Flinders Street Station
Flinders Street Station is among Melbourne's most recognisable landmarks. It is the best-known railway station in Australia.
Information on this page
Station redevelopment
After more than 95 years of serving the community, any building would be in need of a revamp. Therefore, Flinders Street Station is undergoing a $10 million upgrade to ensure the building remains a structure of which all Victorians can be proud. The upgrade involves a two-year capital works program to improve the station's facilities, make it more accessible and enhance its visual appeal.
Completed works to date include:
- refurbishing platforms 10, 12 and 13 including resurfacing
- installing new escalators to provide better access to platforms 10, 12 and 13
- an additional lift for Platform 10 (giving a total of two lifts for platforms 10, 12 and 13)
- the existing V/Line booking office has been relocated to the main ticket office, providing a 'one stop shop' for railway information and ticketing
- the exterior façade of the station building has been cleaned
- a new public address system for the station concourse area has been installed
- a new commercial area has been developed at the site of the existing V/Line booking office. New tenancies have been constructed on the station concourse adjoining Swanston Street.
Other works at the station will include:
- new lighting
- the amenity of the underpasses from Elizabeth Street to Southbank and Degraves Street to Flinders Street will be improved
- the building's roof will be waterproofed. Waterproofing of the roof around the dome at the Swanston Street end of the station is complete.
Concourse rehabilitation
The Government has also spent more than $13 million on strengthening the deck of the station concourse.
Portions of the concourse deck structure were originally built in 1906. The works have addressed the deterioration of steel work and concrete arch slabs below deck level which form the concourse floor system. This will ensure the longevity of the concourse structure well into the future.
Works commenced in January 2005 and were completed on all platforms in December 2005.
Accessibility improvements
The latest works complement previous measures which began in the 1990s to improve the accessibility of the station.
This included installing lifts and escalators to link the main concourse to platforms and placing tactile tiles on platforms and the concourse to help direct people with a vision impairment to lifts and exits. |  | 
New escalators were installed to every platform at Flinders Street Station as part of the refurbishment. Photo courtesy of Connex. |
Security at the station was also improved with the installation of closed circuit television monitoring and better lighting.
Management of the station
While Flinders Street Station remains in the ownership of the State Government (and therefore the Victorian community), the day-to-day management of the station is the responsibility of train operator
Connex under its franchise contract with the Government.
History of Flinders Street Station
Located on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets, Flinders Street Station is at the core of Melbourne's social and cultural identity.
The site of Flinders Street Railway Station has been the central point of Melbourne's rail system since 1854.
By the 1880s, the original makeshift buildings were considered inadequate. | | 
An early photograph of Flinders Street Station (PROVPTC Negative H4505. Reproduced with permission of the Keeper of Public Records) |
Finally, in 1899, a competition was held for the design of Flinders Street Station buildings and approaches. Seventeen entries were received. On 22 May 1900 the first prize was awarded to JW Fawcett and HPC Ashworth.
Work proceeded slowly until the Victorian Railways took over responsibility for the construction from the contractor on 15 August 1908. It was completed in 1910, unveiling a building that has fascinated Melbourne and visitors ever since.
The complex represents an extraordinary example of a public building, offering a range of activities and functions to the general public apart from its main purpose as a railway station. | | 
The clocks at Flinders Street Station early-mid 20th Century (PROVPTC Negative 4513. Reproduced with the permission of the Keeper of Public Records) |
The facilities are unique within any public building of this period. The dining and refreshment room interiors, and the former Victorian Railway Institute rooms, were more akin to a gentlemen's club than to a railway station.
Facts and figures
Each week, more than 10,300 passenger-carrying suburban train services operate to and from Flinders Street Station.
On an average weekday, more than 110,000 people pass through the station and its ten platforms.
At 708 metres long, platform 1 is the fourth longest railway platform in the world. | | 
Photo courtesy of Connex |
Information on
station facilities is available from the Connex website.