Editing Belgrave line (section)

== History ==

=== 19th century ===
[[File:Puffing_billy_in_action_2003.jpg|left|thumb|The Monbulk Creek trestle bridge remains a feature of the Gembrook line, now used for the [[Puffing Billy Railway|Puffing Billy]] tourist line]]
A rail branch was constructed from Ringwood to Upper Ferntree Gully in December 1889. A narrow-gauge {{RailGauge|762mm}} line was opened from Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook station in December 1900, the second of four [[Narrow-gauge lines of the Victorian Railways|experimental narrow-gauge lines]] built by the [[Victorian Railways]].<ref>A Victorian Narrow Gauge Railway ''[[The Railway Magazine]]'' issue 480 June 1937 pages 429–432</ref> These two lines would become joined and standardised to form the Belgrave railway line in the 20th century.

=== 20th century ===
In 1921, the narrow-gauge section from Upper Ferntree Gully to Belgrave was converted to automatic signalling, the first such instance on single track in the [[Southern Hemisphere]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Heritage on this day |url=http://www.puffingbilly.com.au/fan/heritage/on_this_day.htm |access-date=13 November 2016 |archive-date=2 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091002173929/http://www.puffingbilly.com.au/fan/heritage/on_this_day.htm |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> This section was then reverted to [[token (railway signalling)|Staff and Ticket]] [[safeworking]] in 1930. [[railway electrification system|Electrification]] of the railway to Upper Ferntree Gully was implemented in November 1925.

Following a [[landslide]] in 1953, the narrow-gauge line was formally closed in April 1954, although services resumed as far as Belgrave for some "farewell specials", and then for the [[Puffing Billy Railway#Puffing Billy Preservation Society|Puffing Billy Preservation Society]] until services ceased again in February 1958.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=12 December 2017 |title=History & Heritage – Puffing Billy |url=https://puffingbilly.com.au/about/history-heritage/ |access-date=27 February 2023 |website=puffingbilly.com.au |language=en-AU |archive-date=27 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220627080928/https://puffingbilly.com.au/about/history-heritage/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The line was partly duplicated between Bayswater and Lower Ferntree Gully (now Ferntree Gully) in February 1957.<ref name=":2" />

The closing of the narrow-gauge line to Gembrook enabled the first stage of its planned rebuilding to Emerald as part of the [[Railways in Melbourne#Electrification|suburban electrified system]] to proceed. This first stage, as far as Belgrave, of the new, broad-gauge, electrified extension opened in February 1962.<ref name=":2" /> It initially operated on the [[Token (railway signalling)#Staff and Ticket|Staff and Ticket system]] but was converted to automatic signalling in March 1964, with the section from Ferntree Gully to Upper Ferntree Gully being converted the following day. Ringwood to Bayswater was converted to automatic signalling in June 1974, as was Bayswater to Ferntree Gully in July 1977. In December 1982, Ringwood -Bayswater was duplicated.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Belgrave, VIC |url=https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/belgrave-vic |access-date=27 February 2023 |website=Aussie Towns |language=en-US |archive-date=29 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221029194951/https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/belgrave-vic |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Comeng (train)|Comeng]] trains were introduced to the Melbourne railway system in 1981, alongside the opening of the [[City Loop]]. Initially, along with the Belgrave line, they were only allowed to operate on the [[Alamein railway line|Alamein]], [[Pakenham railway line|Dandenong]], [[Glen Waverley railway line|Glen Waverley]] and Lilydale lines due to the trains 3.05-metre width.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=August 1981 |title=Traffic |magazine=Newsrail |publisher=Australian Railway Historical Society |page=185}}</ref>

=== 21st century ===
{{Main|Belgrave railway line#Future}}
[[File:Preserved Victorian Railways Tait train at Belgrave Station on March 8, 2022.jpg|alt=An old train that is red at a station|thumb|A preserved [[Victorian Railways]] [[Tait (train)|Tait train]] at [[Belgrave railway station|Belgrave station]] on 8 March 2022.]]
A 2007 restructure of train ticketing in Melbourne involved the removal of Zone 3, with these stations being re-classified to Zone 2.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moynihan |first=Stephen |date=3 March 2007 |title=No more Zone 3 lifts load on commuters |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/no-more-zone-3-lifts-load-on-commuters-20070303-ge4cc2.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221229011957/https://www.theage.com.au/national/no-more-zone-3-lifts-load-on-commuters-20070303-ge4cc2.html |archive-date=29 December 2022 |access-date=29 December 2022 |website=The Age}}</ref> This brought the cost of train fares down, improving system accessibility for the public.

In April 2016, plans to potentially run a regular revenue [[Tait (train)|Tait set]] service on the Belgrave line was announced. This came following [[Division of La Trobe|La Trobe MP]] [[Jason Wood (politician)|Jason Wood's]] push for the idea as part of the greater "Puffing Billy master plan". The Tait service would be aimed at tourists visiting [[Puffing Billy Railway|Puffing Billy]]. In November 2016, $1 million was committed to restoring a Tait set currently stored at the [[Newport Workshops]]. The Tait service was expected to originate at Flinders Street station as a direct service to Belgrave bypassing the City Loop.<ref>{{cite news |date=April 2016 |title=Traffic |newspaper=Herald Sun |url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/push-for-return-of-red-rattler-carriages-in-puffing-billy-upgrade/news-story/7bafa814551ca132c87bd46ee490a83c}}</ref> No such service was ever made.