Flinders Street Station, Australia, 2021

In mid-February 2015 Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan announced that funds will be provided to undertake urgent refurbishment works and upgrade station platforms, entrances, toilets and information displays.

Without urgent heritage works, parts of the station will become unsafe, unusable, and eventually unsalvageable.

The Victorian Government’s $100 million investment will fund urgent works to repair the Administration Building’s crumbling exterior and clock tower, and make the building watertight.

Works will also help commuters and tourists who use the station every day. Platforms and entrances will be upgraded to ease passenger congestion at peak times and allow people to move through the station faster.

Toilets will be fixed, dingy and under-utilised areas will be cleaned up and well lit, and new information displays will be installed.

The project commenced in 2015 and is estimated to take four years to complete. It will create jobs, boost the surrounding commercial precinct and help keep Melbourne a tourist destination.

In addition, a business case is being developed that will allow the Victorian Government to consider options to fix the old ballroom and other derelict parts of the building, with a view to bringing in new tenants and creating an exciting commercial precinct.

flinders 2 | Cranfieldgroup

Key Facts

The heritage works to be undertaken include:

  • repairing and restoring the façade and roof
  • making the building structurally sound
  • making the building watertight
  • conserving and stabilising the building structure
  • restoring the heritage clock tower and heritage elements
  • repainting the building, consistent with heritage requirements.
  • Works to improve the station for passengers include:
  • improving access to the station precinct and between platforms, including addressing growing pedestrian congestion issues at the west end of the station
  • installing myki next generation equipment and additional myki readers
  • upgrading lighting and new passenger information displays
  • rebuilding toilet facilities
  • revamping ticket offices at the Flinders Street and Elizabeth Street entrances
  • installing a giant timetabling board facing Federation Square and the tram interchange.