Passenger numbers to the station declined by 23 percent when cable cars started operating to Brighton Road in 1888, and then between Windsor and The Esplanade in 1891, so the Victorian Railways opened their Electric Street Railway to Brighton in 1906. The line was unique, as it used the broad gauge track used by the railways in Victoria, rather than the standard gauge track used on all other street tramways in the state. The tram terminus was alongside the station building, permitting an easy interchange between modes. The St Kilda line was electrified in 1919, and in the 1920s, St Kilda was the second busiest station in Victoria, after Flinders Street. Facilities at the station during the days of steam operation included a run around road and traverser, coal stage and engine shed, these remaining until at least 1928. An unusual feature of the station was a connection between the railway and the tramway tracks, being used to transfer trams from the Electric Street Railway to the Newport Workshops.