Baxter railway station

Railway station in Melbourne, Australia

Stony Point (current)
Mornington (formerly)
Frankston (proposed)

Distance51.97 kilometres from
Southern CrossPlatforms1Tracks1ConnectionsList of bus routes in Melbourne BusConstructionStructure typeGroundParkingYesAccessibleYes—step free accessOther informationStatusOperational, unstaffedStation codeBXRFare zoneMyki Zone 2WebsitePublic Transport VictoriaHistoryOpened1 October 1888; 135 years ago (1888-10-01)Closed22 June 1981Rebuilt27 September 1984Previous namesMornington Junction (1888-1918)Passengers2015–20165,759[1]2016–20175,057[1] Decrease 12.19%2017–20184,695[1] Decrease 7.15%2018–20193,397[1] Decrease 27.64%2019–20202,000[1] Decrease 41.12%2020–20211,850[1] Decrease 7.5%2021–20221,500[2] Decrease 18.91%2022–20232,150[2] Increase 43.33% Services
Preceding station Railways in Melbourne Metro Trains Following station
Leawarra
towards Frankston
 Stony Point line Somerville
towards Stony Point
Former services
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Junction   Mornington branch   Moorooduc
  List of closed railway stations in Melbourne  
Track layout
Legend
to Leawarra
Langwarrin (Demolished)
Robinsons Road
Golf Links Road
1
Baxter - Tooradin Road
to Mornington railway line
Watsons Creek
Frankston - Flinders Road
to Somerville

Baxter railway station is located on the Stony Point line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Baxter, and it opened on 1 October 1888 as Mornington Junction. It was renamed Baxter on 6 May 1918.[3]

Langwarrin, a now demolished station on the Stony Point line, was located between Leawarra and Baxter.[4]

History

Baxter station opened on 1 October 1888, when the railway line from Frankston was extended.[3] It remained a terminus until 10 September 1889, when the line was extended to Hastings and Mornington.[3] Like the town itself, the station was named after Captain Benjamin Baxter, who was the proprietor of the nearby Carrup Carrup pastoral run.[5][6]

In 1972, flashing light signals were provided at the Baxter-Tooradin Road level crossing, located nearby in the Stony Point (down) direction of the station.[7]

Baxter was formerly the junction for the Mornington line, which was closed to traffic in 1981.[3] The junction, which was relocated in 1962,[3] existed at the down end of the station, though the points were spiked and the line baulked just after the level crossing. In the near future, this junction will be reinstated by the extension of the Mornington Railway, a heritage railway organisation.

On 22 June 1981, the passenger service between Frankston and Stony Point was withdrawn and replaced with a bus service.[3] On 16 September 1984, promotional trips for the reopening of the line began and,[8] on 27 September of that year, the passenger service was reinstated.[3]

By March 1989, the station operated under no-one in charge conditions.[3]

In 2009, boom barriers were provided at the Baxter-Tooradin Road level crossing.[9][10]

In 2023, the Victorian branch of the Liberal Party stated that the journey to Baxter was "too slow" and urgent upgrades to the line were needed.[11]

Also occurring in that year, the points for the junction were abolished, with the line straight railed.[3]

Platforms and services

Baxter has one platform. It is serviced by Metro Trains' Stony Point line services.[12]

Platform 1:

Transport links

Ventura Bus Lines operates one bus route via Baxter station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Railway station and tram stop patronage in Victoria for 2008-2021 Philip Mallis
  2. ^ a b Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries) Data Vic
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Baxter". vicsig.net. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Langwarrin". vicsig.net. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Baxter". Victorian Places. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  6. ^ First, Jamie (7 January 2014). "The A-Z story of Melbourne's suburbs". Herald Sun. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  7. ^ David Langley (January 1992). "Flashing Lights and Boom Barriers Dates of Installation". Somersault. Signalling Record Society Victoria. pp. 9–19.
  8. ^ "Traffic". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. November 1984. p. 344.
  9. ^ "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. May 2009. p. 344.
  10. ^ "Signalling Alterations". Somersault. Signalling Record Society Victoria. May 2009. p. 42.
  11. ^ "SLOW TRAIN TO BAXTER GOES SLOWER THAN EVER - VibeWire Central". 2 February 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Stony Point Line". Public Transport Victoria.
  13. ^ "776 Frankston - Pearcedale via Baxter". Public Transport Victoria.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Baxter railway station, Melbourne.
  • Melway map at street-directory.com.au
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Public Transport Victoria railway stations
Metro Trains Melbourne services and stations
Stony Point
V/Line services and stations
  • Stations and services in italics are planned or under construction
  • Stations in (parentheses) are uncommon stops for the listed service