Introduction
Melbourne's Southern Cross Station was built over Swanson Street Station in Melbourne for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The station has a curved steel and glass roof which at once is modern, fitting with Melbourne's fractaled Federation Square and also evoking the tradition of great railway termini of the Victorian era. The station is terminus for Victoria's new VLocity high speed country trains and the Sydney-Melbourne XPT.
While the new station has been in use for some months, it is not finished. Many of the shops are still being fitted out and the place has the air of something not quite done. This should be a popular spot for train spotters with plenty of spots to see the platforms at level and from above.
Many visitors to Melbourne may never see the station, as there is a bus depot underneath. The airport shuttle bus departs from here. There seems to be no way to get from the bus terminus to the railway concourse without going out of the building onto the street and back in again (at least none I could find).
Visitors to Melbourne interested in trains should of course, not miss visiting Flinders Street Station. You can walk down the street a few blocks and catch the free vintage tram to Flinders Street. In the basement of the station is a hobby store selling model trains. What more could you want?
See also:
- XPT Train
Some books: Australian Railways; High Speed Trains