History
Aircraft station opened on 7 March 1925 as Aviation Siding. In 1927 it was renamed Aircraft Siding and a platform was provided. It was further renamed Aircraft in 1963. The siding and station were provided because of the adjacent former Royal Australian Air Force Laverton base.
Doubt was cast on the future of Aircraft station with the announcement that Williams Landing railway station would be built just a kilometre along the line. Aircraft station already has lower patronage than nearby Laverton station, despite being only one kilometre further along the line, because Aircraft is located just inside PTV fare zone 2, which makes trips from Aircraft to the city more expensive than from Laverton.
In June 2010 a spokesman for then public transport minister Martin Pakula said only that Aircraft would remain open until 2012, the opening date of Williams Landing station. At the same time the construction of 100 new car parking spaces was cancelled, and railway sources confirmed that the government's plans were to close Aircraft station. However in September 2010 the public transport minister ended speculation by pledging that "Aircraft station will not be closed".
The proposed Williams Landing railway station is located between Aircraft and Hoppers Crossing.
Read more about this topic: Aircraft Railway Station
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