Clayton railway station, Melbourne

Clayton railway station is a commuter railway station located in the suburb of Clayton, in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The station originally opened in 1880 as "Clayton's Road". It did not receive its current name until 1890. The station consists of a single island platform connected to the station concourse on Clayton Road via escalators, lifts and a staircase. The station was previously at grade; however, in 2018, a new elevated station was rebuilt as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project.

Clayton station is currently served by the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines which are both part of the Melbourne railway network. Additionally, the station is also served by the Gippsland line, which is a part of the Victorian regional railway network, and eight bus routes, including SmartBus route 703. The station is approximately 17 kilometres (11.8 mi), or around a 33 minute train ride away, from Flinders Street.

Description
Clayton railway station is located in the suburb of Clayton. On the north side of the station is Carnish Road, and Clayton Road is to the west. The station is owned by VicTrack, a state government agency, and is operated by Metro Trains Melbourne. The station is approximately 19 kilometres (11.8 mi), or around a 33 minute train ride away, from Flinders Street.

Clayton station consists of a single island platform which is located above the road, and is connected to Clayton Road through both a lift and an escalator. The length of the platform is approximately 160 m long enough for a Metro Trains 7-car HCMT.

The main car park at the station is located in between both Haughton Road and Carnish Road, just south of the station. The station fully complies with the Disability Discrimination Act of 1992, as there is a lift that connects the station entrance with Platforms 1 and 2.

History
Clayton station opened on 6 January 1880, just over two years after the line from Oakleigh was extended to Dandenong. Clayton station, like the suburb itself, gets its name from the property Clayton Vale, owned by John Clayton in the 1860s and 1870s. The property was located near the present day station. The station originally opened as Clayton's Road, with the station receiving its current name, Clayton, in 1890.

Two, now heritage listed, station buildings were constructed in 1891, with one on either platform. These two buildings were constructed with timber. What sets these buildings apart were their modular designs, which included a booking office, a general waiting area and a ladies waiting room. When a elevated new station was built in 2018 the building on platform 2 was relocated and protected due to its historical status. The building was repuroposed and now contains an archival photographic record of the station.

In 1971, boom barriers replaced interlocked gates at the former Clayton Road level crossing, which was located at the up end of the station.

In 1998, Clayton was upgraded to a premium station, meaning its ticket booths were staffed from early in the morning until its last train service.

Level crossing removal
In March 2014, the Victorian state government announced a grade separation project to replace the Clayton Road level crossing, as well as the Centre Road level crossing, located nearby in the down direction of the station. This included rebuilding Clayton station.

In 2016, the Andrews government announced that the Clayton crossing would be removed by the Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP) alongside 8.3 km of elevated rail in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs, removing nine level crossings on the Pakenham and Cranbourne rail corridor and building five new elevated stations at Carnegie, Murrumbeena, Hughesdale, Noble Park and Clayton.

Dubbed "sky rail" by opponents and some media outlets, the LXRP spurred significant local opposition due to concerns over visual and noise impacts. The project became a political issue in the 2018 state election.

In April 2018, the rebuilt elevated station was opened alongside the four other elevated stations on the Caulfield to Dandenong project. The removals created a large new section of open parkland, dubbed a "linear park". This included 22.5 ha of new open space, sports courts, playgrounds, new walking and cycling trails, and expanded station forecourts. As part of the project, the Djerring Trail was created, a 17 km shared-use path along the rail corridor, which runs through the Clayton station precinct. In the year after the elevated rail opened in 2018, the media reported that many residents, including some who were opposed to the project, were happy with the outcome and utilised the new open space.

Suburban Rail Loop
In 2018, Clayton station was chosen as one of the stations that would be served by the Suburban Rail Loop. The station will receive a major upgrade, which will involve construction of two new underground platforms, as well as the conversion of the station to a transport superhub. In June 2022, construction began just south of the existing station. Tunnelling is set to begin in 2026, with SRL East expected to open in 2035. A direct paid-area connection between the new underground station and elevated platforms is planned to be built between the elevated rail tracks.

Platforms and services
The station is currently served by both the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines, which are operated by Metro Trains Melbourne. The station is also served by the Gippsland line, which is operated by V/Line.

Services to East Pakenham and Cranbourne travel together south-east towards Dandenong before splitting into two separate lines. Services to the city run express from Caulfield (Malvern during off-peak) to South Yarra, before stopping all stations to Flinders Street via the City Loop. Traralgon and Bairnsdale services run express to Nar Nar Goon, stopping at Dandenong and Pakenham, before stopping all stations after Nar Nar Goon. From Clayton regional services to the city run express to Richmond, stopping at Caulfield, before stopping all stations to Southern Cross.

Platform 1:
 * all stations and limited express services to Flinders Street
 * all stations and limited express services to Flinders Street
 * V/Line services to Southern Cross (drop off only)

Platform 2:
 * all stations and limited express services to East Pakenham
 * all stations services to Cranbourne
 * V/Line services to Traralgon (pick up only), Sale (one Sunday morning service, pick up only) and Bairnsdale (one weekday service, pick up only)

Future services: In addition to the current services, there are also three proposed services. From 2025, the under-construction Metro Tunnel will link the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines with the Sunbury line. If the proposed Melbourne Airport rail link is built, services will additionally run to Melbourne Airport.

Furthermore from 2035, Clayton is expected to be connected to the Suburban Rail Loop, which will operate from Southland to Box Hill.
 * express services to Sunbury (2025 onwards)
 * express services to Melbourne Airport (2033 onwards)
 * services to Southland and Box Hill

Transport links
Clayton is served by eight bus routes, including SmartBus route 703. Routes 704, 821, 824, 978, 979 and northbound services on routes 631, 703 and 733 depart from the interchange on Carnish Road, where as southbound services on route 631, 703 and 733 depart from the bus stop on Clayton Road.

Carnish Road

 * : to Waverley Gardens Shopping Centre
 * SmartBus : to Blackburn station
 * : Oakleigh station – Westall station
 * : to Box Hill station
 * : to Westfield Southland
 * : Moorabbin station – Parkmore Shopping Centre
 * Night Bus : to Dandenong station (via Mulgrave) (Saturday and Sunday mornings only)
 * Night Bus : to Dandenong station (via Keysborough) (Saturday and Sunday mornings only)

Clayton Road

 * : to Westfield Southland
 * SmartBus : to Middle Brighton station
 * : to Oakleigh station