Wynyard: York St Escalator "Redevelopment" ?

[simonl]

York St escalators to be permanently shut down on 2 January. Last chance to take a ride and check them or photograph them. Don't miss your chance!

What? So you can't get between the Concourse and York St without using Wynyard Walk or going via the escalators near Coles? How will this work?

[moa999]

It will work temporarily..

The new Wynyard Walk Clarence St portal has an exit onto York Lane. I suspect (but don't know for sure) there will be a small passageway through to York St

Certainly they are currently constructing a covered roof, and accessible ramp between the two exits, although the signs on York St suggest complete closure.
Maybe it will be closed for part of Jan only while they retile and roof, then the exit will open but using the new portal while they continue on the escalators.

[mandonov]

As I posted in the Wynyard Walk thread, the York Street entrance is being refurbished as the second stage of the Wynyard Station upgrade.

The wooden treads will be replaced with conventional metal ones, a lift will be installed, and lighting and flooring replaced. The art deco wooden panelling between the escalators will remain however.

[moa999]

Now closed...
Went up Clarence Street portal today. While you can exit onto York Lane under the new glass roof.

You can't go straight (thru the top of the old escalators, though they have created a ramp and new doors) - I suspect this will re-open after a quick re-tile and re-roof with the escalators taking longer).
However you also can't turn left and use the small pathway to Margaret St.
So for now it's forced down the rather dingy York Lane to Erskine St

And a render from Tomorrow's Sydney Twitter.

[Tonymercury]

Ah! So that's where the lift is going!


Also the disappearance of the shops and the closure of one ramp on the George St side has been swift.

I assume the Hunter Connection is still open?

[moa999]

Also the disappearance of the shops and the closure of one ramp on the George St side has been swift.
I assume the Hunter Connection is still open?

Demo teams don't mess around. Menzies Hotel and carpark also closed.

Didn't go that side today but last week Hunter Connection was still open, all the shops closed and construction hoardings on one side slightly reducing the width.

I assume they will do the ramp area in two halves?

[jpp42]

I assume they will do the ramp area in two halves?

Yes, it was mentioned in an earlier dispatch that access to the concourse from George St would be maintained at all times.

[moa999]

Saw a Twitter post that the other side of the Wynyard ramp has reopened after initial works on that side (relatively unchanged - still a slope)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTRRYrXF2L6/

[mandonov]

This is the temporary walkway while everything around it is demolished and rebuilt. Ramp on one side, stairs on the other.

[moa999]

Thanks for the pics. So part old ramp and part new walkway and stairs where shops used to be

[Jurassic_Joke]

Hey, I think this looks much better.

There was something that was vaguely depressing, you know, from walking from a brightly lit recently renovated station into that dank corridor with everything barred shut..

[moa999]

Definitely much better - particularly without those horrible floor tiles

[GazzaOak]

Definitely much better - particularly without those horrible floor tiles

And once the whole project get finished, its going to look even better... even the temporary walkway doesn't look half bad... the old walkway was just plain horrible particularly when the shop closed

[moa999]

Went for a walk as the Wynyard today.

Not shown in the photos is the underground Hunter Connection also has a new path through the old shops, kingking right at the bottom of the existing stairs

[mandonov]

https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/newsro ... rd-station

‘Sore paws no more’ at Wynyard Station

4 Sep 2017
Wynyard’s York Street entrance has reopened to customers following an upgrade to improve safety and accessibility, including the replacement of the site’s wooden escalators and the construction of a lift.

Coordinator General Marg Prendergast said the station upgrade prioritised safety and accessibility as part of a broader plan to improve transport connections and make it easier to travel in and out of the CBD.

“The new escalators not only fit with the modern new look of the newly upgraded Wynyard Station, they are safer, more reliable and reduce the cost of maintenance,” said Ms Prendergast.

“With the York Street entrance open, customers now have another convenient option to access one of Sydney’s busiest transport interchanges.”

Guide Dogs NSW/ACT welcomed the completion of the escalator replacement which addresses safety concerns for customers who are vision impaired and their Guide Dogs.

“Safe and reliable public transport including railways and surrounding infrastructure is essential for people who are blind or vision impaired, as it is the primary mode of travel for accessing education, employment, and their community,” Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Community Education & Access Advisor, Jennifer Moon said.

“We appreciate that Transport for NSW has recognised and acted upon the risk that the wooden escalators posed to the safety of Guide Dogs and their handlers and are pleased that their modern replacement will lead to a safer and more accessible travel experience for everyone.”

The heritage of the iconic wooden escalators will be recognised with a sculpture comprised of the treads from the original escalators. The Heritage Interpretation installation will be completed near the York Street entrance in late 2017.

Video of construction: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ngdtyi9u7tp3 ... JD8ga?dl=0

[mandonov]

Pics from the Skyscraper City forum:

York St entrance to Wynyard is now open. Shocked at how much escalator capacity there is now on this corner of the station! 4 here and 3 more just next to it for Wynyard Walk

[mandonov]

From reddit; the final art installation and what I think is a fantastic tribute to the old escalators:

[Swift]

You should have taken more photos from different angles. I like the Otis signs.

[ed24]

NSW Public Transport posted a time lapse video of the installation of the piece on Facebook

[mandonov]

You should have taken more photos from different angles. I like the Otis signs.

Not my pic, although the artist who was commissioned for it has photos from every angle:
http://chrisfox.com.au/interloop/

[Swift]

I'm impressed with it in the way they have managed to accomplish the thing. Not sure I actually like the end result though, but the engineering alone makes up for any aesthetic shortcomings. The upside down Otis logos imprinted in the metal plates are the highlight for me.

[Roderick Smith]

Roderick.
December 4 2017 Large sculpture a loop into the future and a tilt to Wynyard Station's past .
They carried thousands of Sydneysiders each day for more than eight decades.
And, while their days in operation ended early this year, parts of the four wooden escalators that adorned Wynyard Station remain as part of a large sculpture suspended above their modern replacements.
More videos Wynyard's wooden escalators get new life.
"Interloop" is the name of the new artwork above the York St exit of the station that reuses the escalators which had been used since 1932.
Known as "Interloop", the sculpture loops together two pairs of reconfigured escalators more than 50 metres long and incorporating 244 wooden treads and four combs from the station's original wooden escalators.
Weighing more than five tonnes, the sculpture was installed last weekend at the bottom of the new escalators at the York Street entrance to the station.
It is the creation of Sydney artist and sculptor Chris Fox, and took six months to design and engineer, and 12 weeks to fabricate with over a kilometre of welding.
"Interloop is a project that really talks about past journeys and future journeys – this idea of two stitching stairways that interloop over each other using these heritage treads," he said.
"It is a major project to pull off in such a high-profile location. This is so visible – it's fantastic."
It also marks the completion of an upgrade to Wynyard Station that has resulted in a larger concourse, more ticket gates, new lifts and escalators, and better ventilation for passengers on platforms.
Wynyard Station's "Interloop" is the creation of Sydney artist and sculptor Chris Fox. Photo: Peter Rae .
About 100,000 people pass through Wynyard each day, making it Sydney's third busiest train station. And Transport for NSW expects the daily average to rise to 150,000 within the next decade.
Until their removal, the station's wooden escalators were among just a handful still in operation around the world.
The 5-tonne sculpture took two days to install near the station's York Street entrance. Photo: Peter Rae .
The first three were installed in 1932 – the same year the Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened – and the fourth added in 1952.
But their wide wooden treads could be a trap, especially for high heels. Guide dogs were also injured after getting their claws stuck in the combs of the escalators.
An electronic screen features archival photographs of Wynyard Station. Photo: Peter Rae .
CBD transport coordinator general Marg Prendergast said many people had emotional attachments to the wooden escalators, making it important to honour the station's heritage.
"Everyone has a memory about Wynyard Station and we really wanted to recreate something that was pretty funky – that people could look at," she said of the Interloop sculpture.
The first wooden escalators had been installed at Wynyard Station in 1932. Photo: Steven Siewert .
"Whilst the station itself is far improved, it's really good to honour what used to be. [The wooden escalators] evoke memories, and so part of the heritage plan was to make it a living part of the station."
The last two wooden escalators at Town Hall Station have also been removed.
Photo gallery Wooden escalators at Wynyard railway station As part of the tilt to Wynyard's history, a large photographic mural of the station from 1948 has been placed above the new escalators at the station's York Street entrance.
An electronic screen near Wynyard Walk, which connects the station to Barangaroo on the west side of the CBD, also features images of yesteryear.
Related Articles:
The end for Sydney's wooden escalators .
'A new jewel of Sydney's CBD' .
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/large-sculptu ... zxyio.html

[jpp42]

The upside down Otis logos imprinted in the metal plates are the highlight for me.

Those are the comb plates upon which millions of people must have stepped on over the years. I am guessing they are fairly original. The steps and treads might have been replaced over time (in fact the treads were replaced just a year or two prior to the decommissioning).

Only four of the eight comb plates are on display - I wonder who gets the rest. I still wished they could have installed one or more of the escalators in a place like the Powerhouse Museum (not that it doesn't have its own issues). The safety issues that are a concern in a public transport situation, could be worked around in a museum setting with appropriate signage and supervision.