Railway Square is a plaza at the southern end of the

Sydney central business district The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or c ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia, formed by the confluence of

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, Lee Street,

Pitt Street Pitt Street is a major street in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The street runs through the entire city centre from Circular Quay in the north to Waterloo, although today's street is in two disjointed sec ...

and George Street. The square itself is a very busy intersection and is the site of a large bus terminus. The

University of Technology An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

, Central railway station and the now-closed

Kent Brewery Tooth and Co was the major brewer of beer in New South Wales, Australia. The company owned a large brewery on Broadway in Sydney from 1835 until 1985, known as the Kent Brewery. It was historically one of Australia's oldest companies, having bee ...

are adjacent to Railway Square.

History

Railway Square was originally known as Central Square. In the 19th century and early 20th century, Central Square was the heart of the city's modern retail district, enhanced by the presence of Central railway station and its adjacent hotels, erected to serve country visitors arriving in Sydney by train. The Marcus Clark department stores were located in a number of buildings at Central Square. The Parcel Post Office in Lee Street was built in 1913, having been designed by

George McRae George McRae (10 September 1857 – 16 June 1923) was a Scottish architect who migrated to Australia and pursued his career in Sydney, where he became Government Architect of New South Wales and designed some of Sydney's best-known buildin ...

, the government architect. It was later restored and converted to the Medina Hotel. The area was previously a busy nexus for the electric tramways of Sydney until the system's closure in the late 1950s. Until the 1990s, Railway Square had a three-platform bus terminal in its centre. The platforms were connected to one another, as well as the opposite sides of Lee Street and Broadway, by an extension of the

Devonshire Street Tunnel The Devonshire Street Tunnel is a pedestrian tunnel located beneath the southern end of Central station connecting the suburb of Surry Hills with Railway Square in the Sydney central business district. History Opened in 1906 joining as a ped ...

. The tunnel was accessible by escalator. The site was redeveloped in 1999 to incorporate two platforms, lifts, a cafe and access to the

. The site was fitted with public artwork created by Merilyn Fairskye, including murals, illuminated wall panels and four towers with coloured steel ribbons inside, representing the four elements (Air, Water, Earth and Fire). Railway Square is dominated by the rising glass bus terminal structure, and by four sculpture light towers. The area is now an interchange for

Busways Busways is an Australian bus company operating services in Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis ...

and

Transit Systems Transit Systems Group is an Australian-based public transport company, which also operates overseas through its subsidiary Tower Transit Group. Transit Systems Group is a subsidiary of the Kelsian Group, formerly SeaLink Travel Group. History ...

bus routes.

Rail tunnel

Railway Square is not only traversed underneath by the extension of the Devonshire Street pedestrian tunnel, but also by a

railway tunnel Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

that runs underneath at the southern end of the square, known as the Darling Dive. The tunnel was part of the Metropolitan Goods line linking the main lines south from Central with

Darling Harbour Darling Harbour is a harbour adjacent to the city centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia that is made up of a large recreational and pedestrian precinct that is situated on western outskirts of the Sydney central business district. Origin ...

. This tunnel is the oldest railway tunnel in New South Wales and is now disused. The section of the rail line between the tunnel and the

Powerhouse Museum The Powerhouse Museum is the major branch of the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (MAAS) in Sydney, the others being the historic Sydney Observatory at Observatory Park, Sydney, Observatory Hill, and the newer Museums Discovery Centre at Castle ...

is now a park and pedestrian pathway called

The Goods Line The Goods Line is an linear park and shared pedestrian pathway and cycleway in the suburb of Ultimo, in the City of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The corridor connects Railway Square to Darling Harbour in the south and passes both the Un ...

. The section beyond the Powerhouse Museum has been converted to light rail.

Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin ''Australian Railway History'' is a monthly magazine covering railway history in Australia, published by the New South Wales Division of the Australian Railway Historical Society on behalf of its state and territory Divisions.Mortuary Station File:Marcus clark.jpg, Marcus Clark Building File:Former Parcels Post Office.jpg, Former Parcels Post office File:Railway Square ca. 1945.jpg, Railway Square looking north 1945 File:Railway Square, Kerry and Co, Sydney from The Powerhouse Museum Collection.jpg, Early 1900s with Christ Church St Laurence in view File:Christ Church St Laurence Sydney 001.jpg,

Christ Church St Laurence Christ Church St Laurence is an Anglican church located at 814 George Street, near Central railway station and Haymarket, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is the principal centre of Anglo-Catholic worship in the city and Diocese of S ...

, today File:Railwaysquare.jpg, The square in the late 1890s File:A dray, a Ford and a Morris Oxford Roadster, both 1932 models, in summer rain, Railway Square, Sydney, Jan 1935 - by Sam Hood (3293866395).jpg, A dray, a Ford and a Morris Oxford Roadster, both 1932 models, in summer rain, Railway Square, Sydney, Jan 1935

References

{{Sydney landmarks Sydney localities Squares in Sydney

History

Rail tunnel

See also

References