page_title: Milsons Point railway station
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Milsons Point railway station / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Aerial view of construction of the northern approach to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Also shows the North Shore railway line - both the original alignment and construction work on the realignment and extension across the bridge.
context_page_description: Milsons Point railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the North Shore line, serving the Sydney suburb of Milsons Point in New South Wales, Australia. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore line services. The station is located above ground, accessible via a stairs and a lift, in Milsons Point, in the North Sydney Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed and built by the Sydney Harbour Bridge Branch of the NSW Department of Public Works. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
context_section_description: In 1815, government architect Francis Greenway, in a report to Governor Macquarie, proposed the building of a bridge from Dawes Point at the city's edge to the northern shore. The original Milsons Point station was not in its present location, but on the edge of Sydney Harbour approximately on the site of the present northern pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the North Sydney Olympic Pool. This location enabled passengers from the North Shore to transfer directly from steam trains to ferries to reach Circular Quay. It opened as the southern terminus of the North Shore railway line on 1 May 1893. when extended from its previous terminus at St Leonards (opened from Hornsby 1 January 1890). The site, squeezed between the rock cliffs and the edge of Sydney Harbour was cramped, with two side platforms, one of which was built on piles partly over the water's edge, and three tracks between, including a centre road. Immediately adjoining it to the west was the colonnaded Milsons Point ferry wharf for the ferry service to Circular Quay in the Sydney central business district and tram terminus for the North Sydney cable tramway (opened 22 May 1886) and subsequently electrified from 11 February 1900.
  Concrete had been extensively used for foundations and walls since the 1890s. By 1910, reinforced concrete was in use, but not for superstructures directly supporting railway tracks. The Bellevue Street underbridge at Glebe was the first to use it for this purpose, in 1919.
  In 1915, to enable a start on the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge between Milsons Point and Dawes Point, the Government instructed the Railway Commissioners to vacate the station and a new four platform, station was constructed at the site of the boundary fence between the present-day Luna Park and Lavender Bay Sidings. This station was in operation for just seven weeks, from 30 May 1915 to 18 July 1915, as the inconvenience to passengers transferring between ferries and trains was unacceptable. Due to later overcrowding, a third platform was added on 12 December 1920 by removing the centre road track and laying a new track on inland side of the new platform 2. This station remained in use until the site was requisitioned to allow construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
  It was not until 1922 that legislation was passed and acted upon, authorising the construction of a bridge. Tenders were invited in 1923 in accordance with general plans and specification prepared by Dr John Bradfield, Chief Engineer, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Railway Construction. The plans and specification provided the alternatives of a cantilever or an arch bridge. Twenty proposals were received from six different companies of various types of design. The tender of Dorman Long & Co Ltd, of Middlesbrough, England, for an arch bridge was accepted, the design being substantially in accordance with one of Dr Bradfield's proposals. The detailed design was carried out by the contractor's consulting engineer, Sir Ralph Freeman, and the fabrication and construction were under the direct charge of Mr Lawrence Ennis, a director of the firm. The design and construction of the bridge were supervised at all stages by Dr Bradfield and his staff.
caption: Aerial view of construction of the northern approach to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The original railway alignment and construction work on the realignment for extension across the bridge can both be seen.
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