Projects | Redfern Station Upgrade, Sydney, Australia

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The opening of the new Southern Concourse at Sydney’s Redfern Station makes it easier for people with a disability, limited mobility, parents or carers with prams, and customers with luggage, to access Platforms 1 to 10 and connect to key destinations in the local area.

Previously serving just two platforms with one lift, Redfern Station now has lifts and stairs providing level interchange across all 10 above ground platforms and concourses.

The Novo Rail alliance of Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW), Aurecon, Laing O’Rouke and subsequently John Holland was selected to deliver this important upgrade. It includes a new 85 metre southern concourse which will allow commuters to make connections more easily within the station and to surrounding areas.

The project’s sustainability features have earned the project an Excellent Design IS Rating from the Infrastructure Sustainability Council. Located in a very dense urban area of Sydney, Redfern Station is an important destination and a major hub in the network.

Determining best fit designs for passenger accessibility

The historical significance of the site, with some buildings dating back to the late 1800s, presented a major challenge for the alliance. It meant the team had to contend with aged structures not in alignment with modern engineering standards. There was limited space to fit construction equipment, and the station layout didn’t suit today’s passenger movement patterns.

The alliance, together with the project architect, developed a series of technical options to address this challenge:

Adaptive re-use of a heritage building to form the new Little Eveleigh Street entrance. Its new shared zone includes lighting, landscaping, and pedestrian wayfinding improvements.
New lifts enable people with a disability, limited mobility, parents/carers with prams, customers with luggage, and dismounted cyclists, to more easily access the concourse and platforms.
For members of the public wishing to cross from one side of Redfern Station to the other, the new southern concourse features barrier-free community access points at the Marian Street and Little Eveleigh Street entrances.
A concourse extension took place above Platforms 8 and 9 as they were too narrow to safely include stairs or a lift directly from the concourse (which was the treatment for the other platforms).
Redesigning the Little Eveleigh Street car park to avoid impacts to a heritage retaining wall uncovered during early works.

The final design incorporated inputs from the community and project working groups while staying sympathetic to the historical significance of the area with its layout, architectural finishes, landscaping and shared use zones.

Location

The Gadigal of the Eora Nation
Redfern, Sydney, Australia

Client

Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW)

Partners

Laing O’Rouke, John Holland, DesignInc

Aurecon's Role

Engineering design, construction support, sustainability advisory, digital engineering & advisory

Expertise

Rail & Mass Transit, Roads & Transport Networks, Bridges & Civil Structures, Infrastructure Advisory, Digital Engineering & Advisory, Sustainability & Climate Change

Complete

2023

The heritage building relocated to ensure that new stairs and lift shafts as part of the new southern concourse.

Relocating a 130-year-old building

Weighing 70 tonnes, a heritage building believed to be built in 1884 was moved 18 metres down Platform 1 to its new position. It was relocated to ensure that new stairs and lift shafts as part of the new southern concourse did not interfere with the structure of the building.

Engaging users in a virtual setting

Using an accurate existing site survey and a range of design inputs, a fully-interactive digital replica of Redfern Station was created by Aurecon to test design outcomes with stakeholders and the community.

Brought to life through Aurecon’s innovative 3D model viewing platform, the digital visualisation enabled early bridge concepts and masterplanning throughout the design process to be tested and finalised. As a result, users seamlessly navigated and understood the various challenges on the project in real time.

Immersing users in a digital reality

Bespoke functions were added to the 3D model that enabled users to design and test new and existing rail signalling options by virtually exploring the design without leaving their office. On such a complex project, with 10 operational train lines, the virtual visualisation positioned designers as train drivers to ensure adequate advance sighting of the signals after construction works were completed. The visualisation was also used to train drivers to navigate entering and exiting the new station platforms.

In-person, virtual reality, pop-ups were located in the existing station so customers could experience the new design in 3D and become familiarised with the new layout prior to construction.

Another bespoke function was designing station wayfinding measures to ensure smooth passenger flow and easy-to-follow navigation. With multiple entrances to the station, it was important that directional signs made connections easy for passengers. Improving visibility and situational awareness at junctions of lifts and stairs means improving security and reducing congestion points at high-traffic areas.

The new southern concourse features barrier-free community access points.

A legacy of sustainable infrastructure

The project leaves a legacy of sustainable infrastructure, advancing the New South Wales government’s commitment to a low-carbon future and achieving environmental, economic, and social sustainability outcomes.

Operational carbon and energy initiatives are providing rolling greenhouse gas emissions savings predominantly associated with a 31 kW solar photovoltaic system installed on the canopy over the new Marian Street entrance, the installation of LED lighting with daylight controls, and vegetation offset trees planted in the local area. The remaining operational electricity is intended to be sourced from renewable energy purchased under the Sydney Trains Large-scale Generation Certificate.

A 27 kl rainwater tank was installed on-site for ongoing water supply to station bathrooms, and a 5 kl rainwater tank supplied the site office bathroom with water during construction.

By using high-recycled content asphalt for the new carpark base, synthetic fibre reinforced concrete pavement in the shared zones, rather than reinforcing steel, and reusing the original heritage sandstone kerbing, the project reduced overall embodied carbon and environmental impact of materials use when compared with traditional construction materials.