Middle Gorge railway station

Middle Gorge railway station is a commuter railway station on the Mernda line, part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the north-eastern Melbourne suburb of South Morang in Victoria, Australia. Middle Gorge is a ground level unstaffed station, featuring two side platforms. It opened on 26 August 2018.^[4][5][6]

Middle Gorge
PTV commuter rail station
North-east bound view from Platform 2 looking at station buildings, November 2022
General information
Location	Williamsons Road, South Morang, Victoria 3752 City of Whittlesea Australia
Coordinates	37°38′39″S 145°05′31″E
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	Metro Trains
Line(s)	Mernda
Distance	28.34 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	2 side
Tracks	2
Connections	Bus
Construction
Parking	550
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Accessible	Yes—step free access
Other information
Status	Operational, unstaffed
Station code	MMR
Fare zone	Myki Zone 2
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	26 August 2018; 6 years ago (2018-08-26)
Electrified	July 2018 (1500 V DC overhead)
Previous names	Marymede (provisionally)
Passengers
2018–2019	192,700[1]
2019–2020	184,700[1]  4.15%
2020–2021	103,900[1]  43.75%
2021–2022	115,350[2]  11.02%
2022–2023	188,600[3]  63.5%
Services
Preceding station Metro Trains Following station South Morang towards Flinders Street Mernda line Hawkstowe towards Mernda
Track layout Legend to South Morang 1 2 to Hawkstowe

It is the only station between South Morang and Mernda that is not elevated, and the only station between Thomastown and Mernda that does not have an island platform.

History

South Morang railway station (former)

The original South Morang was a former steam-era railway station on the Whittlesea line, which operated until the closure of the line beyond Lalor on 28 November 1959, following the electrification of the line to Lalor.^[7] The line to Epping was electrified and re-opened on 30 November 1964,^[7] and the remaining section of track, from Epping to Whittlesea, was dismantled in the 1970s, although the former right-of-way remained intact. All that remained of the original South Morang station was the platform mound.

A new South Morang station opened on 22 April 2012, as the terminus of an extension of the Epping line.^[7] The new station was two kilometres closer to Epping than the former station, being arguably in Mill Park or Epping.

Middle Gorge

Middle Gorge opened near the approximate site of the original South Morang station on 26 August 2018, when the line was extended from South Morang to Mernda, as part of the Mernda Rail project.^[4][8] It was first announced as one of two new stations for the project, which was an extension of the South Morang line along the former Whittlesea line right-of-way. Hawkstowe was added to the project after community pressure.^[9]

The station was originally to be named Marymede, after the nearby Marymede Catholic College. However, this went against Victorian place-naming conventions, as it was named after a school. This caused public outrage for many reasons, mainly because its namesake Middle Gorge Park is located over 2 km from the station site. A letter sent from residents to the Victorian Government states that there was no consultation in the naming process, and that it does not accurately represent the station's location. Residents believe the station should be called "South Morang", whilst the current South Morang station be renamed to "Plenty Valley", in order to better reflect their locations.^[10]

Platforms and services

Middle Gorge has two side platforms. It is serviced by Metro Trains' Mernda line services.^[11]

Platform 1:

•  Mernda line  all stations and limited express services to Flinders Street

Platform 2:

•  Mernda line  all stations services to Mernda

Transport links

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

•  383 : Mill Park Lakes Palisades Estate – University Hill^[12]

Gallery

• 
  Building and entrance to Platform 2, May 2019

References

1. Railway station and tram stop patronage in Victoria for 2008-2021 Archived 17 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine Philip Mallis
2. Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries) Archived 6 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine Data Vic
3. Annual metropolitan train station entries 2022-23 Data Vic
4. "Middle Gorge". vicsig.net. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
5. Meet Mernda, your new line. Archived 1 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine Public Transport Victoria
6. "Marymede Station Precinct" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 February 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
7. "Mernda Line". vicsig.net. Archived from the original on 4 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
8. "Meet Mernda, your new line". www.ptv.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
9. "Hawkstowe Station Precinct" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 February 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
10. Carey, Adam (15 April 2018). "Middle Gorge railway station - You shall not pass". The Age. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
11. "Mernda Line". Public Transport Victoria.
12. "383 Palisades - University Hill". Public Transport Victoria.

External links

Middle Gorge railway station