Batman railway station

Batman 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 North, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Batman station is a ground level unstaffed station, featuring an island platform. It opened on 8 October 1889, with the current station provided in 1959. It initially closed on 13 July 1903, then reopened on 1 October 1914.^[4]

Batman
PTV commuter rail station
Northbound view from Platform 2, June 2019
General information
Location	Gaffney Street, Coburg North, Victoria 3058 City of Merri-bek Australia
Coordinates	37°44′01″S 144°57′46″E
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	Metro Trains
Line(s)	Upfield
Distance	11.23 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	2 (1 island)
Tracks	2
Connections	Bus Tram
Construction
Structure type	Ground
Accessible	Yes—step-free access
Other information
Status	Operational, unstaffed
Station code	BAT
Fare zone	Myki Zone 1/2 overlap
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	8 October 1889; 135 years ago (1889-10-08)
Closed	13 July 1903
Rebuilt	1 October 1914 19 July 1959
Electrified	December 1920 (1500 V DC overhead)
Previous names	Bell Park (1889–1914)
Passengers
2005–2006	199,821[1]
2006–2007	223,679[1]  11.94%
2007–2008	261,378[1]  16.85%
2008–2009	319,489[2]  22.23%
2009–2010	332,657[2]  4.12%
2010–2011	313,373[2]  5.8%
2011–2012	285,973[2]  8.74%
2012–2013	Not measured[2]
2013–2014	275,893[2]  3.52%
2014–2015	282,300[1]  2.32%
2015–2016	281,380[2]  0.32%
2016–2017	313,018[2]  11.24%
2017–2018	294,110[2]  6.04%
2018–2019	334,900[2]  13.87%
2019–2020	257,000[2]  23.26%
2020–2021	116,250[2]  54.8%
2021–2022	142,200[3]  22.32%
Services
Preceding station Metro Trains Following station Coburg towards Flinders Street Upfield line Merlynston towards Upfield
Track layout Legend to Coburg O'Hea Street Gaffney Street 1 2 Bakers Road to Merlynston

Initially opened as Bell Park, the station was given its current name of Batman on 1 October 1914.^[4]

History

Batman station opened when the railway line was extended from Coburg to Somerton.^[4] It was named after one of the founders of Melbourne, John Batman.^[5]

In 1920, a siding for the former Lincoln Mills knitting works on Gaffney Street was provided.^[4] In 1959, the current island platform was provided, when the line was duplicated between Coburg and Fawkner.^[4]

In 1970, the siding serving the Lincoln Mills knitting works was abolished, along with the associated signal discs and posts.^[4] In 1982, a crossover at the station was abolished, along with a number of signals and levers.^[4]

There is a disused signal box at the up end of the station, which was provided in 1935, controlling interlocked gates at the Gaffney Street level crossing.^[4] In 1998, the gates were replaced with boom barriers, when the Upfield line was upgraded.^[6]

Platforms and services

Batman has one island platform with two faces. It is served by Upfield line trains.^[7]

Platform 1:

•  Upfield line  all stations services to Flinders Street

Platform 2:

•  Upfield line  all stations services to Upfield, select services to Flinders Street.

Transport links

Broadmeadows Bus Service operates one route via Batman station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

•  530 : Campbellfield Plaza Shopping Centre – Coburg^[8]

Dysons operates one bus route via Batman station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

•  534 : Glenroy station – Coburg^[9]

Yarra Trams operates one route via Batman station:

• : North Coburg – Flinders Street station (via Elizabeth Street)^[10]

Gallery

• 
  Southbound view from Platform 2, showing directly at station building, June 2019
• 
  Northbound view from Platform 1, June 2019

References

1. Estimated Annual Patronage by Network Segment Financial Year 2005–2006 to 2018–19 Department of Transport
2. Railway station and tram stop patronage in Victoria for 2008–2021 Philip Mallis
3. Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries) Data Vic
4. "Batman". vicsig.net. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
5. Thomas O'Callaghan (1918). Names of Victorian Railway Stations. Government Printer. ISBN 0-9580716-0-8. (2003 facsimile edition)
6. "Signalling Alterations". Somersault. Signalling Record Society (Victoria). January 1999. p. 12.
7. "Upfield Line". Public Transport Victoria.
8. "530 Campbellfield - Coburg via Fawkner". Public Transport Victoria.
9. "534 Glenroy to Coburg via Boundary Road & Sydney Road". Public Transport Victoria.
10. "19 North Coburg - Flinders Street Station & City". Public Transport Victoria.

External links

• Melway map at street-directory.com.au