South Geelong railway station is a regional railway station on the Warrnambool line, part of the Victorian railway network. It serves the suburb of South Geelong, in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. It opened on 1 November 1883 and was rebuilt for the third time in 2024 as part of the Regional Rail Revival project.

History

thumb|New second platform, with track still to be constructed, May 2024

The railway line from Geelong to Winchelsea opened on 25 November 1876. Prior to the establishment of the station, the site was used as a loading point for ballast and bluestone by the contractor building the Queenscliff railway line.

When the station opened, a timber station building was provided. Opposite the station was a loop siding, longer than the platform, and behind the station was a dead end siding. Around 1887 or 1888, the siding was extended and a goods shed provided.

The former State Electricity Commission (SECV) opened a briquette depot in the South Geelong yard in 1940, with two new sidings provided. In March of that year, the siding was extended by about , with the staff-locked connection between the siding and the main line also extended. That proved beneficial for trains using the station to move passenger traffic to football games at nearby Kardinia Park, located nearby in Moorabool Street. Up to seven trains could be held in the yard.

Commencing on 4 November 1968, a train each way was extended from Geelong to South Geelong during the morning and afternoon peak, and a car park was established on part of the goods yard. By 1979, the number of local services to and from South Geelong had increased to eight a day. Further signalling alterations occurred in 1989 and 1992.

South Geelong is staffed from first train to last, and is served by most Geelong-line trains. The former railway branch line to Queenscliff is now part of the Bellarine Rail Trail as far as Drysdale, and is used by the Bellarine Peninsula Railway for tourist trains between Drysdale and Queenscliff.

The former Geelong Racecourse station was located between South Geelong and Marshall stations. The last service to use the station was for the 2005 Geelong Cup. In February 2011, the loop siding serving the former platform was disconnected from the main line, as part of a sleeper renewal program. On 1 March of that year, the loop siding was abolished, effectively closing the station.

As part of the Regional Rail Revival project, the line between Waurn Ponds and South Geelong was partially duplicated. South Geelong was closed on 15 June 2024 and the station building was demolished. It included the original platform as Platform 1, with a new station building, a new second platform, an accessible pedestrian overpass and lifts, along with upgraded car parking, lighting and platform shelters. Closed-circuit television and improved pedestrian better connections to nearby Kardinia Park were also part of the project. Some Geelong-line services terminate at South Geelong, but most now continue to Waurn Ponds, following the partial duplication of the line.

{| class="wikitable defaultcenter col1left"

! colspan="5" style="background:#;background-image: linear-gradient(to right, #); " |<span style="color:white;">South Geelong platform arrangement</span>

|-

!Platform

!Line

!Destination

|-

|1

|<br>

|Southern Cross

|-

|2

|<br>

|Marshall, Waurn Ponds, Warrnambool

|}

CDC Geelong operates a bus route via South Geelong station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

  • : North Shore station – Deakin University Waurn Ponds Campus

References

  • Newsrail March 1985 pp.&nbsp;68–73
  • Victorian Railway Stations gallery