Central railway station, Brisbane

(Redirected from Brisbane Central)

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.[1]

Central
Ann Street station building and entrance,
June 2020
General information
LocationCorner Ann & Edward Streets, Brisbane
Coordinates27°27′57″S 153°01′34″E / 27.4659°S 153.0261°E / -27.4659; 153.0261
Owned byQueensland Rail
Operated byQueensland Rail
Line(s)North Coast
Platforms6 (3 islands)
Construction
Structure typeUnderground (Partly Sub-Terrain)
AccessibleYes
Other information
StatusStaffed
Station code600018 (platform 1)
600017 (platform 2)
600016 (platform 3)
600020 (platform 4)
600019 (platform 5)
600024 (platform 6)
Fare zonego card 1
WebsiteQueensland Rail
History
Opened18 August 1889; 135 years ago (1889-08-18)
ElectrifiedYes
Services
Preceding station Queensland Rail Queensland Rail Following station
Roma Street
Continues as the Gold Coast line
Airport Line Fortitude Valley
Fortitude Valley
towards Bowen Hills
Beenleigh Line Roma Street
towards Beenleigh
Roma Street
Terminus
Caboolture Line Fortitude Valley
towards Caboolture
Fortitude Valley
towards Bowen Hills
Cleveland Line Roma Street
towards Cleveland
Roma Street
Terminus
Doomben Line Fortitude Valley
towards Doomben
Roma Street
Exhibition Line
Bi-directional loop
Fortitude Valley
Roma Street
Terminus
Ferny Grove Line Fortitude Valley
towards Ferny Grove
Fortitude Valley
Continues as the Airport line
Gold Coast Line Roma Street
Fortitude Valley
towards Bowen Hills
Ipswich & Rosewood Line Roma Street
towards Ipswich or Rosewood
Roma Street
Terminus
Redcliffe Peninsula Line Fortitude Valley
towards Kippa-Ring
Shorncliffe Line Fortitude Valley
towards Shorncliffe
Fortitude Valley
towards Bowen Hills
Springfield Line Roma Street
Roma Street
Terminus
Sunshine Coast Line Fortitude Valley

History

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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.[2] In 1891, the tunnel to Brunswick Street station (now Fortitude Valley) was opened so trains could run directly from Central to northern destinations.[3]

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.[3] 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.[4]

The station had two through and two bay platforms. In 1909, the bay platforms were converted to through platforms.[2]

In the 1940s, an American soldier was arrested after stabbing a Brisbane woman and a group of Australian soldiers. [5]

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.[4]

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.[6]

As part of the quadruplication of the line from Roma Street station to Bowen Hills, Platforms 5 and 6 opened on 11 June 1996.[7][8][9][10]

In early 2017, a major upgrade to the station commenced.[11][12]

Station configuration

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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 elevator 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

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Central station is served by all suburban and interurban City network lines.[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] Also see Inner City timetable.[22]

By platform

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Platform Line Stopping pattern
1 & 2 Beenleigh All stations services to Coopers Plains, Kuraby & Beenleigh
Gold Coast All stations to Park Road, then Altandi, Loganlea, Beenleigh and all stations to
Varsity Lakes
Cleveland All stations & peak-hour limited stop services to Cannon Hill, Manly & Cleveland
3 & 4 Ferny Grove All stations services to Ferny Grove
Airport Airtrain Citylink service to Brisbane Airport
Sunshine Coast Intercity express services calling all stations to Bowen Hills then Caboolture
only stopping at Northgate and Petrie then all stations to Gympie North
Doomben All stations services to Doomben
Shorncliffe All stations services to Shorncliffe
Exhibition Special event services to Exhibition (Anti-clockwise direction)
5 Ipswich & Rosewood All stations & peak-hour limited stops services to Ipswich & Rosewood
Springfield All stations services to Springfield Central
Exhibition Special event services to Exhibition (Clockwise direction)
6 Caboolture Intercity limited stop express services calling at all stations to Bowen Hills, then runs express to
Petrie stopping only at Eagle Junction and Northgate and all stations to Caboolture
Sunshine Coast Intercity limited stop express services calling at all stations to Bowen Hills, then runs express to
Petrie stopping only at Eagle Junction and Northgate and all stations to Nambour
Redcliffe Peninsula Intercity limited stop express services calling at all stations to Bowen Hills then runs express to Northgate only stopping at Eagle Junction then all stations to Kippa-Ring
Exhibition Special event services to Exhibition (Anti-clockwise)

References

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  1. ^ "Cross River Rail Business Case August 2017" (PDF). Government of Queensland. p. 54. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Central Railway Station (entry 600073)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  3. ^ a b Hallam, Greg (2005). Brisbane's Biography (Steamtrain Sunday). QR Limited.
  4. ^ a b Station clocks were central to city's life Archived 5 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine The Courier Mail 3 December 2009
  5. ^ Raymond Evans and Jacqui Donegan, "The Battle of Brisbane", Politics and Culture.
  6. ^ Brisbane Australia Towards the 21st Century (1st ed.). Double Bay NSW: Focus Books Pty Ltd. 1991.
  7. ^ "Roma Street – Bowen Hills Quadruplication Update" Railway Digest March 1995 page 14
  8. ^ "Inner City Rail Expansion" Railway Digest July 1995 page 17
  9. ^ "Additional City Tunnels & Track Commissioned" Railway Digest July 1996 page 17
  10. ^ "Future rail connection in study's sights" (Press release). Government of Queensland. 26 August 2007. Archived from the original on 14 November 2007. Retrieved 13 February 2008.
  11. ^ Brisbane's busiest station on track for more than $67 million makeover Archived 20 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine Queensland Government 5 September 2016
  12. ^ "$67 million refurbishment for Brisbane's Central Station" Railway Digest November 2016 page 16
  13. ^ "Airport/Gold Coast Line timetable". Translink. 2 March 2020.
  14. ^ "Beenleigh Line timetable". Translink. 2 March 2020.
  15. ^ "Cleveland Line timetable". Translink. 2 March 2020.
  16. ^ "Ipswich Rosewood Line timetable". Translink. 2 March 2020.
  17. ^ "Springfield Line timetable". Translink. 2 March 2020.
  18. ^ "Doomben Line timetable". TransLink. 2 March 2020.
  19. ^ "Ferny Grove Line timetable". Translink. 2 March 2020.
  20. ^ "Shorncliffe Line timetable". Translink. 2 March 2020.
  21. ^ "Sunshine Coast Line timetable". Translink. 2 March 2020.
  22. ^ "Inner City timetable" (PDF). Translink. 2 March 2020.
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