Re: Railway over Yarra River.

[Jackson Harding <jaxsonjo@camtech.net.au>]

Garry Hoddinett wrote:

> When in Melbourne a couple of months ago I noticed from the Rialto Towers
> Observation Deck a single track railway bridge to the south over the Yarra
> River.  The line now seems to be truncated for the construction of the
> Docklands Stadium.  Where did the line go to and why was it removed?  It
> seems stupid these days to sever rail connections to a city's port.  In
> speaking to a person who works for PO in Sydney he said a rail connection to
> their Rozelle port is seen as one of their best marketing assets.

This was the bridge that carried the St Kilda and Port Melbourne lines.  Both
were short lines, part of the electrified suburban network.  Neither were
connected to the Underground Loop and both were closed in the mid eighties.
There is now (or at least last time I was in Melbourne, it may have been Jeffed
now) a "light rail" (read large tram) service along the old route that was
diverted along Spencer St before it got to the bridge.  The Pt Melbourne line
was often claimed to be the first railway line in Australia. AFAIK the bridge
actually carried two tracks.

Jackson