Railway Square, Sydney

Infobox Australian Place | type = locality
name = Railway Square
city = Sydney
state = nsw


caption = former Railway Square post office
lga =City of Sydney
near-nw = "Sydney CBD"
near-n = "Sydney CBD"
near-ne = "Sydney CBD"
near-w = Haymarket
near-e = Surry Hills
near-sw = Ultimo
near-s = Broadway
near-se = Chippendale

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.

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. [ [http://www.brushtail.com.au/ost_v0606/railway_square_1913.html Railway Square] Brushtail.com.au.] The Marcus Clark department stores were located in a number of buildings at Central Square. The old Railway Square post office is now the Medina hotel. [ [http://www.mercuresydney.com.au/index.jsp?a=1130462390 Mercure Railway Square] Accessed 17 August 2007] The area was previously a busy nexus for the electric tramways of Sydney until the system's closure in the late 1950s. [Keenan, D. "Tramways of Sydney". Transit Press 1979] 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. [ [http://www.fairskye.com/railway.htm Fairskye Website] ] 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.

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.Cite web |title=History of Rail Transport in Glebe |publisher=The Glebe Society Inc |url=http://www.glebesociety.org.au/AboutTGSI/TrafficAndTransport/RailHistory.htm] cite web |url=http://www.railpage.org.au/neety/trains/powerhouse.html |title=Powerhouse Museum Sidings |publisher=Railpage Australia] [Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, February, 1958, pp29-30]

Photographs

References