Watergardens railway station

Sydenham

The first railway station to open at the site was opened on 1 March 1859 on the brand new railway connecting Melbourne to Bendigo. Originally called Keilor Road, it was located directly next to the level crossing of the road with the same name (now Melton Highway).^[7]

Keilor Road station was renamed to Sydenham on 1 April 1887, matching the nearby town of which the station served.^[8]

A crossover was provided at the up (Melbourne) end of the station, allowing trains to terminate and return to Melbourne from Platform 2.^[9] Wicket interlocking gates were provided at the Keilor Road level crossing on 29 April 1926, replacing passive crossing signs. Alongside interlocking gates, a down end departure signal was also provided for trains departing towards Sunbury.^[9]

On 28 February 1987, flashing lights and boom barriers replaced the wicket interlocking gates at the Melton Highway level crossing. With this replacement, the crossing wheel as well as several levers in the station signal box were abolished.^[10]

The sidings adjacent to the station were abolished in 1989 with the crossover at the down end being removed and straight railed. At this time, the departure signal was converted from a home signal to automatic operation.^[11]

In February 1990, flashing lights replaced passive signs at the Calder Park Drive level crossing, located between Sydenham and Diggers Rest.^[12] Flashing lights were provided at the Holden Road level crossing in August 1991.^[13]

In 1995, the remaining crossover at the up end of the station was abolished and removed with the track being straight-railed shortly after. With this change, the up end departure signal was converted to automatic operation with several shunt signals also being removed at this time.^[14]

On 4 June 2001, the down line was slewed from its original alignment to the east. This was to create room for the construction of a new station slightly south of the present station as part of the St Albans-Sydenham electrification project.^[15] A temporary down platform was also built and existed during the duration of construction.^[15]

Sydenham station closed on 26 January 2002 after the last train with the temporary Platform 2 demolished. The station was replaced the next day by Watergardens with the commencement of electric suburban service from St Albans.^[16]

Sydenham station was served by V/Line's Bendigo line with services to Melbourne - Spencer Street and Bendigo. The station was also served in later years by a V/Line suburban service to Sunbury.

Watergardens

In 2002, as part of the extension of the electrified network from St Albans, Sydenham was closed, and a new station was built approximately 600 m (1,969 ft) in the up direction.^[4][5] Opening on 26 January of that year, the new station was named Watergardens, after the adjacent Watergardens Shopping Centre.^[4] The new station was to be called Sydenham, with the name being built into the brickwork of the station building. However, naming rights were sold to the shopping centre. The name "Sydenham" can still be seen on the side of the building adjacent to Platform 3.^[4] Around 2012, the Sydenham name was dropped, with the station now generally referred to as Watergardens.^[4]

In late 2002, the Melton Highway level crossing was upgraded, in conjunction with the duplication of the highway.^[17] In 2015, the Level Crossing Removal Authority announced the grade separation of the highway and railway line. In January 2018, the Melton Highway level crossing (down line) was removed and replaced with a bridge for Melton Highway, with the project completed in October.^[18]

In 2022, all three platforms were extended from 160 m (525 ft) to 163 m (535 ft) long.^{[4][better source needed]}

In July 2025, the nearby Calder Park Drive level crossing was removed as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project.^[19]

Upon the opening of the Metro Tunnel in November 2025, Watergardens was served by limited weekend services through the tunnel, which terminated at Sunbury.^[20] From 1 February 2026, a new timetable on the Sunbury Line saw all services on the line rerouted to run through the Metro Tunnel and towards Dandenong. This new timetable saw the implementation of over 1200 new services per week on the Sunbury Line, with a portion of those new services terminating at Watergardens.^[21]

Metropolitan

Regional