History
Westall station was opened as a workers only platform on 16 October 1954. It was provided for the adjacent Martin and King railway coachbuilding factory. The station was opened to the public on 1 June 1959 when all trains on the line began stopping there.
The station had a stabling yard located at the Down (Dandenong) end, as well as a number of industrial sidings serving nearby factories. In 1997 the Westall train maintenance centre was opened in the former goods yard, as part of the decentralisation of train stabling and maintenance from the former Jolimont Yards. The buildings were approximately 2,850 m² in size, and permit bogie repair and replacement, under carriage and overhead work. The facility cost $15 million, which also included the Bayswater facility.
On 26 July 2006 a fire started in the waiting room of the station building on platform one, causing major damage to half of the station building, ticket machines, seats and a section of the platform. The city bound platform was closed off and passenger services heading towards Melbourne ran express from Springvale to Clayton bypassing Westall until temporary fencing was placed around the building. The damaged part of the building was subsequently demolished and rebuilt.
On 6 May 2008, the Government of Victoria announced as part of the 2008-2009 state budget that Westall station would receive a $151 million upgrade which would include a new third platform along with triplicating 2.6 kilometres of existing double track between Centre Road and Springvale Road. Hong Lim, Member of Clayton, has also said that the new upgrades will include a new pedestrian crossing, CCTV facilities and additional car spaces. In 2009, construction of the upgrades has commenced and is expected to be completed by 2011.
Read more about this topic: Westall Railway Station
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“The history of all countries shows that the working class exclusively by its own effort is able to develop only trade-union consciousness.”
—Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (18701924)
“The basic idea which runs right through modern history and modern liberalism is that the public has got to be marginalized. The general public are viewed as no more than ignorant and meddlesome outsiders, a bewildered herd.”
—Noam Chomsky (b. 1928)
“Dont give your opinions about Art and the Purpose of Life. They are of little interest and, anyway, you cant express them. Dont analyse yourself. Give the relevant facts and let your readers make their own judgments. Stick to your story. It is not the most important subject in history but it is one about which you are uniquely qualified to speak.”
—Evelyn Waugh (19031966)