Korumburra railway station

Korumburra is a heritage Listed railway station on the former South Gippsland line in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. The station has been part of the South Gippsland tourist railway since passenger operations on the line ceased beyond Cranbourne station in July 1993.

Current Status

Between 1999 and 2008 there was constant speculation that the railway line beyond Cranbourne to Leongatha could re-open, as promised by the Victorian State Government, under a project named 'Bringing Trains Back to Victorians'.

However, in May 2008, a scoping study carried out on behalf of the State Government found the costs of returning services high, at $72 million. Therefore, plans to reopen the line were stopped, and the Government has pledged to spend $14.2 million on improved V/Line coach services in the South Gippsland region instead.

Further, there are plans in motion to turn the railway reservation into a Rail Trail between Cranbourne East and Nyora.^[1] As of December 2013, representatives from the South and West Gippsland Transport Group have called on for state government support in the upcoming election in 2014 to see the railway line reopened as far as Leongatha by early next decade (2020), in which would see Korumburra station become part of the regional Victorian Rail Network for the first time since July 24, 1993.^[2]

Location

Korumburra Railway Station is located on Station Street, just off Bridge Street, Korumburra. Bridge street can be accessed from the South Gippsland Highway Bridge Street is named after the road overpass bridge that crosses the railway line, dividing the eastern and western halves of the town.

The station contains a well preserved red brick station, large goods yard, a fully working turntable and goods shed. The station building currently enjoys a heritage listing, and the station's 100th birthday was in January 2008.

Korumburra Railway Station features a Railway Museum, featuring railway artifacts and items from the entire South Gippsland Line. Various items have been donated from people throughout the district. An additional ongoing display is a photographic exhibition featuring images of railway infrastructure, vehicles and railway workers in action from Koo-Wee-Rup through to Foster and beyond - all prior to the 1994 closure of the line.

As well as the many freight trains that ran on the line superphosphate special trains were commonly stabled at the Korumburra Yards. Superphosphate trains would run around Winter months and transported many goods products, farming produce, fertilizer, oil, explosives, super, grain, cement and many more products.

Public transport services

Upon the closure of the railway stations for regular passenger traffic, the V/Line coach stop was located outside the Korumburra station in Station Street.

Changes to services and streamlining of coach services meant the change of V/Line coach stops along the route, with Korumburra's coach stop being moved from the Korumburra Station to the main street. A second bus-stop is now located outside the Coal Creek Community Park and Museum on the corner of Silkstone Road and the South Gippsland Highway.

Station layout

References

External links

• http://www.sgr.org.au/about.html

Coordinates: 38°25′50″S 145°49′02″E / 38.43056°S 145.81722°E / -38.43056; 145.81722