Love the binoculars Paul. Makes perfect sense. And yes that Maccas was a classic meeting spot in the 1980s. Also a late night haunt for a feed on the way home from the pub.
Thanks Matt, Glad you like the Binocular part! That reminds me of a certain Maccas that I went to close to Victoria station after a few drinks in the pub with my London Transport mates on a Friday night!
The concourses through to the platforms definitely look very similar to the design of the core section of the Elizabeth line. I wonder if foster and partners were involved in that design as well?
Yes there are some similarities for sure! Foster & Partners weren't involved in the designs of the cavern stations within Central London, but they did design Canary Wharf Station. Also John McAslan and Partners who designed Bond Street, also designed our new Waterloo Station!
Why isn't this connected to Town Hall station, and it's vast underground shopping area in the Galleries, QVB and towards Pitt St Mall etc. and 580 Geroge to the south. That would've been awesome for commuters getting around in the rain.. If they relocated the JB hifi in the galleries, that could've've facilitated a walk way to the new station?
There is an article somewhere from one the designers saying they purposely did not want to connect the metro to town hall (even just the walkways) to maintain the Metro as an independent line, ensuring reliability if and when the trains network gets impacted.
@@Hamish395 Ok, the Metro wants to be independent from trains, sure. (That explains the separate logos from trains and being self driving etc.) but isn't the whole point of public transport to be interconnected? E.g. bus stops at ferry wharfs and train stations etc? They even share the same platforms at Chatswood too (I know they converted a train line to metro, but still) considering the ease of connecting it, it seems stupid. I wonder what their excuse is going to be for not connecting Martin Place Metro to the Hunter St Metro. They're separate lines, but still Metro...
I am pretty sure Paul has completed a video showing the ability to walk from Martin Place through to Hunter Street Metro station and then to Wynyard. In regards to connecting Town Hall station to Gadigal you would think it would be a pretty easy job to connect Galleries to the escalator landing in the Metro Station. They will not want 1000’s of commuters alighting at either station and having to go to the surface streets and cross roads. They may also be waiting for the Sydney City council to redevelop the Town Hall. Square. With buildings south of Park Street being demolished (Town Hall Woolworths) there will be opportunities to build tunnels and retail stores underneath Town Hall square and Park Street.
Calling it Gadigal is stupid, an area that encompasses a massive chunk of Sydney it makes for a vague reference as to where the station actually is. It could be in Petersham. Pitt St is at least more geographically correct & is less vague. I get the virtue signalling but it makes no sense. Would have been better to call the whole thing the Gadigal line, that would actually make sense & then leave the station with a name that is more geographically specific. It's like calling it the "Sydney" station, it's silly. Also, given the station is one block from Townhall they should have had a tunnel connecting the station concourses to encourage people to transfer from Trains network to Metro network.
Hi Adam, yes it would have been wonderful to see a tunnel into the Galleries and the QVB. However, Central has been designed to be the key interchange between Train and Metro, rather than Town Hall / Gadigal, and to me, this seems like the right decision.
@@rileyeyeyy yea, I do. It was initially slated to be named Ambarvale but they changed it for some reason, probably because there was barely anything there apart from Macarther Square shopping centre. It used to be called the East hills line as many stations fit within East Hills electorate. Kinda funny though isn’t it, you’ve detected the slightest hint of someone pushing back against woke symbolism & felt the need to defend it by seeking out an obscure example to justify it. This symbolism just for the sake of it needs to stop & we need to use common sense. We should acknowledge indigenous culture but not in a nonsensical manner that makes no sense & is devoid of any meaning. I’m guessing you probably didn’t celebrate Aussie day last week.
@@TransportVlog Sorry but it’s not the right decision. It’s simply a case of appeasing minority groups purely for political tokenism. It’s been happening across this country and the western world for years and people are getting now fed up with this virtue signalling identity politics, and they have every right to. We live in a democracy after all.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! Yes I find it fascinating to discover what was there before, and its wonderful that Google Streetview lets you go back in time, as this would be tricky to do otherwise!
Gadigal will reduce Congestion of Town Hall Station. The Reason for That since Town Hall is the Busiest Station in Sydney Over Central Station. Town Hall is the Most Confiusing Station.
Good to see that this station isn't as deep as the other city metro stations, with only 2 escalators to get down to platform level instead of 3. I think this is because it had to be shallower to fit above the Cross City Tunnel. I quite like the architecture on the inside; it's cool that all the new underground Sydney Metro stations have such a different look. The layout with the diagonal passageways from each entrance to each platform is quite interesting; looks easy to navigate but could potentially take some time to walk along. I wonder why this station has less escalator capacity than Martin Place or Central; it seems like it'd need more because of its location.
Yeah, I'm loving the new Metro architecture and their individual personalities. I recall Paul saying it was deliberate so people could tell the new stations apart from one another. I bet people will complain about the walk between the two platforms if they need to change.
Hi @exploringsydneysrailways, Yes, I hadn't thought about the Cross City Tunnel, but that is probably why it is closer to the surface. It's probably a little smaller than Martin Place and Central, but as there are no direct interchanges, I reckon it should be fine.
Yes, that's right @kazwilson425. It does make it easier to recognise the station as you arrive at the station from a train. People shouldn't need to change platforms at Gadigal, unless they've got on a train in the wrong direction!
Thank you so much for this - so nicely presented and easy to understand! Excited to hear also that it’s looking to be opening mid-year rather than end of year 🤞🏼 As a Hills resident the Metro has been life-changing and it just keeps getting better and better.,
Yes absolutely! And it will be wonderful to be able to go direct to the City by metro I believe the off-peak frequency will improve when the extension opens too!
Thanks Paul. These stations are very well done, especially compared with Melbourne “metro”. The only thing that would be handy is a connection into the pedestrian tunnels that go under Town Hall, QVB, etc.
Yes they certainly are Anthony! I reckon the Melbourne Metro Tunnel stations will be pretty good too. Hopefully they'll do some community open day events at the new stations prior to them opening. Yes an underground connection under Pitt Street and into Town Hall would be wonderful, but sadly its not part of this project.
Let's wait until both Melbourne and Sydney metro are open and operating and then evaluate. Hard to properly judge them while still under construction. The Sydney stations are certainly looking good so far, I'll give you that.
Yes, I do plan to cover what was there before for other Sydney Metro stations in the future. I have already done this for Martin Place, and also quite a few of the Sydney Metro West stations, as I was able to film what was there myself before it was demolished!
Thanks, Paul for a great run-down on the new Gadigal station. The name is kind of growing on me. Better than Pitt St, as you said it would have been a bit off seeing Pitt St didn't cover it all. I was looking forward to your return. Currently working on my combo of Dulwich Hill L1.
Glad you enjoyed it Geoff. I was a bit worried, when it was first announced that Pitt Street station was likely to get an aboriginal name, but I was very happy when they decided on "Gadigal".
@@TransportVlog Hi, Paul, just came rough here, again, it seems for a second time. All looked new to me but oh well. I can hear you but can you slow down just a tad in the speech, please. Last time I probably did it with just subtitles. See you Sunday.
What’s funny is we just had a referendum and the vast majority of Australians voted against woke identity politics, and then immediately after that we get this station name change (without the people’s say on it). They are way out of touch with mainstream Australia.
Paul have you seen the news in London about the Elizabeth Line having at some of the stations 'goast' passengers on the wall where the seating is at platforms?The wall surfaces there are not wearing well as passe gers are leaving marks on the wall when they've been leaning against it. At the moment trials of new surfaces in those spots are being done using a pattern design. Hope the new Sydney Metro stops fare better.
No I hadn't heard about that Nigel. I am going to London in a few months time, so will see if I can leave a permanent marking on one of the walls! Yes hopefully this won't happen on Sydney Metro!
Great video! And thanks for the walk down memory lane, I had totally forgotten about the Maccas on that corner! Not sad it’s gone, that was a filthy street corner 😅😂 I’m loving the modernizing of our city - except for that ugly new pink building above Gadigal South 🙈 Thanks for the great work, looking forward to future updates :)
Thanks Josie, glad you enjoyed it! Yes it's so easy to forget the buildings that used to be there! Hopefully you'll get used to the new pink one over time!
I briefly worked in the Community Relations Commission for NSW (now Multicultural NSW) in the 175 Castlereagh St building way back in 2006. Can't say that I am sad to see it knocked down.
I think originally, there was going to be an entrance on Pitt Street, and it may still be possible to get to Pitt Street via the station plaza, but its not very clear on the plans.
The new buildings are looking fabulous, especially the pastel colored building in Bathurst Street. While I have many fond memories from the Hungry Jack's and MacDonalds, none of the old buildings were particularly inspiring, and the new towers plus the stations are great replacements. I live in this area, and so these are my neighborhood. BTW, since I live in a one owner, built to rent 18 story tower, I dispute the claim that that building is the first built to rent tower. Maybe the first in very recent years, but not the first.
Glad you like the new buildings! My understanding is that it's the first build to rent building in the Sydney CBD area, but as you're a local, you probably have more accurate information than I do. I did notice a built to rent building in Mascot recently.
@@TransportVlog My building was built in 1980, however, the first strata titled building in Sydney is Blues Point Tower from 1962, and all buildings before that time would have been single owner, and therefore rented out. The first high rise apartment tower in the CBD, the Astor, in Macquarie Street (which is around 12+ stories) was originally owned by John O'Brien who paid 11,900 pounds in 1920 to build it, and it was opened in 1923 by the Premier. The first tennants were said to include prominent newspaper tycoons and wool brokers. However, Kingsclere in Kings Cross is older (1912), but outside the CBD, and not as tall as the Astor, however it should be pointed out that all those 12 to 15 story apartment towers built in the 1930's apartment building boom, in Kings Cross, and a lesser extent in the CBD were all single owner buildings built to rent. All of those early towers had single ownership because it was not legal to own individual apartments at that time The first tower in the Sydney CBD that reached 50 meters (14 stories) was Chulwalla Chamers in 1914, and although a commercial building, and not apartments, all units were rented out and with a single owner. As a bit of fascinating trivia, the fire brigade of the time said that it was 'suicidal' to build towers of that height because they believed it was impossible to fight fires at that height. It appears they learned to adapt eventually :) It may well be, that strata titles had become the majority form of building development by the 1970's, but my building, in 1980, at the edge of the CBD (near Hyde Park) demonstrates that single ownership did exist for some time afterward. I quite believe that this is the first build to rent building during the current appartment tower boom of the last 30 years, but whoever told you that this is the first of all time has a very limited understanding of history, and doesn't know that while towers were being built prior to 1962, strata title did not exist before then. In fact, it could be argued that the non-existance of strata titling was limiting the number of towers being built, and that 1962 marked the beginning of a significant acceleration in tower construction purely because strata title made it easier to sell parts of buildings, rather than the entire building, and the larger the building was, the greater the problem. Strata title was revolutionary in that sense, and all possible because of the new law in NSW, the Conveyancing (Strata Titles) Act of 1961. Ownership of individual apartments was not legal prior to that change of law.
That is so interesting. I work at BDO, and we were the first company to get a spot in parkline place. It will be exciting to see what it offers. I’ve heard it will open sometime Q4 2024, but still a good change in the commercial real estate market of Sydney. Thank you again for such amazing videos!
That's awesome! I'd love to see inside Parkline place when it opens. Hope you'll be on a high floor! I'm sure the views and facilities will be amazing!
Great video Paul. Your videos are very informative, and the mix of video, pictures and drawings helps build a 3-D picture of how the station is constructed and how people and trains will move inside. Do you know if transfers will be free between Town Hall and Gadigal station? A little surprised there is no underground walkway to join the 2, but maybe it was impossible to build.
I’d like to know regarding no underway as well. In particular, on the north end, the galleries underground shopping centre (linked to Town Hall) ends where Hungry Jacks is on the same corner as the metro station access! I believe the underground JB HI FI (part of the Galleries) is under that Hungry Jacks. If that was not there, a walkway from there to Gadigal would be less than 10 metres!
Hi @jdillon8360, thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! It wouldn't have been possible without the Sydney Metro animated videos, so it was wonderful to be able to use those. Great question, and I'm not sure of the answer. However, most people will change between Train and Metro at Central rather than Town Hall. Its much quicker at Central. Just up one long escalator to the metro concourse, and into Central Walk and up another escalator to the Sydney Trains suburban platforms, and that's probably the reason for the lack of an underground walkway between Town Hall and Gadigal.
Hi @danielcohen7824, I'm not sure of the reason for not including an underground subway, but I'll try and find out if it was considered in the planning stages. Although Central station is better for Train / Metro interchanges, having an underground link into the Galleries would have been nice.
@@TransportVlog Thanks for the response Paul. Yes, the Sydney Metro videos were great but your editing and clear explanations help a lot too. Especially for this Melburnian who isn't all that familiar with Sydney's public transport. That's probably why I hadn't thought of the obvious connection at Central. Let's hope they at least build in some kind of free transfer in the Opal system so that those who accidentally get out at Gadigal can re-enter the system at Town Hall or vice-versa. I'm sure I wouldn't be the only one. I believe the London Underground provides lots of free transfers between stations that are close but not directly connected.
Great, coherent video that lets us have an amazing understanding of the new stations in Sydney. I love how Martin place but especially Gadigal station have such cool and unique layouts and designs. I absolutely love it!
Absolutely.. And I prefer Gadigal to the other name thrown up - Saunders (after a Greek/Indigenous army Captain )... If City of Sydney ever completes it's building acquisition program for a new square it can become Gadigal Square.
But in comparison to Gadigal, in which Gadigal country encompasses a huge chunk of Sydney (way more square kilometres than just 2.5km) and could be located anywhere within Inner suburban Sydney (could be near Kingsford, or Artarmon or Summer Hill etc). So no, Pitt Street IS a way more accurate telling of the stations geography. It tells you you’re at the heart of the street, at the heart of the CBD.
Thank you Paul. This is a far more useful video explanation for commuters than the endless back-patting TforNSW videos that contains no information for busy commuters at all.
Glad you enjoyed it! Yes the TforNSW tend to lack the narration and content, so I've had feedback that many TforNSW and Sydney Metro employees watch my videos!
Thank you for the update. You mentioned that "the apartment (for rent) building will be opened in June which is around the opening of the Sydney Metro line" which means that the Sydney Metro line (Chatswood-Sydenham) will be operational in June 2024 or later?
The official timeframe is "middle of 2024", and it all depends on how well the testing goes over the next few months! Indi Sydney could open before or after the metro opens.
Thanks for the video Paul. Have you spoken with engineers about the metro tunnels and the cross city road tunnel? I'm guessing the road tunnels are under the metro. I think that would be an interesting video
Hi Paul. Any idea why the exit from Charmers St entrance onto Randle Lane is always closed now. They only opened it for a week or two when the entrance was completed?
Hi Murray, no I don't know the reason for that. It leads directly to Randle Lane which has no footpaths, so that may have something to do with it. Maybe there are plans to turn Randle lane into a pedestrian shared zone. These are just my ideas and guesses!
Passengers travelling from the south will change at Central, where the combination of the North South concourse and Central Walk provides a faster and easier connection than would be possible by linking Town Hall and Gadigal Stations with a pedestrian walkway. Passengers coming from the north have a cross-platform interchange at Chatswood, and Martin Place provides an interchange from the Eastern Suburbs. A pedestrian link from Gadigal into the Galleries and QVB would be good, but I don't think it would be used by many people from transfers.
Yeah, some of the buildings were interesting, at least from the outside. That office building, not so much. Not a lot of space in the Sydney CBD to fit Metro Stations in though, given the existing infrastructure, new infrastructure (2 Metro lines coming into the city) and topography. They could have put the stations deeper, but that would make entry/exit and transfer less appealing.
Who said anything about being a nimby?... Wanting to protect heritage doesn't make me a nimby. I just find it frustrating that there are some really shocking buildings that are of no historical significance and offer nothing to the streetscape in that area that I wish had gone instead.@@ToBAYT
They certainly don't seem to have been one of a kind, although I do agree they were beautiful compared to the new structures. It's pretty major progress for transit in Sydney, though, I think it's worthwhile in the long run!
Just reporting the facts, and that includes the name change. It may not be to everyone's liking, but the important thing is that we're getting 3 new CBD stations and that's got to be a good thing!
Hi Paul, thanks for another interesting video. Gadigal Station had me wondering until you explained it here. For a minute, I though an extra station was being added. Gadigal Station looks quite good there. Incidentally, how do bus commuters travel directly to Circular Quay these days? George Street only has light rail, Castlereagh Street is one way against heading in that direction, Pitt Street is blocked by a mall and I think Elizabeth Street connects directly to the under harbour tunnel. Passengers could leave the bus in Pitt Street and walk to George Street, but that doesn't seem to be the easiest way to get to Circular Quay. Gadigal will be the first station built in Pitt Street as far as I know. I think I remember passing the Windsor Hotel many years ago. The name of the place sounds familiar for some reason. Maybe some of my work colleagues spent time there. Not sure. Anyway, take care and all the best. Rob in Melbourne Australia.
Thanks. I was wondering how the buses got through these days. I used to catch the 423 bus occasionally into the city from Marrickville and that used to go to circular Quay via Pitt Street. However, I believe now that they all terminate in Pitt Street just before the mall.
@@RGC198 that must’ve been a really long time ago? I’ve been in the CBD for nearly 20 years and buses coming from inner west don’t travel down Pitt St, they go up to Elizabeth after passing Central station.
Actually, I am thinking back to the 1960's and 1970's. When buses head up Elizabeth Street, they could follow the former tram route to get to Circular Quay. I have just looked up my old 423 bus route, which used to run from Earlwood to Circular Quay. Now it runs from Kingsgrove to Martin Place. Both bus routes go through Marrickville and Newtown, but the destinations at either end seem to be completely different.
Hi Rob, Glad you enjoyed it. As @JosieCote mentioned, the buses tend to go via Elizabeth Street these days and do a loop around Circular Quay with bus stops now to the east of the Light Rail terminus.
Great video! I used to work in there mixed commercial building briefly, but also worked in the area. We spent countless Friday nights at the Windsor Hotel, which became the Old Windsor and the New Windsor Hotel…
Yes, I used to work in the Castlereagh office building. It was uninspiring, and it was for the public service. Sad-dish it's gone, but yeah not really....
Yes, it seems like so many typical commercial buildings of the time! A few others have gone to make way for Hunter Street Station, but I'm sure many more still remain!
Great video - I particularly appreciated the little 'look back' segment at the end, it's nice to be able to see what used to be there. I can't help thinking the tunnel artwork on that intermediate level wall is TfNSW trying to set a trap for Wile E Coyote...
Thanks!, and glad you enjoyed seeing what used to be there! Possibly! Hopefully, Gadigal Station will have a community open day, and I can find out more about the artwork then!
There will be one at the Gadigal South entrance on Bathurst Street. And levels 2 and 3 above Gadigal North will have lots of cafes, restaurants and shops.
Yet another great video Paul! Another good reason not to call it Pitt Street Station is because “Pitt” means something rude in Swedish (think male anatomy) and I’m getting bored with my Swedish friends pointing it out and snickering… brings a whole new meaning to “Pittwater” or the shop “Cupcakes in Pitt”…😊
I'm sure you're not the only one Chris. I'm sure I'd been to it a couple of times! Bankstown station is worth a look now. They are starting to build the second platform!
And the Greenland Centre across Pitt which has lots of reds and pinks. While it's not my choice of colour, I quite like having a splash of colour in the city.
Hi @alimfuzzy, its going to stay pink, and as @MachineInput mentioned, it's to allow the Edinburgh Castle Hotel to blend in with this whole development.
Ahh the virtual signalling station. Let’s name it something that has absolutely nothing to identify the location. Hilarious you say Pitt St wasn’t really a great name. Neither is something that no one identify us the area with.
Yes it they built something under Park Street, that would link to existing passageways that go all the way to the Museum northern entrance. If you haven't done that, its worth checking out, Probably easier to do from the Museum end.
When the name was announced, it was reported in Time Out - and the stream of racist comments on their Facebook page led them to shut the comments section down. All over a name! 'It's wokeness gone mad!' This is the sort of behaviour that's now been emboldened.
I don’t blame those comments, people have every right to criticise the name change that happened without the people having their say on it. That’s how democracy works
@@Coastal603 Why would this name be objectionable? And who exactly are 'the people' in this case - a small but loud bunch of bigots? I should have added that comments supporting the name had far more likes.
Worst station name ever. Should’ve kept it as Pitt street station, as Pitt street is iconic and more geographic correct as to where the station is! Changing it to “Gadigal” is nothing but woke pandering and laziness. It’s basically like calling the station “Sydney” but in a different language. I will always call it Pitt Street! Sick of this woke rubbish.
Change it back to Pitt Street Mall - or ‘City Station’ as it’s right in the middle of corporate Sydney, I wish they’d stop the woke reinvention of our country. Gadigal south gadigal north gadigal, none of the nomenclature makes sense if you have a variety of entrances without putting its congruous street or road with it .. the powers that be really know how to, by stealth, not only ruin culture, back nonsense of things.. I bet in future people will get out as per building they’ll pass-thru.
@@kuyans3889 naming it Gadigal makes for a vague reference as to where the station is actually located, as it’s an area that encompasses a huge chunk of Sydney. At least Pitt Street is more geographically correct and less vague. Calling it Gadigal station is like calling it “Sydney Station”, it’s silly.
@@Coastal603 Pitt street is really not a suitable name, it's a really long street. Gadigal is not the same as calling it Sydney Station, people already call Central "Sydney Central", it would just be confusing and unspecific. Since there are two exits we would have to call it Park and Bathurst or something, which I don't think is the worst name. Fundamentally though, I just believe that Gadigal is a good name as there no other stations in the CBD area with indigenous names, to name this station anything else is just the complete erasure of Aboriginal history on a core part of the Sydney railway network. It's also just nice to have a name that's a bit different. People will learn where it is, it's not that hard. I don't think it's silly.
@@kuyans3889 People can already learn where they are at Barangaroo reserve, which teaches all kinds of aboriginal history there, and what makes you think naming the station anything other than Gadigal is erasing history??
I would have preferred 'Pitt St'. Are we now going to pander back to the stone age? Bathurst St. also sounds fine to me, at least I know where I am going then. All this name changing stuff is infuriating and I'm afraid is symptomatic of decisions being made for minorities. Sorry to be so sceptical. I enjoyed the video form Paul as usual, but this name change info triggered me off along with emerging facts about our regional trains now being made to substandard finishes in Spain, when we can make our own here. Corruption is a world wide globalist pandemic and Australia is not immune.
Its a bit sad to see a couple of the old buildings that have gone to make way. I guess they were nothing special inside. Great vid. Makes a lot of sense.
