Craigieburn railway line
| Craigieburn | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Type | Melbourne suburban service | ||
| System | Metro Trains Melbourne, V/Line, freight | ||
| Connecting lines | Flemington Racecourse, Albion-Jacana lines | ||
| Former connections | Upfield line at Somerton (Roxburgh Park) | ||
| Stations | 15 | ||
| Services | Stops all stations; early morning weekend services skip Southern Cross. Some weekday peak services originate and terminate at Broadmeadows. Weekday morning and weekend services run clockwise, while weekday afternoon services run anticlockwise, through the City Loop. Early morning weekend services run via (but not stopping at) Southern Cross to and from Flinders Street. | ||
| Operation | |||
| Commenced | 1860 | ||
| Completed | 1872 | ||
| Rolling stock | Comeng, Siemens | ||
| Number of tracks | Double track throughout | ||
|
|||
The Craigieburn railway line is the suburban electric railway inner section of the main North East railway line serving the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. It has 15 stations across Myki ticketing zones 1 and 2. Prior to electrification it was called the Broadmeadows railway line.
The line rises steadily after leaving North Melbourne until after Essendon, then drops a little to cross Moonee Ponds Creek, and soon after encounters the Glenroy Bank, a continuous rising gradient of 1 in 50 for nearly 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) that taxed locomotive-hauled trains in the days of steam. After Glenroy, it continues to rise to the end of the suburban line and beyond. Earthworks are, however, generally moderate.
The almost-continuous gradients were a factor when, in 2003, an unmanned suburban train rolled the length of the line from Broadmeadows to the city, and crashed into a stationary but loaded passenger train waiting to depart Southern Cross Station (then Spencer Street). No one was killed or seriously injured.
The line is double track throughout, and controlled by automatic block signalling. It has numerous level crossings and many grade-separated road and rail bridges. Terminating facilities are at Kensington, Newmarket (by shunting onto the Flemington Racecourse line), Essendon, Broadmeadows and Craigieburn. Only Essendon, Broadmeadows, and Craigieburn are normally used, the latter two daily and Essendon in special circumstances. Train stabling is at Broadmeadows and Craigieburn.
...
Wikipedia