Town Hall Station will be located under Swanston Street, between Flinders Street and Collins Street. It will include an underground passenger connection to Flinders Street Station, allowing commuters to conveniently interchange between Metro Tunnel and City Loop train services without having to touch off and on again.
Passengers will be able to access the station from 7 entry points – at City Square, Federation Square, Campbell Arcade, Flinders Street, Swanston Street, Cocker Alley and Scott Alley.
Town Hall Station will be a gateway to some of Melbourne’s most popular landmarks, destinations, and the surrounding precinct will be changed to take advantage of nearby laneways and open spaces.
City Square
Following construction of the new station, City Square will be returned to the City of Melbourne as a public gathering and events space.
A station entrance will be located at the northern end of the square, housed by an impressive architectural glass canopy which will provide shade and weather protection, and ensure views of nearby landmarks including Melbourne Town Hall and St Paul’s Cathedral are maintained.
The renewed City Square will include open space for functions and celebrations, retail and hospitality, with vibrant garden beds and bluestone paving.
At the centre will be a permanent Smoking Ceremony dish developed with Wurundjeri Elders, with Woi-wurrung language and artwork etched into surrounding paving and throughout the square.
An interactive, digital version of the much-loved Mockridge fountain – known as the ‘water wall’ – will feature along Collins Street, while the bronze sculpture Beyond the Ocean of Existence will also return.
Raised edges along the square will provide casual seating for people to sit back and enjoy the bustling city atmosphere.
Federation Square
The Federation Square entrance will improve access to this vibrant space as well as Southbank, the Arts Centre, St Paul’s Cathedral and other culturally significant landmarks.
The station entrance will be located towards the north-western end of the square in the form of a light-filled canopy which complements the contemporary architecture of Federation Square.
Connecting streets and laneways
The Town Hall Station precinct will connect a vibrant network of local laneways, opening up new pedestrian routes and evenly distributing foot traffic around the new station.
Existing laneways at Cocker Alley and Scott Alley will be revitalised and extended to provide a direct connection into the new station development and through to Flinders Street, and the iconic King Neptune sculpture by Charles Bush will be preserved.
Around the precinct, street improvements will include wider pavements, more trees and increased seating.
Passenger connection from Town Hall Station to Flinders Street Station via Campbell Arcade
Campbell Arcade will be the location of an underground pedestrian connection between Flinders Street Station and Town Hall Station, with a design that preserves the key heritage features of the arcade and ensures the majority of shopfronts remain.
The connection will minimise impacts to heritage aspects of the main Flinders Street Station building and will reduce crowding on the Flinders Street Station concourse by taking passengers directly to platforms at the station.
To ensure this passenger connection is accessible for all community members, lifts are being installed at each of the Flinders Street Station platforms.
