Jolimont Yard
Jolimont Yard was an array of railway lines and carriage sidings on the edge of the central business district of Melbourne, Australia.
It was later joined by the independent Princes Bridge station on the eastern side of Swanston Street, which served as the terminal for lines towards Richmond, South Yarra and Hawthorn.
As time continued, the area between Princes Bridge and Richmond stations developed into a major yard for the stabling of suburban carriage stock, as well as the servicing of the steam locomotives that hauled them.
Completed in February 1973,[5] it also permits a cross-platform interchange between City Loop and Flinders Street direct trains at Richmond on platforms 7/8 and 9/10.
During construction the public discovered that the building would block the view from Russell Street to the Botanic Gardens and Government House, and that it had occurred due to no planning permit being applied for.
[7] The Jolimont Workshops were the main maintenance and repair facility for the Victorian Railways electric fleet, both multiple units and locomotives.
Located on the south side of the yard, it was made up of a large brick carshed with tracks leading into if from both the east (Richmond) and west (Flinders Street) ends.
Of utilitarian brick construction it remains in place today just outside the Federation Square Deck, but is unused as a signal box.
Of utilitarian brick construction it remains in place today underneath the William Barak Bridge, but is unused as a signal box.
The winner was James Smith with his proposal set back from the street line, featuring a paved civic plaza and fountain, railway offices, tourist bureau and a concourse to Princes Bridge station.
The initial report included a city square over the yard between Flinders Street and Batman Avenue, running east 33 feet (10 m) from Princes Bridge, but was later dropped as unsuitable due to cost and traffic congestion.
[11] 1961: Matthew Flinders Square This proposal was put promoted by ex Lord Mayor William Lempriere and was prepared by architects Montgomery, King and Trengrove.
The open space on either side of Princes Bridge would be the home of a new Town Hall, a 6-acre (24,000 m2) civic square, concert auditoriums, the railways administration, and other commercial buildings.
Each of the finalists receiving a little over $2,000 prize money, with designs including hanging gardens, an underwater gallery, a free-standing escalator, a series of 12 transparent arches, a solar-powered earth beam, a Freedom Bird Park, and a Time Tower.
New lower profile masts were installed to support the overhead wiring, and a new electrical substation erected to supply power to the trains.
[30] From Flinders Street in the west to Richmond station in the east, bridges over the area include: On 28 April 2008 Premier John Brumby announced that his government was proposing a multimillion-dollar development to link the sports and arts precincts in Melbourne's CBD.
[31] The next day the Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry urged the roofing over the railway lines east of Federation Square for the construction of a residence for the Prime Minister of Australia, and as well as for hosting visiting heads of state and business delegations.
