A once-visionary rail plan for Sydney lost in time





The corridor to the disused station master’s office under Central Station / Picture: Chris McKeen


OUTSIDE Tony Eid’s ­office at Sydney Trains is a giant “bird’s eye” view of Sydney’s electric train routes with the Harbour Bridge and the City Circle stations easily identifiable in red.


“It is fantastic,” said Mr Eid, Sydney Trains ­director of ­operations, “particularly when you realise this map was drawn in 1915, long before any of this was built.”
The name of the draughtsman and visionary sits in pride of place in the top left corner of the map — John Bradfield.
SYDNEY TRAINS: WHERE WE CAME FROM, WHERE WE’RE GOING





Tony Eid, Director of Operations for Sydney Trains, at St James station / Picture: Bradley Hunter

“The vision he had for mapping the Sydney transport network was remarkable,” Mr Eid said. “And much of what he foresaw is keeping Sydneysiders moving today.”
Apart from the Bridge, one of the key elements of Bradfield’s vision in his 1915 rail map was the City Circle. But it took a long time to become reality: Museum and St James ­stations were opened in 1926, and Town Hall and Wynyard in 1932.
INSIDE THE TUNNELS

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Tunnels run underneath Sydney’s Central Station. Photos: Chris McKeen


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The only remaining evidence of a gun battle which took place at Central Station in 1916 is a small bullet-hole in the marble by the entrance to platform 1. Photos: Chris McKeen

At Central Station it takes quite a while to get down to platforms 26 and 27 — the ghost platforms that sit underneath the concourse and above platforms 24 and 25.
“They were built and never used. The tunnels only go in a few metres at either end,” Mr Eid said.
Workers who go down there report the sounds of children playing but this stops and the platform goes icy cold when anyone approaches.
“We have thought about using the platforms for various things but it has never worked out,” he said.
BRADFIELD, THE VISIONARY WHO BUILT THE BRIDGE
The platforms are an anomaly in a modern rail network that is set on moving forward.
The City Circle only became a circle with the opening of the ­station at Circular Quay in 1956.
“It works on so many levels,” Mr Eid said. “The rationale was to have a lot of trains moving through the city without having to stop and turn around at a terminus.”
There are actually two circles, one pumping trains through Town Hall and back to Central and the other moving carriages in the opposite direction through Museum.
“In the near future we are looking to have 20 trains an hour passing through the City Circle, that’s one train every three minutes.”
That is a step closer to the timetable free system similar to the ­London Underground that Mr Eid and the NSW government wants.





Already under construction is the South West Rail Link from Glenfield to Leppington, and the metro-style North West Rail Link from Rouse Hill to Chatswood. It is the first phase of the Sydney Rapid Transit Network that will see trains travelling to Bankstown via a proposed second harbour rail crossing. “The answer is not more roads, it is better train networks to move ­people quickly from door to door.”
The train’s renaissance as the fast and efficient transport of the future is seen as vindication of
Bradfield’s vision and common sense to lifetime train lovers like Mr Eid.




Tony Eid with chains used to shackle prisoners in a disused cell under Central Station / Picture: Chris McKeen


“I started here as a telephone boy when I was 15 in 1979 and moved on to signal boxes,” said Mr Eid, whose three children grew up spending Christmas and Easter lunches in the signal box at Epping.
Mr Eid worked his way through the ranks, delivering rail solutions for the Sydney Olympics and acting as a consultant with rail networks in London, Paris and New York.
Mr Eid also has a great love of the past. Walk through Central ­Station and he will show you the bullet hole from the 1916 riots.
“I won’t let them change it,” he said. “Today we are building on the genius of Bradfield’s vision.’’






http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/a-oncevisionary-rail-plan-for-sydney-lost-in-time/story-fnpn0zn5-1227106511799

The good news here is the last line: that the Telegraph is showing a positive interest in rail transport.

Quote “The answer is not more roads, it is better train networks to move ­people quickly from door to door.” Quote

Gee, does this apply in Newcastle too?

The subject line of this thread should be "A once-visionary rail plan for Sydney superseded by replanning and changed priorities".  Once again I see the Cult of Bradfield raising it's adulation again, but once again I remind you that he died in 1943 and things have changed since he last put a drop of ink on paper.  Move on.

Can anyone on here give a more precise description that would help me find the bullet hole near Platform 1 that is mentioned?

As usual the Telegraph still cannot get the captions for its photos correct.

Photo 1: Is the tunnel under No1 platform that leads to Despatch office and ultimately to Ambulance Ave. The Station Master Sydney Terminals office was on No1 platform where the NSW Trains waiting room is, it has the semi circular railing outside as the office had doors on either side of the railing, one for staff and the other for the public.There were numerous other offices in this mezzanine level, which is accessed from the stairs next to the arch leading out to the ramp.

Photo 3: The tunnels under Sydney Terminal were built for a specific purpose, and that was to keep the normal day to day running of the station from inconveniencing the travelling public. All you have to do is to look at any photo of the concourse during the 30s to the 60s and imagine moving thousands of items of luggage, parcels and other things like cash boxes and footwarmers around the station freely through the crowds.A number of these tunnels have been refurbished and now connect the terminal platforms to Central Electric.



Photo 5: Is in the tunnels under No1 platform, but was never a cell, it was the area near the Chief Cashiers office where the cash boxes were secured after coming in from the stations with the cash remittances in them

The subject line of this thread should be "A once-visionary rail plan for Sydney superseded by replanning and changed priorities". Once again I see the Cult of Bradfield raising it's adulation again, but once again I remind you that he died in 1943 and things have changed since he last put a drop of ink on paper. Move on.

Put me down as one. I'd prefer his Urban Planning skills versus the vested/short-term interests of the political system any day of the century. Yes, things have changes since the 40's, but is today's reality and cost to obtain it, better? I greatly doubt it.

I thought the chains were used to restrain wayward Drivers before they copped a flogging. Oh wait, wrong Tony Eid.

Cash boxes were also secured inside trains. V-sets, Mk1,11 S sets, Tangaras (I think) all have a secure chain ring in the Guards compartment.

I thought the chains were used to restrain wayward Drivers before they copped a flogging. Oh wait, wrong Tony Eid.

Cash boxes were also secured inside trains. V-sets, Mk1,11 S sets, Tangaras (I think) all have a secure chain ring in the Guards compartment.

Yes, the Tanned Garbages do - or did - have that little ring, attached to the mounting for the emergency exit door's "hingepole". I'll check it ouf for sure next time I work one.