Craigieburn line

This article is about the Metro Trains Melbourne service. For the physical railway itself, see North East railway line.

Craigieburn
Railways in Melbourne
Comeng 614M on an up Craigieburn service towards Flinders Street arrives at Glenroy station Platform 1.
Flinders Street-bound Comeng arrives at
Glenroy station, June 2022
Overview
Service typeCommuter rail
SystemMelbourne railway network
StatusOperational
LocaleMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
Predecessor
  • Essendon (1860–1864)
  • Essendon (1871–1872)
  • Seymour (1872–2007)
  • Essendon ^ (1919–1921)
  • Broadmeadows ^ (1921–2007)
^ are electric services
First service21 October 1860; 164 years ago (1860-10-21)
Current operator(s)Metro Trains
Former operator(s)
Route
TerminiFlinders Street
Craigieburn
Stops21 (including City Loop stations)
Distance travelled27.0 km (16.8 mi)
Average journey time44 minutes (not via City Loop)
Service frequency
  • 5–20 minutes weekdays peak
  • 20 minutes weekdays off-peak
  • 20 minutes weekend daytime
  • 30 minutes nights
  • 60 minutes early weekend mornings
Line(s) usedAlbury
Technical
Rolling stockComeng, Siemens
Track gauge1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Electrification1500 V DC overhead
Track owner(s)VicTrack

The Craigieburn line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.[1] Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's seventh shortest metropolitan railway line at 27.0 kilometres (16.8 mi). The line runs from Flinders Street station in central Melbourne to Craigieburn station in the north, serving 21 stations via North Melbourne, Essendon, and Broadmeadows.[2] The line operates for approximately 19 hours a day (from approximately 5:00 am to around 12:00 am) with 24 hour service available on Friday and Saturday nights. During peak hour, headways of up to 5 minutes are operated with services every 20–30 minutes during off-peak hours.[3] Trains on the Craigieburn line run with a two three-car formations of Comeng or Siemens Nexas trainsets.[4]

Services on the line began from North Melbourne to Essendon by the Melbourne & Essendon Railway Company in November 1860. It was closed shortly after, however, the Victorian Railways reopened the Flemington Racecourse line (including the Essendon line as far as Newmarket) in November 1867, and in January 1871, to Essendon.[5] The line was progressively electrified and, in 1921, the line was electrified to Broadmeadows, where it remained till the extension of electrification in 2007.[5]

Since the 2000s, due to the heavily utilised infrastructure of the Craigieburn line, improvements and upgrades have been made. Works have included replacing sleepers, upgrading signalling technology, the extension of the line to Craigieburn, the construction of new stations, the removal of level crossings, the introduction of new rolling stock, and station accessibility upgrades.[6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Metro's paper timetables mess". Daniel Bowen. 3 September 2017. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  3. ^ "New timetable train line information – Public Transport Victoria". 1 March 2021. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  4. ^ Carey, Adam (7 November 2014). "Trains are working better but seating not guaranteed". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Victoria’s Big Build (22 June 2022). "Moreland Road, Brunswick". Victoria’s Big Build. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.