St James Station

St James is another of the original stations on the city circle and like Museum, it has been beautifully restored to its original 1920s condition. Old advertising banners for products that aren’t available any more. Château Tanunda Brandy anyone? Actually, on reflection, I think that one still is…
But I digress. To get to the platforms, you go through a confusing set of tunnels that aren’t particularly well signed. Tunnels which lead from one side of Hyde Park to the other, so you don’t want to get it mixed up or you’ve got to walk back again. Once on the platforms, it’s a cavernous space with room for another platform — a relic of the days when the Eastern Suburbs line was meant to hook in there.
I can’t remember if we went down stairs or a ramp, so I don’t know how accessible it is. Nor do I know how busy it is in peak times as we were there in evenings.
But as a piece of Sydney’s rail history, it is attractive to look at as well as functional.

Just like its sister station Museum, St James is one of the grand old dames of the Sydney rail network. Built as a major station in the 20s, the line it was supposed to serve ended up running direct to Town Hall instead so St James became a neglected backwater on the City Circle until it was restored to its full 1920s glory. Full of ornate brass and ironwork, polished timber, original tiles and period advertising (including the iconic Château Tanunda brandy sign at the Elizabeth St entrance). Travelling to St James is like stepping back to the 20s.
St James is also known for the abandoned rail tunnels that were built for the line that was supposed to run through it but never did. Apparently one is now flooded and forms an underground lake which is used to water the grass in the Domain. The other contains a large bell. No one knows why. If you like tunnels you can do tours.
For fans of the Matrix movies, you may well recognise parts of St James from Matrix Revolutions.