Leongatha railway station

Leongatha
South Gippsland Railway Station
Former South Australian Railways Redhen railcar #402 at Leongatha station
Line(s)	South Gippsland Railway
Platforms	1
Tracks	4
Other information
Status	Tourist Station
History
Opened	17 December 1891 1994 (re-opened)
Closed	24 July 1993
Location
133.9 km (83.2 mi) from Flinders Street

Leongatha is a railway station in the town of Leongatha, Victoria on the former South Gippsland railway line in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia.

The station opened in 1891 as a terminus, the line being extended to Welshpool the next year.^[1] As of 2009, the station is the terminus of the South Gippsland Tourist Railway, and has been since regular V/Line passenger operations on the line ceased east of Cranbourne station in 1993.^[2]

The track south of Leongatha has been dismantled and turned into the Great Southern Rail Trail. The station precinct includes a well preserved red brick station building, goods shed, water tower and footbridge. The goods shed has since been demolished with a view of converting the unused railway reservation for a shopping plaza, which has not yet eventuated.

The track "down" from Leongatha Station ends at the rear of a petrol station, approx 500 metres away. The Home signal for trains approaching Leogatha from Koonwarra remains, however due to no rail for any significant distance from the signal, it has been decommissioned. From the end of the rail, the reservation is a crushed rock pathway mainly used by bicycles and pedestrians.

Current Status

As of December 2013, representatives from the 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), which would see Leongatha station become the terminus of the South Gippsland line and part of the regional Victorian Rail Network for the first time since July 24, 1993.^[3]

V/Line Bus terminus

Leongatha Railway Station is used as a terminus for the V/Line Road Coach service, and as a stop on the Coach route to Yarram. The railway station toilet facilities have recently become available to V-Line bus passengers, as the buses have no toilets.

Location

Leongatha Railway Station is located on Long street, Leongatha. Long Street is accessible from the Strzelecki Highway and Nerrena Road, just off the South Gippsland Highway.

Trains from Leongatha

Leongatha is part of the South Gippsland Tourist Railway service, which provides trains for visitors on Sundays and public holidays. In school holiday periods, trains are also run on Wednesdays.

Leongatha is part of the journey for special trains run as "Dream Come True" (Driver Experience), Dinner Trains and Summer Shopping Shuttles to and from Korumburra.

V Line Coach Services to Leongatha and Yarram

A recent Vic-Link issued timetable provided for additional bus services from Spencer Street station (Melbourne) to Leongatha and Yarram. These were promised as part of the trade-off for the government not re-opening the railway to Leongatha for passenger services. This is despite the re-opening of the line forming part of a key regional public transport program of the former Labour Party government back in 2002.

The present timetabled services provide for 8 coach services daily, four of which continue through to the former railway terminus at Yarram. Weekend timetables provide for four services on each of Saturday and Sunday.

The increased timetable had proven popular, with some services needing two coaches to cope with the traffic.

Gallery

• 

  The station in 1906 looking east

References

Coordinates: 38°28′38″S 145°56′52″E / 38.47722°S 145.94778°E / -38.47722; 145.94778