The electrification of the Melbourne suburban
rail network has historical importance both nationally and internationally.
On a national level, it was the first large-scale electric transport
network, preceded only by a few electric street tramways. The first
electric railway line in Sydney did not begin until 1926, and the
only other Australian cities to have an electrified rail network
are Brisbane, which did not convert its lines until 1979, and Perth,
which began electric services in 1991.
On an international level, the Melbourne suburban network was,
at the time of its completion, the largest electrified service converted
from steam operation in the world, and its power generating capacity
was unsurpassed in the Southern Hemisphere.
In January 1924, the Victorian Railways Magazine noted that the
only comparable system would be the recently approved electrification
of the Chikako Lake Shore lines, based on a similar 1500 DC overhead
transfer. The adoption of this type of systems for the Melbourne
electrification systems was a bold move, as in 1912 as no railway
had installed an overhead system with a pressure of 1500 volts DC.
In this respect, the Melbourne electrification scheme became the
model for later installations in England, France, Holland, Brazil,
Japan, New Zealand and India.
The importance of the railway electrification scheme can also
be measured against the development of Melbourne's network electric
street trams. The first electric tram in Australia began services
in Box Hill in 1889, but was short-lived. The Victorian Railways
established an electric tram service between St Kilda and Brighton
in 1906, at the North Melbourne Electric Light and Traction Company
built electric lines in the same year.
In July 1919, the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways board was
formed, just two months after the inauguration of the electric rail
services. The purpose of the Board was to bring together the operation
of the various municipal tramways that had been established, and
to arrange for the electrification of the entire network. By the
completion of the rail electrification scheme, the Victorian railways
were beginning to experience a decline in patronage due to the improved
tram service, and also to the introduction of the motor buses.
The electrification of the suburban rail system proved to be a
major factor in the Railways' maintaining a competitive stance in
the transport market. The electrification scheme also played an
important part in the development of the State Electricity Commission
and the utilisation of the Latrobe Valley's brown coal reserves
for large scale power generating purposes.
Prior to the establishment of the Railways' power station at Newport,
a number of small-scale plants had been established for generating
domestic lighting and for some industrial purposes. It was not until
the Railways began producing electric power that Melbourne and its
suburbs were able to receive the full benefits of electricity.
When the SEC established its own power station at Newport in 1924,
the Railways continued as a major power generator until they handed
over full responsibility to the SEC in 1951. The electrified network
also has a social significance for its role in determining the spread
of Melbourne's suburbs. Up until the 1950's Melbourne development
closely followed the railway lines, a direct consequence of a fast
efficient rail service which could only be achieved with electrification.
It is only in recent years that the significance has been obscured,
due to the gradual takeover of road transport. The surviving built
structures associated with the electrification scheme are the:
- Jolimont Car Repair Sheds
- substations
- overhead support mask and bridging
- automatic signaling structures
- surviving Tait rolling stock
They are all-important reminders of the significance of the electrification
scheme.
The substations are of a major significance as their existence
is directly attributable to the adoption of electric power. The
earliest groups of substations are historically important for their
associations with the inauguration of electrified services, and
architecturally important for their adoption of the Neo-Classical
style on a grand scale for what are essentially utilitarian structures.
From a scientific viewpoint, the equipment employed was at the
forefront of the technology then available, and the changes in the
design of the substation reflect the advancements in this technology.
This significance has been compromised by the removal of the early
equipment. The earliest groups of substations are also socially
important due to the fact that at the same time of their construction,
they were dominant structures in the Melbourne's outer suburbs. |
