Moreland railway station is a commuter railway station on the Upfield line, which is part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the northern suburb of Coburg, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Moreland station is an elevated unstaffed station, with two side platforms. It opened on 9 September 1884, with the current station provided in 2020.[4]
The name Moreland has been associated with the local area since 1839 when land speculator Farquhar McCrae acquired 638 acres of land between the Moonee Ponds Creek and Sydney Road.
McCrae named this land Moreland after the Jamaicanslave plantation that was run by his father and grandfather. The landholdings were increased in 1841 to encompass a total of 908 acres, which was subdivided in 1858 including the establishment of Moreland Road. [5][6][7]
On 2 May 1975, the former ground-level station was damaged by fire.[8][9]
In 1983, a number of sidings at the station were dismantled.[4] In 1986, manually controlled boom barriers replaced interlocked gates at the former Moreland Road level crossing, which was at the up end of the station.[10] In August 1988, former sidings "A", "B" and "C" and associated point work were abolished.[11] Also abolished were the up and down end crossovers, and a number of disc signals.[11]
On 7 May 2019, the Level Crossing Removal Project announced that the Moreland Road and Reynard Street level crossings would be removed by grade separation.[12] On 12 June 2019, the designs for the new, rebuilt station was announced.[13]
On 27 July 2020, the Moreland Road and Reynard Street level crossings and equipment were eliminated and on the same night, the ground level station was closed and demolished and the Platform 1 heritage building restored during these works.[14] On 2 November 2020, trains started running through the new elevated rail bridge after a four month closure.[15][16] On 14 December 2020, the rebuilt station opened to passengers.[17]
The heritage station building and former ground level Platform 1, October 2008
Southbound view from the former ground level Platform 1, October 2019
The heritage station building to Platform 1 prior to the elevated station being built, October 2019
Station building on Platform 1, October 2019
Northbound view of the former ground level station platforms, taken from the former Moreland Road level crossing, prior to being demolished, November 2019
The heritage station building and new rebuilt elevated station, January 2021