Bell railway station, Melbourne

Bell
PTV commuter rail station
Eastern facade, exterior and landscaping of Bell station, August 2024
General information
LocationGarnet Street,
Preston, Victoria 3072
City of Darebin
Australia
Coordinates37°44′44″S 145°00′01″E / 37.7456°S 145.0003°E / -37.7456; 145.0003
Owned byVicTrack
Operated byMetro Trains
Line(s)Mernda
Distance11.70 kilometres from
Southern Cross
Platforms2 side
Tracks2
ConnectionsList of bus routes in Melbourne Bus
Construction
Structure typeElevated
Parking75
Bicycle facilities6
AccessibleYes—step free access
Other information
StatusOperational, premium station
Station codeBEL
Fare zoneMyki Zone 1
WebsitePublic Transport Victoria
History
Opened8 October 1889; 135 years ago (1889-10-08)
Rebuilt1973
5 September 2022 (LXRP)[1]
ElectrifiedJuly 1921 (1500 V DC overhead)
Previous namesPreston-Bell Street (1889–1905)
Passengers
2005–2006307,030[2]
2006–2007355,959[2] Increase 15.93%
2007–2008393,114[2] Increase 10.43%
2008–2009508,278[3] Increase 29.29%
2009–2010549,773[3] Increase 8.16%
2010–2011532,537[3] Decrease 3.13%
2011–2012523,225[3] Decrease 1.75%
2012–2013Not measured[3]
2013–2014433,148[3] Decrease 17.2%
2014–2015422,536[2] Decrease 2.45%
2015–2016462,990[3] Increase 9.57%
2016–2017477,003[3] Increase 3.02%
2017–2018541,111[3] Increase 13.44%
2018–2019530,900[3] Decrease 1.88%
2019–2020444,100[3] Decrease 16.35%
2020–2021170,000[3] Decrease 61.7%
2021–2022132,450[4] Decrease 22.08%
2022–2023262,500[5] Increase 98.19%
Services
Preceding station Railways in Melbourne Metro Trains Following station
Thornbury
towards Flinders Street
 Mernda line Preston
towards Mernda
Track layout
Legend
to Thornbury
1
2
to Preston

Bell railway station is a commuter railway station located in the north-eastern suburb of Preston in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.[6] The station opened on 8 October 1889, with the former ground level station closed and demolished in May 2022 and the current elevated station provided in September 2022 by the Level Crossing Removal Project.[7] The station initially opened as "Preston-Bell Street" upon its opening in 1889, then it was given its current name of "Bell" on 1 August 1905.

Bell is an elevated premium station, consisting of two side platforms connected by staircases, lifts and a ground level concourse. The station fully complies with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and is accessible as there is a lift connecting to the ground level concourse and the station platforms on either side.[8]

The station is owned by VicTrack, a state government agency and the station is operated by Metro Trains Melbourne. Preston station is currently served by the Mernda line, part of the Melbourne railway network.[6] Additionally, the station is also served by four bus routes, it includes Dysons bus routes 513, 514, 552 and 553. The station is approximately 9 km (5.6 mi) or around a 23 minute train ride to Flinders Street.[9]

  1. ^ "Modern stations at Preston just weeks away". Victoria's Big Build. 5 August 2022. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Estimated Annual Patronage by Network Segment Financial Year 2005-2006 to 2018-19 Archived 17 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine Department of Transport
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Railway station and tram stop patronage in Victoria for 2008-2021 Archived 17 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine Philip Mallis
  4. ^ Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries) Archived 6 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine Data Vic
  5. ^ Annual metropolitan train station entries 2022-23 Data Vic
  6. ^ a b "Bell Station". Metro Trains Melbourne. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  7. ^ "New stations open to passengers today in Preston". Victoria's Big Build. 5 September 2022. Archived from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  8. ^ "Access Guide". Metro Trains Melbourne. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  9. ^ "Mernda line". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 5 November 2024.