Alamein railway station, Melbourne

MelbourneRailwayStation1
NAME=Alamein


CODE=ALM
DISTANCE=convert|14.9|km|abbr=on
LINES=Alamein
PLATFORMS=1
TRACKS=1
STATUS=Unmanned station
FACILITIES= [http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/stop/view/19847 Link]
TIMETABLES= [http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/stop/view/19847#lineInformation Link]

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&om=1&z=16&ll=-37.869145,145.079527&spn=0.012552,0.019956 Link]
ZONE=1

Alamein is a railway station Alamein line in Melbourne, Australia. It is located between Ashburn Grove and Laurel Street in the suburb of Ashburton and is the terminus of the line. It is in Metcard ticketing Zone 1.

The station has only the one bi-directional platform, so in order to turn around, the driver must change ends.

Alamein is one of only two terminus stations in Melbourne not to be classed as a "premium station" (the other being Hurstbridge, although Hurstbridge is manned on a part-time basis unlike Alamein). As a result, it is no longer staffed, and is serviced only by ticket machines. It is only a small station, and lacks among other things, car parking spaces. As with most of the Melbourne rail network, it is, however, fully wheelchair accessible, being at ground level with no ramps or stairs. The station is not serviced by any connecting bus services.

Though it has not been staffed for transport purposes since the 1990s, Alamein is one of several stations across the network to be opened for use for other purposes. As such, once a week, it is used by community groups for a small craft market. For most of the day it is one of the two lesser used stations along the line, along with Willison.

History

Alamein was the last station to be built on what is now the line of the same name. It was built in 1948 on the reservation of the ill-fated Outer Circle line, the section on which Alamein is now located being closed to all traffic in 1895.cite book
author = David Beardsell and Bruce Herbert
title = The Outer Circle: A history of the Oakleigh to Fairfield Park Railway
publisher = Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division)
year = 1979
page = page 59
isbn = 0 85849 024 2 ]

The station serviced a new Housing Commission estate that had been opened up to house people that had displaced after the Second World War. The station still bears the name of the estate, which in turn had been named after the battlefield in North Africa.

A walking trail along the alignment continues after Alamein station until it is punctuated by the Malvern Valley Public Golf Course further along Ashburn Grove.They also have a trail to East Malvern station.

MelbourneStations
Line=Alamein line
Here=Alamein
Previous=Ashburton

References