
St James Tunnels
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Bradfield also built additional tunnels that were planned to later link St James Station with a connection to the Eastern Suburbs. The Great Depression in the 1930s halted their construction and a revised Eastern Suburbs Railway in the 1970s meant the 1920s tunnels were no longer needed. Since then, the tunnels have been used for a variety of purposes including World War 2 (WW2) air raid shelters, filming Hollywood movies and mushroom farms!
Built
1926
Designer
John Bradfield
About the building
Excavation work for the St James and Museum underground stations began in 1922 and was completed in 1926 via the cut and cover construction method. St James Station was provided with four platforms and four tunnels, two of which have never been used for passenger railway services.
During WW2, the Railways contributed to the war effort by providing a control centre for certain wartime operations, fighter command offices, army signallers, search lights personnel and the RAAF anti-aircraft headquarters in the ‘disused’ northern tunnels which run from St James to the yet-to-be-finished Circular Quay.
Meanwhile, the southern ‘disused’ railway tunnels were adapted for civilian air raid protection from about 1940 onwards. These southern tunnels run for approximately 400 metres and are segmented into a series of chambers separated by thick reinforced concrete blast walls. These partitions were designed to provide horizontal protection against potential WW2 bombs blasts, although not from direct hits from above.
At the southernmost end of the tunnels, the ground ramps up to provide an entrance point from Hyde Park to the shelters (currently backfilled). The walls at this point contain a range of graffiti, the oldest of which are the pencilled names and serial numbers of WW2 soldiers who were involved in the construction or manning of the shelters in the 1940s.
These air raid shelters under Hyde Park are very important, and rare, surviving structures of Sydney's WW2 defences.
Find out more about the history and heritage values of St James Station and Tunnels.
Virtual tour experience
Your virtual tour will take you through layers of railway and WW2 history to explore this amazing part of hidden Sydney.

4 July 1922
Museum to St James Station construction zone showing ‘open cut’ excavation works on 4 July 1922.

4 July 1922
Tunnels between Museum and St James Station on 4 July 1922.

16 October 1922
Museum to St James section of open cut excavation looking north on 16 October 1922.

25 June 1923
Museum to St James section of tunnel looking north on 25 June 1923.

26 March 1924
St James Station – pouring concrete for abutments on 26 March 1924.

26 August 1924
Tunnels between Museum and St James Stations showing form work of tunnel arch on 26 August 1924.

16 August 1926
St James Station – outwards stairway, western platform, Looking north on 16 August 1926.

16 August 1926
St James Station platform, looking south – western side - on 16 August 1926.

6 December 1926
Museum to St James Section. View of tunnels between the two stations on 6 December 1926.

Arrival of the first train on 9 December 1926
St James Station. Arrival of the first train on 9 December 1926 with official party including JC Bradfield. The stations open to the general public on 20 December.

Guarding Entrance to Shelters, 1942
Guard at entrance to air-raid shelter at St James station Hyde Park in 1942.

Crowds leave shelter after 'all clear' given c1942.
Crowds leave shelter in Hyde Park after the 'all clear' order is given in 1942.
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