Central Station is exactly what it sounds like. Very. Central. This colossal train hub located smack-bang in the heart of the city has been serving Sydneysiders since 1905. Heritage-listed and always a buzz with fast moving commuters, heavy machinery and serious hustle and bustle, Central Station is the largest and busiest railway station in Australia, servicing millions of passengers every year.
For pretty much all Sydneysiders looking to get home or to work, for airport commuters, or for people travelling regionally and across the country, Central is the place to be. Ever since it was opened to the public in 1905, Central has been a fairly spectacular example of cutting-edge architectural design and technological progress. The station’s huge clock towers, cavernous ceilings and intricate sandstone facade have long been a stand-out fixture in Sydney’s cityscape – and now, it’s home to a fresh and revitalised development that’s been tailor-made for the 21st century.
As of June 2023, Central has opened a wild new underground concourse that cost $1.27 billion to complete. Kicking off in 2018, this major construction has finally been unveiled to the public, and it’s pretty cool. Made out of sandstone (as is in tune with the rest of the heritage building), the new concourse looks a lot like an airport terminal, complete with swish escalators, brand-spanking new metro platforms wedged deep underground, and a 27-metre wide walkway that links and re-orients the entire station – both underground, and above.
Full of crazy high ceilings, breezy open spaces and thought-provoking floor art (that looks like a very cool, existential running track) by Melbourne artist Rose Nolan, this new addition to Sydney’s most important transport hub is welcome by the commuters of today – and all those of the city’s tomorrow. At its heart, this is a development designed for the people of the future, of which there are expected to be many.
For Central, the changes aren’t done yet. Currently, Central is in the crosshairs of a massive redevelopment plan that aims to bring new, efficient life to a 24 hectare area in, and around the station over the next twenty years.
It’s hard to know what this area that crosses Haymarket, Surry Hills and Redfern will look in two decades' time, but if now is anything to go off, we reckon signs point to big, bold and seriously futuristic.
Next stop: Progress town.
