Melbourne Central railway station
Encyclopedia
Melbourne Central is an underground station
in the metro railway network of Melbourne
, Australia
. It is one of five stations (and one of three underground) on the City Loop, which encircles the central business district. The station is under La Trobe Street
, between Swanston
and Elizabeth
Streets, on the northern edge of the CBD. The station is named after the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre
it is beneath, and is not the city's main station — Flinders Street
is the main suburban station, and Southern Cross
is the regional terminus. It is the second busiest metropolitan railway station in Melbourne, in 2009 there was an average of 47,700 passenger boardings per day.
, and moved back on completion of the work in 1978. The pit was 168 metres long and 22.5 metres wide, 29 metres deep at the Swanston Street end and 22 metres at Elizabeth Street. Seven layers of struts were used to support the excavation, with 2600 tonnes of steel temporary supports required.
The station opened as Museum on 24 January 1981 after the adjacent Melbourne Museum
in the State Library of Victoria
complex on Swanston Street
. The first station on the loop to open, initially services only operated for the Burnley and Caufield Groups on platforms 2 and 4, with trains starting to use platform 1 on 31 October 1982, and platform 3 on 1 May 1984. The Elizabeth Street entrance to the station was opened on 5 April 1982.
The adjacent Melbourne Central Shopping Centre
shopping centre opened in 1991, being built around the existing escalators to street level, and only minor integration between the station concourse and shopping centre. The Museum moved in 1995 to its current premises beside the Royal Exhibition Building
in the Carlton Gardens, with the station being renamed for the shopping centre on 16 February 1997.
The station concourse was redeveloped in 2002-03 as part of the renovation of the wider centre, with the direct escalators from the concourse to Swanston Street was closed in November 2003, and replaced by a path through the shopping centre.
s and four tracks). Each platform serves a separate group of rail lines that leave the Loop and radiate out into the city's suburbs. At peak times with a train arriving every 2.5 minutes, the station has a passenger flow of 30,000 per hour. Three elevator
s were initially provided, as well as 21 Escalators. Melbourne Central is a premium station
, meaning that it is staffed from first to last train and provides extra customer services.
The concourse has two sections separated by the shopping centre food court:
Platform 2:
Platform 3:
Platform 4:
From Lonsdale St (Myer side):
From Swanston/Lonsdale Streets (QV):
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
in the metro railway network of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is one of five stations (and one of three underground) on the City Loop, which encircles the central business district. The station is under La Trobe Street
La Trobe Street, Melbourne
La Trobe Street is a major street in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs roughly from east to west and forms the northern boundary of the CBD ....
, between Swanston
Swanston Street, Melbourne
Swanston Street is a major thoroughfare in the centre of Melbourne, Australia. It is historically one of the main streets of central Melbourne, laid out in 1837 as part of the Hoddle Grid, the layout of major streets that makes up the central business district...
and Elizabeth
Elizabeth Street, Melbourne
Elizabeth Street is one of the main north-south streets in the central business district of Melbourne, Australia, part of the Hoddle Grid laid out in 1837.- Geography :...
Streets, on the northern edge of the CBD. The station is named after the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre
Melbourne Central Shopping Centre
Melbourne Central is a large shopping centre, office, and public transport hub in the city of Melbourne, Australia. The complex includes the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, which was refurbished in 2005 by architects Ashton Raggatt McDougall; the Melbourne Central railway station ; and the 211 m...
it is beneath, and is not the city's main station — Flinders Street
Flinders Street Station
Flinders Street Station is the central railway station of the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets next to the Yarra River in the heart of the city, stretching from Swanston Street to Queen Street and covering two city...
is the main suburban station, and Southern Cross
Southern Cross Station
Southern Cross is a major railway station and transport hub in Melbourne Docklands, Victoria, Australia. It is located on Spencer Street between Collins and La Trobe Streets at the western edge of the central business district...
is the regional terminus. It is the second busiest metropolitan railway station in Melbourne, in 2009 there was an average of 47,700 passenger boardings per day.
History
The station was built using cut and cover construction. In December 1973 to permit excavation of the station, La Trobe Street and its tram tracks were temporarily relocated to the south onto the site of what is now the Melbourne Central Shopping CentreMelbourne Central Shopping Centre
Melbourne Central is a large shopping centre, office, and public transport hub in the city of Melbourne, Australia. The complex includes the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, which was refurbished in 2005 by architects Ashton Raggatt McDougall; the Melbourne Central railway station ; and the 211 m...
, and moved back on completion of the work in 1978. The pit was 168 metres long and 22.5 metres wide, 29 metres deep at the Swanston Street end and 22 metres at Elizabeth Street. Seven layers of struts were used to support the excavation, with 2600 tonnes of steel temporary supports required.
The station opened as Museum on 24 January 1981 after the adjacent Melbourne Museum
Melbourne Museum
Melbourne Museum is located in the Carlton Gardens in Melbourne, Australia, adjacent the Royal Exhibition Building.It is the largest museum in the Southern Hemisphere, and is a venue of Museum Victoria, which also operates the Immigration Museum and Scienceworks Museum.The museum has seven main...
in the State Library of Victoria
State Library of Victoria
The State Library of Victoria is the central library of the state of Victoria, Australia, located in Melbourne. It is on the block bounded by Swanston, La Trobe, Russell, and Little Lonsdale streets, in the northern centre of the central business district...
complex on Swanston Street
Swanston Street, Melbourne
Swanston Street is a major thoroughfare in the centre of Melbourne, Australia. It is historically one of the main streets of central Melbourne, laid out in 1837 as part of the Hoddle Grid, the layout of major streets that makes up the central business district...
. The first station on the loop to open, initially services only operated for the Burnley and Caufield Groups on platforms 2 and 4, with trains starting to use platform 1 on 31 October 1982, and platform 3 on 1 May 1984. The Elizabeth Street entrance to the station was opened on 5 April 1982.
The adjacent Melbourne Central Shopping Centre
Melbourne Central Shopping Centre
Melbourne Central is a large shopping centre, office, and public transport hub in the city of Melbourne, Australia. The complex includes the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, which was refurbished in 2005 by architects Ashton Raggatt McDougall; the Melbourne Central railway station ; and the 211 m...
shopping centre opened in 1991, being built around the existing escalators to street level, and only minor integration between the station concourse and shopping centre. The Museum moved in 1995 to its current premises beside the Royal Exhibition Building
Royal Exhibition Building
The Royal Exhibition Building is a World Heritage Site-listed building in Melbourne, Australia, completed in 1880. It is located at 9 Nicholson Street in the Carlton Gardens, flanked by Victoria, Nicholson, Carlton and Rathdowne Streets, at the north-eastern edge of the central business district...
in the Carlton Gardens, with the station being renamed for the shopping centre on 16 February 1997.
The station concourse was redeveloped in 2002-03 as part of the renovation of the wider centre, with the direct escalators from the concourse to Swanston Street was closed in November 2003, and replaced by a path through the shopping centre.
Facilities
Melbourne Central, like the other two underground City Loop stations (Parliament and Flagstaff) has an underground concourse and two levels of platforms below it (2 island platformIsland platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
s and four tracks). Each platform serves a separate group of rail lines that leave the Loop and radiate out into the city's suburbs. At peak times with a train arriving every 2.5 minutes, the station has a passenger flow of 30,000 per hour. Three elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s were initially provided, as well as 21 Escalators. Melbourne Central is a premium station
Premium station
A premium station is a category of railway station on Melbourne's Metro Rail Network which is operated by Metro Trains Melbourne. In terms of station standards, a premium station is a high standard station which sits above the medium standard host stations and the low standard unmanned...
, meaning that it is staffed from first to last train and provides extra customer services.
The concourse has two sections separated by the shopping centre food court:
- The Elizabeth Street concourse has stairs and three escalatorEscalatorAn escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the...
s providing access to the street, a walkway to the Swanston Street concourse, a booking office, ticket barriers, toilets (which have finally been reopened), and stairs and five escalators leading down to the platforms.
- The Swanston Street concourse was altered in the early 2000s when redevelopment works were carried out at the adjacent Melbourne Central Shopping CentreMelbourne Central Shopping CentreMelbourne Central is a large shopping centre, office, and public transport hub in the city of Melbourne, Australia. The complex includes the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, which was refurbished in 2005 by architects Ashton Raggatt McDougall; the Melbourne Central railway station ; and the 211 m...
. Inside the ticket barriers there are toilets, and two lifts and five escalators going to the platforms. Outside is a food court, an exit to La Trobe Street and Level LG of the shopping centre (which passes under Little Lonsdale Street). There is also a lift and four escalators to the shopping centre level above. On the next level up (Level G) there is access to Little Lonsdale and La Trobe Streets via the shopping centre. Access to Swanston Street is via three escalators rising another floor (or the lift to level 1 and a 70m walk), and a walk through the shopping centre past the shot tower.
Platforms and services
Platform 1:- Epping line - all stations services to Epping
- Hurstbridge line - all stations and limited stops services to Heidelberg, Macleod, Greensborough, Eltham and Hurstbridge
- City Loop - all stations services to Flinders Street
Platform 2:
- Pakenham line - all stations and limited stops services to Oakleigh, Westall, Dandenong, and Pakenham
- Cranbourne line - all stations services to Cranbourne
- Frankston line - all stations and limited stops services to Cheltenham, Mordialloc, Carrum and Frankston
- City Loop - all stations services to Flinders Street
Platform 3:
- Craigieburn line - all stations services to Broadmeadows and Craigieburn
- Upfield line - all stations services to Gowrie and Upfield
- Sydenham line - all stations and limited stops services to Sunshine, St Albans and Watergardens
- Werribee line - all stations and limited stops services to Werribee
- City Loop - all stations services to Flinders Street
Platform 4:
- Lilydale and Belgrave lines - all stations and limited stops services to Box Hill, Blackburn, Ringwood, Lilydale, Upper Ferntree Gully and Belgrave
- Glen Waverley line - all stations and limited stops services to Glen Waverley
- Alamein line - all stations services to Riversdale, Ashburton and Alamein
- City Loop - all stations services to Flinders Street
Connecting bus services
From Lonsdale St (Melbourne Central side):- 200 to Bulleen
- 201 to Doncaster Shoppingtown
- 203 to Bulleen
- 207 to Donvale
- 250 to La Trobe University
- 251 to Northland Shopping Centre
- 253 to Carlton North
From Lonsdale St (Myer side):
- 250 to Garden City
- 251 to Garden City
- 253 to Garden City
- 302 to City Queen St
- 303 to City Queen St
- 305 to City Spencer/Lonsdale Streets
- 309 to City Queen St
- 318 to City Spencer/Lonsdake Streets
- 905 to City Spencer/Lonsdale Streets
- 906 to City Spencer Street
- 907 to City Spencer Street
- 908 to City Spencer Street
From Swanston/Lonsdale Streets (QV):
- 302 to Box Hill
- 305 to The Pines
- 309 to Donvale
- 318 to Deep Creek
- 905 to The Pines Shopping Centre
- 906 to Warrandyte Bridge
- 907 to Mitcham
- 908 to The Pines Shopping Centre