Echuca Railway Station
It is the northern-most operating passenger railway station on the Deniliquin line, and is the terminus for Echuca line services. It also serves as the terminus of the freight-only Toolamba–Echuca line. The Deniliquin line extends northwards, over the New South Wales state border, and is open for freight traffic. Freight sidings and a silo are located opposite the station.
History
The railway reached Echuca in 1864 and, with the opening of the Echuca Wharf, the town was transformed into a major river port, encouraging substantial urban growth in the 1870s. In 1876, the Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company opened its 71 km (44 mi)-long private railway northwards to Deniliquin.
The brick station building at Echuca was provided with the opening of the line, along with a double-gabled brick goods shed, and a three-road locomotive depot. The station building was expanded in 1877, and a large water tower was erected in the same year (demolished in 1977). An iron footbridge was added in 1880. In June 1974, the former northern waiting room section of the station building was demolished. A concrete rail bridge over the Murray River, to the north of the station, was opened in February 1989, replacing a combined road and rail bridge that had opened in 1878.
A short branch line between Echuca and the port opened with the line, but was closed in 1971. In 2000, $150,000 was provided to fund the reconstruction of the line. By 2002, work was under way, with the cost having increased to $330,000. However, by 2007, the branch was again out of use and was disconnected from the main line.
The branch line from Echuca to Toolamba closed in 2007, but was reopened in October 2013. Services on the line were suspended in January 2020.
Platforms and services
Echuca has one platform and is the terminus for Echuca line trains from Southern Cross station.
Platform 1:
- Echuca line services to and from Southern Cross
Transport links
Echuca is also served by V/Line road coaches running between Bendigo and Moama, and NSW TrainLink road coaches to Albury and Wagga Wagga.
Gallery
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Station building and entrance, June 2015
References
- ^ "Echica Railway Station Complex". Victorian Heritage Database. Government of Victoria. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ Echuca Vicsig
- ^ "Echuca-Moama Road Rail Bridge over Murray River". Office of Environment & Heritage. NSW Government. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics. "Private Railways". Year Book Australia, 1921. www.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 20 July 2008.
- ^ "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). August 1977. p. 182.
- ^ "Echuca Railway Station Complex (listing VICH1059)". Australia Heritage Places Inventory. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
- ^ "Items of Interest". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. August 1974. p. 185.
- ^ "Minister Announces Funding for the Port of Echuca Rail Link". Media Release: Minister for Transport. www.dpc.vic.gov.au. 29 May 2000. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
- ^ "Switchpoint: Victorian Rail Freight Network Review" (PDF). p. 70. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
- ^ Coalition government reopens Echuca to Toolamba line for rail freight Premier of Victoria 3 October 2013
- ^ Echuca to Toolamba reopens Archived 2014-05-12 at the Wayback Machine Rail Express 9 October 2013
- ^ Toolamba-Echuca Line Vicsig
- ^ Echuca/Moama - Melbourne timetable Public Transport Victoria
- ^ "Southern timetable". NSW TrainLink. 7 September 2019.
External links
Media related to Echuca railway station at Wikimedia Commons- Victorian Railway Stations gallery
- Melway map at street-directory.com.au
