Heathcote Junction railway station


Heathcote Junction railway station is located on the North East railway line in Victoria, Australia. A station, originally called Kilmore Junction, was opened at the site on 17 March 1890, at the point where the former Heathcote branch line left the main line.

History

A crossing loop named Summit was opened at the location in November 1885, but closed in January 1886, after duplication works on the North East line were completed. Soon after, surveyors planning the route of a branch railway to Kilmore, and later to Heathcote, selected the site as the junction of the branch.
In 1887, a junction was provided for construction trains on the new Kilmore line, which branched off to the west of the station, passing behind the Down platform, with the points facing Melbourne. In 1888, a signal box named Kilmore Junction opened on the eastern side of the main line, but a station was not provided until March 1890. It had only small passenger shelters and no goods facilities. Even though the branch line was extended north-west to Heathcote, and thence to Bendigo in 1890, the station was not renamed Heathcote Junction until 15 May 1922.
In 1962, the Melbourne-Albury standard gauge line opened. It ran behind Platform 1, so the signal box had to be replaced by a new structure to the west of the main lines, between those lines and the branch line. The branch line closed in 1968, with the signal box following in 1970. The signal box was demolished in February 1973, although the foundations can still be seen today. The pedestrian crossing at the Up end of the station was upgraded in 2006/07.

Platforms & services

Heathcote Junction has two side platforms. It is serviced by V/Line Seymour line and limited Shepparton line services.
Platform 1:
Platform 2: