Melbourne & Australian Architecture Topics

Hello,

I'm writing to in regards to obtaining some information on Spencer Street subway, hope you can help me.

When was the subway closed and why?

The old mail train that ran under Spencer Street to the mail exchange did it continue down Bourke Street to the GPO on Elizabeth Street or is this a myth?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Both of your questions have been answered by eyewitnesses on the Railpage forum at the following web address.

http://www.railpage.com.au/f-p1275998.htm

But lets clear up one rumour for once and all - the mail tunnel from Spencer Street did go to the G.P.O. however in February 1963, when the tunnel was completed, the G.P.O. was on the corner of Spencer Street and Bourke Street (now the Mail Exchange).

From 1841 until 29 May 1917 the G.P.O. was the Elizabeth Street Post Office (on the corner of Elizabeth and Bourke Streets) and then from 30 May 1917 until 31 December 1963 the G.P.O. was the Spencer Street Post Office (on the corner of Spencer and Bourke Streets) and then again on 1 January 1964 until 21 September 2001 the Elizabeth Street Post Office was reinstated as the G.P.O.

In addition, mail trains didn't run under Spencer Street, they were railway platform trucks that ran through the tunnel.



Exact date that the Spencer Street Station subway was closed to passengers is Saturday 28 May 2005.

The mail tunnel under Spencer Street from the station to the GPO (Mail Exchange) shouldn't be confused with the underpass, also built in 1962, which enabled passengers to get to Spencer Street station platforms 2 to 14, and which was extended under Spencer Street to its eastern side in the late 1960s.

As Edwardian notes, the only "trains" which used the mail tunnel were strings of rubber-tyred platform trolleys pulled by a little petrol-driven tractor.

Did it look something like this?

Pretty much, although the picture you've found is from before even my time.

That tractor is battery driven (perhaps the ones I used to see were as well, but they looked different from that one), and the trolleys appear to have plain steel wheels with no rubber tyres.