, the current private operator, then took over the operations in 2009. The private operators have had a combined operational period of 28 years.

Past and present operators of the Craigieburn line: :

| Operator | Assumed operations | Ceased operations | Length of operations |
| - | - | - | - |
| Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company | 1860 | 1864 | 4 years |
| Victorian Railways | 1871 | 1983 | 112 years |
| Metropolitan Transit Authority | 1983 | 1989 | 6 years |
| Public Transport Corporation | 1989 | 1998 | 9 years |
| Bayside Trains (government operator) | 1998 | 2000 | 2 years |
| M>Train | 2000 | 2004 | 4 years |
| Connex Melbourne | 2004 | 2009 | 5 years |
| Metro Trains Melbourne | 2009 | incumbent | 13 years (ongoing) |

### Route

vteCraigieburn railway line :

Legend :

The Craigieburn line forms a somewhat linear route from the Melbourne central business district to its terminus in Craigieburn. The route is 27.0 kilometres (16.8 mi) long and is fully double tracked. The only underground section of the Craigieburn line is in the City Loop, where the service stops at 3 underground stations. Exiting the city, the line steadily rises after leaving North Melbourne until after Essendon, when it then drops slightly to cross Moonee Ponds Creek. Soon after the line encounters the Glenroy Bank, a continuous rising gradient of 1 in 50 for almost 3 kilometres (1.9 mi). After Glenroy, it continues to rise to the end of the suburban line (and beyond). Some sections of the line has been elevated or lowered into a cutting to eliminate level crossings. Despite some removals, there are a number of level crossings still present with no current plans to remove them.

The line follows the same alignment as multiple lines with the Craigieburn line splitting off at North Melbourne. The Craigieburn line continues on its north western alignment, whereas the other lines continue onto a northern, western, or south-western alignment. Most of the rail line goes through built-up suburbs and some industrial areas.

### Stations

The line serves 21 stations across 27.0 kilometres (16.8 mi) of track. The stations are a mix of elevated, lowered, underground, and ground level designs. Underground stations are present only in the City Loop, with the majority of elevated and lowered stations being constructed as part of level crossing removals.

| Station | Accessibility | Opened | Terrain | Train connections |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Flinders Street | Yes—step free access | 1854 | Lowered | 16 connections  Alamein line   Belgrave line   Cranbourne line   Flemington Racecourse line   Frankston line   Gippsland line   Glen Waverley line   Hurstbridge line   Lilydale line   Mernda line   Pakenham line   Sandringham line   Sunbury line   Upfield line   Werribee line   Williamstown line |
| Southern Cross | Yes—step free access | 1859 | Ground level | 27 connections  Alamein line   Albury line   Ararat line   Ballarat line   Belgrave line   Bendigo line   Cranbourne line   Echuca line   Flemington Racecourse line   Geelong line   Gippsland line   Glen Waverley line   Hurstbridge line   Lilydale line   Maryborough line   Mernda line   NSW TrainLink Southern   Pakenham line   Seymour line   Shepparton line   Sunbury line   Swan Hill line   The Overland   Upfield line   Warrnambool line   Werribee line   Williamstown line |
| Parliament | Yes—step free access | 1983 | Underground | 10 connections  Alamein line   Belgrave line   Cranbourne line   Glen Waverley line   Hurstbridge line   Lilydale line   Mernda line   Pakenham line   Sunbury line   Upfield line |
| Melbourne Central | Yes—step free access | 1981 | Underground | 10 connections  Alamein line   Belgrave line   Cranbourne line   Glen Waverley line   Hurstbridge line   Lilydale line   Mernda line   Pakenham line   Sunbury line   Upfield line |
| Flagstaff | Yes—step free access | 1985 | Underground | 10 connections  Alamein line   Belgrave line   Cranbourne line   Glen Waverley line   Hurstbridge line   Lilydale line   Mernda line   Pakenham line   Sunbury line   Upfield line |
| North Melbourne | Yes—step free access | 1859 | Ground level | 7 connections  Flemington Racecourse line   Seymour line   Shepparton line   Sunbury line   Upfield line   Werribee line   Williamstown line |
| Kensington | No—steep ramp | 1860 | Ground level | |
| Newmarket | No—steep ramp | 1860 | Ground level | |
| Ascot Vale | No—steep ramp | 1860 | Ground level | |
| Moonee Ponds | No—steep ramp | 1860 | Ground level | |
| Essendon | No—steep ramp | 1860 | Ground level | 2 connections  Seymour line   Shepparton line |
| Glenbervie | No—steep ramp | 1922 | Ground level | |
| Strathmore | No—steep ramp | 1890 | Ground level | |
| Pascoe Vale | Yes—step free access | 1885 | Ground level | |
| Oak Park | No—steep ramp | 1956 | Ground level | |
| Glenroy | Yes—step free access | 1887 | Lowered | |
| Jacana | No—steep ramp | 1959 | Ground level | |
| Broadmeadows | Yes—step free access | 1873 | Ground level | 4 connections  Albury line   NSW TrainLink Southern   Seymour line   Shepparton line |
| Coolaroo | Yes—step free access | 2010 | Ground level | |
| Roxburgh Park | Yes—step free access | 2007 | Ground level | |
| Craigieburn | Yes—step free access | 1872 | Ground level | 2 connections  Seymour line   Shepparton line |

Station histories :

| Station | Opened | Closed |
| - | - | - |
| Flagstaff | 27 May 1985 || || data-sort-value=13,938 | 38 years | |
| Melbourne Central | 26 January 1981 || || data-sort-value=15,520 | 42 years | Formerly Museum |
| Parliament | 22 January 1983 || || data-sort-value=14,794 | 40 years | |
| Flinders Street | 12 September 1854 || || data-sort-value=61,677 | 168 years | Formerly Melbourne Terminus |
| Southern Cross | 17 January 1859 || || data-sort-value=60,089 | 164 years | Formerly Batman's Hill Formerly Spencer Street |
| North Melbourne | 6 October 1859 || || data-sort-value=59,827 | 163 years | |
| Kensington | 1 November 1860 || 1 July 1864 || data-sort-value=1,338 | 3 years | Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company |
| Kensington | 9 October 1871 || || data-sort-value=55,441 | 151 years | |
| Newmarket | 1 November 1860 || 1 July 1864 || data-sort-value=1,338 | 3 years | Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company |
| Newmarket | 9 October 1871 || || data-sort-value=55,441 | 151 years | |
| Ascot Vale | 1 November 1860 || 1 July 1864 || data-sort-value=1,338 | 3 years | Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company |
| Ascot Vale | 9 October 1871 || || data-sort-value=55,441 | 151 years | |
| Moonee Ponds | 1 November 1860 || 1 July 1864 || data-sort-value=1,338 | 3 years | Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company |
| Moonee Ponds | 9 October 1871 || || data-sort-value=55,441 | 151 years | |
| Essendon | 1 November 1860 || 1 July 1864 || data-sort-value=1,338 | 3 years | Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company |
| Essendon | 9 October 1871 || || data-sort-value=55,441 | 151 years | |
| Glenbervie | 11 September 1922 || || data-sort-value=36,842 | 100 years | |
| Strathmore | 28 October 1890 || || data-sort-value=48,482 | 132 years | Formerly North Essendon |
| Pascoe Vale | 10 November 1885 || || data-sort-value=50,295 | 137 years | |
| Oak Park | 13 August 1956 || || data-sort-value=24,452 | 66 years | |
| Glenroy | 24 January 1887 || || data-sort-value=49,855 | 136 years | |
| Jacana | 15 February 1959 || || data-sort-value=23,536 | 64 years | |
| Broadmeadows | 1 February 1873 || || data-sort-value=54,960 | 150 years | |
| Broadstore Siding | 12 October 1942 || c.1980's || data-sort-value=13,801 | Approx.37 years | |
| Coolaroo | 6 June 2010 || || data-sort-value=4,797 | 13 years | |
| Roxburgh Park | 18 April 1872 || 24 September 1963 || data-sort-value=33,395 | 91 years | Was originally Somerton |
| Roxburgh Park | 1 October 2007 || || data-sort-value=5,776 | 15 years | Reopened as Roxburgh Park |
| Somerton Yard | 30 June 1889 || || data-sort-value=48,967 | 134 years | |
| Craigieburn | 18 April 1872 || || data-sort-value=55,249 | 151 years | |

## Infrastructure

### Rolling stock

The Craigieburn line uses two different types of electric multiple unit (EMU) trains that are operated in a split six-car configuration, with three doors per side on each carriage. The primary rolling stock featured on the line is the Comeng EMUs, built by Commonwealth Engineering between 1981 and 1988. These train sets are the oldest on the Melbourne rail network and subsequently will be replaced by the mid 2030s. The second type of rolling stock is the Siemens Nexas EMUs which are also widely featured on the line, originally built between 2002 and 2005 these train sets feature more modern technology than the Comeng trains.

Alongside the passenger trains, Craigieburn line tracks and equipment are maintained by a fleet of engineering trains. The four types of engineering trains are: the shunting train; designed for moving trains along non-electrified corridors and for transporting other maintenance locomotives, for track evaluation; designed for evaluating track and its condition, the overhead inspection train; designed for overhead wiring inspection, and the infrastructure evaluation carriage designed for general infrastructure evaluation. Most of these trains are repurposed locomotives previously used by V/Line, Metro Trains, and the Southern Shorthaul Railroad.

**Planned rolling stock**

From the middle of 2020s, the next generation of the X'Trapolis family of electric EMUs—the X'Trapolis 2.0—will be introduced. This new model will fully replace the existing fleet of Comeng EMUs currently operating on the line currently with new, modern, and technologically advanced trains. The new trains will feature:

* Modernised doors to reduce the boarding times at stations to under 40 seconds
* Passenger information systems to display that train's journey in real time
* Higher energy efficiency to work with a lower network voltage, to fit in line with modern rail systems overseas
* New interior designs including tip-up seating to allow space for wheelchair spaces.
* Designated bicycle storage areas
* Passenger operated automatic wheelchair ramps located behind driver cabs
* 6 car fully walk through carriages

### Accessibility

In compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act of 1992, all stations that are new-built or rebuilt are fully accessible and comply with these guidelines. Just over half of the stations on the corridor are fully accessible, however, there are some stations that haven't been upgraded to meet these guidelines. These stations do feature ramps, however, they have a gradient greater than 1 in 14. Stations that are fully accessible feature ramps that have a gradient less than 1 in 14, have at-grade paths, or feature lifts. These stations typically also feature tactile boarding indicators, independent boarding ramps, wheelchair accessible myki barriers, hearing loops, and widened paths.

Projects improving station accessibility have included the Level Crossing Removal Project, which involves station rebuilds and upgrades, and individual station upgrade projects. These works have made significant strides in improving network accessibility, with more than 57% of Craigieburn line stations classed as fully accessible. Future station upgrade projects will continue to increase the number of fully accessible stations overtime.

### Signalling

The Craigieburn line uses three position signalling which is widely used across the Melbourne train network. Three position signalling was first introduced in 1918, with the final section of the line converted to the new type of signalling in 2007.

