Sydney’s Central Station: New concourse unveiled

As bloated commuters race to their next train at Australia’s largest railway station, those who glance at the floor take on an unusual direction.

“Just breathe naturally,” “Be aware of each mental note as it comes up,” “When everything around you is moving, stay focused.”

The slogan-studded athletics track piece by artist Rose Nolan is a key feature of the new north-south concourse that opened Monday at Sydney Central Station and prepares the age-old commuter hub for the arrival of subways in 2024.

More than 200,000 people use Central every day – nearly double the number of pedestrians at Melbourne’s Flinders Street station.

“Visitors to this new part of Sydney will be as surprised and impressed as we are,” said Transport Minister Jo Haylen.

“This is now a global, wonderful asset to our city – a grand central station fit for a cosmopolitan city like Sydney.”

But the through road is not yet the final product.

Hours after the final touches were made, a new entrance on Chalmers Street was damaged on Thursday as firefighters battled a massive inferno in a derelict former hat factory next to the station.

The extent of the damage has yet to be assessed due to an exclusion zone that has been put in place due to concerns that the factory’s brick walls could fall.

“In the scheme of what we’ve built here and the total investment in the new metro upgrade and the new Central station, that’s something we just have to work through and deal with,” said Sydney Metro chief executive Peter Regan.

The north-south concourse hopes to relieve pressure on the narrower paths used by the approximately 200,000 people who use the station every day

The entire project aims to prepare Central Station for a new metro line that is expected to arrive sometime in 2024

Ms Haylen and Mr Regan, meanwhile, dismissed concerns about the construction of incompatible metro lines in Sydney.

The new $11 billion Metro line to Western Sydney Airport will use AC power to power trains wider than their DC cousins ​​on the $20 billion Metro City and Southwest line.

Trains on each line would also be built by different companies, but that wasn’t unusual, Ms Haylen said.

“Having different operators of those lines actually improves the reliability and resilience of the system,” she said.

Ms Haylen said people would also expect an airport train to accommodate that need, including more space for luggage.

The airport line should be completed in time for the airport to open at the end of 2026.