Lord mayor hopefuls reignite calls for clean-up of grimy Flinders Street Station underpass

Lord mayor hopefuls are among the many Melburnians calling out the “unacceptable” state of the Flinders Street Station underpass as swathes of brown grime and rust spoil the historic landmark.

Lord mayoral hopefuls Nick Reece and Arron Wood have reignited calls for the grimy Flinders Street Station underpass to be brought back to its former glory,

The underpass, which connects Flinders and Elizabeth streets to the Yarra River, has been compared to a “urinal” with brown stains seeping down its tiled walls since at least the late 1990s.

The Sunday Herald Sun last year exposed the sorry state of the stained underpass, used by thousands of commuters every day, but little has changed since.

Brown stains seeping down the tiled walls. Picture: Grace Frost

The tiled walls are heritage protected.

Mr Wood said there was no doubt the station has “lost its lustre from its golden years”.

“While the upkeep and maintenance of Flinders Street Station is a state responsibility, we will advocate fiercely for the underpass to be better cleaned and upgraded to keep its heritage but remove the rust and stains all the way along the key CBD thoroughfare,” he said.

“Its current state is unacceptable for such a key city landmark.”

Mr Reece also said the underpass needed a “facelift”.

“While it is under the control of the state government, clearly more can be done make it cleaner and safer for the thousands of Melburnians that use it every day,” he said.

“I want to see more lighting and regular cleaning teams to keep this underpass up to scratch and I am determined to work with the state government to make that happen.”

Both men are considered frontrunners in the race for the city’s top job, with the election result expected to be announced in two weeks’ time.

The underpass connects the Yarra River to Flinders and Elizabeth streets.

Lord mayor hopefuls say the state of the underpass is ‘unacceptable’ for a key landmark.

The wall tiles are heritage protected and need to be cleaned carefully to protect them from damage.

The tiles are scrubbed five times a week and hosed down once a fortnight, but high-pressure cleaning in that area is prohibited due to the tiles’ fragility.

Rain flowing from the tracks above the subway makes the area susceptible to rust marks, however some rust marks appear to have faded since last year.

A faded ‘do not spit’ sign peeks through smears of brown grime.

Rain flowing from the tracks above the subway make the area susceptible to rust marks.

The Sunday Herald Sun understands the Department of Transport and Planning and Metro Trains are continuing to explore new ways of cleaning the tiles while respecting their heritage listing.

Some of the station’s tiles were replaced in recent years under the $100m restoration, which involved handcrafting them to match the colours and original tile-making process.

A department spokesman said the station is cleaned regularly, including the subway area.

“Its ongoing maintenance and cleaning must be carried out in accordance with heritage requirements,” he said.

Professor Charles Sowerwine in the underpass in June 2023. Picture: Mark Stewart

Melbourne heritage expert Charles Sowerwine last year described the underpass as a “simply terrible place”.

“We have to restore the heritage fabric of Flinders Street Station, starting by simply cleaning the tiles and returning them to their Edwardian splendour,” he said.

Claims of heritage regulations preventing deep cleaning were questioned by Prof Sowerwine.

“Everyone wants to blame heritage for something they don’t want to do,’’ he said.

Former premier and architect Ted Baillieu last year said the station needed to be a drawcard and a destination itself.

“And I must confess that walking through that glorious tunnel, it’s a feeling of passing through a urinal,’’ he said.