Fairfield railway station is a heritage-listed suburban railway station located on the Main Southern line, serving the Sydney suburb of Fairfield. It is served by Sydney Trains T2 Leppington & Inner West Line and T5 Cumberland Line services. It was designed and built by NSW Government Railways from 1856 to 1891. It is also known as Fairfield Railway Station group. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
History After completion of the initial rail line from Sydney to Parramatta, work soon proceeded on the Main South line from Granville Junction to Goulburn. The first section from Granville to Liverpool was constructed quickly over easy terrain and was opened on 26 September 1856. Fairfield was opened with this section and was the only intermediate station at that time. Campbelltown was reached in 1858, that section opening on 17 May 1858. The line was duplicated in 1891. This line was constructed as a rural railway and had no suburban purpose until well into the twentieth century. Its stations served what were then rural settlements and only later were adapted as commuter stations. In 1924, the Main South line was diverted onto a more direct route via Regents Park. The existing line through Fairfield is also known as the Old Main South Line.
The present Down (east) platform is the original and the station master's residence built in 1856 (at the north end) is the oldest building still in existence in the NSW railways system and probably Australia. It was built a year after the railway opened to Parramatta. The second building built (1860) shows a change in attitude towards railway construction under John Whitton with an emphasis on passenger traffic and is one of a group of six buildings from that period with Branxton, Parramatta, St Mary's, Penrith and Picton. The third building represents a standard duplication building of the 1890s including a sympathetic extension in the 1930s, and again shows changes in railway use and design. The footbridge dating from 1918 ties the group together and is a good example of the style associated with a good group of buildings. In 1925, the Widemere Quarry Line was linked to the station with the Main Southern Line, before closing in 1945.
The station was upgraded and given lifts in 2003.
Services Platforms
Transport links All buses depart from the Fairfield Interchange.Fairfield Bus Interchange Transport for NSW
Transit Systems: 800: to Blacktown station Stand A 802: Parramatta station to Liverpool station – Stand C to Liverpool – Stand I to Parramatta 804: Parramatta station to Liverpool station – Stand C to Liverpool – Stand I to Parramatta 808: to Liverpool station Stand C 812: to Blacktown station Stand B 813: to Bonnyrigg Stand B 814: to Blacktown station Stand B 817: to Cabramatta station Stand A 904: to Liverpool station Stand E 905: to Bankstown station Stand D 906: to Parramatta station Stand E S4 to Chester Hill Stand D
Fairfield station is served by two NightRide routes: N50: Liverpool station to Town Hall station N60: to Town Hall station
Trackplan
The points to the north of the station can be used to terminate southbound trains on platform 2 during trackwork or if there is an incident on the line. As this is a fairly rare occurrence, the signals around Fairfield are all automatic double colour light signals. Track circuits are used to determine the location of trains and automatically set signals appropriately. Both Sydenham and Granville signal boxes can monitor the status of trains in this area, but cannot control signals or points. If trains need to terminate, a local signal box on platform 1 can be used to control the points and signals.
Description The complex comprises a former type 1 Office/Station Master's Residence, located on Platform 2, erected in 1856; a type 4 platform building, located on Platform 1, erected ; and a type 3 platform building, located on Platform 2, erected . Other structures include a footbridge, erected in 1918 and revised in ; platforms 1 and 2, completed and respectively; canopies, completed in 1990 and 1999; the Vine Street Footbridge, completed in 1965; and the jib crane, with an unknown completion date.
Context Fairfield Railway Station is accessed from The Crescent to the north. The Bus Interchange stands in front of the station, between The Crescent and the station buildings. At some point before 1990, a covered shopping arcade was constructed immediately to the northwest of the station. The station can also be accessed from the south, via Dale Street. Car parking areas flank the station on both sides to the south. Across Dale Street is the Fairfield RSL complex.
Former office/Station Master's Residence Platform 2 (1865) External: Brick building, dating from 1856, originating as a square plan form with a gable roof. The roof has timber bargeboards and finials and the two original chimneys remain with corbel detailing to the top. The corrugated metal roofing material and guttering has been recently replaced. In the 1930s the building was extended in brick (along the platform to the west) to include two extra rooms and there is a further corrugated metal sheet clad extension to the west for a laundry. The detailing of the windows to these extensions is inappropriate in the context of the 1856 building. The concave veranda awning which flanks the building on the north and east elevations has recently been painted in a striped colour scheme (post 1980s). This awning is a timber-framed structure supported on the original timber posts and beams. There are original framing members as well; and some of the purlins are bowing in the centre. To the rear of the building, the veranda to the original building is enclosed by brick walls to either end. The awnings to the rear have shallow pitched roofs, and the entire extent of the western additions, and a section to the original building, have now been enclosed to become interior spaces. There is also an intrusive timber trellis across the open part of the veranda at the eastern end of the building. The open veranda has a timber deck. A covered area, which is fenced off to the platform, links this building and the platform building. The building remained in use as a residence until the 1970s.
Alterations to the 1856 building include: corrugated metal sheet clad extension to the west for a laundry; enclosing of the south-west veranda and improved sanitary facilities in 1941; a full height picket fence in front of the veranda posts to the platform elevation, enclosing of rear veranda to 1856 building; security doors and window bars installed; air-conditioning units fixed through original windows. The building has recently been repainted.
Platform building Platform 1 (1891) External: The original building took the form of a rectangular brick building, with a rendered plinth, with three rooms (booking office, general waiting room and ladies waiting room), with a relatively steep gable roof which features decorative timber bargeboards and finials and has small ventilation openings; this section of the building was linked to a further room (originally the men's toilet) to the western end which was orientated 90 degrees to the rest of the building, and maintains the same detailing, but has a raised ridge vent. The link (which housed the ladies toilets) also originally had a gable roof, but with a much lower ridge height, giving the sense of it being a deferential element. The original chimneys to the eastern section of the building still remain intact.
The windows are mostly the original timber framed sash windows with segmental arch heads with rendered detailing, and rendered and painted window sills resting on cement bracket mouldings. The extensions to the building follow the same detail, but with a simpler sill detail. Modifications such as Perspex secondary glazing and air-conditioning units and standard ticket windows have been installed within the original openings. One opening on the north elevation has been bricked up and there are some "blind" openings to the entrance way and to the western building on the north elevation. Some of the windows have been reglazed with wire mesh glass. The doors are mostly new, either solid or panelled, and there are security flyscreen doors fitted to the station master's office. A door way opening on the western elevation of the building (opposite the stair) has been bricked up. The building and all the awnings and canopies, have all been recently re-roofed with corrugated steel and new guttering. The building has been recently repainted.
The main part of the building, to the east, has a typical shallow pitched awning supported on cast iron columns, with Corinthian capitals and decorative cast iron brackets. The awning had a timber boarded valance to the east and west ends and a timber fascia to the platform edge. A new addition to accommodate a parcels office and signal room was constructed to the eastern end of the building. This addition had sensitive detailing and reused displaced elements of the original building such as the finial to the gable. This addition significantly altered the original roof structure. Documentary evidence shows that the parcels office addition also had a cantilevered awning over the platform, constructed in steel sections, which was replaced as a part of the 1990s works with a steel framed canopy supported on modern steel posts, the design of which is based on the 1890s original awning. This 1990s canopy structure extended around the entire platform building, except where the original awning remains and is described further on. The 1990s upgrade also saw major changes to the building form, by the removal of the link building, which was replaced with an open area with brick arched openings, with head details to match the original doors and windows. The other major alteration at this time was the large openings to the north and west elevation of the parcels office (to the Crescent) and the installation of new aluminium framed doors and windows, in order that the space could be used as a travel centre. More recently as part of the access upgrade an accessible toilet (from the platform) and new staff toilet was constructed in the south-east corner of the former parcels office.
Internal: The building has been modified internally over time to suit changing operational requirements; however a good degree of original fabric remains intact, particularly in what is now the booking office, which features pressed metal ceilings with ceiling roses and original cornices, and chimney breast with staff mould detailing. The doors and window architraves are mostly intact, and some of the windows with security bars to the inside. Standard ticket windows have been installed in the booking office. The former signal box room is now used as a CCTV monitoring room and is fitted out accordingly. To the eastern end there are new partition walls which are a remnant of the works to the former parcels office and new walls to the accessible toilet and new staff toilet. The parcels office and former travel centre are currently used for storage.
Platform building Platform 2 () External: A rectangular form brick building with a hipped roof form. The corrugated metal roofing material and guttering has been recently replaced. The original eaves fascia remains with new guttering and rainwater goods. The two original chimneys remain with corbel detailing to the top. The windows typically are double hung timber sashes with rendered lintels and sills. The doors are original timber panelled doors with bolection mouldings and have arched brick heads.