Melton railway station, Melbourne

Melton
Station building on Platform 2, August 2006
General information
LocationStaughton Street,
Melton South, Victoria 3338
City of Melton
Australia
Coordinates37°42′12″S 144°34′21″E / 37.7032°S 144.5725°E / -37.7032; 144.5725
SystemPTV regional rail station
Owned byVicTrack
Operated byV/Line
LinesBallarat Ararat Maryborough
(Ararat)
Distance37.32 kilometres from
Southern Cross
Platforms2 side
Tracks2
Connections Bus
Construction
Structure typeGround
Parking167
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
StatusOperational, staffed
Station codeMEL
Fare zoneMyki Zone 2
WebsitePublic Transport Victoria
History
Opened2 April 1884 (1884-04-02)
Passengers
2013–2014557,957[1]
2014–2015588,252[1]  5.42%
2015–2016660,431[1]  12.27%
2016–2017726,339[1]  9.97%
2017–2018Not measured[1]
2018–2019827,850[1]  13.97%
2019–2020653,450[1]  21.07%
2020–2021326,100[1]  50.09%
2021–2022386,650[2]  18.57%
2022–2023560,150[3]  44.87%
2023–2024761,300[4]  35.91%
Services
Preceding station V/Line Following station
Cobblebank
towards Southern Cross
 Ballarat line Bacchus Marsh
towards Wendouree
Ballarat line
(Melton line)
 Bacchus Marsh
Terminus
Terminus
Ararat line Bacchus Marsh
towards Ararat
Maryborough line
One daily service
 Bacchus Marsh
One-way operation
Location
Melton
Location within Melbourne

Melton railway station is a regional railway station on the Ararat line. It serves the outer-western suburb of Melton South, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Melton is a ground level premium station featuring two side platforms. It opened on 2 April 1884, with the second platform added in 1991.

The station is currently being rebuilt as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project, with the new station planned to open in 2026.[5] The new station will be an elevated premium station with four platforms. Platform 1 and 4 will be side platforms, and Platform 2 and 3 will be an island platform with two faces.[6] The new station will accommodate 9-carriage VLocity trains, which are planned to be introduced on the line in 2027.[7]

History

19th century

Melton Station opened when the railway line from Braybrook Junction (Sunshine) was extended to the suburb. Like the suburb itself, the station was named after Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, England.[8][9]

In 1886, the line was extended westward to Parwan and, being on a single track section, the station was the site of a crossing loop from that time. By 1889, the station had an interlocked signal box, single passenger platform, and a three-track yard. There was a goods shed opposite the passenger platform.[10]

20th century

In 1962, flashing light signals were provided at the Exford Road level crossing, located nearby in the up direction from the station.[11] In 1987, the yard was rationalised, being reduced to a main line and crossing loop. Boom barriers were provided at the level crossing in 1990, and a second platform was added in 1991.[12] In 1998, the station building was refurbished.

21st century

In 2005, as part of the Regional Fast Rail project, control of the signals was transferred to the Ballarat signal box.[13] The station retained the lever frame for historical purposes until the original station was demolished in 2025.

As part of the Regional Rail Revival project, 18 km of track was duplicated between the Deer Park West junction and Melton.[14][15] The duplication was completed in late 2019, coinciding with the opening of the newly-built Cobblebank Station.[11][16][17]

On 6 September 2025, the station building on platform 2 was demolished to make way for the new elevated station.[18][19]

Future

On 6 October 2022, the Andrews Government announced that four level crossings will be removed in Melton and Truganina by the Level Crossing Removal Project. As part of these removals, Melton Station is currently being rebuilt.[20][21][22][23] The rebuilt station will include four platforms, allowing trains to terminate at Melton without blocking services going further. Platform 1 and 4 will be side platforms, and Platform 2 and 3 will be an island platform with two faces.[6] The new station will accommodate 9-carriage V/Line VLocity DMUs, set to be introduced to the line in 2027.[7]

Electrification and quadruplication of the Ararat line up to Melton was announced by the Andrews Government in 2018 as part of its Western Rail Plan. After speculation in 2023 that this upgrade had been cancelled,[24][25] in 2025, a track diagram was released showing changes that will be made as part of the major upgrades planned for Sunshine Station. According to the diagram, quadruplication is planned to occur between a junction site near Caroline Springs and Sunshine; the new tracks will run into a new pair of platforms at Sunshine. The tracks at Sunshine will be reconfigured to route the future electrified Melton service through the Metro Tunnel.[26]

Platforms and services

Melton has two side platforms and is served by V/Line Ballarat and Ararat line trains.[27][28]

Melton platform arrangement
Platform Line Destination Service Type
1  Ballarat line 
 Ararat line 
 Maryborough line  		Southern Cross Maryborough line: One daily V/Line service
2  Ballarat line 
 Ararat line  		Bacchus Marsh, Wendouree, Ararat

Transit Systems Victoria operates six bus routes and one route is operated by Christians Bus to and from Melton station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

  •  452 : to Eynesbury[29]
  •  453 : to Melton[30]
  •  454 : to Cobblebank station[31]
  •  455 : to Micasa Rise/Roslyn Park (Harkness)[32]
  •  457 : to Melton[33]
  •  458 : to Kurunjang[34]
  •  459 : to Arnolds Creek (Melton West)[35]
  • FlexiRide Melton South[36]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Railway station and tram stop patronage in Victoria for 2008-2021 Archived 17 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine Philip Mallis
  2. ^ "Annual regional train station patronage (station entries) - Annual regional train station patronage (station entries) - 2021-2022 - Victorian Government Data Directory". discover.data.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  3. ^ "Annual regional train station patronage (station entries) - Annual regional train station patronage (station entries) - 2022-2023 - Victorian Government Data Directory". discover.data.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  4. ^ "Annual regional train station patronage (station entries) - Annual regional train station patronage (station entries) - 2023-2024 - Victorian Government Data Directory". discover.data.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  5. ^ Build, Victoria’s Big (2 September 2025). "Powering ahead on level crossing removals in the west". Victoria’s Big Build. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Final designs for Melton level crossing removals". Victoria's Big Build. 2 October 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  7. ^ a b Build, Victoria’s Big (29 August 2025). "Melton Line Upgrade fast tracked". Victoria’s Big Build. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  8. ^ "Melton". Victorian Places. Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  9. ^ First, Jamie (7 January 2014). "The A-Z story of Melbourne's suburbs". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 26 December 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  10. ^ "Victorian Station Histories - Melton" (PDF). www.vrhistory.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 26 May 2008.
  11. ^ a b "Melton". vicsig.net. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  12. ^ "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). October 1991. p. 338.
  13. ^ "Melton - Interlocking Information". vicsig.net. Archived from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  14. ^ Minister for Public Transport (1 March 2017). "$518 Million Ballarat Line Upgrade Released To Market". Premier of Victoria website. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  15. ^ "Ballarat Line Upgrade". Rail Projects Victoria. 2 February 2019. Archived from the original on 30 January 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  16. ^ "Cobblebank Station opening community event". Victoria's Big Build. 24 June 2021. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  17. ^ "Celebrating Cobblebank Station opening". Victoria's Big Build. 24 June 2021. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  18. ^ jimjin (4 January 2025). "Heritage at a crossroads". Melton & Moorabool. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
  19. ^ Build, Victoria’s Big (2 September 2025). "Powering ahead on level crossing removals in the west". Victoria’s Big Build. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
  20. ^ Build, Victoria’s Big (2 September 2025). "Powering ahead on level crossing removals in the west". Victoria’s Big Build. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  21. ^ Build, Victoria's Big (6 October 2022). "Making Melton level crossing-free". Victoria’s Big Build. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  22. ^ "Fast-tracking level crossing removals". Victoria's Big Build. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  23. ^ "New Melton Station designs as part of massive upgrades". Victoria's Big Build. 23 March 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  24. ^ "Confusion and plummeting confidence in rail promises for regional Victoria". ABC News. 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  25. ^ Hatch, Patrick (2 August 2023). "Axing train lines to Melbourne's west not a broken promise, government says". The Age. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  26. ^ Build, Victoria’s Big (2 June 2025). "Your new Sunshine Station Superhub". Victoria’s Big Build. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  27. ^ Ballarat - Melbourne timetable Public Transport Victoria
  28. ^ Ararat - Melbourne Public Transport Victoria
  29. ^ [1]
  30. ^ "453 Melton - Melton Station via Brookfield". Public Transport Victoria.
  31. ^ 454 Melton Station to Cobblebank Station Archived 24 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine Public Transport Victoria
  32. ^ "455 Micasa Rise-Roslyn Park - Melton Station". Public Transport Victoria.
  33. ^ "457 Melton - Melton Station via Melton West". Public Transport Victoria.
  34. ^ "458 Kurunjang - Melton Station". Public Transport Victoria.
  35. ^ "459 Arnolds Creek to Melton Station via Westlake". Public Transport Victoria.
  36. ^ "FlexiRide - Melton South". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
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