Lilydale railway station
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:Infobox station
Lilydale railway station is a commuter railway station and the terminus of the Lilydale line, part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the north-eastern Melbourne suburb of Lilydale in Victoria, Australia. Lilydale is an elevated premium station, featuring an island platform with two faces. It opened on 1 December 1882, with the current terminus station and stabling provided in November 2021.<ref name="trove">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="vicsiglilydale">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Initially opened as Lillydale, spelling that matched the original township, the station was given its current name of Lilydale on the 15 May 1888.
History
Lilydale station opened on 1 December 1882 as an extension of the railway line from Camberwell, which had been extended from Hawthorn in April of that year.<ref name=vicsiglilydale/> The fare from Melbourne was 3s 6d (first class) and 2s 6d (second class), and a letter-writer to The Age newspaper, "Cyclops",<ref name=trove/> claimed that with the fare from Melbourne to Box Hill being only 9d (first class), there would soon be a line of stage coaches waiting to take people to Lillydale, with the extra cost effectively being a check on the growth of the town.
The second station building, opening in 1888, was relocated to Yarra Junction in 1915, having been replaced by the current building.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> When the new elevated station was constructed during level crossing elimination works between 2020–2022, the old ground-level building was retained. Its former refreshment rooms are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Until it was truncated at Lilydale in 1980, the line continued to Healesville. The line between Yarra Glen and Healesville is now part of the Yarra Valley Railway. The track from Lilydale to Yarra Glen, including Coldstream and Yering, is being repurposed as a rail trail.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Yarra Valley Railway originally leased the entire line, but they discontinued their lease on the section from Lilydale to Yarra Glen because of the bad condition of the timber bridges in that section. On 10 December 1991, the line between Lilydale and Coldstream was officially booked out of service.<ref name=vicsiglilydale/>
Also branching off at Lilydale was the Warburton line. It opened in 1901, and closed on 1 August 1965.<ref name=vicsiglilydale/> The track was removed in the early 1970s, as was the bridge over the Maroondah Highway. Most of the right-of-way is still intact, and has been turned into the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail. The exception is the part of the line approximately 800 metres beyond where it branched off at Lilydale. Mount Lilydale Mercy College currently leases that part of the railway reserve, which runs through its property, being the only part of the former line that is obstructed.
Until 1967, a turntable also existed at the station.<ref name=vicsiglilydale/>
In 1985, boom barriers replaced hand gates at the former Maroondah Highway level crossing, which was located at the up end of the station.<ref name="vrhistory">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Occurring in that year, a signal panel was provided at the station, which controlled Lilydale and Mooroolbark.<ref name="signalbox">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was abolished in September 2021, with control transferred to Ringwood.<ref name=signalbox/>
On 29 November 1991, a Hitachi train set rolled away from the stabling yard for about 1.5 km towards Coldstream.<ref name="heraldsun">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="theage">Template:Cite news</ref> It crashed through a wire fence and traversed the Beresford and Nelson Roads level crossings,<ref name=heraldsun/><ref name=theage/> and was about to climb a hill when it rolled back 300 metres.<ref name=theage/> Police advised that only one of the four brakes on the train was engaged.<ref name=heraldsun/><ref name=theage/> A train driver was suspended due to the incident.<ref name=theage/>
On 31 July 1996, Lilydale was upgraded to a premium station.<ref name="newsrailoct97">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
In 2015, the Level Crossing Removal Project announced it was planning the grade separation of the crossing at Maroondah Highway.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2019, the designs were revealed.<ref name="Maroondah">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2020, work commenced on the project and, in late 2021, the level crossing was removed. The chosen method was to raise the railway line above the former level crossing.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As part of the plans, the ground-level station building remained where it was, being heritage listed.Template:R The rail bridge on John Street was demolished, and the land between it and the level crossing became an activity zone located underneath the new station.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On 19 November 2021, the rebuilt station opened.<ref name="lxra1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="lxra2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Platforms and services


Lilydale has one island platform with two faces. It is served by Lilydale line trains.<ref>Template:Cite PTV route</ref>
| colspan="5" style="background:#Template:Rcr;background-image: linear-gradient(to right, #Template:Rcr); " |Lilydale platform arrangement | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | Line | Destination | Via | Service Type |
| 1 | Template:RouteBox | Ringwood, Flinders Street | City Loop | All stations and limited express services |
| 2 | Template:RouteBox | Ringwood, Flinders Street | City Loop | All stations and limited express services |
Transport links
Martyrs Bus Service operates one route via Lilydale station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:
- Template:Color box: Chirnside Park Shopping Centre – Warburton<ref name="ptv683">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
McKenzie's Tourist Services operates three bus routes via Lilydale station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:
- Template:Color box: Ringwood station – Eildon<ref name="ptv684">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Template:Color box: to Healesville Sanctuary<ref name="ptv685">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Night Bus Template:Color box: to Lilydale station (loop service via Yarra Glen, Healesville and Woori Yallock) (Saturday and Sunday mornings only)<ref name="ptv965">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Ventura Bus Lines operates six routes via Lilydale station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:
- Template:Color box: to Belgrave station<ref name="ptv663">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Template:Color box: Ringwood station – Box Hill Institute Lilydale Lakeside Campus<ref name="ptv670">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Template:Color box: to Chirnside Park Shopping Centre<ref name="ptv677">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Template:Color box: Chirnside Park Shopping Centre – Ringwood station<ref name="ptv679">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Template:Color box: to Mooroolbark station<ref name="ptv680">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- FlexiRide Lilydale<ref name="flexiride">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Mee's Bus Lines operates a V/Line coach service from Mansfield to Melbourne via Lilydale station.<ref name="coach">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Gallery
-
Northbound view of the former ground level Platform 2, March 2015
-
Southbound view from Platform 2, November 2021
-
Southbound view from Platform 1, with an X'Trapolis train at the platform, November 2021
References
External links
- Melway map at street-directory.com.au
Template:Public Transport Victoria railway stations Template:MelbourneBusInterchanges