Rockbank railway station, Melbourne

MelbourneRailwayStation1
NAME=Rockbank
IMAGELINK=Rockbank3.jpg
CAPTION=Overview of the platforms
CODE=RBK
DISTANCE=32.19 km
OPERATOR=V/Line
LINES=Melton,
Ararat
PLATFORMS=2
TRACKS=2
STATUS=Unmanned Station
FACILITIES= [http://www.viclink.com.au/station_info/station_info_station_res.php?STATION=271 Link]
TIMETABLES= [http://www.viclink.com.au/timetables/landmark_search_results.php?LANDMARK=79 Link]
MELWAY=
ZONE=2

Rockbank is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Rockbank, on the Melton railway line. The station is unstaffed and is in Metcard Zone 2.

Facilities

Rockbank is located at the western end of the Leakes Road level crossing, which also provides platform access. The station consists of two side platforms., both having small shelters.

A small Metcard machine is located inside the shelter on platform 1, which dispenses only selected ticketing options. No Metcard machine is located on platform 2. A disused platform is located at the Ballarat end of the station on the north side.

History

The station opened as Mount Atkinson on Wednesday, 2 April 1884, at the same time of the line though it. It was renamed to Rockbank in 1889. Being on a single track railway, it served as a crossing loop for trains though it. By 1914 it had a three road yard, passenger platform on the southern track, and a goods platform on the northern track, and an interlocked signal box. The station served the local farming community, with a chaff mill established in the 1890s, with the station becoming the focus of the Rockbank community, with the recreation reserve and tennis club located nearby.

In 1960 the crossing loop was extended to cater for longer trains of up to convert|2400|ft|m and a short platform provided on the loop road, and in 1976 Centralised Traffic Control was provided on the line from Sunshine to Rockbank. By the 1970s the mill was disused, and the station building demolished c. 1985. In 1986 the yard was rationalised to main line and crossing loop, and in 1990 the mechanical signals and points were removed, and replaced by remotely controlled signalling operated from Bacchus Marsh signal box. The current northern platform was not added until more recently, replacing the former short platform. As part of the Regional Fast Rail project control of the signals was transferred to Ballarat signal box in 2005.

References

*cite web
url=http://www.vrhistory.com/Locations/A019-Rockbank.pdf
title=Victorian Station Histories - Rockbank
publisher=www.vrhistory.com
accessdate=2008-05-26
*cite web
url=http://vicsig.net/index.php?page=infrastructure&name=Rockbank
title=VICSIG - Infrastructure
publisher=vicsig.net
accessdate=2008-05-26
*cite web
url=http://www.doi.vic.gov.au/doi/hvolr.nsf/MainFrameset?OpenFrameSet&Frame=ContentFrame&Src=%2Fdoi%2Fhvolr.nsf%2Fe82db8dc6517362a4a25678b00095532%2F834e98e4c776367fca2574820078ff5a%3FOpenDocument%26Highlight%3D0%2Crailway%26AutoFramed
title=Rockbank Station (H7822-0301)
work=Victorian Heritage Register
publisher=www.doi.vic.gov.au
accessdate=2008-07-14

MetlinkVlineStations
Line1=Melton line (V/Line service)
VLine=Ballarat and Ararat lines
Next1=Melton
Previous1=Deer Park
VPrevious=Deer Park
VNext=Melton
VICORMELB=Melbourne