The current light rail station opened on 14 December 2019, and is the third iteration, with the original tram stop opening in 1861.
History
First iteration
The first tram stop to open at Circular Quay was the terminus of the horse-drawn Pitt Street tramway line, located in front of the Commissariat Stores in Argyle Street. The singular line was opened on 23 December 1861, however was generally unsuccessful. After only five years, the original Circular Quay tram stop served passengers for the final time on 31 December 1866, and closed alongside the line the following day on 1 January 1867.[1]
Second iteration
Trams at Circular Quay in 1905Trams at Circular Quay c.1920
Trams were reintroduced to Circular Quay with the opening of the George Street tramway line, on 7 December 1899. The line was the first electric passenger tram in the Sydney CBD.[2] The double-track line from George Street was laid with a wider distance between the two tracks at Circular Quay, to decrease the chance of pedestrians being caught between trams.[3]
The Pitt & Castlereagh Streets tramway line was extended to Circular Quay in 1901, followed by the Elizabeth Street tramway line on 19 December 1902.[2]
Trams running to Millers Point branched from those running to Circular Quay on the George Street line after Bridge Street, with Millers Point trams continuing up George Street and through The Rocks. Due to reconstruction of the wharves at Circular Quay and the construction of the railway, this junction was repositioned multiple times. The last repositioning occurred in May 1954, less than five years before the George Street line was closed on 21 November 1958.[3] All tram services to Circular Quay ceased with the closure of the Elizabeth Street line north of Hunter Street on 28 February 1960.[4]
Most tram services not terminating in Railway Square ran to Circular Quay, as it formed a major interchange with the Circular Quay ferry wharves. By the mid-1930s, 246 trams passed through Circular Quay within a single hour at peak times.[5]
Circular Quay East tram stop
Circular Quay East tram stop was the original terminus of the George Street line when it opened in December 1899, and was designed as a balloon loop to efficiently turn terminating trams around. It served services running from the western suburbs known as the "Red Lines". The George Street line was extended to Fort Macquarie which opened on 15 September 1912, coinciding with the closure of the balloon loop at Circular Quay East.[6][7] However, growing congestion at Fort Macquarie in the following decades resulted in the reconstruction and reopening of the balloon loop on 24 June 1935, with the majority of services terminating at Circular Quay rather than at Fort Macquarie.[8] The loop was met with criticism due to the effect of terminating the majority of George Street line services in close proximity to the ferry wharves. Passengers complained that the loop banked trams back therefore making it difficult and dangerous to cross the tracks to the ferry.[5] The tram stop and balloon loop were closed in 1946 and all services returned to terminating at Fort Macquarie.[7]
Circular Quay (Young Street) tram stop
Circular Quay (Young Street) tram stop opened with the extension of the Elizabeth Street tramway line from Bridge Street to a open loop facing Circular Quay, on 19 December 1902.[9] Though it was a terminus, facilities were originally minimal. Continuous agitation for greater provisions beginning as early as 1904 resulted in the construction of a wooden waiting shed.[10][11][12] The stop served trams on the "Green Lines", running from Newtown and the Eastern Suburbs up Elizabeth Street. Circular Quay (Young Street) was the last remaining of the Circular Quay tram stops, and was closed with the Elizabeth Street line in February 1960.[7][4]
Parramatta Jetty tram stop
Parramatta Jetty tram stop was located on the George Street line and opened with the extension to Fort Macquarie on 15 September 1912. It was the first stop in Circular Quay after trams exited George Street.[13]
North Sydney Jetty tram stop
North Sydney Jetty tram stop was located on the George Street line and opened with the extension to Fort Macquarie on 15 September 1912. It was the second stop in Circular Quay after trams exited George Street, after Parramatta Jetty.[13]
Mosman Jetty tram stop
Mosman Jetty tram stop was located on the George Street line and opened with the extension to Fort Macquarie on 15 September 1912 as Cremorne Jetty. It was the third stop in Circular Quay after trams exited George Street, after North Sydney Jetty.[13] By 1921, it had been renamed Mosman Jetty.[14]
Third iteration
Metro Transport Sydney, the private owner of the contemporary light rail system before it was acquired by the Government of New South Wales, advocated in the early 2000s for its extension to Circular Quay. The precise location of the proposed terminus would have depended on whether the preferred route via George Street or the alternative via Castlereagh Street was opted for. The proposals featured a balloon loop on which the Circular Quay stop would have been situated.[15] Engineering studies commissioned by the Government in 2004 found a number of routes to Circular Quay to be feasible, including via George or Castlereagh streets.[16]
On 13 December 2012, the O'Farrell ministry announced a commitment to build a light rail line from Circular Quay down George Street to Central station, then across to Moore Park and down Anzac Parade with branches to Kingsford and Randwick.[17] The first L2 passenger service to Randwick departed Circular Quay just after 10:00 on 14 December 2019.[18]
Circular Quay is also served by a heavy rail station and ferry wharves, as well as buses. The precinct serves as an interchange between these modes.[21]
The station comprises one island platform and one side platform, with three tracks.[22] The side platform is served by a siding which branches off the northern track right before the platform; the line is henceforth from the station double-tracked. The tracks reach a dead-end at the eastern end of the platforms.[21]
Circular Quay's three light rail tracks, with signal aspects showing red for the line ahead
Gallery
A Randwick service crosses to the out-bound track west of the terminus
The island platform with both sides occupied
A terminating service crossing to the southern track before the station
The station at night
References
↑ McCarthy, K. When "Horse Power" Meant "The Horse". Trolley Wire No. 197. December 1981, p.3-17
1 2 Circular Quay via George Street. Trolley Wire No. 125. December 1969, p.8-10
1 2 Budd, D. Wilson, R. & Willson, R. George Street, Sydney, 1899-1958: A Pictorial Review. Trolley Wire No. 279. November 1999, p.16
1 2 Willson, R. SYDNEY’S TRAMWAYS: DATES OF CLOSURE TO TRAFFIC, 1895 to 1961. Trolley Wire No. 324. February/March 2011, p.17-20
↑ "1 map; 39 x 29 cm, on sheet 43 x 31 cm", Sydney tramways 1921, [Sydney], 1921, nla.obj-371208079, retrieved 26 August 2025– via Trove{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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Circular Quay 
Circular Quay 
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