Bondi Junction railway station, Sydney

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Bondi Junction

Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line
Station code	BJN
Suburb	Bondi Junction
Street(s)	Grafton St
Distance from Central Station	6.76 km
Station Altitude (above sea level)	? m
Types of stopping trains	Intercity (peak only) Suburban all stops Suburban limited stops
Number of platforms	2
Number of tracks	2
Platform arrangement	1 island
Type of station	Underground
Ticket barriers	Yes
Transfers available	Bus
Disabled access	Yes
Station facilities	Link

Bondi Junction is a CityRail underground railway station at Sydney's Bondi Junction and is the eastern terminus of the Eastern Suburbs railway, opened in 1979. The station is an underground station with a bus terminal and shopping centre above. It is the sixth busiest station on the CityRail network.

1 Location
2 History
3 Clearways Project Upgrade
4 Easy Access

[edit] Location

The station is located in the centre of the Bondi Junction commercial area on the block bounded by Grosvenor Street, Grafton Street and Newland Street. It is parallel to but one block north of Oxford Street. It is adjacent (separated by Grosvenor Street) to the primary retail and office complex of Westfield Bondi Junction.

Access is via stairs or ramp from Grafton Street or via escalator or elevator from the bus terminal. Access to the bus terminal can be had from Grosvenor Street or Oxford Street.

[edit] History

As a long-standing major commercial area in Sydney's east, a railway line had long been considered to Bondi Junction. The suburb was variously proposed to been the intermediate or the ultimate terminus of an Eastern Suburbs Railway since 1916. In 1967 tenders were awarded for the actual construction of the Eastern Suburbs Railway as far as Bondi Junction. Construction began shortly thereafter.

[edit] Construction Plans

Although a subway station, construction required the demolition of a block of mixed commercial-residential buildings to permit staging of the project, the construction of a works compound and, once the railway was completed, to be the location of the bus-rail interchange facility.

The line was to eventually be constructed to Kingsford, but the first stage would run only so far as Bondi Junction. As the planned interim terminus of the line, termination facilities were provided at the station. These consisted of a turnback tunnel between the main running tunnels and a trailing crossover. These facilities permitted "Down" trains to reverse direction directly from the platform they entered (using the crossover), or by using the turnback tunnel and both platforms. Once the line was opened beyond Bondi Junction the crossover would cease to be used.

An underground shopping complex was proposed to be constructed at the concourse level of the station (similar to that which exists at Martin Place). Additionally, an underground walkway would be provided to the then proposed (later constructed) Bondi Junction Plaza shopping centre.

Bondi Junction track layout

[edit] Construction Realities

Construction of the Eastern Suburbs Railway generally proceeding from the Erskineville tunnel portals to Bondi Junction. As such Bondi Junction was the last developed station site.

In 1976, the Wran Government sought to reduce costs on the railway's construction. As a result of an inquiry by a Board of the Legislative Assembly a number of recommendations were made and accepted by the government. Relevantly these included:

The Eastern Suburbs Railway not be constructed beyond Bondi Junction and the route to Kingsford be abandoned.
The line be fully integrated with the Illawarra Line (not be run independently).
The shopping centre on the station concourse not be constructed.
The tunnel to the Bondi Junction Plaza not be constructed.
The level of finish at the station be reduced and only four escalators be provided from the concourse level to the platform level.
The scale of the bus-rail interchange be reduced.

As a result of these changes Bondi Junction became the permanent terminus of the Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra railway lines. No provision was made for better turnback facilities in respect of this.

[edit] Opening

The Eastern Suburbs Railway was opened on 23 June 1979 by the Premier, Neville Wran. Opening ceremonies were held at Martin Place and Bondi Junction.

[edit] Reconstructing the Bus Terminal

The bus-rail interchange facility opened in 1979 was basic. The location of the station meant the land and airspace on which it was located was highly valuable. This in turn led to various proposal throughout the 1990s to sell the airspace and redevelop the interchange. In 1998, Woollahra Council, then controlling the site of the bus interchange, finalised an agreement to sell the airspace above the site to Meriton Apartments who commenced construction of a new bus interchange together with two residential apartment towers and a small shopping centre in April 1999. The new interchange was temporarily opened in September 2000 for the Sydney Olympics but subsequently closed for further work. The new bus interchange opened fully in July 2001.

Reconstruction of the bus terminal altered the locations of commuter access to the station concourse. As such, alterations were required to the station concourse. The resulting renovation of Bondi Junction station primarily involved upgrading station staff facilities, the installation of toilets and the general updating of the station hitherto a time capsule to the 1970s.

The renovation was conducted coincidentally with the Easy Access upgrade to the station (see below) and the replacement of the original incandescent lamp platform indicators with plasma display indicators.

[edit] Clearways Project Upgrade

Constructed as a part of the CityRail Clearways Project the Bondi Junction Turnback provides a second turnback facility at the station. The major work consisted of the construction of a new crossover tunnel on the "Up" (City) side of the station. This creates an "X" or diamond or "scissors" shaped junction allowing terminating trains to arrive at either platform. The changes allow the full line capacity of 20 trains per hour to be turned at Bondi Junction (the prior limit being 14).

In addition, extra stabling facilities were provided by utilitising unused sections of tunnels past the "Down" end the station. These tunnels were constructed on anticipation of continued tunnelling towards Kingsford. They have had track laid and overhead wire installed for a length of two eight-car trains in each tunnel. This gives a total stabling capacity of five eight-car trains (two in each siding and one in the turnback tunnel).

Complementing the stabling capacity at the station is the erection of a staff meal and waiting room for drivers and guards on the platform level.

Construction began on the site in October 2004. Major work was scheduled for a two-week period between December 26 2004 and January 10 2005. During this period the station was closed and trains terminated at Edgecliff, one station away. The closedown period was subsequently extended to four weeks because of poor progress. The station belatedly re-opened on January 24 2005. An additional shutdown of two weeks was provided from July 2 through July 17 2005. Night works and weekend closedowns took place variously throughout the construction period.

The project commissioning was delays several times from September 2005 to February 2006 and finally April 2006. Commissioning took place on the Easter weekend of April 14-17 2006. The facilities were brought into use in the weeks prior to the introduction of a new timetable on the Eastern Suburbs/Illawarra and South Coast lines on May 28 2006 and began full operation from that date.

[edit] Easy Access

Bondi Junction station has lifts that provide wheelchair access to the platforms and the concourse. The Easy Access upgrade was completed in conjunction with construction of a new bus-rail interchange on the site in 2000 in order to facilitate better access to the Sydney 2000 Olympics Beach Volleyball venue at Bondi Beach.

The station is staffed from first to last train and extra wide ticketing gates are available for wheelchair passengers.