Murchison East railway station

Murchison East railway station is located on the Tocumwal line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Murchison East, and it opened on 1 September 1890 as Murchison.^[3][4]

Murchison East
PTV regional rail station
Northbound view from the station platform, July 2022
General information
Location	Cassidys Road, Murchison East, Victoria 3610 City of Greater Shepparton Australia
Coordinates	36°36′47″S 145°14′26″E
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	V/Line
Line(s)	Shepparton (Tocumwal)
Distance	147.25 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	1
Tracks	3
Construction
Structure type	Ground
Parking	Yes
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Status	Operational, unstaffed
Station code	MST
Fare zone	Myki not available. Paper ticket only.
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	1 September 1890; 134 years ago (1890-09-01)
Rebuilt	August 2022[1]
Previous names	Murchison
Passengers
2013–2014	14,228[2]
2014–2015	12,253[2]  13.88%
2015–2016	12,533[2]  2.28%
2016–2017	11,386[2]  9.15%
2017–2018	Not measured[2]
2018–2019	11,350[2]  0.31%
2019–2020	9,900[2]  12.77%
2020–2021	4,300[2]  56.56%
Services
Preceding station V/Line Following station Nagambie towards Southern Cross Shepparton line Mooroopna towards Shepparton
Location Murchison East Location within Victoria

History

Murchison East station opened on 1 September 1890, just over ten years after the railway line from Mangalore to Shepparton opened.^[3]

The station became a junction in the month that it opened, when the line to Rushworth opened, branching off at the southern (up) end of the station. That line was later extended to Colbinabbin and Girgarre. In 1987, the Rushworth line closed.^[5]

In 1974, flashing light signals replaced hand gates at the Goulburn Valley Highway level crossing, located nearby in the up direction of the station.^[6] In 2009, boom barriers were provided.^[7]

The station has the longest passing loop on the line, totalling 870 metres in length.^[8] However, in 2013, the loop was booked out of service due to poor track condition. A number of other sidings that serve a grain silo complex are located opposite the platform.

On 4 June 2014, the station building was destroyed by fire.^[9] The main timber station building had been fenced off, and a new passenger shelter constructed alongside.

As part of the Regional Rail Revival project to upgrade the Shepparton line, the platform was extended to accommodate VLocity trains. The crossing loop was also extended, enabling trains to pass each other.^[10][11] By August 2022, the project was completed, and included new lighting, seating, shelter and CCTV, as well an upgraded car park and upgraded paths leading to the station.^[1]

Closed station Wahring was located between Murchison East and Nagambie, while closed stations Arcadia and Toolamba were located between Murchison East and Mooroopna.

Platforms and services

Murchison East has one platform. It is serviced by V/Line Shepparton line services.^[12] Occasionally, some services terminate here instead of terminating at Shepparton.

Platform 1:

•  Shepparton line  services to Shepparton and Southern Cross

Gallery

• 
  Northbound view of the station platform,
  July 2008. The original station building has since been demolished due to a fire in 2014.