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Parliament railway station

Parliament railway station is a commuter railway station on the Burnley, Caulfield, Clifton Hill, Cross City and Northern group lines, serving the Melbourne CBD and the suburb of East Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. Parliament is an underground premium station on the City Loop, featuring four platforms, two island platforms on two floors connected to street level via two underground concourses. It opened on 24 January 1981.

Parliament station opened in 1983, and it was named after the Parliament House, which is located just east of the station. During the station's construction, the platforms of the station were built through tunneling. When the station opened, it had the longest escalator in the Southern Hemisphere but, in 2022, the escalators at Airport Central station in Perth exceeded that.

Parliament is one of the three underground stations on the City Loop, which is served by eleven lines organised into four groups. The station is also served by two tram routes on Bourke Street, four tram routes on Macarthur Street, and three tram routes on Spring Street.

Description

Parliament station is on the border of the Melbourne CBD and the suburb of East Melbourne. East of the main entrance is Macarthur Street and Spring Street, and Collins Street is to the south. The station is near Parliament House, hence the station's name. Parliament station is owned by VicTrack, a state government agency, and is operated by Metro Trains Melbourne. The station is approximately 4.3 kilometres (2.7 mi), or around a 7-minute train journey, from Flinders Street.

Parliament station has two island platforms in a two-level configuration. The platforms are approximately 160 metres (520 ft) long, which can accommodate a 7-car HCMT. In addition to the two platform levels, there are two underground concourses. The northern concourse is connected to street level via an exit on Lonsdale Street, and the southern concourse is connected to street level via an exit on Macarthur Street and two exits on Spring Street.

The station is compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 as there are lifts linking the concourse with both the platforms and street level. It has no parking facilities.

History

Parliament station was one of three underground stations included in the construction plan of the new City Loop, overseen by the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop Authority (MURLA), formed in 1971.

The station platforms were constructed using tunnelling methods. A pilot tunnel was made, enabling the walls to be constructed ahead of the main excavation. Each platform is an individual tunnel and is linked to the other platforms at the same level by several cross tunnels. That choice of design mean that the remaining pillar of rock between the tunnels too weak to support the required loads, so it was replaced with concrete.

The booking hall to the south was constructed "upside down", with the support columns being dug with augers from ground level, then filled with concrete. The roof was constructed over the piles from ground level, during a series of staged road closures. Once complete, the excavation of the booking hall was carried out underneath, while road traffic continued overhead. During construction, the fence around Parliament House had to be removed and stored, then re-erected.

The station opened on 22 January 1983. At the time of opening, the station had the longest escalators in the Southern Hemisphere, but they have since been surpassed by Airport Central railway station in Perth, opened in October 2022.

On 31 January 2021, a major timetable revision occurred to allow for the operation of the High Capacity Metro Trains, as well as more frequent services on both the Northern and Caulfield Groups. That included the removal of Frankston, Sandringham and Werribee lines from the City Loop., However, the Victorian State Government intends that the Frankston line will recommence operations through the City Loop in 2025, once the new Metro Tunnel is opened.

In 2022 and early 2023, works began to upgrade safety features at the three city loop stations. In 2022, a new intruder alarm system was installed. On 6 February 2023, early works commenced for stage 2 at Parliament station, which were expected to be complete by late 2023.
The improvements include:

Upgrading ventilation shafts
Replacing existing ceiling panels
Upgrading fire sprinkler systems
Installation of new fire detection systems

Platforms and services

Parliament station is served by 11 lines which are separated into four groups and are operated by Metro Trains Melbourne.

Platform 1 is served by the Clifton Hill group, which consists of the Hurstbridge and Mernda lines. Services run clockwise, first stopping at Jolimont and then travelling together until Clifton Hill where the line splits into two.

Platform 2 is served by the Caulfield group, which consists of the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines. Services operate anticlockwise through the City Loop, first travelling towards Flinders Street before travelling together towards Dandenong where the line splits into two. Services on both lines run express between South Yarra and Caulfield (Malvern during off-peak). From 2025, the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines will be removed from the City Loop and will be rerouted through the Metro Tunnel. Services on the Frankston line will serve the Loop instead.

Platform 3 is served by the Northern Group, which consists of the Craigieburn, Sunbury and Upfield lines. Service patterns alternate during the day between clockwise and anticlockwise operation. Services run through the loop together before splitting off at North Melbourne. From 2025, the Sunbury line will not run through the City Loop and will be rerouted through the Metro Tunnel.

Platform 4 is served by the Burnley Group, which consists of Alamein, Belgrave, Glen Waverley and Lilydale lines. Service patterns alternate during the day between clockwise and anticlockwise operation. Services on the Burnley group split off three times, first at Burnley where the Glen Waverley line branches off, then at Camberwell where the Alamein line branches off, and Ringwood where the Belgrave and Lilydale lines split into two.

Station layout

Transport links

Parliament station is served by seven tram routes, departing from three different tram stops. Route 35 serves the tram stop on Spring Street, routes 86 and 96 serve the tram stop on Bourke Street, and routes 11, 12, 48 and 109 serve the tram stop on Macarthur Street.

Spring Street