Ararat railway station is located on the

Serviceton __NOTOC__ Serviceton is a small town in rural western Victoria, Australia. It is near the Victorian–South Australian border, north-west of Melbourne. Named after James Service, who was Premier of Victoria in 1880 and from 1883 to 1886, it ...

and Western standard gauge lines in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It serves the town of Ararat, and it opened on 7 April 1875.Ararat
Vicsig The station serves as the

terminus Terminus may refer to: * Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end destination * Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination Geography *Terminus, the unofficial original name of Atlanta, Georgia, United ...

for

V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates regional passenger train and coach services in Victoria, Australia. It provides passenger train services on five commuter lines and eight long-distance routes from its major hub at Southern Cross ...

's Ararat line services. It is also the

junction Junction may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junction'' (film), a 2012 American film * Jjunction, a 2002 Indian film * Junction (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille * Junction (EP), by Basement Jaxx, 2002 * Junction (manga), or ''Hot ...

for the Ararat – Maryborough line.

History

The railway first reached Ararat from

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

on 7 April 1875. The line south to

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

opened in December 1877, and the mainline was extended west, reaching the South Australian border at

in January 1887. The line to Maryborough opened in 1890.The Ararat Story
Royal Historical Society of Victoria Two

signal box In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The ''IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing'' ...

es ("A" and "B") opened in 1891, and in 1914, the goods sidings were extended, with the

locomotive depot The motive power depot (MPD) or locomotive depot, or traction maintenance depot (TMD), is the place where locomotives are usually housed, repaired and maintained when not being used. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine shed ...

built soon after. In the late 1930s, the locomotive depot was expanded, in conjunction with the arrival of the new H class 4-8-4 steam locomotives, intended for use on ''

The Overland ''The Overland'' is an Australian passenger train service between the state capitals of Melbourne and Adelaide, a distance of 828 km (515 mi). It first ran in 1887 as the ''Adelaide Express'', known by South Australians as the ''Melb ...

'' passenger train. An

turntable A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

was installed with 24 roads around it, the largest on the

Victorian Railways The Victorian Railways (VR), trading from 1974 as VicRail, was the state-owned operator of most rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companie ...

network. Before this time, Stawell was the major servicing facility in the region. During 1985, the passenger facilities in the main station building were refurbished. However, it was during this time that rationalisation of the facilities began; the "B" signal box was demolished in 1984, and the train control office followed in 1988. The former

footbridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...

, which was located at the Up end of the station, was destroyed in a derailment in May 1986. The former

Mobil Mobil is a petroleum brand owned and operated by American oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil. The brand was formerly owned and operated by an oil and gas corporation of the same name, which itself merged with Exxon to form ExxonMobil in 1999. ...

siding and associated points and staff lock were abolished in January 1988. The locomotive depot closed in 1989, the train crew depot closed on 30 June 1994, with "A" box following in 1996.

Gauge conversion Gauge conversion is the changing of one railway track gauge (the distance between the running rails) to another. Sleepers If tracks are converted to a narrower gauge, the existing sleepers (ties) may be used. However, replacement is required if ...

also occurred at the station in the 1990s, with the main line to

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

converted to

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...

, as part of the One Nation project. The lines west and south were converted, with the line to Maryborough converted to

dual gauge In railway engineering, "gauge" is the transverse distance between the inner surfaces of the heads of two rails, which for the vast majority of railway lines is the number of rails in place. However, it is sometimes necessary for track to c ...

soon after. Services on the former mainline to Ballarat were suspended in April 1995, and was left as

broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...

passenger services westward to

Dimboola Dimboola is a town in the Shire of Hindmarsh in the Wimmera region of western Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 334 kilometres north-west of Melbourne. History Situated on the Wimmera River, Dimboola was previously known as 'Nine Creek ...

had earlier been withdrawn on 21 August 1993, with the Ballarat to Ararat service withdrawn on 27 May 1994. On 11 July 2004, the line to Ballarat was reopened, with V/Line passenger services reinstated. The contract for the works was awarded in February 2003, and required a

diamond crossing A double junction is a railway junction where a double-track railway splits into two double track lines. Usually, one line is the main line and carries traffic through the junction at normal speed, while the other track is a branch line that ca ...

and

signalling In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The ''IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing'' ...

to be installed, to allow the broad gauge line to reach the platform. The Maryborough line was booked out of use in January 2005. From January 2017, the Ararat line included a stop at Caroline Springs station. From December 2019, the line included a stop at the new Cobblebank station. The

Murray Basin Rail Project The Murray Basin Rail Project is a major railway project in the north-west of Victoria, Australia. The project includes the conversion of a substantial portion of the Victorian freight rail network from the historical broad gauge to the standard ...

, which began in 2016, included reopening of the line from Ararat to Maryborough. The line was officially re-opened at Avoca in early 2018, after more than 13 years of sitting idle. As part of the

Regional Rail Revival The Regional Rail Revival is a joint initiative between the Australian federal government and the Victorian state government to upgrade all regional railway lines in Victoria. The project has an estimated total cost of . of the project's total ...

project, an extra stabling siding was provided at the station, to accommodate an extra morning service. The project was completed by early 2021, with a new timetable introduced on 31 January of that year. The stabling yard is able to hold two three-carriage VLocity trains.

Platforms, facilities and services

Ararat has two platforms. The full length standard gauge platform is on the north side, with broad gauge trains using a

bay platform In the United Kingdom and in Australia, a bay platform is a dead-end railway platform at a railway station that has through lines. It is normal for bay platforms to be shorter than their associated through platforms. Overview Bay and islan ...

on the south side. There is a railway grade crossing approximately 500 metres east of the station, which allows the broad gauge line to continue east towards

Beaufort Beaufort may refer to: People and titles * Beaufort (surname) * House of Beaufort, English nobility * Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England * Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility Places Polar regions ...

and Ballarat, while the standard gauge line heads south towards

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

. Control of

signals In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The ''IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing'' ...

at the station is by the

Australian Rail Track Corporation The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) is an Australian Government-owned statutory corporation. It operates one of the largest rail networks in the nation spanning 8,500km across five states, 39 worksites and more than 50 First Nations. ...

control centre at

Mile End Mile End is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London, England, east-northeast of Charing Cross. Situated on the London-to-Colchester road, it was one of the earliest suburbs of London. It became part of the m ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, and Centrol, in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. A dead end siding is located to the east, used for stabling broad gauge passenger trains, while across from the main platform are two standard gauge loops and one dead end siding. It is serviced by

Ararat line services on

, and

Journey Beyond Journey Beyond is the business name (together with more than a dozen other related names) of Experience Australia Group Pty Ltd, a private equity-owned company known mainly for operating Australian interstate experiential tourism trains (''The ...

'' services on

. Platform 1: *

services to

Adelaide Parklands The Adelaide Park Lands are the figure-eight of land spanning both banks of the River Torrens between Hackney and Thebarton and separating the City of Adelaide area (which includes both Adelaide city centre and North Adelaide) from the surro ...

and Melbourne (Southern Cross) (two per week) Platform 2: * V/Line services to Southern Cross

Transport Links

Ararat Transit operates six routes via Ararat station, under contract to

Public Transport Victoria Public Transport Victoria (PTV) is the brand name for public transport in the Australian state of Victoria, Australia, Victoria. It was the trading name of the Go Public Transport Development Authority (PTDA), a now-defunct statutory authorit ...

: *: to Ararat West via Brewster Road *: to Ararat South via Burke Street *: to Ararat North via Baird Street *to Maryborough via Elmhurst and Avoca *to

Hopkins Correctional Centre Hopkins Correctional Centre is an Australian medium security protection prison for males, located in Ararat, Victoria, approximately west of Melbourne. The centre is operated by Corrections Victoria, part of the Department of Justice of the ...

*Ararat –

Lake Bolac Lake Bolac is a town in the Western District region of Victoria, Australia. The town is on the shores of Lake Bolac, and the Glenelg Highway passes through the town. At the 2021 census, Lake Bolac and the surrounding area had a population of 3 ...

via

Willaura Willaura is a town in western Victoria, Australia in the Rural City of Ararat local government area, west of the state capital, Melbourne. At the , Willaura and surrounding area had a population of 439. According to tradition, the town's name i ...

operates road coach services from Ararat to

Warrnambool Warrnambool ( Maar: ''Peetoop'' or ''Wheringkernitch'' or ''Warrnambool'') is a city on the south-western coast of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Warrnambool had a population of 35,743. Situated on the Princes Highway, Warrnambool (Al ...

and

Nhill Nhill is a town in the Wimmera, in western Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Nhill is located on the Western Highway, Victoria, Western Highway, halfway between Adelaide and Melbourne. At the , Nhill had a population of 1,749. "Nhill" i ...

.Nhill–Ararat
Public Transport Victoria The Ballarat and Nhill services are operated by

Firefly Express Firefly Express is an Australian interstate coach operator. History Firefly Express' origins can be traced back to 1966 when Frank Bono and George Sita purchased route 406 Footscray to East Keilor from Barnes Buslines. In 1968 Bono took full c ...

Gallery

File:VLine-Ararart-Station-0629.jpg, Station front and entrance, and bus interchange, in March 2008 File:Vlocity vl60 at ararat.jpg, VLocity VL60 at Ararat station in September 2022

References

External links

Rail Geelong galleryWhen there were Stations galleryMelway map
at street-directory.com.au {{Journey Beyond railway stations, The Overland=y, state=collapsed Ararat, Victoria Railway stations in Australia opened in 1875 Regional railway stations in Victoria (Australia)