Tecoma Railway Station
History
Tecoma station opened on 1 December 1924, on the narrow-gauge Ferntree Gully to Gembrook line, which was constructed as a means of transporting produce 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.
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. 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.
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. 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.
Platform 1:
- Belgrave line all stations and limited express services to Flinders Street; all stations services to Belgrave; all stations shuttle services to Ringwood
Transport links
Ventura Bus Lines operates two routes via Tecoma station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:
- 693 : Belgrave station – Oakleigh station
- 699 : Belgrave station – Upwey station
Gallery
-
Westbound view of station platform, April 2006
-
Bus stops on McNicol Road near Tecoma station, May 2023
References
- ^ Estimated Annual Patronage by Network Segment Financial Year 2005-2006 to 2018-19 Department of Transport
- ^ Railway station and tram stop patronage in Victoria for 2008-2021 Philip Mallis
- ^ Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries) Data Vic
- ^ "Tecoma". vicsig.net. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- ^ "Tecoma Railway Station Opens - Fern Tree Gully News, December 6, 1924". Fern Tree Gully News. 6 December 1924.
- ^ "Ferntree Gully to Gembrook Railway". Museums Victoria. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ "Tecoma". Victorian Places. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- ^ First, Jamie (7 January 2014). "The A-Z story of Melbourne's suburbs". Herald Sun. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- ^ "Puffing Billy". Victorian Heritage Council. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ "Narrow gauge fad". Making tracks. Scienceworks.
- ^ Station Patronage Research Archived 23 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine Public Transport Victoria
- ^ "Station Patronage Data 2005-2019". Philip Mallis. Transport for Victoria. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ "Belgrave Line". Public Transport Victoria.
- ^ "693 Belgrave - Oakleigh via Ferntree Gully & Brandon Park". Public Transport Victoria.
- ^ "699 Belgrave - Upwey". Public Transport Victoria.
External links
- Media related to Tecoma railway station, Melbourne at Wikimedia Commons
- Melway map at street-directory.com.au