Willison railway station, Melbourne
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Willison railway station (station code: WSN) is on the Alamein line in Melbourne, Australia. It is located adjacent to Stodart Street, near the border of the suburbs of Camberwell and Canterbury. It services a predominantly residential area. The nearest tram runs along Riversdale Road, which is closer to Riversdale station. It is located 12.1km from Flinders Street Station in the centre of Melbourne.
The station has two platforms located either side of the railway tracks. As it is not a "premium station", it is unmanned, and has no open toilets or other facilities. Due to its position, it also lacks any car parking space. Unlike other stations on the Alamein line, it does not have any public payphones.
While Willison was never part of the original Outer Circle line, it was built not long afterwards, on 8 June,1908, as part of the Deepdene Dasher diesel service. This remnant of the Outer Circle went from Ashburton to Deepdene.
When it first opened, the station was known as Golf Links, and existed to serve the Riversdale Golf Club, which was originally adjacent to the site. It has been said that influential members of the club did not appreciate having to walk to either Riversdale or Hartwell stations, and pressed for a closer alternative. This may explain why Willison was built so close to Riversdale station - only 400m away.
The station was originally just a siding where members could embark after a game. The golf club moved from the site in 1927, and on 23 July, 1936, the station was renamed Willison. By this time, the Deepdene Dasher service had ceased operations, and Willison was served only by the Ashburton line. Twelve years later, this was extended to Alamein - the service which still exists today.