Flinders Street Station

Already on its bicentennial year of existence, Flinders Street Station continues to serve thousands of passengers. Today, the place is considered one of the busiest stations in Australia as there are more than 100,000 people and more than 10,000 trains passing through on weekdays. But aside from being a transport station, Flinders Street Station also has other functions to offer. It is easily one of Melbourne’s number one icons with its stunning grand scale design and location. It sits on the North Bank of the CBD skyline and stretches an entire city block.

History

Flinders Street Station can be found on the landmark intersection that is Flinders and Swanston Street. The architectural design of the station's building was conceptualized by railway employees J.W. Fawcett and H.P.C Ashworth in 1900. Ten years after they won the designing competition and had their concepts implemented, the building was completed and quickly became recognized as one of Melbourne's treasured spots. The station was so famous that controversies surrounded it still after its completion; the building design was said to be originally for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus located in Mumbai, India, but there were no proof given for the rumor to be considered true.

Facilities

Staying true to its purpose, Flinders Street Station is a place that is constantly catering to the transportation demands of the public. Outside the station, at Flinders Street, are the facilities available for passengers' convenience such as closed circuit television, customer intercoms, enclosed waiting area and toilets. Meanwhile, right above the main entrance of the station can be seen a row of clocks, which, aside from showing the next train's time of departure, has become a favorite meeting spot that emanated a famous local line, "I'll meet you under the clocks."

With regard to finding transport lines, the station has installed Metlink signage, which is electronic replacing the old complicated type. The Metlink signage helps commuters, particularly the infrequent ones, to readily identify by color the transportation types that they are looking for and hence, navigate inside and around the station with more ease. For instance, if the passengers want to get on a train, they should look for the blue signage; on the other hand, for those looking for a tram or a bus, they should look for the green and orange signage, respectively. The good thing about this signage is that they also display messages that the passengers need to know like announcements and updates.

To cope with the fast-changing environment and prevent its gradual deterioration, some of the station's parts and facilities needed to undergo rehabilitation and repairs. Over A$13 million was allocated for the project that included renovation of some platforms, improvement of subways, installation of new escalators and lifts, relocation of the booking office, and clean-up of the station's exteriors. The unused ballroom space inside the station was also developed into a business space.

Flinders Street Station may be common scenery to the locals as going through the venue is almost part of their everyday routines. On the other hand, the said station is constantly being upgraded so that it can accommodate not only the people waiting for their rides, but also those who want to maintain their piece of history.