Editing Belgrave line (section)

{{Short description|Passenger rail service in metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2012}}
{{Infobox rail service
| name            = Belgrave line
| color           = {{rcr|Melbourne|Belgrave}}
| logo            = {{ric|Melbourne|Belgrave|size=100px}}
| image           = File:Belgrave Railway Station Buildings.jpg
| image_width     = 250px
| caption         = [[Belgrave railway station|Belgrave station]], the terminus of the Belgrave line, which provides an interchange with heritage railway [[Puffing Billy Railway|Puffing Billy]].
| type            = [[Commuter rail]]
| status          = Operational
| system          = [[Railways in Melbourne|Melbourne railway network]]
| locale          = [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], [[Australia]]
| predecessor     = 
| first           = {{Start date and age|1889|12|4|df=y}}
| last            = <!-- {{End date and age|yyyy|mm|dd|df=y}} -->
| successor       = 
| operator        = [[Metro Trains Melbourne|Metro Trains]]
| formeroperator  = {{Plainlist|
* [[Victorian Railways|Victorian Railways (VR)]] (1889–1974)
* VR as VicRail (1974–1983)
* [[Metropolitan Transit Authority (Victoria)|MTA (The Met)]] (1983–1989)
* [[Public Transport Corporation|PTC (The Met)]] (1989–1998)
* [[Connex Melbourne|Hillside Trains]] (1998–2000)
* [[Connex Melbourne]] (2000–2009)
}}
| ridership       = 
| ridership2      = 
| website         ={{official website}} 
| start           = {{rwsa|Flinders Street}}
| stops           = 31 (including City Loop stations)
| end             = {{rwsa|Belgrave}}
| distance        = {{Convert|41.386|km|abbr=on}}
| journeytime     = 1 hour 7 minutes (not via City Loop)
| frequency       = {{blist|15–30 minutes weekdays peak|30 minutes weekdays off-peak|20 minutes weekend daytime|30 minutes nights|60 minutes [[Night Network (Melbourne)|early weekend mornings]]|Double frequency between Flinders Street and Ringwood in combination with [[Lilydale railway line|Lilydale line]]|Extra services run between Flinders Street and either Blackburn or Ringwood on weekdays}}
| class           = 
| access          = 
| seating         = 
| baggage         = 
| otherfacilities = 
| stock           = [[X'Trapolis 100]]
| gauge           = {{Track gauge|1600 mm}}
| el              = 1500 [[Volt|V]] [[Direct current|DC]] [[Overhead line|overhead]]
| owners          = [[VicTrack]]
| routenumber     = 
| maintenance     = 
| map             = {{Belgrave Metro Service|inline=yes}}
| map_state       = collapsed
}}
The '''Belgrave line''' is a [[commuter rail]]way line on the [[Railways in Melbourne|Melbourne metropolitan railway network]] serving the city of [[Melbourne]] in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], [[Australia]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Belgrave Line |url=https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/route/2/belgrave/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180907155122/https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/route/ |archive-date=7 September 2018 |access-date=27 February 2023 |website=Public Transport Victoria |language=en-GB}}</ref> Operated by [[Metro Trains Melbourne]], the line is coloured [[Dark blue (color)|dark blue]] and is one of the four lines that constitute the [[Metro Trains Melbourne#Burnley Group|Burnley group]]. It is the city's fourth-longest metropolitan railway line at {{convert|41.8|km}}. The line runs from [[Flinders Street railway station|Flinders Street station]] in central Melbourne to [[Belgrave railway station|Belgrave station]] in the city's east, serving 31 stations via [[Burnley railway station|Burnley]], [[Box Hill railway station, Melbourne|Box Hill]], [[Ringwood railway station, Melbourne|Ringwood]], and [[Upper Ferntree Gully railway station|Upper Ferntree Gully]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 September 2017 |title=Metro's paper timetables mess |url=https://www.danielbowen.com/2017/09/04/metro-paper-timetable-issues/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209095505/https://www.danielbowen.com/2017/09/04/metro-paper-timetable-issues/ |archive-date=9 December 2022 |access-date=9 December 2022 |website=Daniel Bowen}}</ref> Beyond Belgrave, the narrow-gauge line has been restored as the [[Puffing Billy Railway]], which runs tourist services to the original terminus of [[Gembrook railway station|Gembrook]].

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, [[headway]]s of up to 15 minutes are operated, with services every 20–30 minutes during off-peak hours.<ref name=":32">{{Cite web |date=1 March 2021 |title=New timetable train line information – Public Transport Victoria |url=https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/more/the-new-timetable-for-victorias-train-network/new-timetable-train-line-information/?line=cranbourne-and-pakenham |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301102536/https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/more/the-new-timetable-for-victorias-train-network/new-timetable-train-line-information/?line=cranbourne-and-pakenham |archive-date=1 March 2021 |access-date=18 December 2022 |website=}}</ref> Trains on the Belgrave line run in a two three-car formations of [[X'Trapolis 100]] trainsets.<ref name=":182">{{Cite web |last=Carey |first=Adam |date=7 November 2014 |title=Trains are working better but seating not guaranteed |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/trains-are-working-better-but-seating-not-guaranteed-20141107-11ifm4.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206070133/https://www.smh.com.au/national/trains-are-working-better-but-seating-not-guaranteed-20141107-11ifm4.html |archive-date=6 February 2023 |access-date=6 February 2023 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}</ref>

Sections of the Belgrave line opened as early as 1889, with the line fully extended and re-gauged to Belgrave by 1962. The line was built to connect [[Melbourne]] and Ringwood with the rural towns of [[Bayswater, Victoria|Bayswater]], [[Boronia, Victoria|Boronia]], [[Upper Ferntree Gully, Victoria|Upper Ferntree Gully]], and [[Belgrave, Victoria|Belgrave]], among others.

Since the 2010s, due to the heavily utilised infrastructure of the Belgrave line, significant improvements and upgrades have been made. Different packages of work have upgraded the corridor to replace [[Railroad tie|sleepers]], upgraded signalling technology, introduced new rolling stock, and removed seven of the nine remaining [[level crossing]]s.<ref name=":4" />