Sydney By Rail:
Along the Eastern Suburbs Line, NSW
The building of the Eastern Suburbs Railway line was one of the slowest projects ever embarked upon by the NSW State Government. Tunnelling for the eastern suburbs railway via the branch line south from St. James station commenced in 1917, but the project remained uncompleted for decades. The Great Depression, which saw passenger numbers fall dramatically, led to many of Dr. Bradfield's proposals like the eastern suburbs railway never leaving the drawing board. Politics and lack of money were the final nails in the coffin as the Country Party was opposed to expansion of the urban rail network at the expense of more lines to "open up" the bush.
The growth of the Government bus network in the early 1930's also played its part. Another factor preventing completion of the South-Eastern Suburbs tunnels was the high cost of land resumption required for excavation along Oxford Street towards Taylor Square. This would have played a major part in the 1940s decision to change to the present route via Martin Place, Kings Cross etc.
Government after Government embarked on a bit of excavation work here and there along the route, a token gesture to shows its supporters that they were working on it, though in reality it was in their "too hard" basket. It wasn't until the vocal minority became a vocal majority that the Government bit the bullet and spent the necessary dollars to make it happen in the 1970s. On 23rd June 1979, the line became operational as far as Bondi Junction, the last leg being left for a future generation to complete.
The Journey
Opened in June 1979, the line passes through three tunnels. The Erskineville to Woolloomooloo tunnel, which goes under the city centre, is 1.45 km long. A tunnel between Edgecliff and Woollahra is 3.45 km long. A third tunnel, between Woollahra and Bondi Junction, has a length of 4.73 km.
Trains on the Cronulla and Illawarra lines pass through the Central Business District on an underground line that connects directly to the Eastern Suburbs line. It remains underground, passing throgh Town Hall and Martin Place before emarging as an above-ground line for a short distance at Woolloomooloo. Tains on the Cronulla, Illawarra and South Coast lines use the underground platforms 24 and 25 at Central Station.
Town Hall Station
Town Hall and Wynyard Stations are on the western side of Sydney's City Circle. Wynyard gives quick access to the business end of town; Town Hall station is located in the city's main shopping precinct, and is just a short walk from Darling Harbour.
The complete railway network within the Sydney central business district on which Town Hall station is located is below ground, the majority of it being built by the cut and cover method (a tunnel dug, infrastructure built, then the tunnel is covered over) along the line of George Street to the west and Macquarie Street/Hyde Park corridor to the east. Central to St James, a 2.0 km section, was the first section to be opened, in 20 Dec 1926. St James to Wynyard, covering 1.2 km, came into service on 22 Jan 1956, finally completing the City Circle. The Eastern Suburbs line is not part of the City Circle, though it shares a platform at Town Hall station.
Martin Place Station
Martin Place railway station is a heritage-listed underground commuter station. Named after Martin Place, a city street under which it was built, the staton is served only by T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line services and NSW TrainLink South Coast Line services. The station was designed by Fowell, Mansfield Jarvis and McLurcan and built from 1973 to 1979. It was opened on 23 June 1979 as part of the inauguration of the Eastern Suburbs Railway line. The station had been constructed using an open-cut excavation and follows the line of the Martin Place above it.
The station complex is below ground with access via stairs from Martin Place and then banks of three escalators to the concourse level. Pedestrian access is via arcades constructed at the same time as the station and leading to adjacent office and retail plazas. The ceiling of the public concourse above the platforms is raked following the topography of the street above and the supporting concrete beams are painted red to match the feature ceramic wall tiling, also in red.
Mounted on concrete pylons above ground level, the dual line Eastern Suburbs Railway line cuts a swaithe through the suburb of Woolloomooloo after leaving Martin Place station. It exits the city via a tunnel under The Domain where it emerges above Sir John Young Crescent. It then passes overhead through Woolloomooloo, before returning underground at McElhone Street prior to entering Kings Cross Station.
Kings Cross
Kings Cross railway station is an underground station in the inner-city locality of Kings Cross, approximately 2 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district. For many years it was Sydney's red-light district, ith its its bars, restaurants and nightlife. Kings Cross was once known for its music halls and grand theatres, but it was rapidly transformed after World War II by the influx of troops returning and visiting from the nearby Garden Island naval base.
Edgecliff
Located 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district on the Eastern Surburbs railway line, Edgecliff is the perfect stepping off point to explore he harbourside suburbs of Double Bay, Woollahra, Paddington, Rushcutters Bay and Darling Point. The Edgecliff Eastpoint shopping centre sits above Edgecliff railway station, and below the bus interchange. The Edgecliff Centre on New South Head Road is a commercial hub with retail space close to the transport services and office space above.
Woollahra
Woollahra was to have had its own ailway station located between Edgecliff and Bondi Junction stations, but it never eventuated. The platforms were partially built in the area bounded by Edgecliff Rd., Wallaroy Rd., Weeroona Ave. and Roslyndale Ave. A small park on Edgecliff Road was earmarked as the site for the station entrance. Escalators were planned to take passengers down to what would have been the only outdoor station on the line.
In 1976, construction of the station was abandoned, the official reason given was to save $3.4 million. In reality, it was the outcry from Woollahra residents, some of whom were public identities, that forced the scrapping of the station. Its is generaly believed that many who opposed the building of Woollahra station came to reget their stance, given the convenience the railway service provides to other areas of the Eastern suburbs that the lack of a station has denied them.
Bondi Junction
Bondi Juntion is the transport hub for the Eastern Suburbs, being not only the terminus for the Eastern Suburbs railway line, but also the location of an interchange for a network of bus services throughout the area. Bondi Junction railway station is an underground station that is also the eastern terminus of the Eastern Suburbs railway on the Sydney Trains network. The station is also the terminus of limited South Coast Line services. A bus interchange is located at ground level, above the railway station and below residential towers.
There has been commercial and residential and shopping developments around the station since its opening. Many of the original pubs have been maintained, however, notably the Nelson Hotel, so named because of its location on Nelson Street, still exudes Bondi Junction's working class roots. Slick new apartment complexes house most of the residents; although a few Victorian and Federation style terraces are still to be found on smaller streets closer to Centennial Park.
Bondi, a neighbouring suburb to the east with its world-famous beach, is serviced by buses from the Bondi Junction interchange. In 1999, a private proposal to extend the railway to Bondi Beach at a cost of $197 million received backing from the Federal Government but the scheme did not go ahead. There was considerable opposition by local residents to the project, with concerns including the site chosen for the station, the impact on bus services and the proposed station use fare surcharge. The physical works involved the extension eastwards of the existing tunnels at Bondi Junction with the construction of a new 2.6 km single-track tunnel to the proposed Bondi Beach station site under South Bondi Park.
