Tecoma railway station

Tecoma railway station is a commuter railway station on the Belgrave line, part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the eastern Melbourne suburb of Tecoma in Victoria, Australia. Tecoma is a ground level unstaffed station, featuring one side platform. It opened on 1 December 1924, with the current station provided in 1962. It initially closed on 30 April 1954, then reopened on 19 February 1962.<ref name="vicsigtecoma">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

History

Tecoma station opened on 1 December 1924,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> on the narrow-gauge Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook line,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which was constructed as a means of transporting produce and passengers to and from the Dandenong Ranges area, and timber from sawmills in Gembrook. The station was named by the Victorian Railways, and was named after the plant Tecoma, which was grown in the area.<ref name="vptecoma">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="heraldsun">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On 3 August 1953, a landslide occurred between Selby and Menzies Creek, which saw the closure of the line, and the station, on 30 April 1954.<ref name=vicsigtecoma/> The sudden loss of the railway resulted in a groundswell of public pressure for the line to quickly reopen.

The formation of the Puffing Billy Preservation Society in 1955 saw services resume on the section of the line between Upper Ferntree Gully and Belgrave, including Tecoma. Operations continued until 23 February 1958, after which the line between Upper Ferntree Gully and Belgrave was converted to broad-gauge and electrified. On 19 February 1962, the station reopened.<ref name=vicsigtecoma/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The platform was used in a short cameo in the 2012 telemovie Underground: The Julian Assange Story.

The station has been the second-least-used station in metropolitan Melbourne since the 2015/2016 financial year, and saw 73,957 passenger movements in the twelve months between June 2018 and July 2019.<ref>Station Patronage Research Template:Webarchive Public Transport Victoria</ref><ref name="patronage2005-2019">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> That equates to just over 200 passengers using the station each day, on average.

Platforms and services

Tecoma has one platform. It is served by Belgrave line trains.<ref>Template:Cite PTV route</ref>

colspan="5" style="background:#Template:Rcr;background-image: linear-gradient(to right, #Template:Rcr); " |Tecoma platform arrangement
Platform	Line	Destination	Via	Service Type
1	Template:RouteBox	Ringwood, Flinders Street, Belgrave	City Loop	All stations and limited express services

Transport links

Ventura Bus Lines operates two routes via Tecoma station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

• Template:Color box: Belgrave station – Oakleigh station<ref>Template:Cite PTV route</ref>
• Template:Color box: Belgrave station – Upwey station<ref>Template:Cite PTV route</ref>

Gallery

• Westbound view of station platform, April 2006
  Westbound view of station platform, April 2006
• Bus stops on McNicol Road near Tecoma station, May 2023
  Bus stops on McNicol Road near Tecoma station, May 2023
• X'Trapolis 2.0 at Tecoma for gradient testing on the Belgrave Line.
  X'Trapolis 2.0 at Tecoma for gradient testing on the Belgrave Line.

External links

• Template:Commons category-inline
• Melway map at street-directory.com.au