South Melbourne light rail station

South Melbourne is a light rail station on the former St Kilda railway line, and was located in the Melbourne suburb of South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The station was adjacent to the intersection of Ferrars and Dorcas Streets, just minutes from South Melbourne Market. A pair of low-level side platforms, immediately north of the disused station, now serve route 96 trams on the light rail line, with a pedestrian crossing in between.^[1]

South Melbourne
PTV tram stop
Photo from bridge over South Melbourne railway station of the station
General information
Location	South Melbourne, Victoria 3205 Australia
Coordinates	37°50′00″S 144°57′20″E
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	Yarra Trams
Line(s)	St Kilda
Platforms	2 (2 side)
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	At grade
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Status	Operational
Station code	127 SMB (former)
Fare zone	Myki Zone 1
History
Opened	16 September 1858
Closed	1 August 1987
Rebuilt	21 November 1987
Electrified	600 V DC overhead
Previous names	Emerald Hill South Melbourne railway station
Services
Preceding station Yarra Trams Following station City Road towards East Brunswick Route 96 Albert Park towards St Kilda Beach
Former services Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station Sandridge Bridge   St Kilda line   Albert Park   List of closed railway stations in Melbourne

History

South Melbourne station opened in 1858, not long after the line through it opened in 1857. It was originally known as Emerald Hill, and was renamed South Melbourne in 1884.^[2] To the south of the station are three road overpasses in quick succession, carrying Dorcas, Bank and Park streets over the light rail line.^[3]

The St Kilda railway line was closed in 1987, and was converted to a light rail route. The route 96 tram now runs past the former station. The last train service ran on 31 July 1987, and the light rail service was officially commissioned on 21 November of the same year.^[4] The high-level railway platforms have been fenced off from public access. The station building is now a child care centre.^[5]

Tram services

Yarra Trams operates one route via South Melbourne station:

• : East Brunswick – St Kilda Beach^[6]

References

1. "News". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. June 1988. p. 178.
2. "South Melbourne". VICSIG - Infrastructure. www.vicsig.net. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
3. "St Kilda line 1952". www.victorianrailways.net. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
4. Chris Banger (March 1997). "Rail Passenger Service Withdrawals Since 1960". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). pp. 77–82.
5. "Child Care & Kindergarten South Melbourne". Only About Children. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
6. "96 East Brunswick - St Kilda Beach". Public Transport Victoria.