 Despite its proximity to Melbourne, the town of Whittlesea and the stations it served beyond the Melbourne suburban electrified area had a small population.The Whittlesea line was a branch of the Epping line diverging at South Morang.The freight service to Whittlesea was closed in the mid 1950s and the passenger service remained until the line beyond Thomastown was closed on 28 November 1959.