Port Adelaide railway station

Port Adelaide station is a railway station located on the Outer Harbor line.[1] Situated in the north-western Adelaide suburb of Alberton, it is 11.7 kilometres from Adelaide station.

Port Adelaide
The station in December 2018.
General information
LocationBaynes Place, Port Adelaide
Coordinates34°50′57″S 138°30′27″E
Owned byDepartment for Infrastructure & Transport
Operated byAdelaide Metro
Line(s)Outer Harbor
Distance11.7 km from Adelaide
Platforms2
Tracks2
ConnectionsBuses in Adelaide Bus
Construction
Structure typeOverpass Side platforms
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesNo
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station code18465 (To Outer Harbor)
16578 (To City)
WebsiteAdelaide Metro
History
Opened1916
Rebuilt1971 & 2010
Services
Preceding station Adelaide Metro Following station
Alberton
towards Adelaide
Outer Harbor line Ethelton
towards Outer Harbor

History

The line from Adelaide to Port Adelaide was the second railway in South Australia (after the Goolwa-Port Elliot railway began in 1854) and opened in 1856.[2] The original line from Adelaide ran directly to Port Dock station, the site now occupied by the National Railway Museum. Various lines then continued through the Port Adelaide's streets to the wharves and, from 1878, along St Vincent Street to the seaside town of Semaphore.

Congestion at Port Dock railway station and the delays involved in operating trains along busy streets in the centre of the Port resulted in construction of a viaduct and a new bridge across the Port River in 1916. This diverted through trains to Semaphore and Outer Harbor via a new station named Commercial Road, the current station. Port Adelaide Commercial Road was quite a substantial building, with long platforms, an overall roof and a signal cabin. This quickly took over from Port Dock as the town's principal railway station.

As rail traffic decreased through the 1960s and 70s, facilities at Commercial Road station were gradually reduced. In the early 1970s the roof was removed, platforms shortened and the street level station buildings reconstructed. The ticket office closed in January 1979 and the station has been unstaffed since then. With the closure of Port Dock station in 1981, Commercial Road station was subsequently renamed Port Adelaide. In November 2009, the station and viaduct closed for refurbishment, reopening on 9 May 2010.[3] Currently, Port Adelaide station's two elevated platforms are on a viaduct that carries the railway across Commercial Road. The station is unstaffed and has no buildings or other facilities except basic passenger shelters on each platform.

The tracks through Port Adelaide station were dual gauge from 1982, both 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) broad gauge and 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge. This allowed freight traffic from Dry Creek via the Rosewater loop to access industrial facilities on the Lefevre Peninsula and the container terminal at Pelican Point. In August 2008, freight traffic was diverted to operate via the Mary MacKillop Bridge downstream of the Port Adelaide harbour.[4] The disused standard gauge rails have been removed, however the dual gauge sleepers remain in place to allow for the entire Outer Harbor line to be gauge converted in the future.

Services by platform

Platform Lines Destinations Notes
1 Outer Harbor all stops services to Outer Harbor some peak hour services terminate at Osborne
2 Outer Harbor all stops services to Adelaide
Bus Transfers: Stop 38 (Commercial Road)
Route No. Destination & Route Details
118 City via Old Port Road, Tapleys Hill Road, Trimmer Parade, Crittenden Road, Grange Road & Port Road[5]
150 City via Port Road[6]
150 Osborne via Fletcher Road, Carnarvon Terrace & Victoria Road[6]
153 City via Port Road[7]
230 City via Addison Road, Arndale Central & Torrens Road[8]
232 City via Newcastle Street, Centro Arndale & Torrens Road[9]
254 City via Grand Junction Road, Hanson Road, Arndale Central & Hawker Street
(254X does not stop between Arndale & North Adelaide)[10]
361 Tea Tree Plaza Interchange via Grand Junction Road, Helen Terrace & Wright Road[11]

References

  1. Outer Harbor & Grange timetableAdelaide Metro 23 February 2014 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "The Centenary of the Adelaide-Port Adelaide Railway'" Strempel, A.A. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin June 1956 pp69-83
  3. Port Adelaide Viaduct UpgradeDepartment of Planning, Transport & Infrastructure Archived 28 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Premier Mike Rann opens the 'Diver' Derrick and Mary MacKillop road and rail bridges at Pt Adel". ABC News. 1 August 2008.
  5. Route 118 Adelaide Metro
  6. Route 150 Adelaide Metro
  7. Route 153 Adelaide Metro
  8. Route 230 Adelaide Metro
  9. Route 232 Adelaide Metro
  10. Route 254 Adelaide Metro
  11. Route 361 Adelaide Metro

Further reading

  • Rails Through Swamp and Sand – A History of the Port Adelaide Railway. M. Thompson pub. Port Dock Station Railway Museum (1988) ISBN 0-9595073-6-1
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