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

Laburnum
PTV commuter rail station
Eastbound view from Platform 1 in January 2007
General information
Location	Laburnum Street, Blackburn, Victoria 3130 City of Whitehorse Australia
Coordinates	37°49′15″S 145°08′27″E
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	Metro Trains
Line(s)	Lilydale Belgrave
Distance	17.82 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	2 side
Tracks	2
Connections	Bus
Construction
Structure type	Ground
Parking	Yes
Disabled access	Yes—step free access
Other information
Status	Operational, Unstaffed
Station code	LAB
Fare zone	Myki Zone 2
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	13 July 1958; 64 years ago (1958-07-13)
Closed	1 January 2007
Rebuilt	29 January 2007
Electrified	1500 V DC overhead (January 1923)
Services
Preceding station Metro Trains Following station Box Hill towards Flinders Street Lilydale line Blackburn towards Lilydale Belgrave line Blackburn towards Belgrave
Track layout Legend to Box Hill 1 2 to Blackburn

History

The original Laburnum station had two side 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. That required the rebuilding of the 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 third track.[3][4]

Toot Toot - Drive Slowly sign

Laburnum station was once known for having a sign reading "Toot Toot - drive slowly" under the railway bridge which crosses Laburnum Street.[5] 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 the sign by painting over it, but to no avail; the local council would restore the sign every time.[6][7]

When the station was rebuilt following the 2007 grade separation, the road underpass was substantially widened, so the sign was deemed unnecessary and was removed. A plaque commemorating the sign and describing its history was erected,[5] although it too has since been removed.

Platforms and services

Laburnum has two side platforms. It is served by Lilydale and Belgrave line trains.[8][9]

Platforms 1:

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

Platforms 2:

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

Transport links

Kinetic Melbourne operates two bus routes via Laburnum station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

•  271 : Box Hill station – Ringwood station[10]
•  279 : Box Hill station – Westfield Doncaster (Deviation)[11]

Gallery

• 
  Plaque commemorating the Laburnum Railway Station 'Toot-Toot' sign in January 2008

References

External links

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