Laburnum railway station


Laburnum station is a railway station operated by Metro Trains Melbourne on the Belgrave and Lilydale lines, which are part of the Melbourne rail network. It serves the eastern suburb of Blackburn, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It opened on 13 July 1958, with the current station provided in 2007.
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History

Laburnum station was named after the locality of Laburnum, itself named after the shrub of the same name. The original station had two side platforms, with a substantial brick building on Platform 1, and a small brick shelter on Platform 2. In that year the hand-operated gates at the former Middleborough Road level crossing were replaced by with boom barriers. The crossing was in the up direction from the station.
The Middleborough Road grade separation project involved lowering the line eight metres below the road. That required the rebuilding of the station, and the removal of the bend in Laburnum Street beneath it. In October 2006, the station buildings were demolished and, on 29 January 2007, the rebuilt station opened. As part of the project, provision was made for the future installation of a third track.

Toot Toot – drive slowly sign

Laburnum was once known for having a sign reading "Toot Toot – drive slowly" under the railway bridge which crosses Laburnum Street, because the street was narrow and had a sharp bend at that point. Drivers would often sound their car horns, as instructed by the sign, to warn oncoming, and possibly unseen, traffic that might be approaching the narrow underpass. Infuriated neighbours frequently attempted to remove the sign by painting over it, but to no avail, because the local council would restore the sign every time.
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 was erected which commemorated the sign and outlined its history, although that has since been removed.

Platforms and services

Laburnum has two side platforms and is served by Lilydale and Belgrave line trains.

Transport links

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