Melbourne, capital city of the State of Victoria, Australia, has a long history of railway development. Melbourne's first railway opened in 1854, when only 20 years earlier, the city did not exist. Today, Melbourne's suburban railway network consists of 16 electrified lines, the central City Loop subway, and 200 stations.
The first train
The first steam train to travel in Australia took its maiden trip on September 12, 1854. (Although horse-drawn 'trains' debuted on a railway between Goolwa and Port Elliot in South Australia on May 18 of that year, Melbourne hosted the first mechanical railway). The railway line stretched 4 km from the Melbourne (or City) Terminus (on the site of modern day Flinders Street Station) to Sandridge (now Port Melbourne). As with many of Australia's early railways, it was owned and operated by a private company - the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company, which was formed in 1853.
Work began on laying the railway in March 1853, and trains were ordered from Robert Stephenson and Company of the United Kingdom. The first train was locally built by Robertson, Martin and Smith, however, owing to delays in shipping. Australia's first steam locomotive was built in ten weeks and cost £2,700.
The opening of the line occured during the period of the Victorian gold rush - a time when both Melbourne and Victoria undertook massive capital works, each with its own gala opening. The inaugural journey on the Sandridge line was no exception. According to the Argus newspaper's report of the next day: "Long before the hour appointed ... a great crowd assembled round the station at the Melbourne terminus, lining the whole of Flinders Street". Lieutenant-Governor Sir Charles Hotham and Lady Hotham were aboard the train - which consisted of two first class carriages and one second class - and were presented with satin copies of the railway's timetable and bylaws.
The trip took 10 minutes, none of the later stations along the line having been built. On arriving at Station Pier (onto which the tracks extended), it was hailed with gun-salutes by the warships HMS Electra and HMS Fantome.
By March 1855, the four engines ordered from the UK were all in service, running every half-hour. They were named Melbourne, Sandridge, Victoria, and Yarra (after the Yarra River over which the line crossed).
The beginnings of expansion
In May 1857, a 4.5km line was opened to St. Kilda. Soon after, lines were opened to Prahran, Brighton, Punt Road (Richmond), Hawthorn, and Essendon.
Also in 1857, a line from Geelong, to Melbourne's soutwest, had been built to the suburb of Williamstown. This was later extended to the city, and provided both suburban and intercity services.
Map
External links
- Metlink - official website of Melbourne's public transport
- Vicsig - Victorian railways enthusiast website
- Railpage Australia - enthusiast website