NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: Chinatown Railway Station (1990)

In 1990, a developer offered to build a railway station in Haymarket at the corner of George and Campbell Streets as part of a proposed office tower. The site was 720 George Street, which was redeveloped a decade ago into a residential tower.

There were plans to connect the railway station into the redeveloped Capitol Theatre.

However the station would only serve the Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra Railway Lines as the tunnels ran directly underneath the site.

Like the proposed railway station at World Square one block away (1989), it joined the list of "Never Builts".

Source: Morris, L. 1990. "Chinatown station plan". The Daily Telegraph Mirror, November 29: 4. 

The station would have improved accessibility to Paddys Markets, Chinatown and the Sydney Entertainment Centre for visitors and tourists, and have taken pressure off Town Hall Station for Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line commuters. However, other lines were not to be served by the station. Also, it appears to be located halfway between Central and Town Hall railway stations.

One fault in the proposal is the curve of the station, which would hamper accessibility but also pose safety concerns.