Keon Park railway station

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Keon Park railway station is a commuter railway station on the Mernda line, which is part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the northern suburb of Reservoir, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Keon Park station is an elevated premium station, featuring an island platform with two faces. It opened on 16 December 1929, with the current station provided in June 2024.<ref name="vicsigkeonpark">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Initially opened as Keonpark, the station was given its current name of Keon Park on 29 February 1972.<ref name="vicsigkeonpark">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

History

Keon Park station opened on 16 December 1929. It was named after Keon Park Pty Ltd., a land development company formed in 1924. Among the directors was Henry Isaac Cohen, a Barrister, M.L.C. and later a King's Counsel, Minister of Education and Minister for Water Supply, who married Ethel Mary Keon in 1901 and whose children adopted the surname of "Keon-Cohen".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The station opened at the same time as the extension of suburban services and electrification from Reservoir to Thomastown. In November 1959, the line from Reservoir was duplicated, in conjunction with the extension of suburban services to Lalor.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> However, the duplicated line converged at the up end of the former Keon Parade level crossing,<ref name="keonpark82">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and it was not until 1988 that the current Platform 2 was provided.<ref name="newsrailjul86">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="comeng">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="newsrailjul88">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The crossover, located at the upper end of the station and just past the level crossing, was also provided around this time.<ref name=newsrailjul88/> It remained the northern extremity for the double line until November 2011, when the line from Keon Park to Epping was duplicated.<ref name=vicsigkeonpark/><ref>South Morang Rail Extension, Australia Template:Webarchive Railway Technology</ref>

In 1963, flashing light signals were provided at the former Keon Parade level crossing,<ref name=vicsigkeonpark/> with boom barriers provided later on in 1971.<ref name="divisionaldiarynov71">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="somersaultjan90">Template:Cite magazine</ref> On 15 April 1972, a small fire damaged the interior of the station building.<ref name="divisionaldiaryapr72">Template:Cite magazine</ref> On 1 September 1973, the station was again damaged by fire, as well as damage occurring to the signal box.<ref name="newsrailnov73">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="newsrailjan74">Template:Cite magazine</ref> It was also around this time that the former City of Preston and former local member for the now abolished District of Reservoir, Jim Simmonds, asked the Victorian Railways for opinions on relocating the station to the up side of the level crossing, to allow better access from nearby residential areas.<ref name="newsrailsep73">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=newsrailnov73/>

In 1983, the former ground-level station building was provided, replacing an older timber structure.<ref name="newsrailfeb83">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1986, a number of sidings that were located at the down end of the station were abolished.<ref name=vicsigkeonpark/>

On 29 July 2021, the Level Crossing Removal Project announced that the level crossing will be grade separated by 2025, with the railway line to be built over the road, and will include a rebuilt station.<ref name="lxrp1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="lxrp2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="lxrp3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On 28 March 2022, the LXRP announced that the station would be rebuilt to the south of the current level crossing.<ref name="lxrp4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In December 2022, final designs were released,<ref name="lxrp5">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> with construction on the project beginning in early 2023.

On 12 January 2024, Keon Park Station was closed and demolished.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The first elevated train bridge opened on 21 January 2024. The Flinders Street-bound way used the bridge as the Mernda-bound used the level crossing until April 2024, as a solution to keep trains running on the Mernda line.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On 30 April 2024, the Keon Parade level crossing and equipment were eliminated.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The elevated train bridge for Mernda-bound way opened on 8 May 2024,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the rebuilt station opened to passengers on 21 June 2024.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>