Central railway station, Brisbane

Central
Ann Street entrance in July 2012
Location	Corner Ann & Edward Streets, Brisbane
Coordinates	27°27′57″S 153°01′34″E / 27.4659°S 153.0261°ECoordinates: 27°27′57″S 153°01′34″E / 27.4659°S 153.0261°E
Owned by	Queensland Rail
Operated by	City network
Line(s)	North Coast
Platforms	6 (3 islands)
Construction
Structure type	Ground
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Status	Staffed
Station code	600018 (platform 1) 600017 (platform 2) 600016 (platform 3) 600020 (platform 4) 600019 (platform 5) 600024 (platform 6)
Fare zone	go card 1
Website	Queensland Rail
History
Opened	18 August 1889
Electrified	Yes
Services
Preceding station   Queensland Rail   Following station Roma Street Terminus Airport Line Fortitude Valley toward Domestic Terminal Fortitude Valley toward Bowen Hills Beenleigh Line Roma Street toward Beenleigh Roma Street Terminus Caboolture Line Fortitude Valley toward Caboolture Fortitude Valley toward Bowen Hills Cleveland Line Roma Street toward Cleveland Roma Street Terminus Doomben Line Fortitude Valley toward Doomben Roma Street One-way operation Exhibition Line Fortitude Valley One-way operation Roma Street Terminus Ferny Grove Line Fortitude Valley toward Ferny Grove Fortitude Valley toward Bowen Hills Gold Coast Line Roma Street toward Varsity Lakes Fortitude Valley toward Bowen Hills Ipswich and Rosewood Line Roma Street toward Rosewood Roma Street Terminus Shorncliffe Line Fortitude Valley toward Shorncliffe Fortitude Valley toward Bowen Hills Springfield Line Roma Street toward Springfield Central Roma Street Terminus Sunshine Coast Line Fortitude Valley toward Nambour or Gympie North

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 Brisbane central business district.

History

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.^[1] In 1891, the tunnel to Brunswick Street station (now Fortitude Valley) was opened so trains could run directly from Central to northern destinations.^[2]

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.^[2] 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.^[3]

The station had two through and two bay platforms. In 1909, the bay platforms were converted to through platforms.^[1]

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.^[3]

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 in the 1980s saw the Sheraton Hotel towers (now Sofitel Brisbane) built over the remaining platforms.

As part of the quadruplication of the line from Roma Street station to Bowen Hills, Platforms 5 and 6 opened on 11 June 1996.^[4][5][6][7]

Station configuration

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

Central station is served by all suburban and interurban City network lines.^{[8][9][10][11][12][12][13][14][15][16][17]}

Services by Platform

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 service to Brisbane Airport
	Sunshine Coast	Intercity express services calling all stations to Bowen Hills then Caboolture and 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	All stations & peak-hour limited stop services to Petrie & Caboolture
	Sunshine Coast	Intercity limited stop express services calling at all stations to Northgate, then Petrie, Caboolture and all stations to Nambour
	Exhibition	Special event services to Exhibition (Anti-clockwise)

References

1. "Central Railway Station (entry 600073)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
2. Hallam, Greg (2005). Brisbane's Biography (Steamtrain Sunday). QR Limited.
3. Station clocks were central to city's life The Courier Mail 3 December 2009
4. "Roma Street - Bowen Hills Quadruplication Update" Railway Digest March 1995 page 14
5. "Inner City Rail Expansion" Railway Digest July 1995 page 17
6. "Additional City Tunnels & Track Commissioned" Railway Digest July 1996 page 17
7. "Future rail connection in study's sights" (Press release). Government of Queensland. 26 August 2007. Retrieved 13 February 2008.
8. Gold Coast-Airport line timetable TransLink 20 January 2014
9. Beenleigh line timetable TransLink 20 January 2014
10. Cleveland line timetable TransLink 20 January 2014
11. Ipswich and Rosewood line timetable TransLink 20 January 2014
12. Springfield line timetable TransLink 20 January 2014
13. Caboolture line timetable TransLink 20 January 2014
14. Doomben line timetable TransLink 20 January 2014
15. Ferny Grove line timetable TransLink 20 January 2014
16. Shorncliffe line timetable TransLink 20 January 2014
17. Sunshine Coast line timetable TransLink 20 January 2014

External links

• Media related to Central railway station at Wikimedia Commons
• Central station Queensland Rail
• Central station Queensland's Railways on the Internet