A NEW STATION

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 108, 10 May 1938, Page 12

A NEW STATION

FOR CHRISTCHURCH

STEEL AND CONCRETE

Fronting Moorhouse Avenue, the new Christchurch railway station will be constructed with a steel frame and floors of reinforced concrete, states the "Star-Sun." The external walls will be of brick with a bluestone base and plaster dressings. Bluestone will also be used for the facings to the entrances. At the centre the building will be three storeys in height, and on either side of this section there will be wings of two storeys, stepping down at the extremities to one storey.

The building will have a frontage of sG4ft and a depth of 104 ft. It will be erected slightly to the east of the site of the present building, one-third of the new structure overlapping a portion of the old site. Rising to a height of 104 ft, a clock tower will be constructed on the eastern extremity of the central block.

The Minister of Railways (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan) announced yesterday that the preparation of the plans of the new station building had reached an advanced stage. He said that when the building had been completed it would result in an imposing and convenient solution to traffic and administrative problems in Christchurch and should fulfil its purpose for many years to come.

Designed in conformity with modern building Standards and railway requirements, the new station will have a concourse with an area of over 10,000 square feet, which will be reached by means of two lobbies each 28ft wide. Opening off the lobbies will be the booking and waitng hall. This will have a floor space of 5000 square feet and a ceiling height of 30ft. The entrance lobbies and booking hall will be faced with white marble to a height of 13ft, and all metalwork will be in bronze. Round the booking hall will be grouped the ticket boxes, reservation office, women's waitingroom, a large inquiry office, and a shop. Bathroom and lavatory accommodation will be provided. The inquiry office will be large enough to provide for tables at which passengers may attend to correspondence while waiting for trains. Telephone boxes, both local and long-distance, will also be provided in this room. The plans provide for a restaurant capable of seating 140 people in comfort and more in an emergency; There will also be a refreshment room with an area of 1200 square feet. A kitchen will be incorporated in the building, and will be fitted with the most modern equipment. The design also includes a nursery for children. This will be situated on the roof of the central portion of the building.

Covering the entrances and the pavement in front of the central block, a cantilevered verandah 220 ft long and 18ft wide has been designed to provide shelter for motor-cars arriving and departing from the station. A large store for bicycles will also be provided.

The accommodation for luggage and parcels has been designed on a liberal scale, an area of 10,000 square feet being set aside for this purpose. Luggage will be conveyed to and from the station platforms through a tunnel. This will prevent any inconvenience to passengers assembled in the concourse during the arrival and departure of trains. Lifts will be provided at the end of the tunnel to handle several luggage trucks at once.

The first and second floors will accommodate the district railway offices. They will be approached by separate entrances adjacent to the main entrances, thus avoiding any confusion to the travelling public. Electric passenger lifts will be provided to each office entrance.

The building will be heated by hot water radiators, and the public rooms will be ventilated by mechanical means.