Museum railway station

This article is about the underground station in Sydney. For the underground station in Melbourne now called "Melbourne Central Station", see Melbourne Central railway station.

Museum
Bankstown Line
Inner West Line
Airport & East Hills Line
South Line
Station code	MSM
Suburb	Sydney
Street(s)	Liverpool Street Elizabeth Street College Street Oxford Street
Distance from Central Station	4.99 km
Altitude (above sea level)	? m
Types of stopping trains	Suburban all stops Suburban limited stops
Number of platforms	2
Number of tracks	2
Platform arrangement	2 side
Type of station	Underground
Ticket barriers	Yes
Transfers available	Bus
Disabled access	No
Station facilities	Link

Museum is a railway station on the City Circle line in Sydney, Australia. Named for its proximity to the Australian Museum, the station is located entirely underground at the southern end of Hyde Park. The station features photos depicting its past in the pedestrian tunnels and is regarded as the least used of the City Circle stations.^{[citation needed]}

Design

There are two platforms, each 158.5 metres long by 3.8 metres wide, under an arch with span 14.6 metres. Museum's signage and cream tiling with maroon highlights are reminiscent of a typical London Underground tube station of the era, however its layout of central tracks under a grand arch are more in keeping with older stations of the Paris Metro. Until the construction of the Airport Line, it was the only underground station in Sydney without an island platform. It is a companion to St. James station - opened at the same time. Regular services to Museum began on 20 December 1926.

The main entrance to the station is located at the corner of Elizabeth Street and Liverpool Street.^[1] Another entrance featuring a sandstone façade is located on the corner of Liverpool Street and Castlereagh Street. This entrance sits at the foot of the New South Wales District Court's Downing Centre, formerly the site of the Mark Foys department store. Other entrances are also located on three corners of the intersection of Elizabeth Street and Bathurst Street. The station is 5 minutes walk to Oxford Street.

There are photos of the station being built and a complete photo history through the pedestrian tunnels of this station.

There are no elevators at this station, so those in wheelchairs are unable to alight at Museum and those who alight with baggage or baby prams may find it difficult with the many stairs up to street level. The Station opens for the first train service at approx 0430(4:30am) and closes for the last train service at approx 0030(12:30am). The Nightride bus service takes over during this time.

During the week the station is mainly used by people working at the Court houses nearby or those attending the Downing Centre Local Court or District Court, except on weekends when clubbers going to and from the Oxford Street area use the station.

Museum Station has a state heritage listing.^[2]

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  Entrance at Elizabeth Street

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  Entrance at the Downing Centre, Castlereagh Street

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  Subway from the Downing Centre entrance

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  Entrance from Hyde Park

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  Entrance on Liverpool street, across from the main entrance

Appearances

In 1998 Australian rock band Grinspoon filmed a video-clip to their song, Just Ace, on the station's platforms.

The movie The Matrix, that had many parts filmed in and around Sydney, featured a major chase scene in the labyrinth of pedestrian tunnels found with in the station near the Elizabeth and Liverpool street entrance. There are no elevators at the station.

Parts of the sci-fi neo-noir movie Dark City were filmed on the platforms of Museum station, most notably the scene in which eccentric detective Eddie Walenski (played by Australian actor Colin Friels) commits suicide by throwing himself in front of an approaching train.

Cyberpunk game Beneath a Steel Sky (1994) features the underground railway tunnels between St James Station and Museum Station.

A Coca-Cola ad features Museum Station and Hyde Park

Platforms and services

The station is served by six to ten trains per hour each way, with additional trains during weekday peak hours.

Platform	Line	Stopping Pattern	Notes
	Inner West Line	all stations and limited stops services to Ashfield, Strathfield, Lidcombe, Cabramatta and Liverpool via Regents Park	continuation of services from East Hills or Bankstown line.
	South Line	all stations and limited stops services to Glenfield and Campbelltown via Granville	continuation of services from East Hills or Bankstown line
	Airport & East Hills Line	all stations and limited stops services to Kingsgrove, Revesby, Glenfield, Campbelltown and Macarthur via the Airport or Sydenham	continuation of services from Inner West or South line
	Bankstown Line	all stations and limited stops services to Bankstown, Lidcombe and Liverpool via Sydenham	continuation of services from Inner West or South line

Image Gallery

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  Platform 1

• 

  Platform 2

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  Stairs at entrance leading down to concourse

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  Ticket barriers on the concourse

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  Welcome to Museum Station sign at stairs leading to platform

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  Station sign

• 

  Train arrives on platform 2

Trackplan

Track arrangement at Museum

Neighbouring stations

Preceding station		CityRail		Following station
St James towards Central		Airport and East Hills Line City Circle clockwise		Central towards Macarthur
St James towards Central		Bankstown Line City Circle clockwise		Central towards Lidcombe or Liverpool
St James towards Campbelltown		South Line City Circle anticlockwise		Central Terminus
St James towards Liverpool		Inner West Line City Circle anticlockwise		Central Terminus

References

1. ^ Gregory's Sydney Street Directory, 2002, Map J
2. ^ NSW Heritage site

External links

• Sydney Architecture Images
• Lake St James - pictures of the lake that has formed in the northern unused tunnel.
• St James air raid shelter - Photo of one of the five remaining bomb shelters.
• PDF of routes served by St. James Station
• Sydney Downunder news report
• HET Past Tours

Coordinates: 33°52′34″S 151°12′35″E / 33.8762°S 151.2097°E / -33.8762; 151.2097