Sydney Metro is Australia’s biggest public transport project, building, operating and maintaining a network of four metro lines, 46 stations and 113km of new metro rail. Servicing 96 percent of Sydney's train services, Central Station forms the backbone of the entire rail network. The introduction of the new Sydney Metro station has added an average of 24,400 passenger boardings on a typical weekday to existing customer numbers.
The transformation of Central Station to accommodate a state of the art metro interchange required the design of spatially and structurally efficient operational segments, and sophisticated, multilevel passenger flow strategies. This was also desinged with the future in mind, so that the station serves additional placemaking and regeneration outcomes. The project features a dramatic new main entrance sequence for the imposing early 20th century edifice and incorporates as its centrepiece a distinctive 50m-span vaulted roof.
The bold architecture of the original structure dovetails with equally bold, can do, 21st century interventions giving the station an entirely new functional and experiential vibe, so that up to 450,000 passengers a day can flow through its spaces and feel, quite palpably, an inspiring, highly efficient, and re energised coming together of old and new. The Clock Tower, the original canopied concourse, and the general architectural gravitas remain iconic; the new interventions, while contemporary in architectural style, elevate the station's unique historic status.
The insertion of the metro deep into the heart of Sydney's Central Station inspires a crafted subterranean architecture that seeks to capture the essence of the station, Sydney, and the unique qualities of the Hawkesbury River sandstone used extensively in this historic precinct. The scale of the intervention is as large as the original building except it is predominately submerged underground. All key thresholds introduce elements of natural light and this helps orientation and intuitive
wayfinding around the station.
The design vision and approach place the customer experience at the centre of the transformation. The creation of more open spaces such as the new Northern Concourse at key decision making points significantly improves circulation and station legibility, with enhanced accessibility, permeability, and connectivity across the station precinct, resulting in an intuitive and easily used station environment for all customers, irrespective of the mode of travel used.
The new metro and concourse insertions are designed to be purposeful, functional, sculpturally rich and synthesised with the historic qualities of the original station. This materiality establishes the proposals into their local context and provides a civic quality to the new station works.
As well as making commuting a more efficient and pleasant, customer focused experience, the station upgrade is already generating opportunities for wider civic and commercial renewal.
Designed by Woods Bagot in collaboration with John McAslan + Partners.
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