Back in 2015 work on removing the Main Road level crossing in St Albans was in full swing, and I noticed a curious situation – the ‘temporary’ St Albans platform 2 was better constructed than many railway stations in Melbourne!
The good
The platform was smooth and level, with plenty of room for passengers.
With a roof over the seat and a next train display.
And the bad
Albion station has a platform so decrepit it’s been fenced off.
The brick platform face at Caulfield is cracked.
At Mont Albert it’s the concrete that is crumbing.
Canterbury station is stupidly narrow.
Mont Albert is so narrow the yellow lines merge into one.
The concrete edge at Thornbury is cracking up.
East Camberwell is covered with lichen.
The timber edge at Strathmore has rotten away.
Weeds grow through deep cracks at Kensington.
South Kensington once had a yellow line.
With the other side of the platform falling down towards the fence.
So why did St Albans need a temporary platform anyway?
St Albans once had three platforms – one for the city, a second for trains towards Watergardens, and a third turnback platform on the western side.
To speed the removal of the Main Road level crossing, it was decided to use this extra space on the western side as the site of the new low level St Albans station, allowing trains to continue running through the old station.
The first stage of works saw platform 2 and 3 closed to passengers in October 2015.
The old platform was cleared over a weekend, with piling works able to proceed while trains were running.
Steel brackets were then installed along the tracks.
Allowing a cantilevered platform to be opened over the future station site in November 2015.
Excavators then moved in to dig out the new train trench.
By August 2016 the new low level platform was visible beneath the temporary one.
The final stage came in October 2016, when the Sunbury line was shut down, and the ground level tracks were removed.
With the new low level St Albans station opening to trains in November 2016.
And now at Glenroy
The level crossing at Glenroy Road is about to get the chop – and to make room for the construction work, a temporary platform and footbridge have been provided.
With grade separation works continuing for Glenroy Road, the Up platform was shifted and the subway closed. Now the station has a temporary footbridge for access to the Up Platform. pic.twitter.com/QzRweROiZ8
— Vicsig (@vicsig) January 25, 2021
A cheaper example
Back in 2007 the station building at Lara was extended.
Requiring part of the platform to be closed to passengers.
A temporary platform extension was provided to compensate for the closed section.
But it was a much cheaper affair than St Albans – scaffolding, plywood, and shade cloth.
And the ‘temporary’ solution that never went away
Back in 2009 temporary platforms extensions were provided by Queensland Rail at seven railway stations on the Sunshine Coast so that passengers could board six-car long trains.
Six years later the temporary structures were still in use at an annual cost of $288,000.
[joke]”The concrete edge at Thornbury is cracking up.” Was it making someone laugh or something?!
Great post, thank you. One note: I think the ‘moss’ at East Camberwell is actually lichen (a more interesting organism), which is usually a good indicator of clean air (you’d expect it with all the trees around there, but still – yay).
Thanks for the correction! Now I know the difference between moss and lichen.