Classic Railway Stations:
Southern Cross Station, Melbourne, Victoria

Southern Cross Railway Station evolved out of the redevelopment of Spencer Street Station. It turned the site into an efficient transport interchange, allowing connections between suburban, intrastate and interstate trains, local and airport buses, taxis and trams. Over 15 million passengers pass through the station annually, so it was important that its design allow for large number of passengers to move easily and quickly through the terminal with unimpeded sightlines and pathways. Completed in 2006, this extensive makeover was doubly necessary as the station is sited between Melbourne s CBD grid and the recently regenerated Docklands precinct. The design sought to connect these traditionally disparate urban realms, by providing a seamless interface between the two.



The shape of the roof is, though, a happily functional form, and its beauty is purely accidental  according to the Architect. It has been thoughtfully designed to expel hot air and diesel fumes (some of the the lines have yet to be electrified). To assist the roof in its role as one great exhaust funnel, the glass walls beneath the roof do not meet the pavement, ushering in gentle breezes. A gap right around the largely transparent building ensures that, unlike the office blocks that overlook it, the station is, by and large, naturally ventilated.



Railway staff occupy brightly coloured elevated pods set beneath the roof, leaving the entire ground floor free for passengers. In essence, the station is a giant parasol  and occasional umbrella, of course  showing how it s possible to build for a hot climate, and on a large scale, using natural ventilation. The benefit is not just a cool, smoke-free building in summer, but one that enjoys a transparency designed to welcome passengers in, while looking after them gently inside.

Architect: Grimshaw Jackson JV


Spencer Street Station, c. 1880. Photo" courtesy Victorian Railways

Spencer Street Station

Opened as Spencer Street Station in 1859, five years after the other major Melbourne rail terminus at Flinders Street, what is now Southern Cross station station was a dead-end terminus. Running parallel to Spencer Street, it composed of a single main platform with a dock platform at the north end. It was not until 1874 that an extra platform was provided.

The two major city stations were not linked until 1879, when a single-track ground-level line was opened. It operated only at night, and only for freight trains. In the 1880s, it was proposed that Spencer Street station be removed in order to facilitate the westward expansion of the city, but the plan was subsequently rejected, and the first of several grand but unrealised plans for the station was created. The first accepted design, drafted by Albert Charles Cook in 1883, was a fanciful Palladian palazzo design of two and three storeys, with a central portico.



From 1888 to 1894, the layout of the platforms was altered, with new country platforms being built on an angle to Spencer Street itself. The current coach terminal location was the site of a number of new platforms built for suburban services.In 1891, further plans were made for a significant new station complex, including three-storey office complex and dominant clock tower, reminiscent of the later Sydney Central station, but the 1890s Depression put an end to such expensive schemes.

In 1888, work started on the double track Flinders Street Viaduct linking the station to Flinders Street station. The line was initially only used by freight trains, with passenger train operations commencing in 1894. It was at that time that the first through platform was provided at the station, used by suburban trains from Essendon and Williamstown. The viaduct to Flinders Street was expanded to four tracks in 1915 and, following the electrification of the suburban lines through the station, today's platforms 11 to 14 were opened in 1924, along with a pedestrian subway providing access to them.



In 1938, it was announced that construction of an improved station entrance and new car park had been approved, designed by architects Messrs Stephenson and Meldrum, costing £2,000. Once again however, no construction took place. In October 1960, work on a new Spencer Street station commenced, sparked by the construction of the interstate standard gauge line to Sydney. A station building was constructed which largely replaced the 1880s iron sheds, and a new 413-metre (1,355 ft) platform number 1 was built. The passenger subway which had been constructed as part of the 1918 works was extended to include access to country platforms.

In connection with the construction of the underground loop, platforms 9 and 10 were rebuilt as part of the suburban section of the station, and a new double-track viaduct was constructed between Spencer Street and Flinders Street station, alongside the original one, bringing to six the number of tracks connecting the two stations.

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