Editing Inner Circle railway line (section)

==History==
The Inner Circle was opened on 8 May 1888<ref name="vicsig">[http://vicsig.net/index.php?page=infrastructure&line=inner%20circle Vicsig: Inner Circle railway line]</ref> with three stations: [[North Carlton railway station|North Carlton]] and [[North Fitzroy railway station|North Fitzroy]] on the main line, and [[Fitzroy railway station|Fitzroy]] at the end of a short branch line leading south through the [[Edinburgh Gardens]] from a junction near North Fitzroy station.

===As the main line===
When the Inner Circle line opened, services originated from [[Southern Cross railway station|Spencer Street station]] at the western end of the [[Melbourne central business district]]. Trains bound for the then terminus at [[Heidelberg railway station|Heidelberg station]] (now on the [[Hurstbridge railway line|Hurstbridge line]]) would run to North Fitzroy station, then continue south to [[Victoria Park railway station, Melbourne|Victoria Park station]] (then known as Collingwood, and now on the Hurstbridge and Mernda lines). [[Locomotive]]s would then have to change ends and the trains return to [[Clifton Hill railway station|Clifton Hill station]], where they diverged east on to the line to Heidelberg.

In December 1889, after the opening of the [[Whittlesea railway line|Whittlesea line]], trains ran from Spencer Street to Whittlesea via the Inner Circle. Other services on the same route only travelled as far as [[Preston railway station, Melbourne|Preston station]].

A passenger service was originally provided from Spencer Street to Fitzroy station, on the branch line. By October 1889, that had been relegated to a short shuttle service from North Fitzroy station, and the passenger service closed altogether in May 1892.

For a short period between March and May 1891, the Inner and [[Outer Circle railway line|Outer Circle]] routes formed the only link between the eastern and western halves of the Victorian Railways system. Prior to that, the link was via a street-level tramway along the edge of the CBD between Flinders and Spencer Streets, which was generally only used at night. Between December 1888 and May 1891, when the new [[Flinders Street Viaduct]], connecting Flinders Street and Spencer Street stations, was in its final stages of construction, the Outer and Inner Circle lines was used to allow [[freight]] trains to bypass the construction site.

===Replaced by direct line===
In 1901, a new, direct line to Clifton Hill was opened from [[Princes Bridge railway station|Princes Bridge station]], at the southern edge of the CBD, through the inner-eastern suburb of [[Abbotsford, Victoria|Abbotsford]]. That allowed Heidelberg-bound trains to run more directly to their destination, removing the need for the reversing manoeuvre at Victoria Park. The Preston suburban service also ran via the new, direct line. However, Whittlesea trains continued to use the more indirect route via the Inner Circle, albeit only to and from Spencer Street station.

With the loss of the main line services on the Inner Circle after 1901, a series of "roundabout" services were trialled. By 1906, a regular steam-hauled service was established from Princes Bridge to North Fitzroy station via Clifton Hill and, by 1919, it was running every hour off-peak.<ref name="elect" >{{cite book |last1=Dornan |first1=S.E. |last2=Henderson  |first2=R.G. |title=The Electric Railways of Victoria |date=1979 |publisher=Australian Electric Traction Association |location=Sydney |isbn=0909459061}}</ref>

[[railway electrification system|Electrification]] of the line between Royal Park and Clifton Hill stations was commissioned on 31 July 1921,<ref name="elect" /> but the Fitzroy branch was not electrified. Following electrification, passenger services were extended to North Carlton running at 15 minute headways, but from 18 September 1921 they were changed to every 20 minutes.<ref name="elect" /> Two trains on weekdays, and a larger number at weekends were extended to Royal Park station to serve patrons of the [[Melbourne Zoo]].<ref name="elect" />

The possibility of a revitalisation of the Inner Circle was canvassed in 1940, when the [[Ashworth Improvement Plan]] recommended a subway tunnel with five stations be built under the Melbourne CBD, from [[Flinders Street railway station|Flinders Street]] to the Inner Circle, with a proposed future subway from the first station to [[North Melbourne railway station|North Melbourne]].

Traffic on the Inner Circle was discouraged by its circuitous route and by competition from the more direct [[Trams in Melbourne|trams]] to the city.<ref name="elect" /> Off-peak services were cut to every 30 minutes from 29 May 1944 but, from 4 December 1944, 20-minute headways were restored on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The passenger service was cancelled on 3 July 1948, and North Carlton and North Fitzroy stations were closed to passengers.<ref name="elect" />

===Freight only===
After 1948, the Inner Circle line was used exclusively for [[freight]] trains serving sidings along the line and the goods yard at the end of the Fitzroy branch. The overhead wiring for electric trains was dismantled in 1961. Only the main feeder cables needed for Epping (now Mernda) line trains, and for shunting at the Royal Park end, were retained.<ref name="elect" /> Significant changes occurred in 1965, when the line was singled and both legs of the triangle at the eastern end of the line were closed.<ref name="vicsig" /> That left just a single track from Royal Park to Fitzroy for goods services. The line was officially closed on 31 July 1981.<ref name="vicsig" />