Little River railway station

Little River railway station is located on the Warrnambool line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Little River, and opened on 1 January 1857.[1][2] The station was briefly renamed Bulban, between 1910 and 1912.[3] The station buildings are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.[4]

Little River
Northbound view in January 2009
Location	Edgars Road, Little River
Coordinates	37°57′46″S 144°29′56″E
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	V/Line
Line(s)	Warrnambool, Geelong (Waurn Ponds)
Distance	47.56 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	2 side
Tracks	3
Construction
Structure type	Ground
Other information
Station code	LTR
Fare zone	Myki zone 2
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	1 January 1857
Services
Preceding station V/Line Following station Wyndham Vale towards Southern Cross Geelong line Lara towards Waurn Ponds

The Western standard gauge line passes behind Platform 1.

When the Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company constructed the line, it proposed that Little River station be built on the northern side of Little River. However, the company had trouble negotiating with the relevant land owner, so the first station was located on the south side of the river. The former platform mound of that station was finally removed in 1994, when the Western standard gauge line was being constructed.

The buildings and adjoining goods shed of the current station, on the north side of the river, are some of the earliest station buildings in Victoria. They are constructed of bluestone, to an original design by Frederick Kawerau for the Geelong and Melbourne Railway Co.,[5] and were completed by the Victorian Railways in 1864. Features of note include the basement holding cells and the Victorian Railways plaques on the station gables.[4][6]

In 2010, the goods shed had started to crumble. Infrastructure owner VicTrack conducted an inspection of the shed which revealed its doors and windows had been forced open and, in liaison with the lessee V/Line, VicTrack undertook work to ensure the shed was secured as quickly as possible from further damage.[7]

On 25 October 1970, the newly duplicated the line from Werribee to Little River was opened and the goods siding closed. On 4 June 1981, the newly duplicated line to Lara was opened and a second platform (Platform 1) provided.[2]

The disused Werribee Racecourse station is located between Little River and Werribee, as was the now-demolished Manor station.