Laburnum railway station

Laburnum railway station is located on the Lilydale and Belgrave lines in Victoria, Australia. It serves the eastern Melbourne suburb of Laburnum opening on 13 July 1958.[1]

Laburnum
Eastbound view in January 2007
Location	Laburnum Street, Blackburn
Coordinates	37°49′15″S 145°08′27″E
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	Metro
Line(s)	Lilydale Belgrave
Distance	17.82 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	2 side
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Ground
Other information
Status	Unstaffed station
Station code	LAB
Fare zone	Myki zone 2
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	13 July 1958
Rebuilt	29 January 2007
Electrified	Yes
Services
Preceding station   Metro Trains   Following station Box Hill towards Flinders Street Lilydale line Blackburn towards Lilydale Belgrave line Blackburn towards Belgrave

The original Laburnum station had two platforms with a substantial brick building on Platform 1, and a small brick shelter on Platform 2.

The Middleborough Road Grade Separation project involved lowering the line eight metres below Middleborough Road. This required the rebuilding of Laburnum station, and the removal of the bend in Laburnum Street beneath it. The station buildings were demolished in October 2006 with the new station opening on 29 January 2007.[2] Provision was made for the future installation of a future third track.[3][4]

Platforms & services

Laburnum has two side platforms. It is serviced by Metro Trains' Lilydale and Belgrave line services.[5][6]

Platforms 1:

• Lilydale line: all stations and limited stops services to Flinders Street
• Belgrave line: all stations and limited stops services to Flinders Street

Platforms 2:

• Lilydale line: all stations services to Lilydale
• Belgrave line: all stations services to Belgrave

Toot Toot - Drive Slowly sign

Plaque commemorating the Laburnum Railway Station 'Toot-Toot' sign

Laburnum Station was once known for having a sign reading 'Toot Toot - drive slowly' under the railway bridge, which crosses Laburnum Street.[7] Drivers would often sound their car horns, as instructed by the sign, to warn oncoming, but possibly unseen traffic that might be approaching the narrow underpass. Infuriated neighbours would frequently attempt to remove this sign by painting over it, but to no avail; the local council would restore this sign every time.[8][9]

When the station was rebuilt following the 2007 grade separation, the road underpass was substantially widened and the sign was deemed unnecessary and removed for good. A plaque commemorating the sign and describing its history[10] was erected, although it, too, has since been removed.

References

1. Laburnum Vicsig
2. "Middleborough Road Rail Separation". John Holland. Archived from the original on 14 May 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
3. Middleborough Road Project Vicsig
4. Home Middleborough Road Rail Separation Project
5. "Lilydale Line". Public Transport Victoria.
6. "Belgrave Line". Public Transport Victoria.
7. Chris Gordon/Vicsig (16 September 2006). "Warning sign on the Laburnum Street bridge at Laburnum". Vicsigt. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
8. Lawrence Money and Suzanne Carbone (24 October 2006). "Carbone & Money - Opinion". The Age. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
9. Suzanne Carbone & Lawrence Money (6 October 2006). "Gone up in a puff of smoke". theage.com.au. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
10. Chris Gordon/Vicsig (16 September 2007). "Historic information on the Toot Toot sign for Laburnum Street at Laburnum". Vicsig. Retrieved 9 May 2013.

External links

• Media related to Laburnum railway station, Melbourne at Wikimedia Commons
• Melway map at street-directory.com.au