REDWatch Redfern Station & North Eveleigh Connectivity

Transport for NSW (TfNSW) have to date have been treating its projects around Redfern Station separately from each other rather than as a whole. As a result the community has struggled to get connectivity issues addressed when the focus has just been just about the Southern rail concourse; the building over the Eastern Suburbs platforms 11 & 12 or; North Eveleigh. The community option (5) for the Southern Concourse was an attempt to squeeze the broader connectivity issue into a TfNSW focused approach for one part of the precinct.

To rezone the area, TfNSW has received State Significant Precinct study requirements. These say that TfNSW must produce explore connectivity including producing  “a Movement and Access Plan setting out the proposed movement corridors, access and connectivity network throughout the precinct (and beyond), the types of movements to be captured through the precinct (i.e. walking, cycling, vehicles, machinery, employees etc. during a 24-hour period)”.

Below REDWatch has identified three key issues for community discussion. REDWatch is holding a Transport Connectivity Workshop on Thursday 22 April 2021 at 6pm at the Factory Community Centre, 67 Raglan Street Waterloo to discuss such issues.

1.      Rail Bus Interchange 

How should people moving to or from the bus stop in Regent Street best move to Redfern Station? Can there be an interchange in Gibbons Street, how does that deal with buses only heading South on Regent Street including to the new Waterloo Metro and beyond?

The proposed 14 storey building at Redfern Station above the Eastern Suburbs rail line (Platform 11 and 12) provides the opportunity to get the connectivity flow right, not only for the required upgrade for access to platforms 11 and 12 BUT also commuter/pedestrian connectivity access to Gibbons Street. This project must also deal with bus rail interchange issues either on the site, adjacent to it or with the broader connections to Regent Street.

As part of this, the building should provide enough public pedestrian space at its southern perimeter (Marian and Gibbons Street) for commuters to access pedestrian flow and bus connectivity.

There are three possibilities that need consideration for improved bus rail connections:

• A designated and designed bus interchange along Gibbons Street at the southern end of the Station.  One design concept is to provide an underground bus terminal with Marion Street Park redesigned to sit on top of the terminal. It could also sit under the new 14-storey building. This terminal would provide an all-weather interchange for northbound buses and a pick up terminal for southbound passengers. It will take the pressure off the buses to start routes on Regent Street and ease the commuter connectivity issues across busy Gibbons and Regent Street. Southbound buses using Redfern Street would need to loop for a comprehensive solution.
• Integrating an elevated footbridge from Marian park and the Southern Concourse exit across Gibbons Street extending right through Marian Street and over Regent Street to the Regent Street bus stop.
• A series of new coordinated pedestrian crossings on Gibbons and Regent Street in line with Marian Street so that commuters can move directly to and from the station and the Regent Street bus-stop without detouring a block up and back to use the existing crossings. A mixed pedestrian/traffic landscaped street through the Marian Street desire line could accompany this.

2.      Pedestrian access over the new Redfern Station Southern Concourse

TfNSW has approval to build the bridge but how it operates is still open for discussion. TfNSW is looking at the possibility the bridge will be closed when trains are not running. Should this concourse have barriers and/or tap on tap off, or should the Concourse be freely accessible and ‘ungated’ with tap on tap off at platform entrances? What is best for moving bikes and prams? Can transit police fine people for just using the concourse if they have not tapped on and will people be charged a maximum fare if the forget to tap off for just using the concourse?

TfNSW with the proposed developments at North Eveleigh Precinct and the 14 storey tower above the Eastern Suburbs line has reawakened (as forewarned by the local community through Option 5) the ‘desire line’ of pedestrians to cross the railway tracks at the southern end of the station.

In its submission to the TFNSW August 2019 public consultation the community group, Walk Sydney stated:

No Payment Gates: The bridge should not be controlled by payment gates, pedestrians crossing the tracks should not need an Opal or equivalent to cross the bridge. Many crossings throughout the Sydney Trains system are open to the public, and we do not see why the residents and workers of Alexandria and Darlington should be discriminated against. Payment pillars, rather than gates, are even now used at Redfern at the current Australia Technology Park (South Eveleigh) entrance and the northwest entrance on Lawson Street. The use of the “criminals” bogeyman (that criminals will be able to use the bridge) by TfNSW staff (presenting to Alexandria Residents (ARAG) August 14, 2019), presumably quoting police, is especially problematic and an attempt to breed fear in the community. Rest assured that criminals can get smartcards too, even if they steal them.

3.       Connecting pedestrian concourse bridge from South to North Eveleigh Precincts

Breaking the barrier that the railway line creates between Alexandria and Darlington. In the Eveleigh railway workshop days there were at least three ways of moving across the railway line. What should the community be seeking from the North Eveleigh redevelopment to address that divide?

Discussion and planning for a second concourse crossing has been around since the initial Redfern Waterloo Authority master plan. An existing subway tunnel goes most of the way across the rail corridor. The location of an aerial connecting concourse would probably be to the west of the Locomotive Workshops to the northern eastern end of Carriageworks or from east of the Locomotive Workshops to the fan of tracks area. Planning concerns are around the width of the railway tracks towards Carriageworks and the ramps to access a bridge if the bridge is in the optimum position to dissect the railway barrier between Alexandria and Darlington.

There is a need to acknowledge and prepare for the anticipated use of the Waterloo Metro Station as a stop to access South Eveleigh Precinct, North Eveleigh precinct, Sydney University and Redfern Station.  A North – South Eveleigh connection will probably best suit the Waterloo Metro Sydney University desire line. Otherwise, they will use the Southern Station Concourse along Rosehill Street.

Commuter and pedestrian flow from Waterloo Metro will have to cross Raglan or Henderson Streets as well as the twin arterial roads of Regent and Wyndham / Gibbons Street. The desire line would seem to be via the intersection at Botany and Henderson Road or to cross Botany before Boundary Street. It may be necessary to move the pedestrian lights currently north of Boundary Street to south of this street. Another desire line would be diagonally across Daniel Dawson Reserve using Chapel Lane. Lights at Boundary and Gibbons would also need to be changed to better facilitate movement to Rosehill Street for the Redfern Station Southern Concourse or to cross Boundary to South Eveleigh for an alternative rail corridor crossing.

An alternative desire line to the west of South Eveleigh Waterloo Metro Station is down Henderson Road and across South Eveleigh’s Vice Chancellors Oval.

4.       Other Connectivity Issues

REDWatch has only highlighted three key issues, what have we missed what else should also be considered by TfNSW and REDWatch that would address community connectivity concerns?

Please let us know by coming to the Workshop on 22 April or by emailing mail@redwatch.org.au. For more information see the North Eveleigh & Redfern Station tabs on www.redwatch.org.au