This 1993 study required the development of options for the relocation and redesign of the railway station at Circular Quay. City Rail was commissioned by NSW Public Works on behalf of the Premier’s Department Task Force for the Redevelopment of Circular Quay. The Station Study was considered a key component of the broader agenda for the redevelopment of Circular Quay as a: ‘Premium urban space of international standing at the symbolic gateway to Sydney.’
The Cahill Expressway remained in its existing position (although at the time there was a Paul Keating–led push for its removal) and the position of the Circular Quay railway station was maintained as part of a major transport interchange with buses and ferries.
I was the initial contact responsible for winning this commission and for seeing the study through to the summary and recommendation stages and to the final report preparation. It was always my hope that the valuable work we were doing and the date at which we started our evaluations (several years in advance of the Sydney’s 2000 Olympic Games) would all come together magnificently, well in time for the visitors, and we would be seen to present Sydney in the best possible light. Sadly it was never to be implemented.
