Lalor railway station

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Lalor 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 Lalor, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Lalor is a ground-level staffed station, featuring an island platform with two faces. It opened in October 1949, with the current station provided in 1978.<ref name="vicsiglalor">Template:Cite web</ref>

Initially opened as Rail Motor Stopping Place 77, the station was given its current name of Lalor on 27 August 1952.<ref name="vicsiglalor">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Lalor station opened in October 1949, and was provided as part of a garden suburb created by the Peter Lalor Home Building Cooperative Society, which was formed by a group of ex-servicemen to provide cheap homes during a time of high demand and shortage of materials post World War II.<ref name="vplalor">Template:Cite web</ref>

The station was originally served by Whittlesea trains from Melbourne via the former Inner Circle line and, in later times, by Thomastown – Whittlesea railmotor shuttles.<ref name="newsrailnov95">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In November 1959, the section from Thomastown was electrified, with the line beyond Lalor closed.<ref name=vicsiglalor/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 29 November 1964, the line was reopened and electrified as far as Epping.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=vicsiglalor/> Occurring in that year, the current island platform was provided,<ref name=vicsiglalor/> and flashing light signals were provided at the Paschke Crescent level crossing, located at the up end of the station.<ref name=vicsiglalor/>

In 1978, the present station building was provided.<ref name="somersaultsep78">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="newsrailapr79">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1980, boom barriers were provided at the Paschke Crescent level crossing.<ref name="somersaultjan90">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

The current day Platform 1 was formerly a dock platform.<ref name="harris">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="newsrailjul86">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In August 1988, points from No. 1 track to the main line were provided at the down end of the station, effectively forming a crossing loop between Thomastown and Epping.<ref name="newsrailnov88">Template:Cite magazine</ref> This arrangement existed until November 2011, when the line between Keon Park and Epping was duplicated,<ref name=vicsiglalor/><ref>South Morang Rail Extension, Australia Railway Technology</ref> with the points at both ends of the station abolished.

On 4 May 2010, as part of the 2010/2011 State Budget, $83.7 million was allocated to upgrade Lalor to a premium station, along with nineteen others.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="newsrailjun10">Template:Cite magazine</ref> However, in March 2011, this was scrapped by the Baillieu Government.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Announced as part of a $21.9 million package in the 2022/23 Victorian State Budget, Lalor, alongside other stations, will receive accessibility upgrades, the installation of CCTV, and platform shelters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The development process will begin in late 2022 or early 2023, with a timeline for the upgrades to be released once construction has begun.

Lalor station, like the suburb in which it is located, was originally pronounced Template:IPAc-en, as it was named after Peter Lalor<ref name=vplalor/><ref name="heraldsun">Template:Cite web</ref> and, although some people still pronounce it as such, in recent times, the pronunciation Template:IPAc-en has become predominant. In addition, the Victorian Railways Newsletter of 1973, and Victorian RailWays of 1974 (Victorian Railways in-house newsletters) stated that the correct pronunciation was Template:IPAc-en.<ref>Victorian Railways News Letter, April 1973, p. 50 and Victorian RailWays, October 1974, p. 155.</ref>