Editing Sandringham line (section)

=== 20th century ===
[[File:Windsor station signal box and level crossing.jpg|alt=Old signals with a level crossing in the background|thumb|The new signalling system present at Windsor station, 1918|left]]
The Sandringham line became the first line in Victoria to be provided with automatic [[railway signal|signals]], with the line as far as [[Elsternwick, Melbourne|Elsternwick]] converted in stages from 1915 to 1918. Then in 1919, the Sandringham line became, with the line to [[Essendon railway station|Essendon]], the first line in the country to be electrified (apart from a test installation on the [[Flemington Racecourse railway line|Flemington Racecourse line]]).<ref name=":15">Fisher, Peter (2007). ''Victorian Signalling: by Accident or Design?''. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). {{isbn|978-1-920892-50-0}}</ref> Automatic signalling was provided the rest of the way to Sandringham in two stages in during 1926.<ref name=":15" />

When the [[Rapid transit|underground]] [[City Loop]] line was designed, it was not intended to cater for trains on the [[Port Melbourne]], [[St Kilda, Victoria|St Kilda]], and Sandringham lines. However, a [[crossover (rail)|crossover]] was installed near [[Richmond, Victoria|Richmond]] to allow Sandringham trains to cross to the tracks used by the [[Frankston railway line|Frankston]], [[Pakenham railway line|Pakenham]], and [[Cranbourne railway line|Cranbourne]] line trains, which had access to the underground loop. In 1985, two Sandringham trains each way were altered to run via the underground loop, and in 1987, with the Port Melbourne and St Kilda lines converted to [[light rail]] operation, all off-peak and many peak trains were routed via the underground loop.{{cn|date=May 2024}} The commencement of operations involved the service stopping at three new stations—[[Parliament railway station|Parliament]], [[Melbourne Central railway station|Melbourne Central]] (formally Museum), and [[Flagstaff railway station|Flagstaff]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=City Loop closure |url=https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/disruptions/city-loop-closure/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114102756/https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/disruptions/city-loop-closure/ |archive-date=14 January 2023 |access-date=14 January 2023 |website=Public Transport Victoria |language=en-GB}}</ref> The Loop follows [[La Trobe Street|La Trobe]] and [[Spring Street, Melbourne|Spring Streets]] along the northern and eastern edges of the [[Hoddle Grid]].<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |title=Guide to navigating the City Loop {{!}} Public Transport Users Association (Victoria, Australia) |url=https://www.ptua.org.au/tips/loop/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221212120652/https://www.ptua.org.au/tips/loop/ |archive-date=12 December 2022 |access-date=14 January 2023 |language=en-AU}}</ref> The Loop connects with Melbourne's two busiest stations, [[Flinders Street railway station|Flinders Street]] and [[Southern Cross railway station|Southern Cross]], via the elevated [[Flinders Street Viaduct]].<ref name=":7" /> From 2021, Sandringham line services stopped operating through the loop as part of a timetable restructure.<ref name=":113">{{Cite web |title=New timetable train line information |url=https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/more/the-new-timetable-for-victorias-train-network/new-timetable-train-line-information/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204042226/https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/more/the-new-timetable-for-victorias-train-network/new-timetable-train-line-information/ |archive-date=4 February 2021 |access-date=31 January 2021 |website=Public Transport Victoria |language=en-GB}}</ref>