Broadmeadows railway station, Melbourne

Broadmeadows railway station is located on the Craigieburn line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the northern Melbourne suburb of Broadmeadows, and opened on 1 February 1873.

The Melbourne–Sydney standard gauge line is located east of the station, and located south of the station, towards Flinders Street, the Albion–Jacana freight line branches westward from the main line, providing an alternate route to Melbourne from the suburban lines via Essendon.

History
The railway past the site of Broadmeadows station opened in 1872, as part of the North East line to Wodonga. At the time of opening, the village of Broadmeadows was located some distance from the station, becoming known as "Old Broadmeadows", and now Westmeadows. It was not until the post World War II housing developments, that the gap between the old town and the station were filled.

The station was initially provided with a 150 ft long platform, a goods siding and shed, and a passing loop for trains on the single track. This early station was closer to Camp Road than the station today. A permanent station building was provided in 1878, along with a longer platform, all on the present site. In 1885, the line was duplicated, and a second platform of timber construction provided.

Electric train services between the city and Essendon were inaugurated in 1919, with electrification extended to Broadmeadows in 1921. However, Essendon remained the terminus of most suburban services, with a shuttle service operating beyond until 1925, with all day through services to Broadmeadows not provided until 1941. Stabling facilities are located north of the station.

The original 1878 station building was demolished in 1988, and was replaced by a new structure, which opened on 16 March 1990 by Transport Minister Jim Kennan, as part of a commercial development of the site, with the station upgraded to a Premium station on 21 March 1996.

In 2007, suburban electric services were extended to Craigieburn, with the siding closest to the standard gauge line abolished and removed.

In 1920, sheds and sidings for bagged wheat were provided, to handle the overflow from the Port of Williamstown. These sidings and sheds have since been abolished and removed.

The level crossing at Camp Road was initially protected by hand operated gates, with boom barriers provided in 1961, and the current overpass in 1978. Barry Road also had a level crossing, but was replaced by the current overpass in the late 1950s, as part of the construction of the standard gauge line. The Riggall Street overpass, about 1 kilometre north of Broadmeadows, was provided in 1974/1975.

The lever frame in the signal box was provided in 1889, which was replaced in 1929, when the Albion-Jacana freight line opened. Mechanical signalling along the line to Essendon was abolished in 1965, but it was not until 2000, that a Westrace solid state interlocking was provided. Control of this was moved to Craigieburn in 2007, as part of the electrification extension.

A third platform on the parallel standard gauge line was completed in late 2009, as part of the North East Rail Revitalisation Project, which saw the V/Line Albury service converted to standard gauge operation.

An Army siding was provided during World War II to Broadstore, located to the north-east of the station, opening on 12 October 1942, and remaining in place until 1982, however the track was not lifted until after 1991. The Broadstore Line was a single unelectrified track, and extended in a directly easterly direction for approximately 1.6 kilometres, towards the Upfield line, and terminated at the Maygar Barracks on Camp Road. At one time, it also had a further branch, that supplied a migrant hostel. The Broadstore branch line is marked on the maps of Victorian Railways (1950, 1960, 1970, and 1980 ), terminating in a station marked "Broadstore".

Platforms & services
Broadmeadows has three side platforms. Platforms 1 and 2 are serviced by broad gauge Metro Trains' Craigieburn line and V/Line Seymour and Shepparton services. Platform 3 is served by standard gauge V/Line Albury and NSW TrainLink Sydney services. A number of Metro Trains services commence and terminate at Broadmeadows in peak hour.

Platform 1:
 * Craigieburn line: all stations services to and from Flinders Street
 *  Seymour line : V/Line services to Southern Cross
 *  Shepparton line : V/Line services to Southern Cross
 * Platform 2


 *  Seymour line : V/Line services to Seymour
 *  Shepparton line : V/Line services to Shepparton

Platform 3:k
 *  Albury line : V/Line services to Albury
 *  NSW TrainLink Southern : NSW TrainLink XPT services to Sydney Central
 *  Albury line : V/Line services to Southern Cross
 *  NSW TrainLink Southern : NSW TrainLink XPT services to Southern Cross

Transport links
Broadmeadows Bus Service operates one route to and from Broadmeadows station:
 * 532: to Craigieburn station

CDC Melbourne operates two routes to and from Broadmeadows station:
 * 477: to Moonee Ponds Junction
 * 484: to Roxburgh Park station

Dysons operates six routes via Broadmeadows station:
 * 538: to Somerset Estate (Campbellfield)
 * 540: to Upfield station
 * 541: to Craigieburn North (Mount Ridley Road)
 * 542: Pascoe Vale station – Roxburgh Park station
 * Night Network (Melbourne) 952: to Melbourne CBD (Queen Street) (Saturday and Sunday mornings only)
 * Night Network (Melbourne) 953: to Craigieburn (Saturday and Sunday mornings only)

Transdev Melbourne operates two SmartBus routes via Broadmeadows station:
 * SmartBus 901: Frankston station – Melbourne Airport
 * SmartBus 902: Chelsea station – Westfield Airport West