Redfern railway station

Details

Suburb

Redfern

Number of Platforms	Platform Config.
12	2 side, 5 island (2 underground)

Redfern railway station is a major railway station in Redfern which is to the south of the city centre in Sydney, Australia. It is a major connecting station for the CityRail network, as well as being the closest railway station to the University of Sydney. It is the ninth busiest station on the network.

History

In the early history of the New South Wales Railways, "Redfern" was the name of the principal Sydney terminus. It was located to the south of Devonshire Street and opened on 26 September 1855 in an area known as "Cleveland Fields." This original "Redfern" station comprised one wooden platform in a corrugated iron shed. As traffic increased the original station was replaced in 1874 by a brick building containing two platforms. This second station, which grew to 14 platforms, was designed for through traffic if the lines were extended in the city direction. This second station was found to be too far from the city centre, so a new station (the present Sydney Central Station) was built to the north of Devonshire Street and opened on 4 August 1906. The 1874 station was soon demolished. A station was opened in 1876 1.3 km on the Parramatta side of the "original Redfern" and called 'Eveleigh'. In 1885 Eveleigh's platforms were reconstructed at the present Redfern site, and on 21 October 1906 this station was renamed Redfern. Platforms 11 and 12, as well as the area containing the unfinished platforms (see below), were constructed in the late 1970s as part of the Eastern Suburbs Railway construction, which opened in 1979. Until the early 1990s Redfern had an overhead footbridge at the Eveleigh end of the platforms, connecting all platforms 1-10 by stairs. This was demolished because the funds for its maintenance were not available. A single track underground tunnel for trains going to Eveleigh Maintenance Centre, known as the Engine Dive, runs under the above ground platforms. Various chimneys on the platforms (especially on platform 1) are evidence of this. The tunnel surfaces near the Eveleigh end of platform 10 and on the non-station side of the Lawson St bridge. The station is walking distance to the suburb of Waterloo known by its Govt Housing high rise buildings. The present Redfern station was damaged by fire in the 2004 Redfern riots. The ticketing area and station master's office were significantly damaged - and the windows in the front of the station were bricked up for almost a year afterwards to prevent further attacks. They have since been replaced with glass windows.

Configuration

Redfern has 12 platforms - 10 above ground (linked by stairs to the concourse at Lawson Street), and 2 underground (linked by stairs and escalators to the concourse at Gibbons Street). The two concourses are linked. Station offices and facilities such as toilets and the main indicator boards are located next to the Lawson Street entry. As part of the construction of the Eastern Suburbs Railway (now platforms 11 and 12), it was proposed to build up to four platforms for the underground route (similar to Central.) Two of these platforms were built and now are Platforms 11 and 12, however, the two platforms above were half constructed above Platforms 11 and 12. These are visible through a small gap in the wall opposite Platform 11, as well as by a boarded up entry portal under the Lawson Street Bridge (which was to be the down track), and a now filled-in dive tunnel under the Wells Street Sectioning Hut on the Central side of Lawson Street (which was to be the up track). The area in which the platforms were to be situated is visible from the station concourse at the entrance to Platform 10.

Platforms and Services

The station serves all CityRail suburban lines except the airport branch of the Airport & East Hills Line and the Cumberland Line. One service per weekday from the Carlingford line stops at Redfern Platform 1. In peak hours, to serve connecting passengers and students at the University of Sydney; intercity services to the Blue Mountains, Newcastle and the Central Coast and the South Coast also stop at the station to pick up or set down. Despite an extension of the platform in the late 1990s, Platform 1 is considered a short platform, and passengers are asked to travel in the front six carriages of Intercity trains using the platform. The station is served by eighteen to twenty-six trains per hour each way, with additional trains during weekday peak hours.

Platform	Line	Stopping Pattern	Notes
		Central only (AM peak only)	All trains departing from this platform will not wait for their scheduled departure time
		Central only (AM peak only)
		Central only (weekday offpeak only)
		Central only (special event only)
		Gosford, Wyong and Newcastle via Strathfield	PM peak only
		Katoomba or Mt Victoria via Parramatta	PM peak only
		Thirroul, Wollongong, Port Kembla, Dapto and Kiama via Wolli Creek	Weekday off-peak only
		Express to Olympic Park via Strathfield	Special event only
		Lindfield, Gordon, Hornsby or Berowra via the City
		Gosford or Wyong via the City & Chatswood	PM peak only
		Epping/Hornsby via Strathfield
		Blacktown, Schofields, Richmond, St Marys, Penrith and Emu Plains via Parramatta
		Intercity services to Blacktown	AM peak only
		City Circle via Town Hall
		Limited stops to Leppington via Granville All to Homebush or Parramatta via Ashfield
		City Circle via Museum or Town Hall
		City Circle via Museum	AM peak only
		Lidcombe and Liverpool via Sydenham & Bankstown
		Express services to Campbelltown via Sydenham and East Hills	PM peak only
		Weekday services to the City Circle, continuing to Liverpool via Bankstown	May be used by Illawarra, Airport and South Coast trains (due to trackwork) or empty train movements to Eveleigh Yard
		Terminating services only. Trains turn around in Eveleigh Yard and then return to platform 9.	May be used by Illawarra, Airport and South Coast trains (due to trackwork) or empty train movements from Eveleigh Yard
		All to Bondi Junction
		All to Martin Place/Bondi Junction	Peak & weekends only
		Hurstville, Cronulla or Waterfall via Wolli Creek
		Wollongong, Dapto, Kiama or Port Kembla via Wolli Creek	Peak & weekends only
		Incomplete platforms	These were not fully constructed; are situated west of Platforms 11 & 12 and behind Platform 10