Сидней қаласындағы Музей теміржол стансасының тарихы

Railway station in Sydney, Australia
the railway station in Sydney

Museum railway station is a heritage listed

Railway development in Sydney began with the opening of the Sydney to Parramatta line in 1850. The terminus in Devonshire Street was, however, a considerable distance from most of the city's shops and workplaces located to the north. Disembarked railway passengers were required to either walk or be conveyed to the city centre by horse drawn and in later years steam and electrically powered trams which ran along George, Pitt or Elizabeth Streets. Throughout the second half of the 19th century and early years of the 20th century, Sydney developed a tram based public transport system which adequately served most parts of the city then settled. However, the growth in population and increased residential density in the inner suburban areas in particular resulted in the heavy congestion of thoroughfares leading into the city. Sydney then having a population of 800,000 people. Excavation work for Museum (then known as Liverpool Street) and St James stations began in 1922/23. The imagination of the public was captivated as crowds gathered daily to view construction of the tunnels and stations beneath the Hyde Park grounds. The method used was that known as "cut and cover" – seeing an expansive open cut trench dug into Hyde Park, more than of rock and soil removed, the walls of the tunnels and station formed, roofing put in place and the site eventually covered over. Construction of the two station utilised concrete for the walls and steel framework and concrete for the roof. Media praise for the opening of the two city stations was offset by reporting which focused on the fact that only a small portion of Bradfield's plan was in place. The Evening News of 18 December 1926 stated "the traffic problem, before it becomes far worse, can only be met by the construction of the inner loop of the City railway". St James and Museum were busy stations until 1956 when they were connected by the line through Circular Quay allowing trains to run into the city and back out again without needing to stop and reverse at St James as was previously done. It became part of the City Circle loop on 22 January 1956. The main entrance to the station is located at the corner of Elizabeth and Liverpool Streets. Another entrance featuring a sandstone façade is located on the corner of Liverpool and Castlereagh Streets. This entrance sits at the foot of the District Court of New South Wales' Downing Centre, formerly the site of the Mark Foy's department store. Other entrances are also located on three corners of the intersection of Elizabeth and Bathurst Streets. All exits flow into one of two concourses at the station. The main concourse is the southern one, located near the Elizabeth and Liverpool St intersection. The toilets, station office and lifts are all located in this concourse. The northern concourse is located near the intersection of Elizabeth and Bathurst St, with much less facilities compared to the main concourse. This concourse is used much less than the other one, and so is only open during the daytime on weekdays. At other times, only the southern concourse is open. There are photos of the station being built and a complete photo history through the pedestrian tunnels of this station. The platforms feature various period advertisements.

As at 1 November 2010, Museum Station has state significance as the first underground station in Australia (with St James opened the same day) and demonstrates the adaptation of the London tube style station to the Australian situation. The station is well constructed, proportioned and detailed and represents the culmination of many years of political lobbying to have a city railway system in place. The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. Aesthetic value includes aspects of sensory perception including consideration of the form, scale, colour, texture and material of the fabric. The sandstone entry or portal building is a representative example of a low scale public building in the inter war "stripped classical" style. The interior of the station, with its generous provision of space has retained most of its original detailing including tiling, balustrading, signage and other fixtures and fittings. The two (one demolished in the 1970s) portal buildings to St James were designed to integrate with, yet inversely reflect, the two original portal buildings of Museum station. The largely underground nature of St James station does not detract from the streetscape or parkland environment of the area. The location of the station at the head of Market Street has an important civic sense and street vista value. The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. Social value embraces the qualities for which a place has become a focus of political, national, regional, local or other cultural sentiment to a majority or minority group. The construction and utilization of St James Station represents approximately 70 years of pressure by citizens for city railway stations from the 1850s onwards. The underground nature of the station is a product of citizens' concern over possible loss of Hyde Park land. St James station, when linked to the rest of the city rail network from 1926 onwards was considered as important in enabling ease of transportation to the city and thereby allowing workers to live in more "healthy conditions" in suburbs further afield than was usual at the time. St James station, and the rest of the city rail network by enabling ease of transportation for workers into the city, is thought to have contributed to the expansion of Sydney's suburbia from the early to mid 20th century onwards. St James station, and the rest of the city underground network, is representative of a facility designed to cater for the future transportation of Sydney's citizens. The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. The scientific or research value of a place depends on the data involved, its rarity, quality or representativeness, and on the degree to which the place may contribute further information. St James station demonstrates a period of railway technology in New South Wales and Australia as a whole. The scale and methods of construction work especially excavation, completed for the station represented a major feat of engineering at the time.