Eastern Suburbs Railway
An Eastern Suburbs Railway was one of those originally proposed by John Bradfield, but was cut short by the Great Depression and World War II. An initial alignment had been set in 1926 which saw the line go North from underneath Railway Square next to Central Station, up to Town Hall before heading northeast towards stations at Pitt Street and O’Connell Street, and then going south to St James Station until heading east, roughly along Oxford Street towards Bondi Junction. Plans to build the line surfaced again after World War II in 1947, this time on the Kings Cross alignment that it would eventually follow. Future plans for an extension to North Bondi and Rose Bay were also on the table this time. After another brief period of construction, the project was abandoned again in 1952.
A third attempt to build the Eastern Suburbs Line commenced in 1967 and the line was finally opened on 23 June 1979 by New South Wales Premier Neville Wran, around 50 years after it was first planned.
With the exception of a small open section at Woollahra and prestressed post-tensioned concrete viaducts across the Woolloomooloo and Rushcutters Bay valley, the line is in tunnel. From Erskineville to Redfern, twin box tunnels were constructed using the 'cut and cover' method; tunnels were driven by the conventional blasting method between Redfern and the Domain and under Kings Cross; and a tunnel boring machine was used to tunnel the section from Edgecliff to Bondi Junction.
The stations on the line are at Central, Town Hall, Martin Place, Kings Cross, Edgecliff, and Bondi Junction where there is a bus interchange, to take travellers along the seaboard.
In 1994, to mark the 75th anniversary of the formation of The Institution of Engineers Australia, Sydney Division placed four plaques on significant sites around the city. These were never formally accepted as National Markers but are recorded as Engineering Heritage Items of Interest; Eastern Suburbs Railway is one of them.
Engineering Heritage Recognition Program
| Marker Type | Engineering Heritage National Marker (EHNM) |
| Award Date | June 1994 |
| Heritage Significance | An Eastern Suburbs Railway was one of those originally proposed by John Bradfield, but was nor proceeded with due to the Great Depression and World War II. |
| Nomination Document | Not Available |
| Ceremony Booklet | Not Available |
