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Footscray is a Melbourne Metro and Intercity station in Footscray, Melbourne. It was opened at the present site in 1900, replacing two separate older stations from 1859. In 2011/12, it was the sixth busiest Metro station, with 4.2 million passenger movements recorded. It is served by Melbourne Metro lines 1, 5, and 7, as well as South Western Railway, Bendigo Line, Shepparton Line, Airport Line, Western Railway, North Eastern Railway services, and is in fare zone 1.

The station consists of a ground level section for broad gauge platforms 1 to 6, and the underground platforms 7 and 8. The line through the underground platforms is dual gauge, providing a rail link to the Port of Melbourne and other freight terminals for goods services, and access to Spencer Street for the standard gauge Western Line and North Eastern Line.

A number of sidings once existed at the station, but have now been covered by car parking on the eastern side of the Line 7 tracks.

History
On 17 January 1859, the railways arrived in Footscray, when the new Williamstown line opened, with trains running from Spencer Street in Melbourne to the important cargo port of Williamstown. This railway line connected to the 18-month-old Geelong railway at the junction near where the current Newport station lies. The line between Melbourne and Footscray, via the new station at North Melbourne, had been made possible with the construction of a railway bridge over the Maribyrnong River. The first station to open in Footscray opened on this line on the opening day of service; it was not, however, where the current Footscray station lies, but on Napier Street.

Shortly afterwards, Footscray became a junction station, when a second railway line, branching at Footscray, was opened to Sunbury. Therefore, on 1 March 1859, less than two months after the first, Footscray's second railway station opened on Nicholson Street, not far from the original Napier Street location, for services on the new railway line. By 1862, this railway line had been extended to Sandhurst (later renamed Bendigo). A signal box was provided at the junction from 1879, located on at the Flinders Street end of platforms 4 and 5. Quadruplication of the tracks towards Melbourne in November 1976 put an end to the junction and closed the signal box. The building is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.

On 16 September 1900, the current station opened, located at the precise point of junction of the two lines. The two original stations were then closed.

The tracks under the station were opened on 21 October 1928, as part of the South Kensington-West Footscray line, and were dual-gauged in the early 1960s, as part of the construction of the Melbourne-Albury standard gauge line. Platforms were provided in the 2020s as part of the standardisation of the Western Line from Spencer Street to Ararat.

Footscray was upgraded to a Premium station in 1996, though the enclosed waiting area and ticket facilities had already been built in 1993, as part of the 'Travel Safe' program of the early 1990s.

On 5 June 2001, at around 08:30, two suburban Comeng trains collided on Platform 4. An out of service train heading to Newport collided with a Williamstown bound train, carrying around 20 passengers, with 3 injuries reported.

In 2010, as a part of the Brumby State Government's Footscray renewal program, the existing footbridge over the platforms, which was accessed by ramps, was replaced with a $15 million footbridge. The bridge, named after indigenous activist William Cooper, has stairs and associated lifts. Complaints were made that the new footbridge was less usable than the one it replaced. It has a roof, but has not been designed to be weatherproof, and the lifts are prone to breakdown.

Regional Rail Link upgrades
Between 2012 and 2014, Footscray underwent major upgrade and conservation works as part of the Regional Rail Link project.

An additional two platforms were built to the north of the existing platforms, to separate Sunbury Metro services from Intercity services. On 20 January 2014, Platforms 1 to 4 were renumbered 3 to 6, with the new platforms commissioned as Platforms 1 and 2. At the same time, Platforms 3 and 4 were closed to be rebuilt as dedicated platforms for V/Line services, reopening on 16 July 2014.

The existing footbridge, erected in 2010 at a cost of $15 million, was also partially demolished in 2013 to help accommodate the works. New canopies, stairs and escalators were erected at the Irving and Hyde St ends of the footbridge, and new wide ramps were built from the footbridge to the platforms and street level, to help people access the platforms with greater ease. New lifts were also added to the structure.

All works at the station were completed in November 2014.

Platforms & services
Footscray has eight platforms. It is serviced by Melbourne Metro lines 1, 5, and 7,  and numerous Intercity services.

Platform 1:
 * Line 1: services to Flinders Street

Platform 2:
 * Sunbury line: all stations and limited stops services to Watergardens and Sunbury

Platform 3:
 *  Ballarat line : V/Line services to Southern Cross
 *  Ararat line : V/Line services to Southern Cross
 *  Bendigo line : V/Line services to Southern Cross
 *  Echuca line : V/Line services to Southern Cross
 *  Swan Hill line : V/Line services to Southern Cross
 *  Geelong line : V/Line services Southern Cross
 *  Warrnambool line : V/Line services Southern Cross

Platform 4:
 *  Ballarat line : V/Line services to Ballarat
 *  Ararat line : V/Line services to Ararat
 *  Bendigo line : V/Line services to Bendigo
 *  Echuca line : V/Line services to Echuca
 *  Swan Hill line : V/Line services to Swan Hill
 *  Geelong line : V/Line services to Wyndham Vale, Geelong & Waurn Ponds
 *  Warrnambool line : V/Line services to Warrnambool

Platform 5:
 * Werribee line: all stations and limited stops services to Flinders Street
 * Williamstown line: weekday all stations and limited stops services to Flinders Street

Platform 6:
 * Werribee line: all stations and limited stops services to Werribee
 * Williamstown line: weekday all stations and limited stops services to Williamstown

Transport links
CDC Melbourne operates six routes via Footscray station:
 * 406: to Keilor East
 * 409: Yarraville – Highpoint Shopping Centre
 * 410: to Sunshine station
 * 411: to Laverton station
 * 412: to Laverton station
 * 414: to Laverton station

Sita Buslines operates four routes via Footscray station:
 * 402: to East Melbourne
 * 403: to University of Melbourne Parkville Campus
 * 404: to Moonee Ponds Junction
 * 472: Williamstown – Moonee Ponds Junction

Transdev Melbourne operates four routes via Footscray station:
 * 216: Caroline Springs – Brighton Beach station
 * 219: Sunshine South – Gardenvale
 * 220: Sunshine station – Gardenvale
 * 223: Yarraville – Highpoint Shopping Centre

Yarra Trams operates one route to and from Footscray station:
 * 82: to Moonee Ponds Junction