Inner Circle Rail Trail

Inner Circle
A map of the Inner Circle railway line
Overview
Type	Melbourne suburban service
Status	parkland, bicycle & walking track
Connecting lines	Upfield and Epping lines
Operation
Opened	1888
Closed	1981

The Inner Circle was a steam era suburban railway line (later electrified) in Melbourne, Australia. It served the inner-northern suburbs of Parkville, Carlton North, Fitzroy North, and Fitzroy. At its closure, it ran from Royal Park station on the Upfield line (Melway map ref: 29 F11) in the west, to a triangular junction with Rushall and Merri stations on today's South Morang line in the east. (Melway map ref: 30 D11) There was also a branch line to Fitzroy that opened at the same time.

The Inner Circle was opened on 8 May 1888 with three stations: North Carlton and North Fitzroy on the main line, and Fitzroy at the end of a short branch line leading south through the Edinburgh Gardens from a junction near North Fitzroy station.

When the Inner Circle line first opened, services originated from Spencer Street station at the western end of the Melbourne central business district. Trains bound for the then terminus at Heidelberg station (now on the Hurstbridge line) would run to North Fitzroy station, then continue south to Victoria Park station (then known as Collingwood, and now on the Hurstbridge and South Morang lines). Locomotives would then have to change ends and the trains return to Clifton Hill station, where they diverged east on to the line to Heidelberg.