thumb|right|A map of the Inner Circle railway line
thumb|right|Remains of the former North Fitzroy railway station, 2005
thumb|right|The North Fitzroy Substation, built in 1915 to supply power to the Inner Circle line, 2005
The Inner Circle Line was a steam era suburban railway line (later electrified) in Melbourne, Australia. It served the inner-northern suburbs of Parkville, Carlton North, Fitzroy North and Fitzroy. At its closure, it ran from Royal Park station on the Upfield line in the west to a triangular junction with Rushall and Merri stations on today's Mernda line in the east. A branch line to Fitzroy opened at the same time.
History
The Inner Circle was opened on 8 May 1888 with three stations: North Carlton and North Fitzroy on the main line, and Fitzroy at the end of a short branch line leading south through the Edinburgh Gardens from a junction near North Fitzroy station.
As the main line
When the Inner Circle line opened, services originated from Spencer Street station at the western end of the Melbourne central business district. Trains bound for the then terminus at Heidelberg station (now on the Hurstbridge line) would run to North Fitzroy station, then continue south to Victoria Park station (then known as Collingwood, and now on the Hurstbridge and Mernda lines). Locomotives would then have to change ends and the trains return to Clifton Hill station, where they diverged east on to the line to Heidelberg.
In December 1889, after the opening of the Whittlesea line, trains ran from Spencer Street to Whittlesea via the Inner Circle. Other services on the same route only travelled as far as Preston station.
A passenger service was originally provided from Spencer Street to Fitzroy station, on the branch line. By October 1889, that had been relegated to a short shuttle service from North Fitzroy station, and the passenger service closed altogether in May 1892.
For a short period between March and May 1891, the Inner and Outer Circle routes formed the only link between the eastern and western halves of the Victorian Railways system. Prior to that, the link was via a street-level tramway along the edge of the CBD between Flinders and Spencer Streets, which was generally only used at night. Between December 1888 and May 1891, when the new Flinders Street Viaduct, connecting Flinders Street and Spencer Street stations, was in its final stages of construction, the Outer and Inner Circle lines was used to allow freight trains to bypass the construction site.
Replaced by direct line
In 1901, a new, direct line to Clifton Hill was opened from Princes Bridge station, at the southern edge of the CBD, through the inner-eastern suburb of Abbotsford. That allowed Heidelberg-bound trains to run more directly to their destination, removing the need for the reversing manoeuvre at Victoria Park. The Preston suburban service also ran via the new, direct line. However, Whittlesea trains continued to use the more indirect route via the Inner Circle, albeit only to and from Spencer Street station.
With the loss of the main line services on the Inner Circle after 1901, a series of "roundabout" services were trialled. By 1906, a regular steam-hauled service was established from Princes Bridge to North Fitzroy station via Clifton Hill and, by 1919, it was running every hour off-peak.
Electrification of the line between Royal Park and Clifton Hill stations was commissioned on 31 July 1921,
The line was occasionally used to hold special trains outside the suburban network; for instance on 24 November 1972 a train with two B class locomotives ran from Dimboola to Spencer Street, then one engine hauled the train to Royal Park station for Melbourne Zoo and onto the branch line, followed by the second engine running to collect the train for the empty return trip, followed by the first engine. The reverse arrangement was used to collect the passengers from Royal Park later the same day.
The line was officially closed on 31 July 1981. North Fitzroy station is now a slight rise in the walking and cycling path east of Nicholson Street. The path was realigned in 2002 to traverse the length of the former platform. The site of Fitzroy station has been redeveloped into a medium-density housing estate.
thumb|600px|center|Map of the Inner Circle Rail Trail
Station histories
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Station
!Opened
!Closed