Passenger rail service in metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Flemington Racecourse
Comeng train stabled at Flemington Racecourse station.
Overview
Service type
Commuter rail
System
Melbourne railway network
Status
Operational; special events only
Locale
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
First service
28 February 1861; 163 years ago (1861-02-28)
Current operator(s)
Metro Trains
Former operator(s)
M&ER (1861–1864)
Victorian Railways (VR) (1867–1974)
VR as VicRail (1974–1983)
MTA (The Met) (1983–1989)
PTC (The Met) (1989–1998)
Hillside Trains (1998–2000)
Connex Melbourne (2000–2009)
Route
Termini
Flinders Street Flemington Racecourse
Stops
5
Distance travelled
7.8 km (4.8 mi)
Average journey time
~17 minutes
Service frequency
4–60 minutes during special events
Line(s) used
Flemington Racecourse, Albury (Craigieburn)
Technical
Rolling stock
Comeng, Siemens, X'Trapolis 100
Track gauge
1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Electrification
1500 V DC overhead
Track owner(s)
VicTrack
Route map
Legend
km
zone
0.0
Flinders Street
●●●●●●●●●●●●
1
1.2
Southern Cross
●
2.9
North Melbourne
●●●●●●●
7.0
Showgrounds
7.8
Flemington Racecourse
1
km
zone
This diagram:
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The Flemington Racecourse line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.[1] Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's shortest metropolitan railway line at 7.8 kilometres (4.8 mi). The line runs from Flinders Street station in central Melbourne to Flemington Racecourse station, situated next to the racecourse in the city's north west, serving a total of 5 stations.[2] The line operates only during special events, with services as frequent as every 4 minutes during peak periods of those special events.[3][4] Trains on the Flemington Racecourse line run with two three-car formations of Comeng, Siemens Nexas, or X'Trapolis 100 trainsets.[5]
The Flemington Racecourse line originated in 1861 as a branch of the Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company, designed to link the Melbourne rail network with Flemington Racecourse.[6] The racecourse, established in 1840, gained its railway connection in 1861 but closed in 1864 due to financial issues.[7] The Victorian Railways took over and reopened the line in 1867.[7] Notably, the line was electrified in 1918, making it Melbourne's first electrified route.[8] Automatic signalling was introduced in 1919, though the connection between points and signals ceased in the 1980s or 1990s with the closure of sidings.
Since the 2010s, only minor upgrades have taken place, including upgrades of signalling, the replacement of sleepers, and station accessibility upgrades.
^"Showgrounds – Flemington Racecourse Line". Public Transport Victoria. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
^"Metro's paper timetables mess". Daniel Bowen. 3 September 2017. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
^"Showgrounds/Flemington via Southern Cross Station 11.08.2023 until 13.08.2023" (PDF). Public Transport Victoria. n.d.
^"Showgrounds/Flemington via Southern Cross Station 18.08.2023 until 20.08.2023" (PDF). Public Transport Victoria. n.d.
^Carey, Adam (7 November 2014). "Trains are working better but seating not guaranteed". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
^"Official Site | Victoria Racing Club". www.vrc.com.au. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
^ abCite error: The named reference harrigan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Ian Cook (May 2019). "Centenary of the Inauguration of Electric Train Services". Newsrail. Vol. 47, no. 5. Vic: ARHS Victoria Division. p. 134. ISSN 0310-7477. OCLC 19676396.
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