# South Morang railway station

South Morang railway station is a commuter railway station on the Mernda line, which is part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the north-eastern suburb of South Morang, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. South Morang is a below ground premium station, featuring an island platform with two faces. It opened on 22 April 2012.

## History

The first passenger facility at the site was Rail Motor Stopping Place (RMSP) No. 39, which was opened in May 1925 at the McDonalds Road level crossing on the former Whittlesea line. The then South Morang station was a short distance further on. In its final years of operation, the passenger service was provided by a diesel electric railmotor (DERM).
On 29 November 1959, the Victorian Railways closed the line north of Lalor, following the electrification of the line from Reservoir to Lalor. The line to Epping was electrified and re-opened on 29 November 1964, and the remaining section of track from Epping to Whittlesea dismantled, although the former right-of-way was left intact.
Following the election of the Bracks Government in October 1999, a promise was made to restore the rail service to South Morang by 2003. In 2004, it was decided a bus service would be introduced instead and, in May 2006, the original promise of restoring the railway was delayed until 2021. As a result of continued community pressure by the South Morang Rail Alliance, a coalition of community groups in the area, then Premier, John Brumby, announced in 2008 that construction of the extension would be brought forward to 2010, as part of the Victorian Transport Plan.
The Epping line was extended to the site of Rail Motor Stopping Place No. 39, on the border of South Morang and Mill Park, about two kilometres short of the original South Morang station. On 22 April 2012, the new station was opened to the public. As part of the extension project, five kilometres of track was duplicated between Keon Park and Epping, a second platform built at Thomastown, and a grade separation project at Epping included the construction of a new station there.
Provision was for the new line to be extended further northwards to Mernda and, on 26 August 2018, that extension opened.

## Platforms and services

South Morang has one island platform with two faces. It is served by Mernda line trains.
Platform 1:
* Mernda line all stations and limited express services to Flinders Street
Platform 2:
* Mernda line all stations services to Mernda

## Transport links

Dysons operates seven bus routes via South Morang station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:
* 382 : Whittlesea – Northland Shopping Centre
* 383 : Mill Park Lakes Palisades Estate – University Hill
* 386 : Mernda station – RMIT University Bundoora campus
* 387 : Mernda station – RMIT University Bundoora campus
* 564 : to RMIT University Bundoora campus
* 569 : to Pacific Epping
* 577 : to Pacific Epping
Kinetic Melbourne operates one SmartBus route via South Morang station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:
* SmartBus 901 : Frankston station – Melbourne Airport

## Gallery

* Station building and entrance, April 2012
* Eastbound view from Platform 1, April 2012