Electric Street Railway to the Newport Workshops. The St Kilda line was electrified in 1919 and, in the 1920s, St Kilda was the second-busiest station in Victoria, after Flinders Street. On 21 October 1928, automatic signals worked by trains were provided at St Kilda, allowing the signal box at the station to be closed when freight trains were not using the yard. The yard was simplified to a platform road and four sidings in 1952, and the last goods service operated on 18 June 1959. The St Kilda to Brighton Street railway was closed in 1959 and replaced by buses. Passenger facilities were also downgraded, with the railway refreshment rooms closed in 1969, the post office closed in 1972, and the booking hall and ladies waiting room closed in 1976. October 1978 also saw the closure of the station as a depot for train crews, with overnight stabling of trains also ceasing. In the final years of the station, only two sidings remained, and colour light signals replaced semaphores. Closure In the 1980s, the Cain Labor Government looked at the possibility of closing several lines, or converting them to light rail services, which were perceived to be cheaper to run. After several inquiries, it was decided to close both the St Kilda and Port Melbourne lines, and convert them to light rail. The last train service ran on 31 July 1987, with the light rail officially commissioned on 21 November 1987. The decision was made to retain the station buildings on the St Kilda line but use them for other purposes. Because it is located on busy Fitzroy Street, the St Kilda station was ideal for commercial use and was sold off. On 4 December 1989, the building was badly damaged by fire, although its structural soundness was not affected. A second fire occurred two days later. In the late 1990s, developers announced a planned redevelopment of the station site, involving large-scale changes. Despite several protests from the National Trust of Australia and other heritage groups, the development went ahead. The Metropol Apartments were completed in the station forecourt by 2002, with the shops following soon after. The station building was converted into a number of different shops, and the entire platform space was removed. While few aspects of its original function were retained, an old cast iron platform clock remains, as evidence of the building's former use. The station