Bankstown Train Station

Bankstown is a railway station on the Sydney Trains Bankstown Line, for which the line is named. The station serves the important Sydney suburb of Bankstown in which it is located. The station has a simple island platform, with a crossover at the eastern end and a turnback at the western end of the station to allow trains to be terminated in either direction.

Bankstown Station is situated in the Old Town Centre Plaza shopping centre, with South Terrace on the southern side and North Terrace on the other.

History

With the arrival of the 20th century came the railways. The station officially opened on 14 April 1909, after the Public Works Committee agreed to an extension of the railway line from Belmore. Bankstown's 1720 residents were able to board their first steam-driven locomotive. The line was electrified in 1924 and it was the terminus of the line until its extension to Regents Park on the Main South line in 1928 passing through Yagoona and Birrong along the way. A Parcel platform was used by 'Fast Electric Parcels Vans' It is located opposite the northern end of Platform 2 and was used until 1966.

In 2011 the station was the scene of a fatal stabbing of a young 16-year old boy on 26 May. The teenager had gotten into a verbal altercation with a 22-year old man when he was fatally stabbed on the platform at around 7pm that evening. The 22-year old, who also suffered injuries during the fight was arrested and charged with the murder of the teenager.