Beaufort railway station, Victoria

Summary

Beaufort railway station is located on the Serviceton line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Beaufort, and it opened on 11 August 1874.[2]

Beaufort
PTV regional rail station
Station front and entrance in December 2008
General information
LocationPratt Street,
Beaufort, Victoria 3373
Shire of Pyrenees
Australia
Coordinates37°25′39″S 143°22′55″E / 37.4276°S 143.3819°E / -37.4276; 143.3819
Owned byVicTrack
Operated byV/Line
Line(s)Ararat (Serviceton)
Distance164.78 kilometres from
Southern Cross
Platforms1
Tracks1
ConnectionsRegional coach Coach
Construction
Structure typeGround
Parking19
AccessibleYes
Other information
StatusOperational, unstaffed
Station codeBET
Fare zoneMyki not available. Paper ticket only.
WebsitePublic Transport Victoria
History
Opened11 August 1874; 149 years ago (1874-08-11)
Closed27 May 1994
Rebuilt11 July 2004
Passengers
2013–20148,949[1]
2014–20158,230[1]Decrease 8.03%
2015–20167,989[1]Decrease 2.92%
2016–20178,770[1]Increase 9.77%
2017–2018Not measured[1]
2018–20199,200[1]Increase 4.9%
2019–20207,300[1]Decrease 20.65%
2020–20215,000[1]Decrease 31.5%
Services
Preceding station Railways in Victoria V/Line Following station
Wendouree Ararat line Ararat
Terminus
Former services
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Trawalla   Ararat line   Buangor
Location
Beaufort is located in Victoria
Beaufort
Beaufort
Location within Victoria

History edit

Beaufort station opened on 11 August 1874, when the railway line from Ballarat opened.[2] It remained a terminus until 7 April 1875, when the line was extended to Ararat.[2] Like the town itself, the station was named after Sir Francis Beaufort, a hydrographer and rear admiral of the British Royal Navy.[3]

On 14 September 1988, it was disestablished as a staff station,[4] with the signal box, interlocking and signals abolished. The electric staff sections Trawalla - Beaufort and Beaufort - Buangor were also abolished, replaced with the electric staff section Trawalla - Buangor.[5] In May 1989, two loop lines that formed a rail yard were removed.[6]

In October 1993, station staff were withdrawn, with platform seats also removed in that month.[6] On 27 May 1994, the station closed when road coaches replaced services between Ballarat and Ararat.[6]

In 2000, the station building and signal box underwent a restoration, to make it more suitable for community use.[6] By August 2003, upgrades to reopen the station were complete.[6] On 11 July 2004, the station reopened when V/Line passenger services to Ararat resumed.[7]

In October 2014, the former station building was converted into a community arts centre, whilst the former goods shed is currently used as a steam-era museum.[8][9]

Disused stations Burrumbeet and Trawalla are located between Beaufort and Wendouree, while disused station Buangor is located between Beaufort and Ararat.

Platforms and services edit

Beaufort has one platform. It is serviced by V/Line Ararat line services.[10]

Platform 1:

Transport links edit

V/Line operates a road coach service via Beaufort station:

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Railway station and tram stop patronage in Victoria for 2008-2021 Philip Mallis
  2. ^ a b c "Beaufort". vicsig.net. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Beaufort". Victorian Places. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  4. ^ "General News". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. November 1988. p. 334.
  5. ^ "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. November 1988. p. 345.
  6. ^ a b c d e Chris Banger (April 2007). "Notes on the Ballarat - Ararat Rail Corridor". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society: 106–115.
  7. ^ Ararat sleepers awake to new sound - the train The Age 10 July 2004
  8. ^ "Then and Now...Beaufort". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. February 2016. p. 60.
  9. ^ Community use of vacant rail buildings - Beaufort VicTrack
  10. ^ Ararat - Melbourne Public Transport Victoria

External links edit

  • Victorian Railway Stations gallery
  • When there were Stations gallery
  • Melway map at street-directory.com.au