Richmond railway station, Melbourne facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Richmond

Station information
Code	RMD
Distance from Flinders St	2.4 km
Line	Alamein, Bairnsdale, Belgrave, Cranbourne, Frankston, Glen Waverley, Lilydale, Pakenham, Sandringham
# Platforms	10
# Tracks	10
Status	Premium station
Metlink profile	Link
Melway map	Link
Google map	Link
GPS Coordinates	37°49′25″S 144°59′20″E
Zone	1

Richmond station is a railway station in Richmond, Australia. Richmond is an inner suburb of Melbourne.

The station is built on a bridge over Punt Road. It has ten platforms joined by three subways. All of Melbourne's eastern and south eastern railway lines meet here. These railway lines are:

• Frankston
• Glen Waverley
• Pakenham
• Sandringham,
• Cranbourne
• Belgrave
• Lilydale
• Alamein

The station is 2.4 km (1 mi) from Flinders Street Station which is Melbourne's central railway station. Richmond station is close to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Punt Road Oval and Melbourne Park. It is very busy during sporting and other special events.

Tram route 70 goes past Richmond Station along Swan Street.

Punt Road is under the station with a major interchange with Swan Street and Brunton Avenue.

History

Richmond station has been moved and rebuilt four times. The first station in Punt Road was at ground level and opened on 8 February, 1859. It closed the same year on 12 December, 1859. On the same day the new station opened in Swan Street.

In 1885, a new station just north of Swan Street was opened. The new station was raised up and was not at ground level. It had six platforms. For some time, both the old and new stations were used, before the ground level Swan Street station was closed.

By the 1940s the station had begun to fall apart. It was so bad that the council said it should be pulled down. A new station was not built for another 20 years. On 26 March, 1960 the new station was opened west of the old one. The bridges at each end of the station across Punt Road and Swan Street were also rebuilt to fit the ten tracks. The old station was pulled down.

Proposed redevelopment

The condition of Richmond station was a problem again in 2005. Melbourne held the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Richmond station was the gateway to many of the main venues. The station had a bleak appearance. The raised station did not have much shelter and could be windy and cold. It has poor access with steep ramps, stairs, and no lifts. This led the Victorian Government to think about building a new station. They decided it would cost too much money.

Movie

The opening scene of the movie Romper Stomper was filmed in Richmond station. In the movie it was called Footscray station.

Images for kids

• 

  Westbound view from Platform 1, with the junction of Punt Road and Olympic Boulevard to the left, and the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in the distance, in January 2021.