Highett railway station is located on the Frankston line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Highett, and it opened on 19 December 1881 as Highett Road. It was renamed Highett on 14 December 1885.[1]

Highett
PTV commuter rail station
Southbound view from Platform 1, with a Williamstown bound X'Trapolis train arriving, in November 2021
General information
Location	Railway Parade, Highett, Victoria 3190 City of Bayside City of Kingston Australia
Coordinates	37°56′55″S 145°02′30″E
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	Metro Trains
Line(s)	Frankston
Distance	20.06 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	2 side
Tracks	2
Connections	Bus
Construction
Structure type	Ground
Parking	116
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Disabled access	Yes—step free access
Other information
Status	Operational, Unstaffed
Station code	HIG
Fare zone	Myki Zone 2
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	19 December 1881
Rebuilt	1966 1986
Electrified	1500 V DC overhead (June 1922)
Previous names	Highett Road (1881-1885)
Services
Preceding station Metro Trains Following station Moorabbin towards Werribee or Williamstown via Flinders Street Frankston line Southland towards Frankston
Track layout Legend to Moorabbin Wickham Road (Removing by 2029) 1 2 Highett Road (Removing by 2029) to Southland

History

Highett station was built under the endorsement of Victorian Premier Thomas Bent, who ordered the railway line be redirected through Highett, but also demanded a higher standard of departmental residences than elsewhere.[2] The current station building was erected in 1883 and 1884, and was refurbished in 1966.[2] It was refurbished again in 1986, after it was damaged by fire during the previous year.[3]

In 1925, a parcel train hit a car at the nearby Wickham Road railway crossing, killing nine people inside the car. The gatekeeper was found not guilty to the charge of manslaughter, the jury finding the incident was due to the fault of the system, and not through human negligence.[4]

In 1932, there was a shootout between a policeman and a burglar, who was killed.[5]

A former wood yard and a lamp room were demolished in 1973.[6]

Boom barriers replaced interlocked gates at the Highett Road level crossing, located at the Down end of the station, in 1985. A signal box was also abolished during this time.[1]

In 2014, the Victorian State Government launched a public safety initiative which involved Protective Services Officers (PSOs) patrolling railway stations at certain times of the day. Highett station was added to the list of patrolled stations on 1 June 2014.[7] A PSO 'pod' to provide an office and holding cell for the PSOs was also added to the station.

In October 2017, two Protective Service Officers patrolling the station were shot at by a disgruntled 22 year using a battery-powered mechanical handgun, filled with gel pellets. One officer was struck in the temple, but was not seriously injured. The shooter, who fired from the balcony of an apartment overlooking the station, was arrested by police and charged with a variety of offences.[8]

Announced in October 2022, Highett station will be elevated to remove 7 level crossings on the line. Further details, designs and a construction timeline will be released closer to the opening of the station in 2029.[9]

Platforms and services

Highett has two side platforms. It is serviced by Metro Trains' Frankston line services.[10]

Platform 1:

•  Frankston line  all stations services to Flinders Street, Werribee and Williamstown

Platform 2:

•  Frankston line  all stations services to Frankston

Transport links

Ventura Bus Lines operates two routes via Highett station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

•  708 : Hampton station – Carrum station[11]
•  828 : Hampton station – Berwick station[12]

Gallery

• 
  Northbound view from Platform 2 in September 2021

See also

• Southland railway station

References

External links

Media related to Highett railway station, Melbourne at Wikimedia Commons