Southern Cross railway station
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Southern Cross railway station (until 2005 known as Spencer Street station) is a major railway station in Docklands,
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. It is on
Spencer Street Spencer Street is a major street and thoroughfare in the Melbourne central business district, central business district of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The street was gazetted in 1837 as the westernmost boundary of the Hoddle Grid. ...
, between
Collins Collins may refer to: People Surname Given name * Collins O. Bright (1917–?), Sierra Leonean diplomat * Collins Chabane (1960–2015), South African Minister of Public Service and Administration * Collins Cheboi (born 1987), Kenyan middle- ...
and La Trobe Streets, at the western edge of the
Melbourne central business district The Melbourne central business district (also known colloquially as simply "The City" or "The CBD") is the city centre and main urban area of the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, centred on the Hoddle Grid, the oldest part of the city la ...
. The
Docklands Stadium Docklands Stadium, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Marvel Stadium, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the Docklands area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction started in October 1997 and was ...
sports arena is 500 metres north-west of the station. The station is owned, operated and maintained by Civic Nexus, a subsidiary of
IFM Investors IFM Investors is a provider of investment services. As at 30 June 2021, IFM Investors invests on behalf of more than 550 institutions worldwide, including pension, superannuation and sovereign wealth funds, universities, insurers, endowment fun ...
and operating as Southern Cross Station Pty Ltd, under a 30-year lease to 2036 from the Victorian State Government, as part of a public-private partnership. Southern Cross Station Pty Ltd contracts Infranexus Management Pty Ltd (Infranexus) for management services. Infranexus is also wholly owned by IFM. The station is the terminus of the state's regional railway network operated by
V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates regional passenger train and coach services in Victoria, Australia. It provides passenger train services on five commuter lines and eight long-distance routes from its major hub at Southern Cross ...
, ''
The Overland ''The Overland'' is an Australian passenger train service between the state capitals of Melbourne and Adelaide, a distance of 828 km (515 mi). It first ran in 1887 as the ''Adelaide Express'', known by South Australians as the ''Melb ...
'' rail service to
Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, and NSW TrainLink XPT services to
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 surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
. It is also served by suburban rail services operated by
Metro Trains Metro Trains Melbourne, often known simply as Metro, is the franchise operator of the electrified suburban passenger service on the Melbourne rail network. Metro Trains Melbourne is a joint venture between Hong Kong-based MTR Corporation (60%) ...
, being one of five stations on the
City Loop The City Loop (originally called the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop or MURL) is a mostly-underground and partly surface-level subway and rail system in the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The Loop includes ...
, a mostly underground railway that encircles the Central Business District. It is the second busiest railway station in Melbourne's metropolitan network, with 19.551 million metropolitan passenger movements recorded in 2018/9. In 2018/9 the station also recorded an additional 6.306 million regional passengers through the V/Line network. Southern Cross also has a coach terminal underneath the Spencer Outlet shopping complex. SkyBus services to
Melbourne Airport Melbourne Airport , colloquially known as Tullamarine Airport, is the primary airport serving the city of Melbourne, and the second busiest airport in Australia. It opened in 1970 to replace the nearby Essendon Airport. Melbourne Airport is t ...
and since 2017 to
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operate from there, as well as
Firefly Express Firefly Express is an Australian interstate coach operator. History Firefly Express' origins can be traced back to 1966 when Frank Bono and George Sita purchased route 406 Footscray to East Keilor from Barnes Buslines. In 1968 Bono took full c ...
and
Greyhound Australia Greyhound Australia is an Australian coach operator that ran services in all mainland states and territories until reduction of services in the 2000s. It is owned by KordaMentha (85%) and the Chapman Group (15%). The company was established i ...
interstate coach services, a coach ran public bus (684) and
V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates regional passenger train and coach services in Victoria, Australia. It provides passenger train services on five commuter lines and eight long-distance routes from its major hub at Southern Cross ...
coach services to
Mildura Mildura is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 in 2021. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point and Merbein are included, the area had ...
,
Yarram The township of Yarram (formerly Yarram Yarram) is in Victoria, Australia, in the Shire of Wellington, located in the southeast of Gippsland. At the , the population of the town was . The town is the regional centre of a prosperous farming distri ...
,
Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...
, and other parts of Victoria not served by rail.


History

Opened as Spencer Street Station in 1859, five years after the other major Melbourne rail terminus at Flinders Street, the station was a dead-end terminus, running parallel to
Spencer Street Spencer Street is a major street and thoroughfare in the Melbourne central business district, central business district of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The street was gazetted in 1837 as the westernmost boundary of the Hoddle Grid. ...
, composed of a single main platform with a
dock platform In the United Kingdom and in Australia, a bay platform is a dead-end railway platform at a railway station that has through lines. It is normal for bay platforms to be shorter than their associated through platforms. Overview Bay and isla ...
at the north end. It was not until 1874 that an extra platform was provided. The two major city stations were not linked until 1879, when a single-track ground-level line was opened. It operated only at night, and only for freight trains. In the 1880s, it was proposed that Spencer Street station be removed in order to facilitate the westward expansion of the city, but the plan was subsequently rejected.


1880s: Passenger services commence

The 1880s saw the first of several grand but unrealised plans for the station. The first accepted design, drafted by Albert Charles Cook in 1883, was a fanciful Palazzo style architecture, Palladian palazzo design of two and three storeys, with a central portico. From 1888 to 1894, the layout of the platforms was altered, with new country platforms being built on an angle to Spencer Street itself. The current coach terminal location was the site of a number of new platforms built for suburban services. In 1891, further plans were made for a significant new station complex, including three-storey office complex and dominant clock tower, reminiscent of the later Central railway station, Sydney, Sydney Central station, but the 1890s Depression put an end to such expensive schemes. In 1888, work started on the double track Flinders Street Viaduct linking the station to Flinders Street station. The line was initially only used by freight trains, with passenger train operations commencing in 1894.Department of Infrastructure: Early history of Southern Cross Station
It was at that time that the first through platform was provided at the station, used by suburban trains from Essendon and Williamstown. The viaduct to Flinders Street was expanded to four tracks in 1915 and, following the railway electrification system, electrification of the suburban lines through the station, today's platforms 11 to 14 were opened in 1924, along with a pedestrian subway providing access to them. In 1938, it was announced that construction of an improved station entrance and new car park had been approved, designed by architects Messrs Stephenson and Meldrum, costing £2,000. Once again however, no construction took place.


1960s: Modernisation

In 1960, work started on a new Spencer Street station, as part of the construction of a new interstate standard gauge line to Sydney, New South Wales. A station building was constructed which largely replaced the 1880s iron sheds, and a new platform number 1 was built. The passenger subway which had been constructed as part of the 1918 works was extended to include access to country platforms. In connection with the construction of the City Loop, underground loop, platforms 9 and 10 were rebuilt as part of the suburban section of the station, and a new double-track viaduct was constructed between Spencer Street and Flinders Street station, alongside the original one, bringing to six the number of tracks connecting the two stations. At the same time, the four older tracks were resignalled for bi-directional operation. In 1962, a separate subway network was constructed to carry mail between the station and what was then the Melbourne General Post Office and main postal sorting office, situated on the other side of Spencer Street. The Interlocking, mechanically interlocked signal box at the station opened in 1887, and was decommissioned in June 2008. Originally built with 120 levers, it had 191 when it closed, making it the world's largest. Artist Harold Freedman's 36.6 metre long and 7.32 metre high ''History of Transport'' mural featured above the main concourse of the Spencer Street station and was unveiled by the premier of Victoria on January 30, 1978. During radical redevelopment (2002–2006) Freedman's mural was removed, but due to bargaining by the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union, CFMEU, it remains on display above shop-fronts in the adjacent retail centre, Direct Factory Outlets, DFO.


2000s: Redevelopment

Southern Cross was redeveloped by the Civic Nexus consortium, following an innovative design by Grimshaw Architects and Jackson Architecture which features an undulating roof. Construction began in October 2002 and was completed in late 2006, with the majority of the transport facilities finished in time for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The central features of the design include a wave-shaped roof, a new entrance and concourse on Collins Street, a new coach interchange, a new food court, a bar/restaurant, separate retail outlets inside the station and a separate shopping complex between Bourke Street, Melbourne, Bourke and La Trobe Streets. This new shopping complex originally comprised a Direct Factory Outlets centre, a Virgin Megastore, along with food courts. This opened on 30 November 2006, although not all tenancies were occupied, and stage 2 was opened in March 2007. In 2009 the DFO relocated to a new site at South Wharf, the shopping centre being refitted by owner Austexx and rebranded simply as "Spencer Street fashion station". In 2013 the shopping complex was rebranded as "Spencer Outlet Centre". In addition to the physical modifications, the station was renamed from Spencer Street to Southern Cross on 13 December 2005. By July 2004, the project had fallen behind schedule and over budget by $200 million. This was covered extensively in the media. As a result of over-runs and design issues, some elements of the original design, including an additional proposed footbridge connecting Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Lonsdale Street with
Docklands Stadium Docklands Stadium, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Marvel Stadium, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the Docklands area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction started in October 1997 and was ...
, were scrapped. Complaints about access to platforms, empty trains occupying space during the day and lack of government support were raised by Leighton Contractors, the construction firm overseeing the project. This led to concerns that the station might not be ready in time for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Games, and the government arranged with the railway operators to provide more access to the work site. The station's redevelopment is part of the wider Melbourne Docklands development. The architect responsible for the design is Nicholas Grimshaw. The structural engineering design was performed by WSP Global. The station has been awarded the Royal Institute of British Architects' Lubetkin Prize for most outstanding building outside the European Union. The other buildings nominated were the Des Moines Public Library and the Hearst Tower (New York City), Hearst Tower, New York City. The redevelopment has meant that passengers take more time to get to the suburban network platforms than before. The pedestrian subway access was removed in favour of street level and elevated concourses. The subway also continued underneath Spencer Street, and its closure means it is necessary for all pedestrians to wait for traffic lights to cross Spencer Street at street level. For all suburban and some country services, passengers using the main entrance on the corner of Collins and Spencer Streets have to ascend two escalators to a shopping concourse and then enter the paid area of the station, before descending again to the metropolitan platforms. There have been some accidents in which people have fallen from this elevated level. The eight-metre ascent and descent is more than necessary to clear the height of trains, and more than the three-metre descent and ascent of the previous subway. Local architects have cited some of the Southern Cross Station's shortcomings: the building's poor connection to the surrounding streets; its awkward juncture at the pedestrian bridge that links Spencer Street to Docklands Stadium; and the baffling manner in which the grand architectural gesture of Southern Cross Station tapers off into an uninspired homage to the boxy 1980s shopping mall — Spencer Outlet Centre, which houses department store Harris Scarfe along with Witchery (company), Witchery, Cotton On, Starbucks and many more outlets.


2010s: Additional platforms

As part of the Regional Rail Link project an extra two platforms (15/16) were constructed and opened in December 2013. These are divided into 15a, 15b, 16a and 16b. They are often used for Gippsland Services, and the lines that use the RRL tracks to Sunshine (Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo lines). These platforms allow trains to avoid the North Melbourne Flyover, which is an inconvenience for trains as it has a maximum speed of 15 km/h, and has shown to cause abnormal wheel wear on the V/Line VLocity, VLocity fleet, as confirmed by an independent report commissioned by V/Line in 2016 to find out the cause of the problem, which ultimately led to up to a month of cancellations of services.


Water Tower Clock

In May 2014, the historic Water Tower Clock was installed in the concourse of the station. The clock had originally been erected in 1882 at Flinders Street station, opposite the end of Elizabeth Street, atop a lattice tower about high. In 1902 the clock was moved to Princes Bridge railway station, Princes Bridge station, and in 1910 it was relocated again, to Spencer Street station, where it remained until it was removed as part of the station's redevelopment in the mid-1960s. The clock mechanism was given to Museum Victoria, but the characteristic turret that housed the clock was sold to a scrap metal merchant. It was later rescued by private collectors, and the clock was returned to public ownership, being put on display in 1999 at the Scienceworks Museum (Melbourne), Scienceworks Museum, Spotswood, Victoria, Spotswood. The clock was extensively restored before its return to Southern Cross, but the original mechanism remains in the collection of Museum Victoria.


Platforms and services

Platforms are numbered from east to west.


Concourses

Concourses are provided at Bourke and Collins Streets. Platform 1 is north of Bourke Street, while Platform 8 South is south of Collins Street. The remainder of platforms are located between Bourke and Collins Streets, with access from both concourses, with regional services from platforms 1-8 and 15-16, and suburban services from platforms 9-14 (platform 8 can also accommodate suburban services if necessary).


Platforms

Platforms 2 to 7, as well as platforms 15 and 16 are numbered as two sections: section A from the Collins Street concourse to the Bourke Street Footbridge, and section B beyond the Bourke Street Footbridge. These sections were previously known as the "Central" (2C to 8C) and "North" (2N to 8N) platforms, respectively. Platform 8 has these two sections and also a "South" section (8S) underneath Collins Street used commonly for Seymour services. Platforms 1 and 2 are fitted with dual gauge track, permitting both standard gauge interstate trains and V/Line Victorian broad gauge, broad gauge trains. The remainder of the platforms are solely broad gauge. A motorail dock is located at the northern end of the platform, with standard gauge access only.


Standard gauge

Platforms 1 & 2: *
V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates regional passenger train and coach services in Victoria, Australia. It provides passenger train services on five commuter lines and eight long-distance routes from its major hub at Southern Cross ...
services to Albury railway station, Albury (3 per day) * NSW TrainLink New South Wales XPT, XPT services to
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 surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
(2 per day) * Journey Beyond services to
Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
(2 per week)


Broad gauge

Platforms 1–7: *
V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates regional passenger train and coach services in Victoria, Australia. It provides passenger train services on five commuter lines and eight long-distance routes from its major hub at Southern Cross ...
services to Melton railway station, Melbourne, Melton, Bacchus Marsh railway station, Bacchus Marsh and Wendouree railway station, Wendouree * V/Line services to Ararat railway station, Ararat * V/Line services to Maryborough railway station, Victoria, Maryborough * V/Line services to Bendigo railway station, Bendigo, Epsom railway station, Victoria, Epsom and Eaglehawk railway station, Eaglehawk * V/Line services to Echuca railway station, Echuca * V/Line services to Swan Hill railway station, Swan Hill * V/Line services to Wyndham Vale railway station, Wyndham Vale, Geelong railway station, Geelong & Waurn Ponds railway station, Waurn Ponds * V/Line services to Warrnambool railway station, Warrnambool * V/Line services to Seymour railway station, Seymour * V/Line services to Shepparton railway station, Shepparton Platform 8: :Broad gauge
V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates regional passenger train and coach services in Victoria, Australia. It provides passenger train services on five commuter lines and eight long-distance routes from its major hub at Southern Cross ...
services departing Platforms 1-7 also depart from Platform 8 * express services to Showgrounds railway station, Melbourne, Showgrounds and/or Flemington Racecourse railway station, Flemington Racecourse (special event days only) Platform 9:
Destinations via
City Loop The City Loop (originally called the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop or MURL) is a mostly-underground and partly surface-level subway and rail system in the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The Loop includes ...
– Clifton Hill Group: * all stations and limited stop services to Hurstbridge railway station, Hurstbridge * all stations and limited stop services to Mernda railway station, Mernda Platform 10:
Destinations via
City Loop The City Loop (originally called the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop or MURL) is a mostly-underground and partly surface-level subway and rail system in the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The Loop includes ...
– Burnley Group: * all stations and limited stop services to Belgrave railway station, Belgrave * all stations and limited stop services to Lilydale railway station, Lilydale * all stations and limited stop services to Glen Waverley railway station, Glen Waverley * weekday all stations and limited stop services to Alamein railway station, Alamein Platform 11:
Destinations via
City Loop The City Loop (originally called the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop or MURL) is a mostly-underground and partly surface-level subway and rail system in the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The Loop includes ...
– Northern Group: * all stations and limited stop services to Craigieburn railway station, Craigieburn * all stations and limited stop services to Upfield railway station, Upfield * all stations and limited stop services to Watergardens railway station, Watergardens & Sunbury railway station, Melbourne, Sunbury Platform 12:
Destinations via Flinders Street – Caulfield Group: * express services to Pakenham railway station, Pakenham * express services to Cranbourne railway station, Cranbourne Platform 13:
Destinations via Flinders Street: * services to Flinders Street (trains run through to the Frankston railway line, Frankston line) * services to Flinders Street (trains run through to the Frankston railway line, Frankston line) * services to Flinders Street (special event days only) Platform 14:
Destinations via North Melbourne railway station, North Melbourne: * all stations and limited stop services to Laverton railway station, Melbourne, Laverton & Werribee railway station, Werribee * all stations services to Williamstown railway station, Melbourne, Williamstown * express services to Showgrounds railway station, Melbourne, Showgrounds and/or Flemington Racecourse railway station, Flemington Racecourse (special event days only) Platforms 15 & 16: :Broad gauge
V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates regional passenger train and coach services in Victoria, Australia. It provides passenger train services on five commuter lines and eight long-distance routes from its major hub at Southern Cross ...
services departing Platforms 1-8 also depart from Platforms 15 & 16. * V/Line services to Traralgon railway station, Traralgon & Bairnsdale railway station, Bairnsdale


Transport links


Metropolitan

Kinetic Melbourne operate three routes via Southern Cross Coach Terminal, under contract to Public Transport Victoria: *232: Queen Victoria Market - Altona North *235: Queen Victoria Market - Fishermans Bend *237: Queen Victoria Market - Fishermans Bend McKenzie's Tourist Services operates one route to and from Southern Cross station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria: *684: to Eildon, Victoria, Eildon via Lilydale Yarra Trams operate nine services via Southern Cross station: From Collins Street: *: Preston, Victoria, West Preston - Docklands, Victoria, Victoria Harbour *: North Balwyn, Victoria, North Balwyn - Docklands, Victoria, Victoria Harbour *: Box Hill, Victoria, Box Hill - Port Melbourne railway station, Port Melbourne *: Victoria Gardens Shopping Centre, Victoria Gardens - St Kilda, Victoria, St Kilda From Harbour Esplanade: *: City Circle tram, City Circle *: Docklands - Wattle Park, Melbourne, Wattle Park *:
Docklands Stadium Docklands Stadium, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Marvel Stadium, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the Docklands area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction started in October 1997 and was ...
- Vermont South From Bourke Street: *: RMIT University#Bundoora, RMIT Bundoora Campus - Docklands, Victoria, Waterfront City Docklands *: East Brunswick, Victoria, East Brunswick - Acland Street, St Kilda Beach


Regional

The following coach services are operated to and from Southern Cross station by private companies on behalf of
V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates regional passenger train and coach services in Victoria, Australia. It provides passenger train services on five commuter lines and eight long-distance routes from its major hub at Southern Cross ...
: *
Mildura Mildura is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 in 2021. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point and Merbein are included, the area had ...
via Ballarat, Maryborough, Victoria, Maryborough and Donald, Victoria, Donald * Mount Gambier, South Australia, Mount Gambier via Ballarat, Hamilton, Victoria, Hamilton and Casterton, Victoria, Casterton * Barham, New South Wales, Barham via Heathcote, Victoria, Heathcote * Barmah via Heathcote and Shepparton * Deniliquin via Heathcote, Rochester, Victoria, Rochester, Echuca and Moama *
Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...
via Lilydale, Victoria, Lilydale and Yarra Glen (services extend to Mount Buller, Victoria, Mount Buller during snow season) * Cowes, Victoria, Cowes via Dandenong, Victoria, Dandenong and Koo Wee Rup * Inverloch, Victoria, Inverloch via Dandenong and Koo Wee Rup * Yarram, Victoria, Yarram via Dandenong, Koo Wee Rup and Leongatha *Eildon, Victoria, Eildon via Lilydale and Healesville, Victoria (Route 684)


References


External links

* *
Railpage Southern Cross Platform allocation discussionsDiagram of the track layout at Southern Cross station
*Construction images
2003 – 2004
an
2005 – 2008

Melway map
at street-directory.com.au {{Journey Beyond railway stations, The Overland=y, state=collapsed Nicholas Grimshaw buildings Premium Melbourne railway stations Railway stations in Melbourne Railway stations in Australia opened in 1859 Buildings and structures in Melbourne City Centre Railway stations in the City of Melbourne (LGA) Tram stops in Melbourne Bus stations in Australia Bus transport in Melbourne