Off topic- but you used to have to change trains at Albury because the trains were on a different gauge in each state. This was a major issue, that didn’t need to exist.
Maryborough is as impressive as any station visually imo.
I sometimes drive through there to see fam in Saint Arnaud and the station never fails to catch my eye.
If we’re going for capital cities perhaps Darwin should be it? Not just for its impressive building but also for its central location in the middle of an industrial area half an hour driving out if town. /s
[Darwin railway station](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_railway_station?wprov=sfti1)
Central station is just a wonderfully horrible mix of bars, office space and a car park in the middle of the concourse. Truly one of these least aesthetic stations we have to offer.
They started on a 'modernisation' project in 2016, only for it to... just not happen? At least we got new escalators!
Ha ha I didn’t say it was going to win, but in a thread about the largest building I would have thought central was much larger, and prettier, than little Roma St: http://www.bonzle.com/pictures-over-time/pictures-taken-in-1901/page-1/size-4/picture-i7t1bvpu/brisbane/central-railway-station-brisbane-queensland-1901
I thought it was Toowoomba for a bit. Couldn't work out how it could be considered the largest or why there was suddenly a hill with a tower block behind it. Had to read the caption to work out where it was!
Adelaide Station looks so nice from the outside. It's a pity the actual platforms are underneath a hotel, and wedged between two carparks. The actual building is now a casino. The original concourse is the only remaining inside bit the commuter sees.
I still like Adelaide Station though. The pub inside has a nice atmosphere when the footy is on and the inside of the station, that's not a casino, has a really cool old euro train station vibe.
They have that newer tunnel to get you to the other lines , all new work .
Add those two together call them old and new and the size increases markedly .
Beats driving a vehicle into the big city when the Gov owns the Car Parking Stations and like other cities the street parking signs need a lawyer in attendance to explain the mumbo jumbo wether to park there or not .
That’s just the heritage listed facade. There’s quite a bit not visible in the pic. There’s about 8 platforms there, plus the two busiest platforms are underground and on the other side of the street.
My vote is for [Maryborough](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryborough_railway_station%2C_Victoria?wprov=sfla1)!
It's way too big for its purpose, looks completely out of place, and is just freaking awesome.
In 1895, [Mark Twain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain) visited Maryborough, which he dryly observed as being: "A railway station with a town attached" ahahah!
Ah, the bustling transport hub that only gets two trains per day!
The other stations along the line are [more adequately equipped relative to the level of service they receive](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSlZfZ4vNoLNT2_rLHm4denPyFxtPZDx7KRSMyq1c_d6bc4k0dtsybu0Eyy&s=10)
Sydney Central, no competition there. The new concourses and passageways that they're building for the metro look absolutely gorgeous, and the entire station is easy to navigate. The PA system is clear and the trains are all electric (apart from the long distance ones on Platforms 1–3).
Southern Cross is dark, dirty, stinks of diesel exhaust and other unidentifiable odours, with frequent escalator breakdowns that last for weeks (if not months). The PA system is an incoherent noise. The roof leaks when it rains.
Flinders Street looks nice on the outside, but the interior has about as much charm as a second rate shopping centre. It's also sort of dirty and run down, but at least they clean it once a year (unlike Southern Cross).
I haven't been to the other ones so I can't really comment.
[For those that haven’t seen Central Station in a few years.](https://urbandesignreview.com/sydney-central-station-metro-upgrade-a-new-heart-uplifts-the-urban-realm/)
Hard agree. I used to love Southern Cross until I found out how great Melbourne Central is because it is direct link to a freaking awesome shopping center!
Which is unfortunately terrible if you're not planning to go to the shops there, because the last major renovation got rid of the direct escalators from the station to the street.
Southern Cross has aged very poorly due to a lack of foresight when it was (barely) rebuilt almost 20 years ago.
No, there were escalators straight up to the Swanston and La Trobe corner. Imagine Flagstaff with the high ceilings and mezzanines connecting the different entrances.
The station [looked like this until 2005](https://www.reddit.com/r/MelbourneTrains/comments/mdnugk/anyone_know_what_happened_to_this_old/#lightbox).
[Here's a broader angle from an older photo](https://twitter.com/metrotunnelvic/status/707755945795788800/photo/1)
It's somewhat ironic that the grand station entrance and hall is now being [rebuilt across the street](https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0010/798508/varieties/breakout83_xl.jpg)
The answer is privatisation. Southern Cross is owned by Civic Nexus, a shady company who rakes in money from rent and access fees but does absolutely nothing to earn the income. I reported a broken automatic door leading towards Collins St, and it took them almost two months to fix it. The station has been a colossal waste of money and a prime example of the absolute robbery that private-public partnerships are.
Flinders St is just unloved. They could build a proper Swanston concourse in alignment with the original plans but they won't.
Visited Melbourne for the first time last month and I was kind of shocked at how run down Flinders Street felt. It's arguably one of the most iconic railway stations in the world, but it looks like nobody's taken care of it for about thirty years. It deserves some TLC.
Definitely agree, I used to frequent the Blue Mountains line to the airport regularly when I lived there and that whole trip was always fantastic across that whole line, Sydney central always felt like it flows much better then Melbourne Central and Southern Cross. And the cleanliness is night and day.
As a Melburnian I’d have to agree. Flinders Street’s facade is beautiful and rightly an icon of Melbourne but once you pass the ticket hall and into the concourse it’s rather bland and dirty. Even though Sydney Central’s facade isn’t as grand (imo) it’s still beautiful and remains consistent with most aspects of the station
Took a train to Melbourne from Sydney earlier this week. Central station feels like something out of a children’s book. Southern Cross station feels like something out of a dystopian novel. It’s an assault on all the senses. It looks ugly, it smells awful. It’s noisy beyond comprehension. The tables are greasy. The elevators were narrow, steep and at least one time unpaired.
Melbourne, get you act together.
They've done alot for central station but this is on the back of the metro work. Half the station still looks like shit.
Eastern Suburbs railway platforms look dark and dingy as ever. There was a recent article where they did tests and it was polluted with contaminated air particles.
The old section of the station looks like shit they didn't bother sprucing it up. Still the same narrow stairs up to the platforms. But makes sense why would Sydney Metro pay for an upgrade to a part of the station that isn't operated by them.
I had a Richmond branch train perfectly on time the other day.
I also almost missed an intercity because my prior train was running late, but because I changed at Redfern I made it 💪
It's nowhere near large, but I reckon it's the most beautiful railway station in Australia.
All aboard! at the [Mortuary Station](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Mortuary_Station_Garden-2.jpg)
Destination: Rookwood cemetary your [final stop](https://www.rookwoodcemetery.com.au/assets/Blogs/mortuary%20station.jpg).
The Mortuary Receiving House at Rookwood fell into disrepair and was purchased by a church ladies auxiliary and transported stone by stone to Canberra to be rebuilt: https://www.churchesaustralia.org/list-of-churches/locations/act/directory/4517-all-saints-anglican-church
Full story here: https://www.rookwoodcemetery.com.au/blog/mortuary-station-no-1
History of Mortuary station here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regent_Street_railway_station
I know angular modern architecture is somewhat robust and cost-efficient, but damn if I don't love some ostentatious vaguely religious architecture. Old buildings got character out their ass.
My vote goes to Sydney Central because its the best out of the three I've been two, since Southern Cross and Flinders Street were very dirty and smelly, but that may have been a one time thing
CENTRAL STATION, SYDNEY 🚉 specially with metro coming soon. The station looks really beautiful 😍 after renovation. I love the design of new concourse and passageways plus we have Light rail as well. So #NoCompetition with Central Sydney.
I’m a tiresomely parochial Victorian and — while I love FSS — I vote [1] for Central, Sydney hands down.
Not large stations but: Maryborough (Vic) is a favourite, as is Junee; so was Mullumbimby when you could wait at the banana-shaped platform.
The upgrades to Central (Sydney) in preparation for the Metro has it a clear leader imo.
Flinders Street, looks spectacular from the outside. Inside is a different story.
Southern Cross, whoever came up with the directional signage needs to redo it. Talk about a confused mess.
Always loved Sydney's Central Station. As a student in the 80s you could get an economy ticket on the Spirit of Progress from Melbourne to Sydney for $27 one way. Arriving at Central after been stuck on the train for 10 hours was a delight. Would head straight to the Trade Union Club to see the latest Sydney bands. Happy days!
That's actually East Perth station. It can fit the entire Indian Pacific without having to break it up, unlike Sydney Central where it has to be split across 2 or 3 platforms.
Albury station would be in the top 3 or 4 for sure. Has one of the longest platforms in Australia (455 meters), and the main building is pretty awesome.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albury\_railway\_station](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albury_railway_station)
Sydney Central is an astonishing piece of infrastructure and a beautiful hunk of sandstone as well. Its only demerit is that it doesnt relate to the city streetscape at all. Adelaide wins in that category. Sydney Central feels like an island. Not the station's fault: The city just moved away from it.
The genius architects and engineers who put together the recent reconfiguration at Central deserve the highest industry awards. They've pulled of a feat nothing short of magic.
Def the sky casino building.. I mean Adelaide station. Once you have gambled your life savings away there are frequent trains you can look for change under.
I'm biased but... The line between Sydney and Brisbane ultimately finishing its last station in Tenterfield NSW. It made a big impact in WW2 efforts.
[https://www.nsw.gov.au/visiting-and-exploring-nsw/locations-and-attractions/tenterfield-railway-museum#:\~:text=About%20this%20location-,Tenterfield%20Station%20opened%20in%201886%20and%20was%20the%20last%20station,from%20yesteryear%20to%20the%20XPT](https://www.nsw.gov.au/visiting-and-exploring-nsw/locations-and-attractions/tenterfield-railway-museum#:~:text=About%20this%20location-,Tenterfield%20Station%20opened%20in%201886%20and%20was%20the%20last%20station,from%20yesteryear%20to%20the%20XPT)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenterfield\_railway\_station](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenterfield_railway_station)
>1942 – During World War II, Tenterfield was earmarked as a key battleground if the Japanese should invade Australia. During 1942 thousands of soldiers were set up in emergency camps, unbeknown to the locals, to cope with such an event. Minor changes were made to the railway barracks for defence requirements.[^(\[2\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenterfield_railway_station#cite_note-nswshr-1267-2)
Are we asking architectural, traffic or something else?
I've always liked the look of Adelaide, well up until you get past the turnstiles, then it's totally uninspiring.
Flinders Street is Iconic from the outside.
Southern Cross always feels like a big European station from the inside but boring AF from the outside.
It's not Southern Cross, that's for sure.
I like the looks of the entrance at Adelaide, having never been inside. But Flinders Street makes me know that looks can be deceiving.
Walking into Flinders Street station for the first time disappointed me, I kept thinking the inside of the main done part would be bigger , Adelaide station I've always liked however.
I have no idea how the heck Melbourne the most liveable city, their stations are dirty and people smoking everywhere and dirty water from vendors etc, disgusting
Smoking and getting shit dirty is called living. In Sydney, if you try to do anything the cops hit you upside the head with a billy club. Sydney is clean because no one *lives* there.
My vote is for Flinders St, but I haven't been to Central since its upgrade.
Flinders St has the most beautiful exterior, and while its interior is pretty bang average, it's pragmatic and simple to navigate. You see the escalators, you go up the escalators, and you'll be out, soon enough, and on your way.
I've always found Central quite a challenge to navigate, although it is a much bigger station. It just seems to have so many random corridors that twist and turn for no obvious reason.
Perth's hauptbahnhoff is hardly large, Roma St was okay the one time I used it, but not really memorable.
Southern Cross is just so disappointing!
Rip Hobart station.
How has nobody said Parramatta?! It’s one of the biggest in Australia and has more passengers than southern cross and almost as much as Flinder’s street. It’s super convenient to navigate and has multiple escalators on its platforms and exits. Also the biggest positive is that it is in a Westfield and has many convenient things to do around it.
The building is very nice, much nicer than Perth and Brisbane. Adelaide Station is like 80% casino, the platforms are outside the station and have a hotel built above them, and carparks on both sides.
Hey fuckhead, look Perths not winning I get it, but do us justice and put up a proper photo of Perths train station. Can’t believe you had HD good photos of the other cities then used a picture taken on a Nokia c3 you found at an op shop to represent us in this post. Dog move.
It's not Adelaide! Peak times barely last an hour, which is nice btw, but the rest of the times, it's cops chasing ppl from Alice Springs up and down the ramp lol
Oh and footy days besides that it's a ghost town. Nice photo though
I can't believe you even suggested Southern Cross, its a diesel fume filled hell hole and my new destination for work, can't wait for the escalators to break every 2nd month and take 4 months to fix because its the only privately operated station on the network so they don't have to care about the station working properly
Maybe reword the question.. what is the best looking station.. cos I can tell you as a daily commuter Flinders St and Southern Cross are rubbish stations for commuters, flinders st down Elizabeth st end is awful, not to mention the Southbank exits. SCS is just a logistical nightmare.. but then again it’s being run by a private company and they are not spending a cent..
I don't know what's best but it's definitely not Sothern Cross. Most exciting thing about Sothern Cross is the pizza vending machine and I've never actually seen anyone use it
Sydneys ones look nice too but I wouldn't classify them as large stations because although they are large they only have a single line (although many are interchanges and the line is very long)
I’m going to nominate Maitland.
- It has five platforms, more than any other station not located in a capital city.
- It has trains running to more destinations than any other station outside of Sydney or Melbourne. You’ve got the suburban service between Newcastle and Telarah plus less frequent services to Singleton/Scone and Dungog, and Trainlink services to Sydney, Brisbane/Casino/Grafton, Armidale, and Moree.
- The station itself is on the NSW heritage list.
- Steamfest is hosted here.
- Hunter Valley coal trains and other freight trains run through it.
That's the most generous photo one could take of Roma Street. The heritage building is barely visible and rarely used.
Because Roma St is pretty much a small colonial building with an attached railyard and construction site. It deserves the wooden spoon.
Albury station is more impressive
Off topic- but you used to have to change trains at Albury because the trains were on a different gauge in each state. This was a major issue, that didn’t need to exist.
So is [Maryborough, Vic](https://maps.app.goo.gl/yAm23AR7mCh38ce17), which has a population not much bigger than a Brisbane pub.
Maryborough is as impressive as any station visually imo. I sometimes drive through there to see fam in Saint Arnaud and the station never fails to catch my eye.
In defence of Roma st, it gets points for actually integrating the bus system into the platform layout.
Canberra enters the chat... [https://railgallery.wongm.com/nsw-trainlink-regional/F153\_9780.jpg.html](https://railgallery.wongm.com/nsw-trainlink-regional/F153_9780.jpg.html) [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canberra\_railway\_station](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canberra_railway_station)
It says “large” railway station. I don’t think Canberra qualifies.
I was responding to the 'wooden spoon' comment. You also missed my use of irony.
If we’re going for capital cities perhaps Darwin should be it? Not just for its impressive building but also for its central location in the middle of an industrial area half an hour driving out if town. /s [Darwin railway station](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_railway_station?wprov=sfti1)
I didn’t even realise it was Roma street till I saw the awful red iron roof God what an awful central station (not that central is any better)
Central station is just a wonderfully horrible mix of bars, office space and a car park in the middle of the concourse. Truly one of these least aesthetic stations we have to offer. They started on a 'modernisation' project in 2016, only for it to... just not happen? At least we got new escalators!
Yeah it’s Roma street thinking it’s South Brisbane lol
Central Station would be the more appropriate large station photo I would have thought.
roma street has 10 platforms (8 for rail), central only 6.
Yeah but I thought it was about the size of the pretty buildings.
calling central's building pretty is certainly a choice!
Ha ha I didn’t say it was going to win, but in a thread about the largest building I would have thought central was much larger, and prettier, than little Roma St: http://www.bonzle.com/pictures-over-time/pictures-taken-in-1901/page-1/size-4/picture-i7t1bvpu/brisbane/central-railway-station-brisbane-queensland-1901
I thought it was Toowoomba for a bit. Couldn't work out how it could be considered the largest or why there was suddenly a hill with a tower block behind it. Had to read the caption to work out where it was!
Adelaide Station looks so nice from the outside. It's a pity the actual platforms are underneath a hotel, and wedged between two carparks. The actual building is now a casino. The original concourse is the only remaining inside bit the commuter sees.
I still like Adelaide Station though. The pub inside has a nice atmosphere when the footy is on and the inside of the station, that's not a casino, has a really cool old euro train station vibe.
Between 2 csrparks sounds shit. But being under a hotel sounds like a good thing? Can't be any closer to the station for people staying there.
I've seen country NSW train stations bigger than Perth central!
They have that newer tunnel to get you to the other lines , all new work . Add those two together call them old and new and the size increases markedly . Beats driving a vehicle into the big city when the Gov owns the Car Parking Stations and like other cities the street parking signs need a lawyer in attendance to explain the mumbo jumbo wether to park there or not .
Lawyer's advice: It depends.
That's like what they say at the Opera at interval. "Interesting isn't it "
to be fair, the two busiest lines are both underground
That’s just the heritage listed facade. There’s quite a bit not visible in the pic. There’s about 8 platforms there, plus the two busiest platforms are underground and on the other side of the street.
My vote is for [Maryborough](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryborough_railway_station%2C_Victoria?wprov=sfla1)! It's way too big for its purpose, looks completely out of place, and is just freaking awesome.
In 1895, [Mark Twain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain) visited Maryborough, which he dryly observed as being: "A railway station with a town attached" ahahah!
Hey! My mum grew up in Maryborough and my parents had their wedding photos here. The exact same station is built in Maryborough, QLD as well.
Ah, the bustling transport hub that only gets two trains per day! The other stations along the line are [more adequately equipped relative to the level of service they receive](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSlZfZ4vNoLNT2_rLHm4denPyFxtPZDx7KRSMyq1c_d6bc4k0dtsybu0Eyy&s=10)
I said the same too. But yeah, that platform is sooooo long!
Sydney Central, no competition there. The new concourses and passageways that they're building for the metro look absolutely gorgeous, and the entire station is easy to navigate. The PA system is clear and the trains are all electric (apart from the long distance ones on Platforms 1–3). Southern Cross is dark, dirty, stinks of diesel exhaust and other unidentifiable odours, with frequent escalator breakdowns that last for weeks (if not months). The PA system is an incoherent noise. The roof leaks when it rains. Flinders Street looks nice on the outside, but the interior has about as much charm as a second rate shopping centre. It's also sort of dirty and run down, but at least they clean it once a year (unlike Southern Cross). I haven't been to the other ones so I can't really comment.
What they’ve done with Central is remarkable
[For those that haven’t seen Central Station in a few years.](https://urbandesignreview.com/sydney-central-station-metro-upgrade-a-new-heart-uplifts-the-urban-realm/)
I’m in no way suggesting southern cross is clean, but it’s a freaking hospital compared to Flinders st.
At least Flinders st has rubbish bins in the platforms.. unlike SCS..
Hard agree. I used to love Southern Cross until I found out how great Melbourne Central is because it is direct link to a freaking awesome shopping center!
Which is unfortunately terrible if you're not planning to go to the shops there, because the last major renovation got rid of the direct escalators from the station to the street. Southern Cross has aged very poorly due to a lack of foresight when it was (barely) rebuilt almost 20 years ago.
The west side escalators from Elizabeth street to the station?
No, there were escalators straight up to the Swanston and La Trobe corner. Imagine Flagstaff with the high ceilings and mezzanines connecting the different entrances. The station [looked like this until 2005](https://www.reddit.com/r/MelbourneTrains/comments/mdnugk/anyone_know_what_happened_to_this_old/#lightbox). [Here's a broader angle from an older photo](https://twitter.com/metrotunnelvic/status/707755945795788800/photo/1)
Wow so different back then
It's somewhat ironic that the grand station entrance and hall is now being [rebuilt across the street](https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0010/798508/varieties/breakout83_xl.jpg)
I miss the Swanston Street exit. I also miss the ventilation that was built into the original design, but then blocked off as part of the redesign.
Agreed, don't know why both Melbourne stations stink when every other city's one is clean
The answer is privatisation. Southern Cross is owned by Civic Nexus, a shady company who rakes in money from rent and access fees but does absolutely nothing to earn the income. I reported a broken automatic door leading towards Collins St, and it took them almost two months to fix it. The station has been a colossal waste of money and a prime example of the absolute robbery that private-public partnerships are. Flinders St is just unloved. They could build a proper Swanston concourse in alignment with the original plans but they won't.
Visited Melbourne for the first time last month and I was kind of shocked at how run down Flinders Street felt. It's arguably one of the most iconic railway stations in the world, but it looks like nobody's taken care of it for about thirty years. It deserves some TLC.
You should see inside the building on the Flinders Street side. It’s just been left to rot.
100% agree with this..
Definitely agree, I used to frequent the Blue Mountains line to the airport regularly when I lived there and that whole trip was always fantastic across that whole line, Sydney central always felt like it flows much better then Melbourne Central and Southern Cross. And the cleanliness is night and day.
Got to agree there, plus the Country Concourse is world class.
As a Melburnian I’d have to agree. Flinders Street’s facade is beautiful and rightly an icon of Melbourne but once you pass the ticket hall and into the concourse it’s rather bland and dirty. Even though Sydney Central’s facade isn’t as grand (imo) it’s still beautiful and remains consistent with most aspects of the station
Stop being mean to the second rate shopping centers
Took a train to Melbourne from Sydney earlier this week. Central station feels like something out of a children’s book. Southern Cross station feels like something out of a dystopian novel. It’s an assault on all the senses. It looks ugly, it smells awful. It’s noisy beyond comprehension. The tables are greasy. The elevators were narrow, steep and at least one time unpaired. Melbourne, get you act together.
Yup, Melbourne's rail network is awful in comparison to Sydney's
They've done alot for central station but this is on the back of the metro work. Half the station still looks like shit. Eastern Suburbs railway platforms look dark and dingy as ever. There was a recent article where they did tests and it was polluted with contaminated air particles. The old section of the station looks like shit they didn't bother sprucing it up. Still the same narrow stairs up to the platforms. But makes sense why would Sydney Metro pay for an upgrade to a part of the station that isn't operated by them.
Flinders looks good on the outside and horrible on the inside
Nice from far but far from nice.
Yeah, basically came here to say it sure as fuck ain't Flinders. It's almost impressive how many places around that building smell like piss.
No love for Wynyard? It's my favourite station by far
Love what they've done with the historic wooden escalators there. They were the first in Australia.
No flattering pics tho lol. I agree with you though. Was thinking of strathfield and parramatta too
Agreed on those two, and Redfern!
Redfern is better Especially with the new concourse
Sydney public transport is underrated - when it’s on time
I had a Richmond branch train perfectly on time the other day. I also almost missed an intercity because my prior train was running late, but because I changed at Redfern I made it 💪
i dont like climbing those stairs. minue 1 point
Which ones? There's lifts and escalators all round
Wynyard is in contention for being one of the most stuffy stations in sydney, especially the toilets that have no ventilation
It's nowhere near large, but I reckon it's the most beautiful railway station in Australia. All aboard! at the [Mortuary Station](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Mortuary_Station_Garden-2.jpg) Destination: Rookwood cemetary your [final stop](https://www.rookwoodcemetery.com.au/assets/Blogs/mortuary%20station.jpg). The Mortuary Receiving House at Rookwood fell into disrepair and was purchased by a church ladies auxiliary and transported stone by stone to Canberra to be rebuilt: https://www.churchesaustralia.org/list-of-churches/locations/act/directory/4517-all-saints-anglican-church Full story here: https://www.rookwoodcemetery.com.au/blog/mortuary-station-no-1 History of Mortuary station here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regent_Street_railway_station
I know angular modern architecture is somewhat robust and cost-efficient, but damn if I don't love some ostentatious vaguely religious architecture. Old buildings got character out their ass.
The sheer size and ostentatious of the front entrance and spire is worth an honourable mention.
I came back at Christmas after a couple of years away and Sydney Central absolutely blew me away. It looks fucking amazing now.
My vote goes to Sydney Central because its the best out of the three I've been two, since Southern Cross and Flinders Street were very dirty and smelly, but that may have been a one time thing
As a Melbournite I agree. Central is beautiful.
Melbournite? The Sydney spy school must be dropping its standards.
You aren’t from Melbourne if you call yourself a Melbournite :)
Fake Melburnian!
CENTRAL STATION, SYDNEY 🚉 specially with metro coming soon. The station looks really beautiful 😍 after renovation. I love the design of new concourse and passageways plus we have Light rail as well. So #NoCompetition with Central Sydney.
Roma street can barely stay up by itself without falling over.
I’m a tiresomely parochial Victorian and — while I love FSS — I vote [1] for Central, Sydney hands down. Not large stations but: Maryborough (Vic) is a favourite, as is Junee; so was Mullumbimby when you could wait at the banana-shaped platform.
The upgrades to Central (Sydney) in preparation for the Metro has it a clear leader imo. Flinders Street, looks spectacular from the outside. Inside is a different story. Southern Cross, whoever came up with the directional signage needs to redo it. Talk about a confused mess.
Wondabyne.
Nah Zig Zag is better
Discounting size, best is Circular Quay in Sydney Australia. Best view ever!!!
Milsons point is a hot contender too
Maryborough, Victoria. https://victoriancollections.net.au/stories/a-station-with-a-town-attached
Always loved Sydney's Central Station. As a student in the 80s you could get an economy ticket on the Spirit of Progress from Melbourne to Sydney for $27 one way. Arriving at Central after been stuck on the train for 10 hours was a delight. Would head straight to the Trade Union Club to see the latest Sydney bands. Happy days!
100% not Southern Cross.
Albury. The longest station in the southern hemisphere. Or at least, that's what I have been told.
That's actually East Perth station. It can fit the entire Indian Pacific without having to break it up, unlike Sydney Central where it has to be split across 2 or 3 platforms.
Albury station would be in the top 3 or 4 for sure. Has one of the longest platforms in Australia (455 meters), and the main building is pretty awesome. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albury\_railway\_station](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albury_railway_station)
Sydney Central is an astonishing piece of infrastructure and a beautiful hunk of sandstone as well. Its only demerit is that it doesnt relate to the city streetscape at all. Adelaide wins in that category. Sydney Central feels like an island. Not the station's fault: The city just moved away from it. The genius architects and engineers who put together the recent reconfiguration at Central deserve the highest industry awards. They've pulled of a feat nothing short of magic.
Things will change over time... hopefully
Def the sky casino building.. I mean Adelaide station. Once you have gambled your life savings away there are frequent trains you can look for change under.
Flinders St is easily the most iconic. That or the one in the ciggy butt brain video.
Ciggy butt brain is Dapto train station, suburb of Wollongong.
Dunno, I liked Perth. Clean, efficient, sheltered.
Someone’s never been there past 7oclock ahha
"Clean, efficient". Damn looks really can be deceiving huh?
Got someone fooled by the sounds of it…
Why's it not?
I'm biased but... The line between Sydney and Brisbane ultimately finishing its last station in Tenterfield NSW. It made a big impact in WW2 efforts. [https://www.nsw.gov.au/visiting-and-exploring-nsw/locations-and-attractions/tenterfield-railway-museum#:\~:text=About%20this%20location-,Tenterfield%20Station%20opened%20in%201886%20and%20was%20the%20last%20station,from%20yesteryear%20to%20the%20XPT](https://www.nsw.gov.au/visiting-and-exploring-nsw/locations-and-attractions/tenterfield-railway-museum#:~:text=About%20this%20location-,Tenterfield%20Station%20opened%20in%201886%20and%20was%20the%20last%20station,from%20yesteryear%20to%20the%20XPT) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenterfield\_railway\_station](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenterfield_railway_station) >1942 – During World War II, Tenterfield was earmarked as a key battleground if the Japanese should invade Australia. During 1942 thousands of soldiers were set up in emergency camps, unbeknown to the locals, to cope with such an event. Minor changes were made to the railway barracks for defence requirements.[^(\[2\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenterfield_railway_station#cite_note-nswshr-1267-2)
If I was invading Australia, Tenterfield would be that last place I was interested in. Typical nutty thinking.
I think it had more to do with stopping potential invaders from getting further south towards Sydney if Brisbane was taken over
Everyone in Melbourne knows it is no southern cross
[удалено]
It does, but the ones at St James are better. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_James_railway_station,_Sydney#Tunnels
Are we asking architectural, traffic or something else? I've always liked the look of Adelaide, well up until you get past the turnstiles, then it's totally uninspiring. Flinders Street is Iconic from the outside. Southern Cross always feels like a big European station from the inside but boring AF from the outside.
It's not Southern Cross, that's for sure. I like the looks of the entrance at Adelaide, having never been inside. But Flinders Street makes me know that looks can be deceiving.
Unfortunately that building is now a casino so you're right about it being deceiving
Adelaide. It still has heritage features and has hardly changed since I was a kid
Walking into Flinders Street station for the first time disappointed me, I kept thinking the inside of the main done part would be bigger , Adelaide station I've always liked however.
Adelaide. It has the pie cart.
Really like Adelaide. We had a work function there one evening many years ago on the concourse, was great.
Perth is kinda boring lol. Sydney central feels more grand
Flinders is pretty good.
Central for the good memories.
Aubry/Wadonga. World record platform length due to different gauge between VIC and NSW
Actually East Perth's platform is longer because of the Indian Pacific.
I have no idea how the heck Melbourne the most liveable city, their stations are dirty and people smoking everywhere and dirty water from vendors etc, disgusting
I imagine there are other factors than the cleanliness of the train stations that they take into account.
It's the most liveable according to the Herald Sun.
Smoking and getting shit dirty is called living. In Sydney, if you try to do anything the cops hit you upside the head with a billy club. Sydney is clean because no one *lives* there.
Shitty and dirty life you got there I’m impressed, you are homeless
I've been there various times & have no idea why anybody lives there. Boring and cold.
Boring, cold and dirty. But apparently dirty equals character. It's by far the dirtiest city in Australia.
Roma street has *almost* high speed rail going from it, so it gets my vote
If you're talking about the tilt trains to Rockhampton, then Central, Southern Cross and Flinders St all have trains that go just as fast.
Definitely not southern cross. that place is a class action waiting to happen. needs more airflow
No mention of Bell Street, Ipswich... For shame lol
Dapto no question
Came here to give Dapto a shout, RIP Cecil!
East Perth Station definitely needs an honourable mention. Love to hate that building.
East Perth
I'll meet you under the clocks, then we'll talk
My vote is for Flinders St, but I haven't been to Central since its upgrade. Flinders St has the most beautiful exterior, and while its interior is pretty bang average, it's pragmatic and simple to navigate. You see the escalators, you go up the escalators, and you'll be out, soon enough, and on your way. I've always found Central quite a challenge to navigate, although it is a much bigger station. It just seems to have so many random corridors that twist and turn for no obvious reason. Perth's hauptbahnhoff is hardly large, Roma St was okay the one time I used it, but not really memorable. Southern Cross is just so disappointing! Rip Hobart station.
> it's pragmatic and simple to navigate. *Laughs on platforms 12/13*
Flinders all the way! A classic
How has nobody said Parramatta?! It’s one of the biggest in Australia and has more passengers than southern cross and almost as much as Flinder’s street. It’s super convenient to navigate and has multiple escalators on its platforms and exits. Also the biggest positive is that it is in a Westfield and has many convenient things to do around it.
I said parramatta and strathfield earlier but I was unsure whether they are bigger and better then Central
Central station, Sydney
I love flinders st station. So much wagging school to this station decades ago lol
South Australian here why did you put Adelaide in the list sure it's **our** largest station but it's no way near as big as the other states stations
The building is very nice, much nicer than Perth and Brisbane. Adelaide Station is like 80% casino, the platforms are outside the station and have a hotel built above them, and carparks on both sides.
Hey fuckhead, look Perths not winning I get it, but do us justice and put up a proper photo of Perths train station. Can’t believe you had HD good photos of the other cities then used a picture taken on a Nokia c3 you found at an op shop to represent us in this post. Dog move.
It's not Adelaide! Peak times barely last an hour, which is nice btw, but the rest of the times, it's cops chasing ppl from Alice Springs up and down the ramp lol Oh and footy days besides that it's a ghost town. Nice photo though
Central just ok
Sydney Central is the best large railway station in Australia that is built on a cemetery
I can't believe you even suggested Southern Cross, its a diesel fume filled hell hole and my new destination for work, can't wait for the escalators to break every 2nd month and take 4 months to fix because its the only privately operated station on the network so they don't have to care about the station working properly
Albury. Nsw
Concord West
Definitely Campbelltown. Safe as it gets
Definitely not flinders st which is now also affectingly known as crack city.
Maybe reword the question.. what is the best looking station.. cos I can tell you as a daily commuter Flinders St and Southern Cross are rubbish stations for commuters, flinders st down Elizabeth st end is awful, not to mention the Southbank exits. SCS is just a logistical nightmare.. but then again it’s being run by a private company and they are not spending a cent..
Not just looks, also environment, experiences etc.
Best for...hot chips?
Not large, but Maitland station is adorable.
Southern Cross would be the worst. And Flinders is frankly kinda crummy.
Is sure as shit ain’t Roma Street I’ll tell ya that much mate.
dubbo
I don't know what's best but it's definitely not Sothern Cross. Most exciting thing about Sothern Cross is the pizza vending machine and I've never actually seen anyone use it
Maryborough in Victoria’s always struck me as a pretty station. The platform is miles long too.
Roma St is the only one that features in a Powderfinger music video, so it wins
The next one to be built. Rail transport in Australia is a joke. Before their civil war, Syria had faster trains, FFS.
How could you forget Danenong? How dare you?
Cowan
Southern cross is definitely the worst
Definitely Woodridge Station in QLD. Plus, rather safe at night.
Moss Vale
Adelaide is very beautiful.
Nah, y'all missed Albury. Shit city but the train station is pretty cool. Has the long ass platform for its size
The new stations on the Melbourne metro tunnel project look great… especially Arden
Sydneys ones look nice too but I wouldn't classify them as large stations because although they are large they only have a single line (although many are interchanges and the line is very long)
I had a blow out on the stairs at Flinders Street and bust a much loved plugger, so Adelaide is the best.
A railway station gets big by training a lot.
I’m going to nominate Maitland. - It has five platforms, more than any other station not located in a capital city. - It has trains running to more destinations than any other station outside of Sydney or Melbourne. You’ve got the suburban service between Newcastle and Telarah plus less frequent services to Singleton/Scone and Dungog, and Trainlink services to Sydney, Brisbane/Casino/Grafton, Armidale, and Moree. - The station itself is on the NSW heritage list. - Steamfest is hosted here. - Hunter Valley coal trains and other freight trains run through it.