Redfern railway station

Redfern
South Coast Line
Blue Mountains Line
Newcastle & Central Coast Line
Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line
Airport & East Hills Line
Bankstown Line
Inner West Line
South Line
Western Line
Northern Line
Olympic Park Line
Station code	REF
Suburb	Redfern
Street(s)	Lawson Street Gibbons Street
Distance from Central Station	1.30 km
Altitude (above sea level)	? m
Types of stopping trains	Suburban all stations Suburban limited stops Intercity
Number of platforms	12
Number of tracks	12
Platform arrangement	2 side 5 island
Type of station	Ground/Underground
Ticket barriers	Yes
Transfers available	Train Bus
Disabled access	No
Station facilities	Link

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 Sydney Trains network, as well as being the closest railway station to the University of Sydney.

Redfern is the 7th most patronised railway station in Sydney (out of a total of 176 stations), with an average of 22,060 passengers boarding per day.

History

Lawson Street entrance

Gibbons Street entrance

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.

Station configuration

Incomplete platforms at Redfern Station

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 Sydney Trains suburban lines except the airport branch of the Airport, Inner West & South 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; NSW TrainLink 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 during weekday peak hours.

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.

Services are listed on this box:

Accessibility and exits

Underground platforms serve the Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line

The station has three main exits - the main entrance and exit on Lawson Street next to the ticketing area (Exit A on the diagram below), a second entrance on Gibbons Street (especially for passengers using platforms 11 and 12) (Exit B on the diagram below), and a third exit to the Australian Technology Park, which is accessed by walking along platform 10 (Exit C on the diagram). During peak hours, the entrance to platform 10 is blocked by fare gates to prevent fare evasion by those travelling to the Technology Park area; these are opened during off-peak times or on the rare occasion when a train needs to stop at the platform. The other two entrances have their fare gates operating at all times.

At present, Redfern does not have Easy Access for wheelchairs. All above-ground platforms are accessible by stairs, so this would hinder most wheelchair access to the station. Platforms 11 and 12 are accessible by either stairs or escalators from a separate concourse near the Gibbons Street exit.

In April 2006, Transport Minister John Watkins announced plans for a $2 million inquiry into concept designs for upgrading the station, including Easy Access facilities. The station requires upgrading due to an influx of new residents and workers set to result from the Redfern-Waterloo urban renewal project.^[1]

Station map

Station layout

Legend:

Bus services

Redfern does not have a connecting bus interchange; however, a stop close to the Gibbons Street entrance (near platforms 11 & 12) serves the following routes:

• 305 - Railway Square (inbound); Qantas Centre, Mascot via Alexandria (outbound)
• 308 - Millers Point (Argyle Street) (inbound) via City; Marrickville Metro (Smidmore Street) (outbound) via Alexandria
• 309/310 - Circular Quay via City (inbound) (outbound does not pass by Redfern Station). There are also peak hour express service equivalents X09 & X10.
• L09 - Peak hour limited stops service to Port Botany Bus Depot (Bumborah Point Road)

This bus stop also services NightRide buses and replacement buses during trackwork.

There are stops further afield in Lawson Square, Botany Road and Redfern Street servicing bus routes to the City, Railway Square, Matraville, Pagewood and Marrickville.

Neighbouring stations

Notes

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Redfern railway station, Sydney.

• Sydney Trains - Redfern station details
• Trainman's Train Page - Pictures of the unfinished platforms 13 & 14
• Neety's Train Page - pictures and information on the station; facts and figures
• NSW Railways - historical information on the station; facts and figures
• aus.rail newsgroup - various information
• CityRail website - travel and station accessibility information
• Sydney Buses website - bus stop information
• Sydney Trains - route map

Coordinates: 33°53′31″S 151°11′55″E / 33.89202°S 151.19873°E / -33.89202; 151.19873