Williamstown line

The Williamstown Line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's third shortest metropolitan railway line at . The line runs from Flinders Street station in central Melbourne to Williamstown station in the south, serving 12 stations via Footscray, Yarraville, and Newport. The line operates for approximately 19 hours a day (from approximately 5:00 am to around 12:00 am) with 24-hour service available on Friday and Saturday nights. During peak hours, the line operates with headways of up to 20 minutes, ensuring frequent service for commuters. During off-peak hours, the service intervals are adjusted to provide service every 20–30 minutes, accommodating the lower demand. Trains on the Williamstown Line run with two three-car formations of Comeng, Siemens Nexas, and X'Trapolis 100 trainsets. Together with the Southern Cross to Sunbury portion of the Echuca railway line, it is the first and oldest government-built line in the State of Victoria, having been opened on 13 January 1859. The line was built to serve the port at Williamstown, giving it economic importance to the Colony as it established itself as an important international passenger port. The line has played an important part in the development of Victoria's railways, with the first workshops opening along the line in the 1800s. Since the 2010s, due to the heavily utilised infrastructure of the Williamstown line, improvements and upgrades have been made. Works have included replacing sleepers, upgrading signalling technology, the removal of level crossings, the introduction of new rolling stock, and station accessibility upgrades. File:WilliamstownWorkshops1870.jpg|The original Williamstown Workshops in 1870. File:Railway Pier Williamstown.jpg|Railway (Nelson) Pier in Williamstown, 1883 File:Breakwater Pier, Williamstown (1890).png|Breakwater Pier, Williamstown was one of three piers connected directly to the railway line, 1890.