Southern Cross railway station

Southern Cross
Inter-city, regional and commuter rail station
Main entrance to the station on the corner of Collins and Spencer Streets, August 2024
General information
LocationSpencer Street,
Melbourne, Victoria 3000
Australia
Coordinates37°49′06″S 144°57′09″E / 37.8184°S 144.9524°E / -37.8184; 144.9524
Owned byIFM Investors
Operated byCivic Nexus
Line(s)Metropolitan: Regional and inter-city:
Platforms16
Tracks22
Connections
  • List of bus routes in Melbourne Bus
  • List of tram routes in Melbourne Tram
  • Regional coach Coach
  • Skybus SkyBus
Construction
Structure typeGround level with mezzanine
Bicycle facilities12
AccessibleYes—step free access
Other information
StatusPremium station
Station codeSSS
Fare zoneMyki Zone 1
WebsiteSouthern Cross Station Pty Ltd Public Transport Victoria
History
Opened17 January 1859; 165 years ago (1859-01-17)
Rebuilt1960s and 2000s
ElectrifiedPlatforms 8 to 14 only
Previous namesSpencer Street
Passengers
2019–202019.967 million[1][2][3]Decrease 23%
2020-20216.653 million[1][2][3]Decrease 67%
2021-20228.905 million[1][2][3]Increase 34%
2022-202315.635 million[1][2][3]Increase 76%
2023-202420.161 million[1][2][3]Increase 29%
Metropolitan services
Preceding station Railways in Melbourne Metro Trains Following station
Direction of travel on metropolitan lines between stations on the City Loop changes to either Flinders Street or Flagstaff depending on the line and time of day.
Flinders Street
One-way operation
Mernda line Flagstaff
towards Mernda
Hurstbridge line Flagstaff
towards Hurstbridge
Flinders Street
Terminus
Pakenham line Flagstaff
One-way operation
Cranbourne line
Lilydale line Flagstaff
towards Lilydale or Belgrave
Belgrave line
Alamein line
Limited weekday peak services only
Flagstaff
towards Alamein
Glen Waverley line Flagstaff
Upfield line North Melbourne
towards Upfield
Craigieburn line North Melbourne
towards Craigieburn
Flemington Racecourse line North Melbourne
Sunbury line North Melbourne
towards Sunbury
Flinders Street
towards Frankston
Werribee line North Melbourne
towards Werribee
Williamstown line North Melbourne
towards Williamstown
Future services (2025)
Flinders Street
Terminus
Frankston line Flagstaff
towards Frankston
Regional services
Preceding station Railways in Victoria V/Line Following station
Terminus Albury line Broadmeadows
towards Albury
Seymour line
Weekday peak only
North Melbourne
towards Seymour
Seymour line Broadmeadows
towards Seymour
Shepparton line
2 weekday peak services
North Melbourne
towards Shepparton
Shepparton line Broadmeadows
towards Shepparton
Geelong line Footscray
Warrnambool line Footscray
towards Warrnambool
Ballarat line Footscray
towards Wendouree
Ballarat line Footscray
Ararat line Footscray
towards Ararat
Maryborough line
One daily service
Footscray
One-way operation
Bendigo line Footscray
towards Bendigo, Epsom or Eaglehawk
Swan Hill line Footscray
towards Swan Hill
Echuca line Footscray
towards Echuca
Flinders Street Gippsland line Terminus
Preceding station NSW TrainLink Following station
Terminus NSW TrainLink Southern Line
Melbourne XPT
Broadmeadows
towards Sydney
Preceding station Journey Beyond Following station
North Shore
towards Adelaide
The Overland Terminus
Building details
Map
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeRailway station terminus
Construction started2002 (2002)
Completed2006 (2006)
Cost$700m
Height23 metres (75 ft)
Technical details
Size60,000 square metres (650,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Nicholas Grimshaw
Architecture firmGrimshaw Architects
Jackson Architecture
DeveloperCivic Nexus consortium
EngineerWSP Global
Awards and prizesRoyal Institute of British Architects' Lubetkin Prize – most outstanding building outside the European Union

Southern Cross railway station (until 2005 known as Spencer Street station) is a major railway station in Docklands, Melbourne. It is on Spencer Street, between Collins and La Trobe streets, at the western edge of the Melbourne central business district. The Docklands Stadium sports arena is 500 metres (550 yards) north-west of the station.

The station is owned, operated and maintained by Civic Nexus, a subsidiary of IFM Investors and operating as Southern Cross Station Pty Ltd,[4] under a 30-year lease to 2036 from the Victorian State Government, as part of a public-private partnership.[5][6] Southern Cross Station contracts Infranexus for management services. Infranexus is also wholly owned by IFM.[7]

The station is the terminus of the state's regional railway network, operated by V/Line, The Overland rail service to Adelaide, and NSW TrainLink XPT services to Sydney. It is also served by metropolitan rail services, operated by Metro Trains, and connects with Flinders Street station and the underground City Loop. It is the second-busiest railway station in Melbourne's metropolitan network, with 14.019 million metropolitan passengers recorded in 2023/24 [8] and 5.925 million regional passengers through the V/Line network.[2][9]

Southern Cross also has a coach terminal underneath the Spencer Outlet shopping complex. SkyBus services to Melbourne Airport and since 2017 to Avalon Airport[10] operate from there, as well as Firefly Express and Greyhound Australia interstate coach services, and V/Line coach services to Mildura, Yarram, Mansfield, and other parts of Victoria not served by rail.


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  1. ^ a b c d e Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries) Data Vic
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Annual regional train station patronage (station entries)". Data Vic. Victorian Department of Transport and Planning. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e Michell, Edwin (2024). "Regional NSW station patronage".
  4. ^ "Southern Cross Station". Southern Cross Station Pty Ltd. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  5. ^ Longbottom, Jessica (31 August 2024). "Industry superfunds own Melbourne's Southern Cross Station. Why are workers concerned?". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  6. ^ "Southern Cross Station". IFM Investors. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  7. ^ "About Southern Cross Station" (PDF). Southern Cross Station. p. 8. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  8. ^ Victorian Department of Transport, Data Vic (2022). "Annual metropolitan train station patronage (station entries)".
  9. ^ "Station Patronage Data 2013–2018". Philip Mallis. Transport for Victoria. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  10. ^ Geelong-Avalon Airport shuttle bus service replaced by SkyBus Geelong Advertiser 9 July 2017