Central railway station, Brisbane

Central railway station is located on the North Coast line in Queensland, Australia. It is the principal station on the City network and is located in the north of the Brisbane central business district. Central station is one of four inner city stations that form a core corridor through the centre of Brisbane.<ref name="bc2017">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Looking east to the main station entrance across Ann & Edward Streets from the verandah of the People's Palace in 1911

View to the west toward the platforms circa 1911

Central Station Cafe in Brisbane, 1927

The first building for Central railway station was a structure of wood and corrugated galvanised iron, and opened on 18 August 1889 as the terminus of the line when it was extended from Roma Street railway station.<ref name=HeritageRegister>Template:Cite QHR</ref> In 1891, the tunnel to Brunswick Street station (now Fortitude Valley) was opened so trains could run directly from Central to northern destinations.<ref name=GHallam>Template:Cite book</ref>

An elegant new station was constructed and opened in 1899 with arches of corrugated galvanised iron over the platforms and a portico on Ann Street.<ref name=GHallam/> A new entrance with its distinctive row of clocks was constructed in 1901 in sandstone from nearby quarries. In 1904, Central had the only electro-pneumatic system in Australia for changing points and signals.<ref name=CourierMail3Dec09>Station clocks were central to city's life Template:Webarchive The Courier Mail 3 December 2009</ref>

The station had two through and two bay platforms. In 1909, the bay platforms were converted to through platforms.<ref name=HeritageRegister/>

In the 1940s, an American soldier was arrested after stabbing a Brisbane woman and a group of Australian soldiers.<ref name="PandC">Raymond Evans and Jacqui Donegan, "The Battle of Brisbane", Politics and Culture.</ref>

Ann Street was widened in 1954 for the construction of government offices which required the portico to be demolished. The vaulted roof was removed in 1966 and replaced by awnings over each platform.<ref name=CourierMail3Dec09/>

Between 1968 and 1970, the station was redeveloped with office towers built over the platforms at the Edward Street end, involving the demolition of the 1901 entrance buildings and the construction of a modern pedestrian retail concourse behind the old station buildings. Further redevelopment saw the Sheraton Hotel Towers (now Sofitel Brisbane) constructed in 1984 over the remaining platforms.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

As part of the quadruplication of the line from Roma Street station to Bowen Hills, Platforms 5 and 6 opened on 11 June 1996.<ref>"Roma Street – Bowen Hills Quadruplication Update" Railway Digest March 1995 page 14</ref><ref>"Inner City Rail Expansion" Railway Digest July 1995 page 17</ref><ref>"Additional City Tunnels & Track Commissioned" Railway Digest July 1996 page 17</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

In early 2017, a major upgrade to the station commenced.<ref>Brisbane's busiest station on track for more than $67 million makeover Template:Webarchive Queensland Government 5 September 2016</ref><ref>"$67 million refurbishment for Brisbane's Central Station" Railway Digest November 2016 page 16</ref>

Station configuration

Central railway station is located at the northern end of the Brisbane central business district on Ann Street, directly opposite Anzac Square. Pedestrian access is available from the main entrance at the corner of Ann and Edward Streets, the pedestrian subway connecting Anzac Square with Upper Edward Street and from the corner of Ann Street and Creek Street. Lesser used access points are located off Wickham Terrace and from Edward Street via the courtyard of the Railway Centre.

There is lift access to Central Station from Ann Street opposite the Shrine of Remembrance, and from Wickham Terrace on the northern corner of the complex. There are also escalators to Central station from Anzac Square Arcade, next to Anzac Square.

Services

Central station is served by all suburban and interurban City network lines.<ref>Template:Queensland Timetables</ref><ref>Template:Queensland Timetables</ref><ref>Template:Queensland Timetables</ref><ref>Template:Queensland Timetables</ref><ref name="Springfield line timetable">Template:Queensland Timetables</ref><ref>Template:Queensland Timetables</ref><ref>Template:Queensland Timetables</ref><ref>Template:Queensland Timetables</ref><ref>Template:Queensland Timetables</ref> Also see Inner City timetable.<ref>Template:Queensland Timetables</ref>

External links

• Central station Queensland Rail
• Central station Queensland's Railways on the Internet