Station codes: yes, FKN is the code for Frankston

I was distracted by an outbound express service stopping at Malvern – then I realised the photo was taken 5 years ago ;)

Telstra exchanges have a similar system for their exchanges – they give each one a 4 letter code. For instance, Footscray exchange is FSRY. When they got to the Diamond Creek exchange they went the most logical route, calling it DICK.

Main problem is when you get overlaps, for example CAM is Camberwell in suburban Melbourne, but Camperdown in V/Line parlance and Campbelltown in NSW.

I’ve often thought that, just like with wagons allowed to run around the country, the stations could have a prefix for state or controlling operator, i.e. in 1979 the VOBX and AOBX types were roughly the same bogie-exchangeable open wagon, the former owned by Victorian Railways and the latter by Australian National Railways. Applying that to station codes, Camberwell would be VCWL (using the Australian code); Camperdown VCAM and Campbelltown NCAM.

The codes seem fairly logical, except for SSS for Southern Cross Station.

@Andrew – Southern Cross is “SSS” because “Spencer Street Station”.

Watergardens officially changed from SDM to WGS in conjunction with the November 2012 timetable, which extended suburban trains to Sunbury, which also had its abbreviation changed from SBY to SUY at the same time.

Another abbreviation that has changed in recent years is Newport Workshops, which officially changed from NWS to NPW in conjunction with the May 2011 timetable, but both still seem to be used interchangeably.

Re: Wattle Glen – An unofficial abbreviation WGN is often used to avoid confusion with the working timetable abbreviation. This is one that really should become permanent, because, let’s face it, nobody is ever going to think of Wattle Glen when faced with the letters WTT.

And on the topic of unofficial abbreviations, my favourite is FFS for Flinders St ;)

What hope for a north Brighton ? It has been saddled with NBN
Favourites are Ham and Gin

I lean towards publishing the 3-letter codes.

In-fact, I support having an Information Panel in a prominent position(s) at every station, listing the station name, zone, 3-letter code (Victorian code), its official street address, an 8-figure telephone number for staffed stations, and the line (eg “Belgrave line”).

As well as making it easier using Twitter, the 3-letter codes are (were?) used for services like the SMS timetable where you can send a message containing the first five characters of the station name. But some 5-char prefixes are ambiguous, so as an alternative, one could use the Victorian 3-char code.
I’m not sure if it’s still operational, but the full instructions are compose a message with
Origin Destination h:mm{AM|PM} dd
send to 19726669. h:mm{AM|PM} dd are only used if travelling later.

Comment number 21 on commute-not-good is absolute gold!