Martin Place railway station

A line to the eastern suburbs had been part of the wider rail plan for Sydney since the late 1890s, with provisions made for the eventuality during the construction of the City Circle underground stations in the 1920s, although work never proceeded past the planning phase at this time. The City and Suburban Electric Railways (Amendment) Act, Act No. 13 of 1947, made provision for the construction of further electric railways in the City of Sydney, serving the eastern, southern and south-eastern suburbs. This Act amended an earlier scheme proposed by John Bradfield in 1916 which had provided for an eastern suburbs line (via St James Station) and a south-eastern railway. The Act made provision for the construction of 44 miles of new suburban electric railways.[3]

Since the late 1940s the ESR had been under construction on and off, with meaningful progress made from the early 1970s. The construction of the line was a contentious political issue, not only because of the extended period over which it was undertaken, but also because of the resumptions and demolitions throughout Woolloomooloo that were required to build it. The alignment and profile for the ESR was set in 1926 and construction on the railway was started by the NSW Department of Railways. In 1952, the project was abandoned until the mid 1960s. In 1967 the NSW Department of Railways engaged the Snowy Mountains Authority (SMA) to prepare and develop documents for the city tunnels and stations, Kings Cross tunnel and stations, and Rushcutters Bay viaduct and various other associated works.[3]

Martin Place was created in stages between 1860 and 1935 and transformed into a pedestrian area between 1968 and 1978. The final form of the area was determined by prolonged argument and, ultimately, compromise between the City Council, State Government and authorities and private landowners.[4]

By the late 1960s, the conversion of Martin Place into a pedestrian plaza had reached as far east as Pitt Street. In mid 1971, a new plan for the long-term development of the City, known as the Strategic Plan, was published. The second of four principles in this plan involved the improvement of ‘access and movement within the city’, including pedestrian movement.[5] Included among the 'actions', was the extension of Martin Place as a pedestrian plaza through to Macquarie Street. This extension of the closure of Macquarie Street had long been proposed and objected to by various parties, not the least of whom were the affected property owners. The design of Martin Place Railway Station played an important role in promoting the extension of Martin Place to Macquarie Street and in determining the design of the easternmost end of the plaza.[4]

In 1967, the State Government awarded the contract for the civil and structural design of the line to the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority. The section of the line near Macquarie Street was 30 metres below ground level; the main concourse for the proposed Martin Place Station were thus below street level and extended from under Phillip Street as far as Macquarie Street. It was proposed to construct entrances, with escalator access, down to the concourse from both streets. Concurrent to the development of the station, there were proposals to provide underground access from the railway concourse, under Elizabeth Street, to connect with a retail arcade within the Prudential Building on the southern side of Martin Place. The area beneath the roadway between Elizabeth and Castlereagh Streets consisted of basements, owned by the Council, which had been constructed for an aborted State Savings Bank building.[4]

Above ground, the design of the Pitt Street-Castlereagh Street block of Martin Place took shape. Taking advantage of the six-metre height difference between the two streets, a raised terrace, overlooking the existing plaza area of Martin Place to the west, was proposed for the Pitt Street end of the block. At the Castlereagh Street end, it was proposed to build a sunken amphitheatre for civic and public performances, from which access under Castlereagh Street would lead via a shopping arcade into the City owned basements to the railway concourse. This vital link was opposed for sometime and would be the last element in the overall plan to be constructed (see below). Varied uses for the plaza above were proposed. The short block between Castlereagh and Elizabeth Street was considered suitable for markets and the area between Elizabeth and Phillip Street was to be a quiet landscaped haven. The final section, between Phillip and Macquarie Streets, was to be an important place of arrival in the city centre. A large fountain was proposed to provide a focal point for the vista towards Sydney Hospital and it was envisaged that outdoor café seating would make this area a good waiting area near the railway entrance.[4]

The Minister for Lands gave notice of the closure of Martin Place from the eastern side of Pitt Street to the western side of Macquarie Street, exclusive of cross streets, on 24 November 1972. Almost every Government Agency and owner objected, resulting in prolonged negotiations. The objector who could not be satisfied was the Chairman of the Rural Bank, who used his high level contacts to ensure that the plaza, as first gazetted, extended only as far as Elizabeth Street, stopping short of the Rural Bank (1973). In reality, the upper two blocks were closed for a number of years to through traffic to allow railway construction, ultimately paving the way for permanent closure. The objections of the Rural Bank were finally overcome in 1974. It had always been the Railway's intention to build an entrance to the station in the corner of the Rural Bank Building because there was no room on the footpath. This entrance could be moved into the plaza, if created, a clear incentive for the Rural Bank's co-operation. The design of for the upper two blocks of Martin Place were finalised during 1975.[4]

The design of the middle block between Castlereagh and Elizabeth Streets had, meanwhile, been held up by a number of considerations, partially connected to the railway. It was not clear if the concourse of the railway station would extend beyond the eastern side of Elizabeth Street. Secondly, it was a condition of consent for the MLC Centre, then under construction, that a subway be built under Castlereagh Street to connect the building to the station. Thirdly, the lessee of the old basements of the aborted State Savings Building, Prudential Insurance Company, were reluctant to surrender their lease to Council "The architects were trying to bring all these issues together so that the MLC tunnel under Castlereagh Street would connect into a naturally lit shopping arcade in the basements and then join under Elizabeth Street to the railway concourse. If this was realised there would be an undercover connection from the amphitheatre on the western side of Castlereagh Street to the railway concourse".[6][4]

These issues took years to resolve; this section of Martin Place would be the last to be built. The Eastern Suburbs Railway line officially opened in 1979. Although originally proposed to extend southwards into Randwick, the line was only built to Bondi Junction. The shopping arcade and connection to the railway station was not made until 1982.[4]

The design by Fowell Mansfield Jarvis & Maclurcan Pty Ltd was awarded a public buildings merit award by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects in 1979. Each station on the Eastern Suburbs Railway had a different colour to identify it. Bright red was used throughout Martin Place in both glazed tiles for walls and columns and painted cement surfaces. The red was chosen to reflect the banking and finance associations of the area. The design of the ESR underground stations continued the design ideas of the city underground stations of the 1920s, with individual station colours and features.[3][4]

In 2010, work commenced on an upgrade to the station, consisting of two lifts and an accessible toilet.[7] The upgrade was completed in April 2011.[8]

As part of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project a further two platforms are scheduled to open in 2024.[9]

• "Martin Place Railway Station". 2007.
• Attraction Homepage (2007). "Martin Place Railway Station".

• This Wikipedia article contains material from Martin Place Railway Station, entry number 1187 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales and Office of Environment and Heritage 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 13 October 2018.
• This Wikipedia article contains material from Martin Place Railway Station, entry number 4801162 in the New South Wales Heritage Database published by the State of New South Wales and Office of Environment and Heritage 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 18 December 2018.
• This Wikipedia article contains material from Martin Place Railway Station Including Interiors, entry number 2431104 in the New South Wales Heritage Database published by the State of New South Wales and Office of Environment and Heritage 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 18 December 2018.