Categories
transport

SoCross: the interchange

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have already seen this. A man rushed past on the stairs at Southern Cross. He ran down and around the corner, then doubled-back to the V/Line fare gates. My guess is he’d come from the Metro platforms. Here’s a short video of what happened next. (It’s only  ... [More]

Categories
Toxic Custard newsletter transport

Southern Cross renamed back to Spencer Street

I wrote years ago that it was stupid to throw away 145 years of brand recognition when they renamed Spencer Street station to Southern Cross. Good news – it turns out they’ve just named it back! This is a great idea. The name “Southern Cross” is meaningless. “Spencer Street” is meaningful, it tells you where  ... [More]

Categories
transport

Subway into SoCross: could it be re-opened?

I had been going to write a blog post asking people what this thing is, on Little Collins Street. If one looks closely, it has City of Melbourne markings. The City of Melbourne and the Herald Sun have highlighted it overnight: it’s an old entrance to the subway underneath Spencer Street, into the nearby station.  ... [More]

Categories
Photos from ten years ago

Photos from November 2004

Continuing my series of old photos from ten years ago… Southern Cross Station under construction. The bridge with yellow on the right is the Collins Street extension, so this must have been snapped from close to where Etihad Stadium is. Note the “Park and Ride” sign, a misguided attempt to get people to drive most  ... [More]

Categories
Melbourne

Public space vs private property in central Melbourne

It’s interesting to see that around the CBD, a subtle line is often marked on the pavement, where (I’m assuming) the publicly-owned pavement ends and the privately-owned property begins. Quite a few buildings include this kind of open space, particularly at the front, and I would assume the boundary would have legal significance. In some  ... [More]

Categories
Culture transport

How to find the transport mural at Southern Cross Station

Before you go looking for it, be sure to read the updates at the bottom. The gigantic transport mural was perhaps one of the best features of the old Spencer Street station. By Harold Freedman, it depicts the first century of Victoria’s transport — from 1835 to 1935. It was commissioned by the state government  ... [More]

Categories
Melbourne Photos

End of the week pics

Pretty funny: Southern Cross Station has departure signs sponsored by Red Rooster. In part because they show less information, they actually have fewer errors than the official signs — but beware — it appears they don’t show trains departing in less than 10 minutes (because they want you to think there’s time to go and  ... [More]

Categories
transport

Regional Rail Link works continue

There’s a good view from North Melbourne station of the works on the new Regional Rail Link line that will come in from Sunshine and the western suburbs, bypassing North Melbourne (unfortunately, with no interchange platforms) into Southern Cross. The idea is that V/Line trains will be able to bypass the suburban tracks, allowing both  ... [More]

Categories
music TV

The Doctor catches V/Line

Spotted on Saturday after the Doctor Who/Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Symphonic Spectacular: Reports from the UK suggest Doctor Who has prompted more people to wear bow ties. I don’t know if that’s rubbed off in Australia, but there were certainly more bow ties and fezzes than I’ve ever seen around Melbourne yesterday, both at the venue  ... [More]

Categories
Melbourne

Southern Cross Station as viewed from above

Before last week I’d never seen this view of Southern Cross Station. It looks quite unworldly. CL was giving me a quick tour of Media House — as he commented, it looks like something from Dune. What you can’t see from the photos (not even zoomed-in) is that some sections closest to the edge, and  ... [More]

Categories
Culture Melbourne

Pic: Anubis on his way to catch a train

Anubis on his way to catch a train at Southern Cross Station. I wonder if he uses Google Chrome?

Categories
transport

New platforms at Southern Cross

When Southern Cross Station was built/renovated/unnecessarily renamed, someone made the wise decision to include provision for an extra two platforms: 15 and 16. These are now being built as part of the (possibly otherwise ill-fated) Regional Rail Link project, and seem to be progressing nicely. July 2010: Last week: There’s a catch. It’s the big  ... [More]