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Flinders Street Station (frequently just called '''Flinders Street'''; the context indicates whether the station or the street is being specified) is the central Railway Station of the suburban rail network of Melbourne , Australia . It is located on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets next to the Yarra River in the heart of the city. The building stretches from Swanston Street to Queen Street , covering two City Block s. Each weekday, approximately 105,000 Commuters and 1,500 Train s pass through the station. The station is serviced by Connex 's Suburban And City Loop Services , and V/Line 's regional services. The Melburnian Idiom "I'll meet you under the clocks" refers to the row of Clock s above the station's main entrance which indicate the departure time of the next train on each line (though some of the clocks refer to discontinued lines). This is a popular meeting place, at the corner of two of the city's busiest thoroughfares. The original Analogue Clock s were replaced for a short time with Digital ones, but due to a public outcry they were quickly returned. Similarly, plans in the 1970s to demolish the station and replace it with an Office Building were soon dismissed. HISTORY and Swanston Streets , 1927 .]] The first railway station to occupy the Flinders Street site was simply called Melbourne or '''City Terminus''', and was a collection of weatherboard train sheds. It was completed in 1854 and was officially opened on September 12 by the Lieutenant-Governor , Sir Charles Hotham . The terminus was the first city railway station in Australia, and the opening day saw the first steam Train trip in the country. It travelled to Sandridge (now Port Melbourne ), over the Sandridge Bridge , which has now been redeveloped in 2006 as a public footbridge for pedestrian and cycle access across the Yarra River. Melbourne's two other early central-city stations, Spencer Street Station (now known as Southern Cross Station ) and Princes Bridge Station , opened in 1859 . Princes Bridge was originally separated from Flinders Street, even though it was only on the opposite side of Swanston Street. Once the railway tracks were extended under the street to join the two, Princes Bridge slowly became amalgamated into Flinders Street. It is now the site of Federation Square . In 1882 the decision was made by the government to build a new central passenger station to replace the existing ad-hoc construction. A world-wide Design Competition was held in 1899, with 17 entries received. The 500 Pound first prize went to the railway employees J. W. Fawcett and H. P. C. Ashworth , whose design included a giant Dome and Clock Tower . Work on the current building began in 1901 and ended in 1910 . TRAIN PLATFORMS Flinders Street Station's platforms are numbered from north to south, with Platform No. 1 being the furthest north. Platform 1: Epping & Hurstbridge Platforms 2/3: Lilydale , Belgrave , Glen Waverley & Alamein Platforms 4/5: Werribee , Sydenham , Broadmeadows & Upfield Platforms 6/7: Pakenham , Cranbourne , Frankston & Stony Point Platforms 8/9: Sandringham & Williamstown Platforms 10-14: Various services, depending on day and time. ''Note that the eastern end of Platform No. 1 is designated as Platform No. 14.'' STATION REDEVELOPMENT Flinders Street is currently going through a long overdue redevelopment process. It will involve badly needed cleaning and repair jobs, as well as improving general accessibility in the station. The works include:
In recent years more than $13 million has been spent on strengthening the deck of the station concourse. Portions of the concourse deck structure were built in 1906. The works have addressed the deterioration of steel work and concrete arch slabs below deck level which form the concourse floor system. This will ensure the longevity of the concourse structure well into the future. Works commenced in January 2005 and have been completed on all platforms, except Platforms 3 and 4 which are due for completion by early 2006. $150,000 has also been put aside to investigate the potential of the public spaces located in the station. The investigation will be overseen by a taskforce comprising representatives from Veolia, the Committee for Melbourne, Melbourne City Council, Heritage Victoria and the National Trust. TRIVIA
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