Lilydale railway station

Lilydale railway station is the terminus of the suburban electrified Lilydale line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the north-eastern Melbourne suburb of Lilydale, and opened on 1 December 1882 as Lillydale.^[4][5]

Lilydale
PTV commuter rail station
Southbound view from Platform 1, November 2021
General information
Location	Maroondah Highway, Lilydale, Victoria 3140 Shire of Yarra Ranges Australia
Coordinates	37°45′20″S 145°20′51″E / 37.75557°S 145.34756°E / -37.75557; 145.34756
Owned by	VicTrack
Operated by	Metro Trains
Line(s)	Lilydale
Distance	39.07 kilometres from Southern Cross
Platforms	2 (1 island)
Tracks	2
Connections	Bus Coach
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Parking	660
Bicycle facilities	12
Accessible	Yes—step free access
Other information
Status	Operational, premium station
Station code	LIL
Fare zone	Myki Zone 2
Website	Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened	1 December 1882; 141 years ago (1882-12-01)
Rebuilt	19 November 2021 (LXRP)
Electrified	November 1925 (1500 V DC overhead)
Previous names	Lillydale
Passengers
2005–2006	660,900^[1]
2006–2007	719,294^[1]  8.83%
2007–2008	795,230^[1]  10.55%
2008–2009	799,120^[2]  0.48%
2009–2010	785,120^[2]  1.75%
2010–2011	859,126^[2]  9.42%
2011–2012	830,752^[2]  3.3%
2012–2013	Not measured^[2]
2013–2014	673,681^[2]  18.9%
2014–2015	661,099^[1]  1.86%
2015–2016	714,201^[2]  8.03%
2016–2017	638,002^[2]  10.66%
2017–2018	683,927^[2]  7.19%
2018–2019	701,920^[2]  2.63%
2019–2020	556,700^[2]  20.68%
2020–2021	244,300^[2]  56.11%
2021–2022	236,150^[3]  3.33%
2022–2023	390,200^[3]  65.23%
Services
Preceding station Metro Trains Following station Mooroolbark towards Flinders Street or Ringwood Lilydale line Terminus
Former services Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station Line Open   Continued as the Healesville line   Coldstream Junction   Warburton branch   Mount Evelyn
Track layout Legend to Mooroolbark 1 2 End of Metro lease Former Healesville and Warburton lines

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.^[5] The fare from Melbourne was 3s 6d (first class) and 2s 6d (second class), and a letter-writer to The Age newspaper, "Cyclops",^[4] 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.^[6] 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.^[7]

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.^[8] 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.^[5]

Also branching off at Lilydale was the Warburton line. It opened in 1901, and closed on 1 August 1965.^[5] 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.^[5]

In 1985, boom barriers replaced hand gates at the former Maroondah Highway level crossing, which was located at the up end of the station.^[9] Occurring in that year, a signal panel was provided at the station, which controlled Lilydale and Mooroolbark.^[10] It was abolished in September 2021, with control transferred to Ringwood.^[10]

On 29 November 1991, a Hitachi train set rolled away from the stabling yard for about 1.5 km towards Coldstream.^[11][12] It crashed through a wire fence and traversed the Beresford and Nelson Roads level crossings,^[11][12] and was about to climb a hill when it rolled back 300 metres.^[12] Police advised that only one of the four brakes on the train was engaged.^[11][12] A train driver was suspended due to the incident.^[12]

On 31 July 1996, Lilydale was upgraded to a premium station.^[13]

In 2015, the Level Crossing Removal Project announced it was planning the grade separation of the crossing at Maroondah Highway.^[14] In 2019, the designs were revealed.^[15] 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.^[16] As part of the plans, the ground-level station building remained where it was, being heritage listed.^[15] 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.^[17] On 19 November 2021, the rebuilt station opened.^[18][19]

Platforms and services

Lilydale has one island platform with two faces. It is served by Lilydale line trains.^[20]

Platform 1:

•  Lilydale line  all stations and limited express services to and from Flinders Street; all stations shuttle services to and from Ringwood

Platform 2:

•  Lilydale line  all stations and limited express services to and from Flinders Street; all stations shuttle services to and from Ringwood

Transport links

Martyrs Bus Service operates one route via Lilydale station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

•  683 : Chirnside Park Shopping Centre – Warburton^[21]

McKenzie's Tourist Services operates three bus routes via Lilydale station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

•  684 : Ringwood station – Eildon^[22]
•  685 : to Healesville Sanctuary^[23]
• Night Bus  965 : to Lilydale station (loop service via Yarra Glen, Healesville and Woori Yallock) (Saturday and Sunday mornings only)^[24]

Ventura Bus Lines operates six routes via Lilydale station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

•  663 : to Belgrave station^[25]
•  670 : Ringwood station – Box Hill Institute Lilydale Lakeside Campus^[26]
•  677 : to Chirnside Park Shopping Centre^[27]
•  679 : Chirnside Park Shopping Centre – Ringwood station^[28]
•  680 : to Mooroolbark station^[29]
• FlexiRide Lilydale^[30]

Mee's Bus Lines operates a V/Line coach service from Mansfield to Melbourne via Lilydale station.^[31]

Gallery

•  
  Northbound view of former station building and platform, March 2019
•  
  Southbound view from Platform 2, November 2021

References

1. Estimated Annual Patronage by Network Segment Financial Year 2005–2006 to 2018–19 17 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine Department of Transport
2. Railway station and tram stop patronage in Victoria for 2008–2021 17 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine Philip Mallis
3. Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries) 6 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine Data Vic
4. "Lillydale Railway Fares". The Age. 7 December 1882. p. 6. from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
5. "Lilydale". vicsig.net. from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
6. . Upper Yarra Museum. Archived from the original on 24 October 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
7. "Your new Lilydale Station Precinct". Victoria's Big Build. State Government of Victoria. from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
8. Hui, Jin (22 August 2019). "Progress on the Yarra Valley Trail". Mountain Views Star Mail. from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
9. "SRS Showday Tour Notes Box Hill – Lilydale & Belgrave 3 November 1998" (PDF). VR History by Andrew Waugh. (PDF) from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
10. "Lilydale Signal Box". vicsig.net. from the original on 20 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
11. Gartland, Steve (29 November 1991). "'Dead' train goes for a night ride". Herald Sun. p. 3.
12. Tobin, Bruce (30 November 1991). "Suspension over runaway train". The Age. p. 3.
13. "Upgrading Eltham to a Premium Station". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. October 1997. pp. 303–315.
14. . levelcrossings.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
15. "Maroondah Highway, Lilydale | Level Crossing Removal Project". levelcrossings.vic.gov.au. from the original on 25 April 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
16. "Rail bridges preferred for Mooroolbark and Lilydale | Level Crossing Removal Project". levelcrossings.vic.gov.au. from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
17. "Help shape new activity zones in Mooroolbark and Lilydale | Level Crossing Removal Project". levelcrossings.vic.gov.au. from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
18. "New completion dates for Lilydale, Frankston and Williamstown line works". Level Crossing Removal Project. from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
19. "Countdown continues: level crossings 48 and 49 gone for good". Level Crossing Removal. Project. from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
20. "Lilydale Line". Public Transport Victoria.
21. "683 Chirnside Park – Warburton via Lilydale Station & Seville & Yarra Junction". Public Transport Victoria. from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
22. "684 Ringwood Station - Eildon SC via Alexandra & Healesville (from 26 November 2023)". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
23. "685 Lilydale Station - Healesville Sanctuary via Coldstream & Yarra Glen (from 26 November 2023)". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
24. "965 Night Bus – Lilydale – Woori Yallock – Healesville – Yarra Glen loop". Public Transport Victoria. from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
25. "663 Belgrave – Lilydale via Kallista & The Patch & Monbulk & Mt Evelyn". Public Transport Victoria. from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
26. "670 Ringwood – Lilydale via Croydon & Chirnside Park". Public Transport Victoria. from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
27. "677 Lilydale Station – Chirnside Park via Switchback Road". Public Transport Victoria. from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
28. "679 Chirnside Park Shopping Centre – Ringwood via Canterbury Rd". Public Transport Victoria. from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
29. "680 Lilydale – Mooroolbark via Lilydale East Estate & Lakeview Estate". Public Transport Victoria. from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
30. "FlexiRide Lilydale". Public Transport Victoria. from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
31. "Mt Buller-Mansfield – Melbourne via Yea". Public Transport Victoria. from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2023.

External links

• Melway map at street-directory.com.au