Owned by VicTrack Line(s) Serviceton Opened 7 September 1885 Owner VicTrack Connection Bus | Operated by Metro Connections Bus Station status Premium station Status Premium station Platforms in use 4 (1 island, 2 side) | |
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Location Station Place, Sunshine
Australia Distance 12.25 kilometres from Southern Cross Address City Pl, Sunshine VIC 3020, Australia Similar Albion railway station - M, Murrumbeena railway station, Heidelberg railway station, Glenhuntly railway station, Footscray railway station | ||
Sunshine railway station is located on the Sunbury line, in Victoria, Australia. It serves the western Melbourne suburb of Sunshine, and opened on 7 September 1885 as Braybrook Junction. It was renamed Sunshine on 15 July 1907.
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Sunshine is also serviced by V/Line Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong services, with the station serving as the junction for the Serviceton line, to the state's west. The Melbourne – Sydney standard gauge line passes to the north of the station.
In 2013/14, the station was rebuilt, as part of the Regional Rail Link project.
History
The Melbourne & Murray River Railway (now named the Bendigo line), originating from Spencer Street station, was built in the late 1850s, from Footscray station to Sunbury and Bendigo, however, no station was built at that time on the current site; the closest station was Albion & Darlington, on the site of the current Albion station.
In 1885, the Serviceton line from Melbourne to Ballarat, via Bacchus Marsh, was built, branching off from the Bendigo line, and a station at the junction of the two lines was built. The station opened on 7 September 1885, as Braybrook Junction, named such as it was at the junction of the two lines, and was within the Shire of Braybrook.
In 1887, the Sunshine – Newport line, connecting the new station at Braybrook Junction to Newport and Williamstown, Victoria's major cargo port at the time, was opened.
In 1907, Braybrook Junction station was renamed Sunshine, when Hugh McKay moved his Sunshine Harvester Works adjacent to the station. On 20 April 1908, Sunshine was the scene of the worst train crash in Victorian railway history, the Sunshine train disaster.
The Albion – Jacana line opened in 1929, connecting Sunshine station with the North East line, allowing freight trains to avoid the steeper grades and suburban traffic on the suburban line between North Melbourne, Essendon and Broadmeadows.
The road level crossing at Sunshine was removed when grade separation was carried out in 1961. Boom barriers were provided at the nearby former Anderson Road level crossing, on the Bendigo line, in the same year.
A fourth platform was opened in January 1963, on the adjacent Melbourne – Sydney standard gauge line, to enable passengers to transfer between the interstate Sydney and Adelaide expresses. In 1965, control of signals at Albion station was transferred to the signal box at Sunshine. Boom barriers were provided at the nearby former Anderson Road level crossing, on the Ballarat line, in 1977.
On 5 February 1985, Harris trailer carriage 830T was destroyed by fire, in a vandalism attack, whist stabled in the former down siding.
The sidings leading to Massey Ferguson were booked out of use in 1988, with the lead to the sidings, which crossed the standard gauge line, was removed in February of the same year.
Sunshine was categorised as a Premium station on 26 July 1996.
As part of the Regional Rail Link project, the station was rebuilt during 2013/14. Works included:
Facilities, platforms and services
Sunshine has two side platforms and a centre island platform. Access is provided to the platforms using stairs, lifts and ramps from an overhead footbridge and concourse, which features a customer service window, an enclosed waiting room and toilets. It is serviced by Metro Trains' Sunbury line and V/Line Ballarat and Geelong services.
Platform 1:
Platform 2:
Platform 3:
Platform 4:
Transport links
CDC Melbourne operates three routes via Sunshine station:
Dyson's Bus Services operates one route via Sunshine station:
Sita Buslines operates six routes to and from Sunshine station:
Transdev Melbourne operates four routes via Sunshine station: