Exploring Sydney’s Central Station : Disused Platforms 26 and 27

A few years ago I commuted to work each day, passing through Central Station on my way to my stop at St James Station. I was oblivious that there were tunnels and disused platforms below my feet. Only recently did I learn that these existed and so began my quest to explore both. An exploration of Central Station’s Disused Platforms 26 and 27  was my first step to fulfilling my quest.

When the 2016 Sydney Open was announced I knew that I might just be in luck. While St James Station still requires a golden ticket to explore (which I never seem to win) this year a number of new Focus Tours were added to the itinerary including a tour of Central Station’s disused platforms. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up and when tickets were released back in September I spent a good fews hours refreshing my browser and then finally ringing to get tickets (Seriously – The Sydney Living Museums needs to do something about the process. It was awful).

So why was I so excited about this tour? You may have heard the name John Bradfield at school? He was the man who designed and built the Sydney Harbour Bridge. He was a visionary, a forward thinker and he liked to plan for not only what we need today but what we might need in the future. Back in 1915, Bradfield designed an amazing rail network although not all of it became a reality. The city circle was his design although Museum and St James stations weren’t opened until 1926 and Town Hall in 1932.

Of course, you’re thinking that Central Station predates this, right? You would be right. Central Station was built way back in 1906 from a design by NSW Government Architect, Walter Liberty Vernon. The increasing demand saw more platforms added. It was the advent of the electric train that saw the creation of more underground platforms and tunnels based on Bradfield’s grand design.

The disused platforms 26 and 27 were originally created to service Bondi and the Illawarra. Money dried up and they were not completed. I can only imagine the potential they could have today when we think about the need to extend some of Sydney’s lines.

On our tour, we were guided by the president of the Australian Railway Historical Society, Chris Hardy. He gave a us a little history of the station before leading us to the platforms. The area is usually locked to visitors, even the staff at Central Station are unlikely to ever get a chance visit down here. When you walk through the doors into the space your eyes need a moment to adjust. You then realise that it looks much like every other underground platform at Central station except the concrete is raw, there are no railway tracks and the tunnels abruptly end.

What is most eerie are the voices. The concrete is very thick, so how they can be heard is an enigma. Central Stations’ Platform 26 and 27 are  built on the old location of the Devonshire Street cemetery. In 1901 the bodies were exhumed and reburied at various cemeteries across Sydney. The voices and the history have inspired some to call these platforms the “ghost platforms”.

After exploring the platforms, Chris led us through various tunnels that litter the underground of Central Station. We discovered an unused Band Room, disused offices and bathrooms, old elevator shafts and many, many rat traps. It was an amazing tour although I know St James will be even better. At the end of the tour I was left thinking, was the fight scene Neo vs Smith in the Matrix filmed in here?

If you want to read more about the tunnels and their construction head to Sydney Architecture where the history is documented along with some amazing photographs. 

Want to visit Central Station’s Disused Platforms 26 and 27? Head to Sydney Living Museums Sydney Open site for the latest news on their focus tours for 2017. Children under 13 are not permitted on the tour.

We covered all costs for this tour.