Echuca railway station is located on the Deniliquin line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of the same name, and opened on 19 September 1864.[2]
It is the northern-most operating passenger railway station on the Deniliquin line, and is the terminus for Echuca line services. It also serves as the terminus of the freight-only Toolamba–Echuca line. The Deniliquin line extends northwards, over the New South Wales state border, and is open for freight traffic. Freight sidings and a silo are located opposite the station.
History
The railway reached Echuca in 1864 and, with the opening of the Echuca Wharf, the town was transformed into a major river port, encouraging substantial urban growth in the 1870s.[3] In 1876, the Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company opened its 71 km (44 mi)-long private railway northwards to Deniliquin.[4]
The brick station building at Echuca was provided with the opening of the line, along with a double-gabled brick goods shed, and a three-road locomotive depot. The station building was expanded in 1877, and a large water tower was erected in the same year (demolished in 1977).[5] An iron footbridge was added in 1880.[6] In June 1974, the former northern waiting room section of the station building was demolished.[7] A concrete rail bridge over the Murray River, to the north of the station, was opened in February 1989, replacing a combined road and rail bridge that had opened in 1878.[3]
A short branch line between Echuca and the port opened with the line, but was closed in 1971. In 2000, $150,000 was provided to fund the reconstruction of the line.[8] By 2002, work was under way, with the cost having increased to $330,000. However, by 2007, the branch was again out of use and was disconnected from the main line.[9]
The branch line from Echuca to Toolamba closed in 2007, but was reopened in October 2013.[10][11] Services on the line were suspended in January 2020.[12]
Platforms and services
Echuca has one platform and is the terminus for Echuca line trains from Southern Cross station.[13]
Platform 1:
- Echuca line services to and from Southern Cross
Transport links
Echuca is also served by V/Line road coaches running between Bendigo and Moama,[13] and NSW TrainLink road coaches to Albury and Wagga Wagga.[14]
Gallery
-
Station building and entrance, June 2015
References
- ^ "Echica Railway Station Complex". Victorian Heritage Database. Government of Victoria. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ Echuca Vicsig
- ^ a b "Echuca-Moama Road Rail Bridge over Murray River". Office of Environment & Heritage. NSW Government. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics. "Private Railways". Year Book Australia, 1921. www.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 20 July 2008.
- ^ "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). August 1977. p. 182.
- ^ "Echuca Railway Station Complex (listing VICH1059)". Australia Heritage Places Inventory. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
- ^ "Items of Interest". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. August 1974. p. 185.
- ^ "Minister Announces Funding for the Port of Echuca Rail Link". Media Release: Minister for Transport. www.dpc.vic.gov.au. 29 May 2000. Retrieved 3 January 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Switchpoint: Victorian Rail Freight Network Review" (PDF). p. 70. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
- ^ Coalition government reopens Echuca to Toolamba line for rail freight Premier of Victoria 3 October 2013
- ^ Echuca to Toolamba reopens Archived 2014-05-12 at the Wayback Machine Rail Express 9 October 2013
- ^ Toolamba-Echuca Line Vicsig
- ^ a b Echuca/Moama - Melbourne timetable Public Transport Victoria
- ^ "Southern timetable". NSW TrainLink. 7 September 2019.
External links
Media related to Echuca railway station at Wikimedia Commons- Victorian Railway Stations gallery
- Melway map at street-directory.com.au
