Railway Square, Sydney
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Railway Square Sydney, New South Wales |
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 former Railway Square post office |
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| LGA: | City of Sydney | ||||||||||||
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Railway Square is an urban locality in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Railway Square is located in the southern part of the Sydney central business district and is in the local government area of the City of Sydney.
The area is not a true square but is a confluence of Broadway, Lee Street, Pitt Street and George Street. The University of Technology, Central railway station and the now closed Kent Brewery are adjacent to Railway Square.
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[edit] History
Railway Square was originally known as Central Square. In the 1800s and early 1900s, Central Square was the heart of the city's modern retail district, enhanced by the presence of Central railway station and its adjacent hotels, erected to serve country visitors arriving in Sydney by train.[1] The Marcus Clark department stores were located in a number of buildings at Central Square. The old Railway Square post office is now the Mecure hotel.[2]
The area was previously a busy nexus for the electric tramways of Sydney until the system's closure in the late 1950s.[3] Until the 1990s, Railway Square had a three-platform bus terminal in its centre. The platforms were connected to one another, as well as the opposite sides of Lee Street and Broadway, by an extension of the Devonshire Street tunnel. The tunnel was accessible by escalator.
The site was redeveloped in 1999 to incorporate two platforms, lifts, a cafe and access to the University of Technology, Sydney. The site was fitted with public artwork created by Merilyn Fairskye, including murals, illuminated wall panels and three towers with coloured steel ribbons inside.[4] Railway Square is dominated by the rising glass bus terminal structure, and by three sculpture light towers. The area is now an interchange for the city's 300 series, 400 series and 501 bus routes.
[edit] Rail tunnel
Railway Square is not only traversed underneath by the extension of the Devonshire Street pedestrian tunnel, but also by a railway tunnel that runs underneath at the southern end of the square. The tunnel was part of the Metropolitan Goods line linking the main lines south from Central with Darling Harbour. This tunnel is the oldest railway tunnel in New South Wales and is now only used as a service line to the Powerhouse Museum.[5][6]
[edit] Photographs
 Railway Square in the late 1890s |
 Central Station Clock Tower |
 Christ Church St Laurence |
 Mortuary Station |
 Hotel, former post office |
 old Marcus Clark department store and light tower |
 Marcus Clark Building |
 Railway Square bus shelters |
 Railway Square office blocks |
[edit] References
- ^ Railway Square Brushtail.com.au.
- ^ Mercure Railway Square Accessed 17 August 2007
- ^ Keenan, D. Tramways of Sydney. Transit Press 1979
- ^ Fairskye Website
- ^ History of Rail Transport in Glebe. The Glebe Society Inc.
- ^ Powerhouse Museum Sidings. Railpage Australia.
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