History
Essendon station opened in October 1860 as the terminus of the private Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company line from Melbourne. The service was closed in July 1864, before reopening under government ownership on 9 January 1871. The line to the north was opened in 1872 as part of the North East railway to Wodonga.
A completely new station with a single platform was provided in 1878 on the site of the present island platform, with passenger subways and footbridges added in 1886, along with conversion of the island platform to the current layout. It was also at this time that a road overpass was provided at Mount Alexander Road, in what was one of the first grade separation projects to be carried out in the state. The road opened was widened in 1931. In 1909 the present buildings were provided, along with a centre track between platforms 1 and 2.
Electric train services between Essendon and the city were inaugurated in 1919, with electrification extended to Broadmeadows in 1921. However Essendon remained the terminus of most suburban services, with a shuttle service operating beyond until 1925, with all day through services to Broadmeadows not provided until 1941. The station took the layout it has today in 1969, with the abolition of the centre track, closure of the stand alone signal box, provision of automatic signalling along the line, and replacement of the Buckley Street interlocked crossing gates with boom barriers. The station is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register, and was upgraded to a Premium Station in 1996.
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