Jacana station opened on 15 February 1959, a number of years before the Housing Commission started construction of its nearby Jacana estate.[5] The station, like the suburb itself, appears to get its name from a nearby street in neighbouring Broadmeadows.[5]
The railway past the site of Jacana originally opened in 1872, as part of the North East line to School House Lane.[4] In July 1958, construction of the station began,[6] with the slewing of the down line occurring on 13 September of that year[7] to make room for the island platform, as well as the flyover for the standard gauge line, which was under construction at the same time.[8]
On 17 December 1972, the station was damaged by fire.[9] Three days later, on 20 December, 10 wagons on a Sydney-bound freight train on the standard gauge line derailed immediately west of the station.[9] The pedestrian overpass at the station was damaged during the derailment, but was repaired by 24 December.[10] Much of the debris resulting from the derailment was also cleared by that date.[10]
In 1975, the current overpass on Pascoe Vale Road, to the west of the station, was provided, replacing an earlier overpass.[11]
On 14 November 1996, two Comeng train sets collided between Broadmeadows and Jacana, injuring 13 people.[12][13][14] A city-bound train collided with a stationary Broadmeadows-bound train, and two carriages derailed.[12][13]
^"Tenders, Works, Etc". Divisional Diary. Australian Railway Historical Society. October 1958. p. 60.
^Turton, Keith W (1973). Six And A Half Inches From Destiny. The first hundred years of the Melbourne-Wodonga Railway 1873-1973. Australian Railway Historical Society. p. 87. ISBN0-85849-012-9.
^ abHeinrichs, Paul (21 December 1972). "Cars destroyed as train derailed". The Age. p. 3.
^ ab"Jacana Derailment". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. February 1973. p. 26.
^"Way & Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. February 1975. p. 44.
^ abBinnie, Craig (15 November 1996). "Head-on train crash leaves 13 injured". Herald Sun. p. 3.
^ abCosta, Gabrielle (15 November 1996). "Suburban train collision injures 13". The Age. p. A3.
^Brammall, Bruce (6 August 1997). "Rail crash torment". Herald Sun. p. 13.
