Strathmore railway station

Strathmore railway station is a commuter railway station on the Craigieburn line, part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the northern suburb of Essendon in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Strathmore station is a ground-level unstaffed station, featuring two side platforms. It opened on 28 October 1890, with the current station provided in 1972.^[4]

Strathmore
PTV commuter rail station
Northbound view from Platform 2, November 2024
General information
Location	Amelia Avenue, Essendon, Victoria City of Moonee Valley Australia
Coordinates	37°44′37″S 144°55′39″E
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	Metro Trains
Line(s)	Craigieburn
Distance	9.79 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	2 side
Tracks	2
Connections	Bus
Construction
Structure type	Ground
Parking	80
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Accessible	No—steep ramp
Other information
Status	Operational, unstaffed
Station code	SME
Fare zone	Myki Zone 1
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	28 October 1890; 134 years ago (1890-10-28)
Rebuilt	24 February 1972
Electrified	September 1921 (1500 V DC overhead)
Previous names	North Essendon (1890-1955)
Passengers
2005–2006	304,150[1]
2006–2007	325,127[1]  6.89%
2007–2008	350,690[1]  7.86%
2008–2009	347,295[2]  0.96%
2009–2010	370,580[2]  6.7%
2010–2011	371,052[2]  0.12%
2011–2012	342,510[2]  7.69%
2012–2013	Not measured[2]
2013–2014	363,011[2]  5.98%
2014–2015	362,179[1]  0.22%
2015–2016	383,280[2]  5.82%
2016–2017	391,050[2]  2.02%
2017–2018	401,881[2]  2.76%
2018–2019	389,922[2]  2.97%
2019–2020	318,600[2]  18.29%
2020–2021	130,750[2]  58.96%
2021–2022	151,600[3]  15.94%
Services
Preceding station Metro Trains Following station Glenbervie towards Flinders Street Craigieburn line Pascoe Vale towards Craigieburn
Track layout Legend to Glenbervie 1 2 Moonee Ponds Creek to Pascoe Vale

Initially opened as North Essendon, the station was given its current name of Strathmore on 1 March 1955.^[4]

History

Strathmore station on 28 October 1890, with the railway line past the site of the station originally opening in 1872, as part of the North East line to School House Lane.^[5] The station, like the suburb itself, was named after a Presbyterian church which opened in 1936. The church was named by local settler Thomas Napier, who had a property named Rosebank in the area. The Strathmore name comes from a valley in Scotland, near where Napier was born.^[6][7]

Located at the point where the original Sydney Road (now Pascoe Vale Road) crossed the railway line via a level crossing, it was considered one of the worst traffic bottlenecks in Melbourne, until grade separation works were completed in 1964.^[5][4]

In 1965, a number of signals at the station were abolished, in conjunction with the replacement of double line block signalling with three position signalling between Broadmeadows and Essendon.^[4]

On 24 February 1972, the present station building on Platform 1 was provided.^[8]

Platforms and services

A Comeng train on a Craigieburn-bound service idle at Platform 2, November 2024

Strathmore has two side platforms. It is served by Craigieburn line trains.^[9]

Platform 1:

•  Craigieburn line  all stations services to Flinders Street

Platform 2:

•  Craigieburn line  all stations services to Craigieburn

Transport links

The route 512 bus operated by Kinetic Buses Melbourne and the bus stop outside Platform 2 at Strathmore station on Amelia Avenue and Pascoe Avenue intersection, November 2024

Kastoria Bus Lines operates one route via Strathmore station:

•  469 : Moonee Ponds Junction – Keilor East^[10]

Kinetic Melbourne operates one route to and from Strathmore station:

•  512 : to East Coburg^[10]

Gallery

• 
  Southbound view from Platform 2, May 2019
• 
  Northbound view from Platform 2, December 2022
• 
  Station building and entrance seen from the station car park, November 2024
• 
  Station building, ramp and entrance to Platform 1, November 2024
• 
  Partial view of the PSO box and seating area on the north end of Platform 1, November 2024
• 
  Station building on Platform 1, November 2024
• 
  Station ramp and entrance to Platform 2, November 2024
• 
  The underpass north of Strathmore station and the direction signage, November 2024

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. "Strathmore". vicsig.net. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
5. Turton, Keith W (1973). Six And A Half Inches From Destiny. The first hundred years of the Melbourne-Wodonga Railway 1873-1973. Australian Railway Historical Society. p. 87. ISBN 0-85849-012-9.
6. "Strathmore". Victorian Places. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
7. First, Jamie (7 January 2014). "The A-Z story of Melbourne's suburbs". Herald Sun. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
8. "Way and Works". Divisional Diary. Australian Railway Historical Society. April 1972. p. 16.
9. "Craigieburn Line". Public Transport Victoria.
10. "512 Strathmore - East Coburg via Pascoe Vale South & Coburg West & Coburg". Public Transport Victoria.

External links

• Melway map at street-directory.com.au