# Lalor railway station

Lalor 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 Lalor, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Lalor is a ground-level staffed station, featuring an island platform with two faces. It opened in October 1949, with the current station provided in 1978.
Initially opened as Rail Motor Stopping Place 77, the station was given its current name of Lalor on 27 August 1952.

## History

Lalor station opened in October 1949, and was provided as part of a garden suburb created by the Peter Lalor Home Building Cooperative Society, which was formed by a group of ex-servicemen to provide cheap homes during a time of high demand and shortage of materials post World War II.
The station was originally served by Whittlesea trains from Melbourne via the former Inner Circle line and, in later times, by Thomastown – Whittlesea railmotor shuttles. In November 1959, the section from Thomastown was electrified, with the line beyond Lalor closed. On 29 November 1964, the line was reopened and electrified as far as Epping. Occurring in that year, the current island platform was provided, and flashing light signals were provided at the Paschke Crescent level crossing, located at the up end of the station.
In 1978, the present station building was provided. In 1980, boom barriers were provided at the Paschke Crescent level crossing.
The current day Platform 1 was formerly a dock platform. In August 1988, points from No. 1 track to the main line were provided at the down end of the station, effectively forming a crossing loop between Thomastown and Epping. This arrangement existed until November 2011, when the line between Keon Park and Epping was duplicated, with the points at both ends of the station abolished.
On 4 May 2010, as part of the 2010/2011 State Budget, $83.7 million was allocated to upgrade Lalor to a premium station, along with nineteen others. However, in March 2011, this was scrapped by the Baillieu Government.
Announced as part of a $21.9 million package in the 2022/23 Victorian State Budget, Lalor, alongside other stations, will receive accessibility upgrades, the installation of CCTV, and platform shelters. The development process will begin in late 2022 or early 2023, with a timeline for the upgrades to be released once construction has begun.
Lalor station, like the suburb in which it is located, was originally pronounced /ˈlɔːlər/, as it was named after Peter Lalor and, although some people still pronounce it as such, in recent times, the pronunciation /ˈleɪlɔːr, -lər/ has become predominant. In addition, the Victorian Railways Newsletter of 1973, and Victorian RailWays of 1974 (Victorian Railways in-house newsletters) stated that the correct pronunciation was /ˈlɔːlər/.

## Platforms and services

Lalor has one island platform with two faces. It is serviced by Metro Trains' Mernda line services.
Platform 1:
* Mernda line all stations and limited express services to Flinders Street
Platform 2:
* Mernda line all stations services to Mernda

## Transport links

Dysons operates five bus routes via Lalor station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:
* 554 : Thomastown station – Thomastown station (clockwise loop via West Lalor)
* 555 : Pacific Epping – Northland Shopping Centre
* 557 : Thomastown station – Thomastown station (anti-clockwise loop)
* 559 : Thomastown station – Thomastown station (clockwise loop)
* 566 : Lalor – Northland Shopping Centre

## Gallery

* Southbound view from Platform 2, March 2012
* North-west bound view of station building on Platform 1, January 2023
* Southbound view from Platform 1, March 2023
* Northbound view from Platform 1, March 2023
* Station PSO Box and entrance and exit ramp, March 2023
* Station entrance signage, March 2023