46031
Sydney Central Railway Station, in Sydney, Australia.
The present Central Railway Station was Sydney's third terminus, replacing the original 1855 station further south in Redfern and a later upgraded station built in the 1870s. Both earlier stations had served their time but had become too small and too isolated from the city by the 1890s.
A new station had been considered since 1895, with a view to locating the terminal closer to the central business district. Several sites and schemes were put forward, including a Hyde Park terminus, before the site of the old Devonshire Street cemetery was fixed upon. Although this site was also considered to be further from the city centre than was preferred, the costs of resumptions and construction of a station in the city centre were too high.
Work began on the Central Railway Station in June 1901, the new building was intended as a focal point for the railway and a junction of the rural network with the expanding city and suburban networks. The initial scheme for the new terminal complex was put together by Henry Deane, the Engineer-in-Chief of Railway Construction, in consultation with the Railway Commissioners.
The design of the buildings and complex were investigated by a Station Advisory Board established by the Minister for Works. This included Henry Deane, Government Architect Walter Liberty Vernon and railway experts from New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria. Among other decisions, this committee approved the use of sandstone as the main construction material, rather than a brick and sandstone combination that had been previously suggested.
In 1902 the design of the building was altered by the Station Advisory Board, with the addition of an extra floor and a tower, which increased the likely cost from £230,000 to £400,000. The station building would therefore include: offices for the Railway Commissioners; underground subways to convey luggage, mail, and other materials; an underground pedestrian walkway between George and Elizabeth streets on the line of the former Devonshire Street; a tramway; taxi ranks; and 12 platforms with the ability to handle up to 40,000 passengers.
The first stage of the new station was opened in August 1906 with the second and third storey of the main building and the clock tower completed only in 1921. Additions to the station were made, such as electrification of the city underground line.
The position of the station at the southern end of the city and its scale made it an instant landmark, with the clock in the tower being used by surrounding neighbourhoods as well as commuters.
Information Source:
dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/central_railway_station
46031
Sydney Central Railway Station, in Sydney, Australia.
The present Central Railway Station was Sydney's third terminus, replacing the original 1855 station further south in Redfern and a later upgraded station built in the 1870s. Both earlier stations had served their time but had become too small and too isolated from the city by the 1890s.
A new station had been considered since 1895, with a view to locating the terminal closer to the central business district. Several sites and schemes were put forward, including a Hyde Park terminus, before the site of the old Devonshire Street cemetery was fixed upon. Although this site was also considered to be further from the city centre than was preferred, the costs of resumptions and construction of a station in the city centre were too high.
Work began on the Central Railway Station in June 1901, the new building was intended as a focal point for the railway and a junction of the rural network with the expanding city and suburban networks. The initial scheme for the new terminal complex was put together by Henry Deane, the Engineer-in-Chief of Railway Construction, in consultation with the Railway Commissioners.
The design of the buildings and complex were investigated by a Station Advisory Board established by the Minister for Works. This included Henry Deane, Government Architect Walter Liberty Vernon and railway experts from New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria. Among other decisions, this committee approved the use of sandstone as the main construction material, rather than a brick and sandstone combination that had been previously suggested.
In 1902 the design of the building was altered by the Station Advisory Board, with the addition of an extra floor and a tower, which increased the likely cost from £230,000 to £400,000. The station building would therefore include: offices for the Railway Commissioners; underground subways to convey luggage, mail, and other materials; an underground pedestrian walkway between George and Elizabeth streets on the line of the former Devonshire Street; a tramway; taxi ranks; and 12 platforms with the ability to handle up to 40,000 passengers.
The first stage of the new station was opened in August 1906 with the second and third storey of the main building and the clock tower completed only in 1921. Additions to the station were made, such as electrification of the city underground line.
The position of the station at the southern end of the city and its scale made it an instant landmark, with the clock in the tower being used by surrounding neighbourhoods as well as commuters.
Information Source:
dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/central_railway_station