Camberwell railway station, Melbourne
Encyclopedia
Camberwell is a railway station which serves the Belgrave, Lilydale and Alamein lines in the eastern Melbourne
suburb of Camberwell
, Victoria
, Australia
. It is located on the corner of Burke Road
and Cookson Street, and connects with tram route 72
, which runs from Camberwell to the University of Melbourne
.
; platforms 1 (the southernmost) and 2 form an island platform
, with platform 3 to the north. The Edwardian
-style booking office is located above the island platform, with a footbridge connecting it to platform 3 and the northern exit, and to the southern exit over the adjacent railway yard. A late-1940s signal box
is located on the island platform, to the east of the main building.
Camberwell also has four stabling roads
, each able to accommodate one 6 car Electric Multiple Unit
.
Platform 2:
Platform 3:
opened in 1891, a new station was built at East Camberwell to provide an interchange. However, as the line slowly failed, with more and more sections closing, until only the Alamein line remained, trains to the remnants of the Outer Circle began to depart from Camberwell.
The station was demolished and the current station opened in 1919, when the railway lines were placed in a cutting. This was done partly to remove the steep gradient from Auburn station
to the west. This length of track was so steep that steam locomotives could not pull a fully laden train between the two stations, requiring peak hour
trains to be separated. The locomotive would bring one set of carriages to Camberwell, then return for the other set, causing significant delays. The other reason for the grade-separation was the extension of tram
route 72 (then route 7) to Camberwell in 1910 – removal of the level crossing
at Burke Road was a government stipulation.
The signal box
at Camberwell was the first installation of push-button signalling
in Victoria, being commissioned in November 1964.
Camberwell was upgraded to a Premium Station
on 27 April 1996.
The train stabling yard was constructed in 1997 on the site of the former goods yard. It was built to replace sidings removed at Jolimont Yard
for the construction of Federation Square
.
. In line with the policy of residents' groups such as Save Our Suburbs
, one of its core principles was the intensification of development around public transport nodes such as railway stations and tram routes, while placing greater limits on such development in residential neighbourhoods. The strategy identified over a hundred potential sites for intensification, in a hierarchy of 'activity centre
s'. The precinct around Camberwell railway station was identified as a one of the more significant of these nodes, and the controversy spawned by a 2003 proposal to redevelop it has been one of the most high-profile of those associated with Melbourne 2030 as well as those related to urban character
issues.
In March 2003, VicTrack
, the state government body that owns the station, announced plans to develop the airspace over the site. It is believed that these involved decking over the station platforms and the adjacent marshalling yard with 3-4 levels of car parking topped by 3-4 storeys of commercial space, mainly offices, with a new frontage on Burke Road, and possibly involving the demolition of the station. As the station is in a deep cutting in the side of a hill, this would have resulted in a building that was similar in height to the commercial development adjacent to the station precinct, to the east of Burke Road. The car park would have provided approximately 400 spaces, intended for the office workers in the building above, an idea that, along with its complete lack of a residential component, was completely at odds with the aim of the principles of Transit-oriented development
(TOD
) upon which it was argued to be based .
The original plans involving the station's demolition led to a vocal outcry from the local community, receiving a significant amount of media attention . Actor Geoffrey Rush
(local resident and self-proclaimed user of the station), and comedian Barry Humphries
(a former resident who claims Camberwell as his "spiritual home"), publicly backed the campaign, with Humphries joining Rush at the head of a protest march up Burke Road from Camberwell Junction to the station. The comedian performed a poem about planners at the rally and noted that the railway line was sometimes called 'The Orient Express'. Among the concerns expressed by residents was that such a development could become like Box Hill
, a station further up the line in a less upmarket, more multicultural suburb. The comedian satirised this concern in his poem with the line that the proposed redevelopment would mean that the kids of Camberwell wouldn't "have to go to Box Hill for their drugs". To those supporting development of the station, the actions of the protesters have been taken as an example of NIMBY
ism (from "Not In My Back Yard").
The Boroondara Residents Action Group worked with architects McGauran Giannini Soon, to provide alternative ideas for developing the air-space over the railway station and yard that were more in-keeping with their views of community preferences. It is believed one of these proposals involved a small public plaza and a new public library, with some small-scale shops.
Although the station is historic, it is not actually protected by any of the state's heritage listings for any architectural or cultural reasons, and failed to gain this protection after the community outrage at the development plans.
In July 2009 the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal
approved a nine-storey development on the site, provided 14 design modifications were made within 28 days.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
suburb of Camberwell
Camberwell, Victoria
Camberwell is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara. At the 2006 Census, Camberwell had a population of 19,637....
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is located on the corner of Burke Road
Burke Road, Melbourne
Burke Road is a major north-south thoroughfare in Melbourne, Australia. It runs from Ivanhoe to Caulfield, and includes the major shopping district at Camberwell...
and Cookson Street, and connects with tram route 72
Melbourne tram route 72
Tram route 72 is a public transport service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs from the University of Melbourne in the city centre to Camberwell in the eastern suburbs. It runs through the suburbs of Melbourne, South Yarra, Toorak, Malvern, Glen Iris, and Camberwell...
, which runs from Camberwell to the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
.
Layout
The station has three platformsRailway platform
A railway platform is a section of pathway, alongside rail tracks at a train station, metro station or tram stop, at which passengers may board or alight from trains or trams. Almost all stations for rail transport have some form of platforms, with larger stations having multiple platforms...
; platforms 1 (the southernmost) and 2 form an island platform
Island platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
, with platform 3 to the north. The Edwardian
Edwardian period
The Edwardian era or Edwardian period in the United Kingdom is the period covering the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910.The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 and the succession of her son Edward marked the end of the Victorian era...
-style booking office is located above the island platform, with a footbridge connecting it to platform 3 and the northern exit, and to the southern exit over the adjacent railway yard. A late-1940s signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
is located on the island platform, to the east of the main building.
Camberwell also has four stabling roads
Rail yard
A rail yard, or railroad yard, is a complex series of railroad tracks for storing, sorting, or loading/unloading, railroad cars and/or locomotives. Railroad yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock stored off the mainline, so that they do not obstruct the flow of traffic....
, each able to accommodate one 6 car Electric Multiple Unit
Multiple unit
The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelled carriages capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one driving cab. The term is commonly used to denote passenger trainsets consisting of more than one carriage...
.
Platforms, services and connecting services
Platform 1:- Suburban Metro TrainsMetro Trains MelbourneMetro Trains Melbourne is the current franchise operator of the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Australia. Metro Trains Melbourne is a joint venture led by Hong Kong based MTR Corporation together with John Holland Group and United Group Rail .Metro Trains Melbourne operates a fleet of 381...
services to Flinders StreetFlinders Street StationFlinders Street Station is the central railway station of the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets next to the Yarra River in the heart of the city, stretching from Swanston Street to Queen Street and covering two city... - Suburban Metro Trains services to Alamein
Platform 2:
- Suburban Metro Trains services to Flinders StreetFlinders Street StationFlinders Street Station is the central railway station of the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets next to the Yarra River in the heart of the city, stretching from Swanston Street to Queen Street and covering two city...
- Suburban Metro Trains services to Belgrave
- Suburban Metro Trains services to Lilydale
Platform 3:
- Suburban Metro Trains services to Alamein
- Suburban Metro Trains services to Belgrave
- Suburban Metro Trains services to Lilydale
| Route | Destination | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| Tram 72 Melbourne tram route 72 Tram route 72 is a public transport service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs from the University of Melbourne in the city centre to Camberwell in the eastern suburbs. It runs through the suburbs of Melbourne, South Yarra, Toorak, Malvern, Glen Iris, and Camberwell... |
Camberwell | Melbourne University University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria... |
History
Camberwell station was first opened in 1882. It was the terminus of its own line for one year, before the railway was extended to Lilydale. When the first section of the Outer Circle lineOuter Circle railway line, Melbourne
The Outer Circle was a steam-era suburban railway line, in Melbourne, Australia. It covered much of the modern City of Boroondara, including the suburbs of Kew East, Camberwell, Burwood, Ashburton, and Malvern East...
opened in 1891, a new station was built at East Camberwell to provide an interchange. However, as the line slowly failed, with more and more sections closing, until only the Alamein line remained, trains to the remnants of the Outer Circle began to depart from Camberwell.
The station was demolished and the current station opened in 1919, when the railway lines were placed in a cutting. This was done partly to remove the steep gradient from Auburn station
Auburn railway station, Melbourne
Auburn is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Hawthorn East on the Lilydale, Belgrave and Alamein railway lines...
to the west. This length of track was so steep that steam locomotives could not pull a fully laden train between the two stations, requiring peak hour
Rush hour
A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...
trains to be separated. The locomotive would bring one set of carriages to Camberwell, then return for the other set, causing significant delays. The other reason for the grade-separation was the extension of tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
route 72 (then route 7) to Camberwell in 1910 – removal of the level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
at Burke Road was a government stipulation.
The signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
at Camberwell was the first installation of push-button signalling
Railway signalling
Railway signalling is a system used to control railway traffic safely, essentially to prevent trains from colliding. Being guided by fixed rails, trains are uniquely susceptible to collision; furthermore, trains cannot stop quickly, and frequently operate at speeds that do not enable them to stop...
in Victoria, being commissioned in November 1964.
Camberwell was upgraded to a Premium Station
Premium station
A premium station is a category of railway station on Melbourne's Metro Rail Network which is operated by Metro Trains Melbourne. In terms of station standards, a premium station is a high standard station which sits above the medium standard host stations and the low standard unmanned...
on 27 April 1996.
The train stabling yard was constructed in 1997 on the site of the former goods yard. It was built to replace sidings removed at Jolimont Yard
Jolimont Yard
Jolimont Yard was an array of railway lines and carriage sidings on the edge of the central business district of Melbourne, Australia. Located between Flinders Street Station, Richmond Junction, the Yarra River and Flinders Street they were often criticised for cutting off the city from the river,...
for the construction of Federation Square
Federation Square
Federation Square is a civic centre and cultural precinct in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
.
Redevelopment controversy
In 2001, the Victorian State Government launched a new Metropolitan Planning Strategy, Melbourne 2030Melbourne 2030
The Metropolitan Strategy Melbourne 2030 is a Victorian Government strategic planning policy framework for the metropolitan area of Greater Melbourne, intended to cover the period 2001-2030. During this period the population of the metropolitan area is expected to grow by a million people to over 5...
. In line with the policy of residents' groups such as Save Our Suburbs
Save Our Suburbs
Save Our State , formerly known as Save Our Suburbs, is a politically influential community group concerned about the impact of contemporary development on established low-density residential suburbs in Australian cities....
, one of its core principles was the intensification of development around public transport nodes such as railway stations and tram routes, while placing greater limits on such development in residential neighbourhoods. The strategy identified over a hundred potential sites for intensification, in a hierarchy of 'activity centre
Activity centre
Activity centre is a term used in urban planning and design for a mixed-use urban area where there is a concentration of commercial and other land uses...
s'. The precinct around Camberwell railway station was identified as a one of the more significant of these nodes, and the controversy spawned by a 2003 proposal to redevelop it has been one of the most high-profile of those associated with Melbourne 2030 as well as those related to urban character
Neighbourhood character
Neighbourhood character refers to the 'look and feel of an area', in particular a residential area. It also includes the activities that occur there...
issues.
In March 2003, VicTrack
VicTrack
VicTrack is the Victorian Government agency which owns all railway and tram lines, associated rail lands and other related rail-related infrastructure in the state of Victoria, Australia....
, the state government body that owns the station, announced plans to develop the airspace over the site. It is believed that these involved decking over the station platforms and the adjacent marshalling yard with 3-4 levels of car parking topped by 3-4 storeys of commercial space, mainly offices, with a new frontage on Burke Road, and possibly involving the demolition of the station. As the station is in a deep cutting in the side of a hill, this would have resulted in a building that was similar in height to the commercial development adjacent to the station precinct, to the east of Burke Road. The car park would have provided approximately 400 spaces, intended for the office workers in the building above, an idea that, along with its complete lack of a residential component, was completely at odds with the aim of the principles of Transit-oriented development
Transit-oriented development
A transit-oriented development is a mixed-use residential or commercial area designed to maximize access to public transport, and often incorporates features to encourage transit ridership...
(TOD
TOD
Tod may refer to:Surname:* James Tod, British East India Company army officer and political agent, author of Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan* John Tod, 1779-1830, an historical member of the U.S...
) upon which it was argued to be based .
The original plans involving the station's demolition led to a vocal outcry from the local community, receiving a significant amount of media attention . Actor Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Roy Rush is an Australian actor and film producer. He is one of the few people who has won the "Triple Crown of Acting": an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award. He has won one Academy Award for acting , three British Academy Film Awards , two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen...
(local resident and self-proclaimed user of the station), and comedian Barry Humphries
Barry Humphries
John Barry Humphries, AO, CBE is an Australian comedian, satirist, dadaist, artist, author and character actor, best known for his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage, a Melbourne housewife and "gigastar", and Sir Les Patterson, Australia's foul-mouthed cultural attaché to the...
(a former resident who claims Camberwell as his "spiritual home"), publicly backed the campaign, with Humphries joining Rush at the head of a protest march up Burke Road from Camberwell Junction to the station. The comedian performed a poem about planners at the rally and noted that the railway line was sometimes called 'The Orient Express'. Among the concerns expressed by residents was that such a development could become like Box Hill
Box Hill railway station, Melbourne
Box Hill railway station is on the Belgrave and Lilydale railway lines in Melbourne, Australia. It is located under Centro Box Hill shopping centre near the corner of Whitehorse Road and Station Street in Box Hill. A major bus interchange is part of the same complex, and the 109 tram route...
, a station further up the line in a less upmarket, more multicultural suburb. The comedian satirised this concern in his poem with the line that the proposed redevelopment would mean that the kids of Camberwell wouldn't "have to go to Box Hill for their drugs". To those supporting development of the station, the actions of the protesters have been taken as an example of NIMBY
NIMBY
NIMBY or Nimby is an acronym for the phrase "not in my back yard". The term is used pejoratively to describe opposition by residents to a proposal for a new development close to them. Opposing residents themselves are sometimes called Nimbies...
ism (from "Not In My Back Yard").
The Boroondara Residents Action Group worked with architects McGauran Giannini Soon, to provide alternative ideas for developing the air-space over the railway station and yard that were more in-keeping with their views of community preferences. It is believed one of these proposals involved a small public plaza and a new public library, with some small-scale shops.
Although the station is historic, it is not actually protected by any of the state's heritage listings for any architectural or cultural reasons, and failed to gain this protection after the community outrage at the development plans.
In July 2009 the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal
Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal is a government agency in the state of Victoria, Australia. The name is pronounced 'vee-cat'...
approved a nine-storey development on the site, provided 14 design modifications were made within 28 days.