Keon Park railway station explained

Keon Park
Type:PTV commuter rail station
Style:Melbourne
Address:High Street,
Thomastown, Victoria 3074
Borough:City of Whittlesea
Country:Australia
Coordinates:-37.6946°N 145.0118°W
Distance:17.54 kilometres from
Southern Cross
Other: Bus
Structure:Elevated
Platform:2 (1 island)
Tracks:2
Parking:154
Opened:[1]
Rebuilt:1983
1988
21 June 2024 (LXRP)
Electrified:December 1929
(1500 V DC overhead)
Accessible:Yes—step free access
Code:KPK
Owned:VicTrack
Operator:Metro Trains
Zone:Myki Zone 2
Status:Operational, unstaffed
Former:Keonpark (1929–1972)
Website:Public Transport Victoria
Map State:expanded

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 structure premium station, with an island platform. It opened on 16 December 1929, with the current station provided in 2024.[2]

Initially opened as Keonpark, the station was given its current name of Keon Park on 29 February 1972.[3]

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".[4]

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.[5] However, the duplicated line converged at the up end of the former Keon Parade level crossing,[6] and it was not until 1988 that the current Platform 2 was provided.[7] [8] [9] The crossover, located at the upper end of the station and just past the level crossing, was also provided around this time.[9] It remained the northern extremity for the double line until November 2011, when the line from Keon Park to Epping was duplicated.[2] [10]

In 1963, flashing light signals were provided at the former Keon Parade level crossing,[2] with boom barriers provided later on in 1971.[11] [12] On 15 April 1972, a small fire damaged the interior of the station building.[13] On 1 September 1973, the station was again damaged by fire, as well as damage occurring to the signal box.[14] [15] 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.[16] [14]

In 1983, the former ground-level station building was provided, replacing an older timber structure.[17] In 1986, a number of sidings that were located at the down end of the station were abolished.[2]

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.[18] [19] [20] On 28 March 2022, the LXRP announced that the station would be rebuilt to the south of the current level crossing.[21] In December 2022, final designs were released,[22] with construction on the project beginning in early 2023.

On 12 January 2024, Keon Park Station was closed and demolished.[23] 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.[24]

On 30 April 2024, the Keon Parade level crossing and equipment were eliminated.[25] The elevated train bridge for Mernda-bound way opened on 8 May 2024,[26] and the rebuilt station opened to passengers on 21 June 2024.[27] [28]

Platforms and services

Keon Park has one island platform with two faces. It is serviced by Metro Trains' Mernda line services.[29]

Platform 1:

Platform 2:

Transport links

Dysons operates one bus route via Keon Park station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

Kinetic Melbourne operates one SmartBus route via Keon Park station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: KEONPARK STATION TO BE OPENED ON MONDAY . . 16,405 . Victoria, Australia . 13 December 1929 . 10 May 2018 . 5 . National Library of Australia.
  2. Web site: Keon Park. vicsig.net. 4 February 2023. 25 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230425195110/https://vicsig.net/infrastructure/location/Keon-Park. live.
  3. Web site: Keon Park. vicsig.net. 4 February 2023. 25 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230425195110/https://vicsig.net/infrastructure/location/Keon-Park. live.
  4. Web site: Keon Park . 2 June 2021 . 13 December 2021 . 13 December 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211213235135/http://whittleseahistoricalsociety.org.au/2021/06/02/keon-park/ . live .
  5. Book: SE Dornan & RG Henderson. Electric Railways of Victoria. Australian Electric Traction Society. 67. 1979. 0-909459-06-1.
  6. Web site: Keon Park 12-9-1982. Flickr – Robert Aquilina Photostream. 5 May 2023. 27 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230427030701/https://www.flickr.com/photos/80109267@N03/7758290304/in/photolist-cATxoG-cDbUzy-dp7jab-cPyL2C-dkYvrS-dkECRp-dgS8P8-cC9phW-dkaQLp-dnTDyX-cPzgpW-dpAFzJ-dkJaNj-diVPM6-d2rKQG-dnBnrB-dmKNtB-dgnxrj-dnBt6B-dirZra-dcp6VB-dpWeqW-cwaNSb-dpVVhn-cx98jE. live.
  7. July 1986. Works. Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. 217.
  8. Web site: Keon Park, down Lalor about to depart 7-10-1987. Flickr – Robert Aquilina Photostream. 5 May 2023. 9 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230509205159/https://www.flickr.com/photos/80109267@N03/8137792380/in/photolist-cATxoG-cDbUzy-dp7jab-cPyL2C-dkYvrS-dkECRp-dgS8P8-cC9phW-dkaQLp-dnTDyX-cPzgpW-dpAFzJ-dkJaNj-diVPM6-d2rKQG-dnBnrB-dmKNtB-dgnxrj-dnBt6B-dirZra-dcp6VB-dpWeqW-cwaNSb-dpVVhn-cx98jE. live.
  9. July 1988. Works. Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. 220.
  10. http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/morang-extension/ South Morang Rail Extension, Australia
  11. November 1971. Way and Works. Divisional Diary. Australian Railway Historical Society. 6.
  12. January 1990. Level Crossing Protection. John Sinnatt. Somersault. Signalling Record Society Victoria. 9–17.
  13. June 1972. Way and Works. Divisional Diary. Australian Railway Historical Society. 7.
  14. November 1973. Way & Works. Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. 219.
  15. January 1974. Way & Works. Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. 16.
  16. September 1973. Items of Interest. Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. 183.
  17. February 1983. Works. Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. 26.
  18. Web site: Keon Parade, Reservoir. Victoria's Big Build. 5 May 2023. 16 May 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220516124048/https://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/projects/keon-parade-keon-park. live.
  19. Web site: 10 more level crossings to go by 2025. Victoria's Big Build. 5 May 2023. 30 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210730004647/https://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/media/news/10-more-level-crossings-to-go-by-2025. live.
  20. Web site: Mernda line level crossing removal fact sheet. Victoria's Big Build. 5 May 2023. 21 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220321211844/https://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/media/publications/mernda-line-level-crossing-removal-fact-sheet. live.
  21. Web site: New station and rail bridge for Keon Parade. Victoria's Big Build. 5 May 2023. 6 May 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220506103853/https://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/media/news/new-station-and-rail-bridge-for-keon-parade. live.
  22. Web site: Final designs released for Keon Parade. Victoria's Big Build. 5 May 2023. 5 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230505025356/https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/news/level-crossing-removal-project/final-designs-released-for-keon-parade. live.
  23. Web site: 17 January 2024 . Keon Parade kicks off for 2024 . 9 May 2024 . Victoria’s Big Build . en.
  24. Web site: 23 January 2024 . Trains returned to the Mernda Line this week . 9 May 2024 . Victoria’s Big Build . en.
  25. Web site: 1 May 2024 . More gates meet their fates at Keon Parade . 9 May 2024 . Victoria’s Big Build . en.
  26. Web site: 8 May 2024 . Trains return to the Mernda Line. 9 May 2024 . Victoria’s Big Build . en.
  27. Web site: 16 May 2024 . 77 level crossings gone as Keon Parade reopens . 16 May 2024 . Victoria’s Big Build . en.
  28. Web site: 21 June 2024 . New Keon Park Station open to passengers . 21 June 2024 . Victoria’s Big Build . en.
  29. train.
  30. Web site: 902 Chelsea Railway Station – Airport West Shopping Centre (SMARTBUS Service). Public Transport Victoria. 5 May 2023. 23 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230423022311/https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/route/15279/902-chelsea-station-airport-west-shopping-centre/. live.