Brighton Beach railway station

Brighton Beach station is located in Brighton, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. The station is located close to the beach, hence its name. Directly to the south of the station is a level crossing with South Road.[4] The station is owned by VicTrack, a state government agency, and the station is operated by Metro Trains. The adjacent stations are Middle Brighton up towards Flinders Street and Hampton down towards Sandringham.[7]

The station consists of three platforms: an island with a terminating platform used as a siding, and a curved platform, and a curved side platform, connected by a footbridge and the main station building.[4] The curved platforms were built in 1887, when the line was extended to Sandringham.[5] A stabling yard with two tracks is located adjacent to Platform 1. The yard was originally used for stabling, but was converted to a siding for the VICERS project. In 2010, the stabling facilities were reinstated.[4] Standard in Melbourne, the platform has an asphalt surface with concrete on the edges. The station is fully accessible, and is a premium station, meaning it is staffed from first train to last.[8]

The station building, located between platforms one and two, was designed by George Sims and built by contractor Donald Swanson in 1889, replacing a timber structure erected when the station was first opened as a terminus. Similar buildings were constructed later at North Brighton and Prahran. The Victorian Heritage Register notes its unusual shape, wedged between two platforms. It also notes its uniqueness in railway architecture, noting architectural features including "the pedimented entrance porch, the patterned brickwork, the tiled frieze below the eaves cornice, the bluestone columns at the barriers, the tessellated paving to the entrance lobby, the round brick arches and the additional red brick banding at the entry".[5]

Brighton Beach station opened on 21 September 1861, when the railway line from North Brighton was extended, with a timber station building and a single terminating platform.[4] It was named after the nearby Brighton Beach, a popular destination at the time.[5][9] It remained a terminus until 2 September 1887, when the line was extended to Sandringham, with two additional curved platforms added. In 1889, the current station building was constructed, and in 1919, the line to Sandringham was electrified using 1500 V DC overhead wires.[4] In 1926, a signal box was constructed, located between the down end of Platform 2 and the South Road level crossing.

Since 1926, the station has stayed largely the same, with only minor changes taking place. In 1968, boom barriers replaced interlocked gates at the South Road level crossing, located at the down end of the station,[10] and on 20 November 1995, Brighton Beach was upgraded to a premium station.[11] Following a 2019 commitment by the Federal Government, the station was due to receive an upgraded commuter car park. However, this was scrapped by the same government in 2021.[12]

The signal box controlled the swing gates at a level crossing at New Street, which were the last left in Victoria. In 2007, the swing gates were hit by a train, causing significant damage.[13] In 2010, the level crossing was closed by the Brumby government, with plans to re-open the level crossing with electronic boom gates.[14] The project, which cost $4.4 million, included the replacement of the hand-operated gates with electronic boom gates, installation of flashing lights and bells, and a wider pedestrian crossing. It was opened in 2013 by Brighton MP Louise Asher.[15]

Brighton Beach consists of an island platform with two faces and a side platform, being the only station on the Sandringham line to have three platforms. There is a large brick building on Platforms 1 and 2 (island platform), housing an enclosed waiting area, ticket facilities and toilets. There are also ticket facilities at the up (Flinders Street) end of the island platform, for customers accessing Brighton Beach via the footbridge. Platform 3 has a smaller brick building, with a waiting area, ticket facilities and a payphone. Being a Premium Station, Brighton Beach is staffed from first to last train each day.

In 2011, a fence was erected on Platform 2 to direct passengers to the front half of the train and discourage them from boarding the rear half, because of the large gap between the train and the platform due to the station being built on a sharp curve. Additionally, station staff are required to be in attendance on Platform 2 for all train services, to ensure passengers have boarded safely, as there have been cases of passengers falling into the gap between the train and the platform.

The station is served by Sandringham line trains.[16] Once the Metro Tunnel opens, Sandringham line trains will run through to Williamstown and Werribee.[17]

Platform 1:

• No trains alight or board passengers from Platform 1, as it is used as a siding for rail services, with the platform currently closed off to passengers. Turn-back facilities at Brighton Beach are planned to be reinstated to allow for the use of this platform again in order to increase the frequency of services along the line, due to the single platform terminus at Sandringham.[17]

Platform 2:

•  Sandringham line  all stations services to Flinders Street

Platform 3:

•  Sandringham line  all stations services to Sandringham

Kinetic Melbourne operates three bus routes via Brighton Beach station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

•  600 : Westfield Southland – St Kilda station[18]
•  603 : to The Alfred Hospital[19]
•  923 : Westfield Southland – St Kilda station[20]

Formerly, Brighton Beach was served by a tram line from St Kilda, with the extension from Middle Brighton to Brighton Beach opening in December 1906. After a lack of maintenance causing severe issues with the line, a material and finance shortage during World War II, and finally a decrease in patronage due to bus and car competition, the line was closed between Brighton Beach and Middle Brighton in January 1956, and closed fully in February 1959, despite protests from the community.[21]

"The Brighton Line in 1887" Gavan-Duffy, C.D. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin November 1960 pp174–179

• Melway map at street-directory.com.au