St James | |||||||||||||||||||||
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General information | |||||||||||||||||||||
Location | Elizabeth Street, Sydney central business district, City of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 33°52′13″S151°12′43″E / 33.8702°S 151.2120°E | ||||||||||||||||||||
Owned by | Transport Asset Holding Entity | ||||||||||||||||||||
Operated by | Sydney Trains | ||||||||||||||||||||
Line(s) | City Circle | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance | 4.4 km (2.7 mi) from Central (clockwise) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Platforms | 2 (1 island) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Connections | Bus | ||||||||||||||||||||
Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||
Structure type | Underground | ||||||||||||||||||||
Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
Architect |
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Architectural style | Inter-War Stripped Classical [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||
Status | Staffed | ||||||||||||||||||||
Station code | STJ | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fare zone | Opal | ||||||||||||||||||||
Website | Transport for NSW | ||||||||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | 20 December 1926 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Electrified | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||||
2023 [2] |
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Services | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Official name | St. James Railway Station group; St James Railway Station | ||||||||||||||||||||
Type | State heritage (complex / group) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Designated | 2 April 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Reference no. | 1248 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Type | Railway Platform/ Station | ||||||||||||||||||||
Category | Transport – Rail | ||||||||||||||||||||
Builders | Department of Railways | ||||||||||||||||||||
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St James railway station is a heritage-listed [1] underground commuter rail station that is located on the City Circle, at the northern end of Hyde Park in the Sydney central business district of New South Wales, Australia. It is served by Sydney Trains T2 Inner West & Leppington, T3 Bankstown & T8 Airport & South line services. It is named after the nearby St James' Church. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. [4]
Part of the Bradfield Plan, St James railway station was originally intended to be a major interchange with the Eastern Suburbs line [5] on Sydney's underground rail system. Plans for the construction of St James included railway lines in four directions, but the original plan was never completed due to disagreements over the routes. [5] Four platforms were completed, but the two inner platforms, intended to support Bradfield's proposed eastern and western suburbs lines, were never put into service. [6] When the Eastern Suburbs line was eventually built it was done so via a different route via Town Hall. In the 1990s, the two island platforms were connected by filling in the space between the two inner platforms, resulting in the single, large island platform seen today.
The station was designed by NSW Government Architect, George McRae, but not completed until after his death. It is an example of Inter-War Stripped Classical architecture [1] [7] influenced by Art Deco. One distinctive feature of the station is a neon sign from the late 1930s advertising Chateau Tanunda Brandy installed by Tucker, Lingard & Co. It is located at the northern entrance on Elizabeth Street. [1] It is a companion to Museum station, both opened at the same time and use a roundel design on their station signage that is similar to the one used on the London Underground.
St James station opened on 20 December 1926 with the opening of the eastern city line from Central. [8] [9] For the first 30 years, St James station was used as a terminating station for the East Hills and Illawarra lines. [7] As a terminating station, St James was equipped with a small signal box and two dead end sidings, located in the tunnel stub at the north end of the station. [6] [10] The St James signal box, equipped with pistol grips, was the smallest such box in New South Wales. Trains arriving at St James would disembark passengers on one of the outer platforms, then the train would move to a siding and reverse direction, coming out at the opposite outer platform. During non-peak hours the driver would simply move to the other end of the train while the train was on the siding. During peak hours the train would take on a second driver in the last car while at the platform, then proceed to one of the sidings, where the drivers would exchange control of the train. [10]
Completion of the City Circle loop did not occur until 30 years after St James station opened. Construction of the western city line as far as Wynyard was completed in 1932, but completion of the line connecting Wynyard and St James via Circular Quay, begun in 1936, proved problematic. Construction was halted during World War II and was intermittent after it resumed in 1945 due to inconsistent funding. The above-ground viaduct and Circular Quay railway station were finally completed in 1956, allowing trains to make a single circuit through the city and return to the suburbs without having to terminate.
As a result of this, St James's terminating facilities were no longer regularly used. The signal box remained in use until 1990 with the occasional train continuing to terminate at St James to keep the siding tracks usable for emergencies and railway staff familiar with the procedures. [10] In 1985–86, the signal box was taken out of service for an asbestos abatement project. During this period, train cars allocated for the removal of the asbestos would occupy one or the other of the dead end sidings, which meant that regular use of those lines by passenger trains was not possible. After the asbestos abatement project was completed, the signal box was returned to service until 1990, when asbestos was discovered in the signal box and the sidings. From that time the signal box was not used, and the signals and siding tracks were eventually removed. [10] The sidings were formally closed on 27 July 1991. [11]
In February 2010, a passenger lift between the platform and the concourse opened, followed later by a lift between the concourse and street level. [12]
St James station is notable for the abandoned tunnels connected to the station. The Australian Railway Historical Society, with the approval of the State Rail Authority, has given tours of the tunnels, but many people have visited the tunnels by entering along the subway tracks. [5] [7] The tunnels were constructed as stubs for the planned eastern and western suburbs lines when the station was built in the 1920s. This was to ensure that the operation of St James would not be disrupted if future work was carried out on the lines. [7] The abandoned tunnels extend some distance in either direction from St James. To the north is a double-track tunnel which proceeds for some 250 metres under Macquarie Street to be roughly parallel with the State Library; to the south two single-track tunnels extend to Whitlam Square at the intersection of Liverpool and College Streets. [13] [14]
From 1933 to 1934, the City Inner tunnel between St James and Circular Quay was used by Raymond Mas as the location for an experimental mushroom farm producing 4,500 kilograms (10,000 lb) of mushrooms per month. [10] [15]
The southern tunnels were modified during World War II to serve as a public air raid shelter. [5] [10] The abandoned air raid shelter begins in the single track section of the southern end of the station and continues into the two single track tunnels beyond. At the station end the air raid shelter is protected by a blast curtain and the doorways and openings for ventilation between the chambers, each about 30 metres long, are protected by blast curtains. [1] [10] [15]
The tunnels were also used during World War II as an operations bunker by the No. 1 Fighter Sector RAAF. [16] The bunker was located in what was intended to be the City Inner Tunnel, access to which was provided by a wooden staircase in a shaft leading upward to Shakespeare Place. [10] Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) personnel housed in this operations bunker collected information from radar and weather stations, as well as reports on air traffic, ship and troop movements collected from airports, army and Volunteer Air Observer Corps reporting posts. [16] This section of tunnel was constructed using a cut and cover technique outside St James station, and connects to the tunnels in St James through pilot tunnels, accessible via ladder. [10]
As air quality in the tunnel was poor, WAAAF shifts were limited to six hours. Eventually the health of the WAAAF personnel declined due to poor air quality or poor food, so operations were relocated first to The Capital Theatre in Bankstown, and subsequently to the Bankstown Bunker on Black Charlies Hill near Condell Park. [16]
The staircase used to access the bunker was destroyed by fire on 16 November 1968. Smoke from this fire interrupted train service for approximately twelve hours. [10]
The end of the northern tunnel flooded and produced an underground lake, 10 metres (33 ft) wide, 5 metres (16 ft) deep, and 1 kilometre (3,300 ft) long. [17] Known as St James Lake, it is off limits to the public. [7] [ failed verification ] In recent years, due to drought and diminishing water supplies in underground aquifers, there have been a number of proposals for how to use the abandoned tunnels and other underground spaces for storage and recycling of water.
In the mid-2000s, Ian Kiernan proposed that an abandoned water tunnel, Busby's Bore, be redirected to St James Lake where water could be stored and recycled. Busby's Bore was originally used to carry water from nearby swamps to the Hyde Park area, but was abandoned for that purpose in the 1890s after becoming contaminated by sewage. In 2004 the idea of recycling the water from the bore received support from the executive director of the Botanical Gardens Trust, Tim Entwisle. [18]
During 2006, it was proposed that the northern unused tunnels be used as a reservoir for irrigation water for The Domain and the Royal Botanic Gardens as part of a Clean Up Australia project to create a series of water reclamation and storage facilities. [19] Clean Up Australia partnered with a number of groups in the attempt to move the project forward, and in 2007 obtained funding to proceed. [20] Also in 2007, State Premier Morris Iemma announced plans to harvest rainwater at Parliament House. According to this plan all storm water from Parliament House, the State Library and Sydney Hospital (all on Macquarie Street) would be drained into the tunnels, treated, and then pumped back to storage tanks at the surface for use in non-potable water systems, saving an estimated 17 megalitres (3.7×10 6 imp gal; 4.5×10 6 US gal) each year. [17]
In January 2008, the Minister for Transport John Watkins said he intended to ask RailCorp to begin a study to determine if the underground network of tunnels could be used for water storage. [21] The project began on 15 January 2008 when water tanks for storage of the recycled water were installed on the top of Parliament House. [22] [23]
The tunnels which had been prepared as an air raid shelter were also used by ABC TV as a location for one episode of the TV series Police Rescue in the early 1990s. In the episode, a boy who had fallen down a storm drain is rescued. [7]
There is also a large bell in one of the tunnels. According to one source, the ABC used this bell to simulate the sound of Big Ben for use in a TV series during the 1960s, [7] but that information has not been verified. Another source suggests that the bell was installed by Nigel Helyer in 1992 as a work of art. [5] The piece, titled "An UnRequited Place", was part of the Working in Public project created by ArtSpace Sydney, and was a combination of the physical sculpture, performance and audio broadcast. [24] For 21 days the sound of the bell tolling at midnight was broadcast by the ABC. [5] [24]
The platforms were used as a shooting location in 2003 film The Matrix Revolutions . [25] [26] [27]
In 2008, the station was used as a location for the mini-series False Witness . [28] The platforms featured in Zoë Badwi's 2010 music video Freefallin . In 2011, The Tunnel was filmed in the abandoned tunnels. [29] [30]
In September 2018, expressions of interest were being sought to use the tunnels as the next underground attraction in Sydney. [31]
Platform | Line | Stopping pattern | Notes |
1 | services to Homebush, Parramatta, Leppington | ||
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2 | services to Revesby & Macarthur 2 weekday evening services to Campbelltown | ||
services to Lidcombe & Liverpool via Bankstown |
St James station was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. The station is of State significance because, along with Museum, it was the first underground station in Australia and demonstrates the adaptation of the London tube-style station to the Australian situation. The station is well constructed, proportioned and detailed. [4] The station complex is an important part of the larger Sydney Harbour Bridge and the electrified City Underground Railway scheme and has associations with prominent persons such as JJC Bradfield, chief engineer and designer of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and city underground and organisations such as the Department of Railways and represents the culmination of many years of political lobbying for a city railway system. The construction of the city underground and position of St James station encouraged the retail and commercial development of the Sydney CBD in the late 1920s and 1930s, with large department stores constructed around the stations. [4]
The station head house building is a fine and largely intact example of a small-scale Inter-War Stripped Classical style building which adds to the general character of the immediate area. It has significance as one of two buildings of its type and style remaining in the city railway system (the other being Museum Station entrance) and is a rare example of this type of station building. [4]
The underground platforms and concourse retain many original features and provide one of the most ornate station interiors in the NSW railway system. Disused platforms demonstrate the grand plans of the 1930s railway network of Bradfield, while the air raid shelter areas in the southern tunnels are rare surviving elements of Sydney's World War II defences. [4]
Individual elements, such as the tiling, ornate stairs, lights and clocks add to the ambience of the station, while the Chateau Tanunda neon advertising sign at the Elizabeth Street entrance is a rare surviving example of a 1930s neon sign in Sydney. [4]
The City Circle is a mostly-underground railway line located in the Sydney central business district and Haymarket, in New South Wales, Australia, that forms the core of Sydney's passenger rail network. The lines are owned by the Transport Asset Holding Entity, a State government agency, and operated under Transport for NSW's Sydney Trains brand. Despite its name, the City Circle is of a horseshoe shape, with trains operating in a U-shaped pattern. The constituent stations of the Circle are (clockwise): Central, Town Hall, Wynyard, Circular Quay, St James, Museum and back to Central.
Central is a heritage-listed railway station located in the centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The station is the largest and busiest railway station in Australia and serves as a major transport interchange for NSW TrainLink inter-city rail services, Sydney Trains commuter rail services, Sydney light rail services, bus services, and private coach transport services. The station is also known as Sydney Terminal. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. It recorded 85.4 million passenger movements in 2018 and serves over 250,000 people daily.
Town Hall railway station is a heritage-listed underground commuter rail station located in the centre of the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The station opened on 28 February 1932. It is named after the Sydney Town Hall, located directly above the station.
Circular Quay railway station is a heritage-listed elevated commuter rail station that is located on the City Circle route, serving the Circular Quay precinct of the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. It is served by Sydney Trains T2 Inner West & Leppington, T3 Bankstown and T8 Airport & South line services.
The Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line is a commuter railway line in the eastern and southern suburbs of Sydney and is a part of the Sydney Trains network. The line was constructed in the 1880s to Wollongong to take advantage of agricultural and mining potentials in the Illawarra area. In March 1926, it became the first railway in New South Wales to run electric train services.
John Job Crew Bradfield was an Australian engineer best known as the chief proponent of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, of which he oversaw both the design and construction. He worked for the New South Wales Department of Public Works from 1891 to 1933. He was the first recipient of an engineering doctorate from the University of Sydney, in 1924. Other notable projects with which he was associated include the Cataract Dam, the Burrinjuck Dam, and Brisbane's Story Bridge. The Harbour Bridge formed only one component of the City Circle, Bradfield's grand scheme for the railways of central Sydney, a modified version of which was completed after his death. He was also the designer of an unbuilt irrigation project known as the Bradfield Scheme, which proposed that remote areas of western Queensland and north-eastern South Australia could be made fertile by the diversion of rivers from North Queensland.
Museum railway station is a heritage-listed underground commuter rail station that is located on the City Circle route at the southern end of Hyde Park in the Sydney central business district of New South Wales, Australia. The station is served by Sydney Trains T2 Inner West & Leppington and T3 Bankstown T8 Airport & South lines. The station is named after the nearby Australian Museum. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Milsons Point railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the North Shore line, serving the Sydney suburb of Milsons Point in New South Wales, Australia. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore line services. The station is located above ground, accessible via stairs and a lift, in Milsons Point, in the North Sydney Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed and built by the Sydney Harbour Bridge Branch of the NSW Department of Public Works. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Waverton railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the North Shore line, serving the Sydney suburb of Waverton in New South Wales, Australia. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore line services. The station is located on Bay Road, Waverton, in the North Sydney Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed and built by New South Wales Department of Railways. It is also known as Waverton Railway Station group. The station was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Epping railway station is a railway station in Epping, in the northern region of Sydney. It is served by Sydney Trains T9 Northern Line, NSW TrainLink Central Coast & Newcastle Line, and Metro North West Line services.
The Eastern Suburbs Railway (ESR) is a commuter railway line in Sydney constructed in the 1970s. It is operated by Sydney Trains and has stations at Martin Place, Kings Cross, Edgecliff and Bondi Junction. In addition, it has dedicated platforms at Town Hall, Central and Redfern stations. All of these stations are underground. The Eastern Suburbs railway connects with the Illawarra line at Erskineville, forming the Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line. The line features turnbacks at Central, Martin Place and Bondi Junction. There was also previously a rarely used cross-over at Edgecliff. It operates a service every 3 to 5 minutes during weekday peak hours and 8 to 10 minutes at all other times.
Richmond railway station is the heritage-listed terminus railway station of the Richmond line, serving the Sydney suburb of Richmond, in New South Wales, Australia. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 Western and T5 Cumberland line services. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Martin Place railway station is a heritage-listed underground commuter rail station located on the Eastern Suburbs line, serving the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. Named after Martin Place, it is served by Sydney Trains T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line services and NSW TrainLink South Coast Line services. It was designed by Fowell, Mansfield Jarvis and McLurcan and built from 1973 to 1979. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Hawkesbury River railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Northern and Central Coast–Newcastle lines in Brooklyn in the Hornsby Shire local government area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The station serves the town of Brooklyn and is located on the southern bank of the Hawkesbury River. It was designed and build by the Department of Railways New South Wales. It is also known as Hawkesbury River Railway Station group and Brooklyn Station. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Bomaderry railway station is a heritage-listed single-platform intercity train station located in Bomaderry, New South Wales, Australia, on the South Coast railway line. The station serves NSW TrainLink diesel multiple unit trains to Kiama. Early morning and late night services to the station are provided by train replacement bus services. A siding near the station is used by freight trains operated by the Manildra Group.
Queanbeyan railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Bombala line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the town of Queanbeyan.
Sydney, the largest city in Australia, has an extensive network of passenger and freight railways. The passenger system includes an extensive suburban railway network, operated by Sydney Trains, a metro network and a light rail network. A dedicated freight network also exists. Future expansion of the light rail network includes the Parramatta Light Rail. Existing light rail services are the Inner West Light Rail and the CBD & South East Light Rail.
Railway Square is a plaza at the southern end of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia, formed by the confluence of Broadway, Lee Street, Pitt Street and George Street. The square itself is a very busy intersection and is the site of a large bus terminus. The University of Technology, Central railway station and the now-closed Kent Brewery are adjacent to Railway Square.
Various railway lines have been proposed for Sydney, Australia, including both heavy rail extensions to the existing network, and more recently proposals for metro style lines–one of which was completed in 2019.
Wallerawang railway station is a heritage-listed disused railway station located on the Main Western line in Wallerawang, City of Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia. It is also known as Wallerawang Railway Station and yard group. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
This Wikipedia article contains material from St. James Railway Station group , entry number 1248 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence , accessed on 13 October 2018.