Macdonaldtown Station Upgrade

The Safe Accessible Transport program aims to make public transport safe, inclusive and easy to use for all passengers, especially people with disability, older people, people with prams or luggage and others who may be experiencing mobility problems.

Key benefits

• A  new lift to improve access to platforms, subway and surrounding streets
• An accessible parking space and an accessible kiss and ride space on Burren Street
• A new family accessible toilet, new hearing loops, platform regrading and tactile indicators
• Safety improvements including lighting, CCTV, and wayfinding signage
• Placemaking enhancements that consider Connecting to Country.

Project status

Planning is underway for an upgrade at Macdonaldtown Station.

Transport consulted the community and other stakeholders in August, inviting feedback on the early concept design. Feedback provided has been considered in the finalisation of the concept design for the upgrade. 

A community update (PDF, 712.09 KB) which summarises what we heard in feedback, and changes to the project’s concept design is available by clicking the above link or via the Community Notifications section on this page. 

While funding is not yet available for delivery of the upgrade at Macdonaldtown station, the feedback we have received is valuable and will help inform the design for future delivery.

Pending funding for project delivery, the next phase of the project would include Review of Environmental Factor (REF) for Planning Approval and detailed design development prior to commencing construction.

What we have heard so far

Early engagement

During our early engagement period which ran from 2 – 21 August, around 60 pieces of feedback were received.

Some of the key themes raised during consultation include:

• overall support for the project and improving accessibility at Macdonaldtown Station
• support for improvements to safety in the area with increased lighting and CCTV
• requests to include a new pedestrian crossing across Burren Street
• desire to further separate cyclists from pedestrians along Burren Street to enhance pedestrian safety
• suggestion to provide additional weather protection canopies for weather protection
• concerns regarding loss of parking to facilitate the kiss and ride and accessible parking spaces on Burren Street, as it is a dead-end street with no formal turning space
• requests to provide digital information display panels at the station entries around the station so it is visible from the entrance.

Some feedback will be shared with other stakeholders  for consideration as they fall outside the project scope.

Preliminary engagement 

Prior to the early engagement period which occurred from 2 to 21 August, we engaged with various groups including City of Sydney Council, people with disability, and separately with women and girls from the local community through a Safer Cities Program workshop. We also accessed existing customer feedback about Macdonaldtown Station to help understand community sentiment.

These engagements and research provided insights into how the transport network is used and the opportunities we have to improve passengers’ experiences.

A summary of some of the feedback we have heard so far includes:

• more safety and security measures such as additional CCTV cameras, emergency help points and mirrors for better visibility could make the station underpass feel safer at night. Warmer lighting and public art could also make it less sterile, and also deter vandalism
• uneven and narrow footpaths, particularly on Burren Street, are a trip hazard and add to the sense of being unsafe
• limited availability of amenities such as seating, water fountains and toilets at the station
• ensure sufficient space on platform for safe wheelchair/scooter reversing out of the lift.

Keep in touch

If you would like to receive project updates, please contact us on 1800 684 490 or complete the below form.

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Station Information

Please visit the Macdonaldtown Station web page for more information on station facilities and transport services.