Sunshine railway station, Melbourne

Sunshine
Westbound view from Platform 2 in May 2014
Location	Station Place, Sunshine
Coordinates	37°47′17″S 144°49′57″E / 37.7881°S 144.8325°E / -37.7881; 144.8325Coordinates: 37°47′17″S 144°49′57″E / 37.7881°S 144.8325°E / -37.7881; 144.8325
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	Metro
Line(s)	Serviceton
Distance	12.25 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	4 (1 island, 2 side)
Tracks	5
Connections	Bus
Construction
Structure type	Ground
Parking	250
Bicycle facilities	26
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Status	Premium station
Station code	SUN
Fare zone	Myki zone 1/2 overlap
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	7 September 1885
Rebuilt	2012-2014
Electrified	Yes
Services
Preceding station   Metro Trains   Following station Tottenham toward Flinders Street Sunbury line Albion toward Sunbury Preceding station   V/Line   Following station Footscray toward Southern Cross Serviceton line Ardeer toward Wendouree, Ararat or Maryborough Warrnambool line Deer Park toward Waurn Ponds

Sunshine railway station is located on the Sunbury line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the western Melbourne suburb of Sunshine, opening on 7 September 1885 as Braybrook Junction, and was renamed Sunshine on 15 July 1907.^[1]

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.^[2]

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.^[1] 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.^[3] Boom barriers were provided at the nearby former Anderson Road level crossing, on the Bendigo line, in the same year.^[4]

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.^[3] In 1965, control of signals at Albion station was transferred to the signal box at Sunshine.^[3] Boom barriers were provided at the nearby former Anderson Road level crossing, on the Ballarat line, in 1977.^[4]

On 5 February 1985, Harris trailer carriage 830T was destroyed by fire, in a vandalism attack, whist stabled in the former down siding.^[5]

Sunshine was categorised as a Premium station on 26 July 1996.^[6]

As part of the Regional Rail Link project, the station was rebuilt during 2013/14.^[7] Works included:

• a new bus interchange, completed in September 2013;^[8]
• construction of a new footbridge and concourse, completed in January 2014;^[9]
• upgrading Platforms 1 and 2 with new canopies;
• rebuilding Platform 3 and a new Platform 4, both completed in April 2014;^[10][11]

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.^[12][13][14]

Platform 1:

• Sunbury line: services to Flinders Street

Platform 2:

• Sunbury line: services to Sunbury

Platform 3:

• Ballarat line: V/Line services to Southern Cross
• Geelong line: V/Line services Southern Cross

Platform 4:

• Ballarat line: V/Line services to Ballarat
• Geelong line: V/Line services to Wyndham Vale, Geelong & Waurn Ponds

Transport links

CDC Melbourne operates three routes via Sunshine station:

• 400: to Laverton station (shared with Sita Buslines)^[15]
• 408: St Albans station – Highpoint Shopping Centre^[16]
• 410: to Footscray^[17]

Dyson's Bus Services operates one route via Sunshine station:

•  Night Bus  942: Melbourne CBD (Queen Street) – St Albans station (Saturday and Sunday mornings only)^[18]

Sita Buslines operates six routes to and from Sunshine station:

• 400: to Laverton station (shared with CDC Melbourne)^[19]
• 420: to Watergardens station^[20]
• 427: to Sunshine West^[21]
• 428: to Sunshine West^[22]
• 456: to Woodgrove Shopping Centre (Melton)^[23]
• 471: to Williamstown^[24]

Transdev Melbourne operates four routes via Sunshine station:

• 216: Caroline Springs – Brighton Beach station^[25]
• 219: Sunshine South – Gardenvale^[26]
• 220: to Gardenvale^[27]
•  SmartBus  903: Altona station – Mordialloc station^[28]

Gallery

• 
  Eastbound view from Platform 3 in May 2014
• 
  Westrans Volgren bodied Volvo B7L at Sunshine station in December 2013

References

External links

• Media related to Sunshine railway station at Wikimedia Commons
• Rail Geelong gallery
• Melway map