The documents, dated March this year, reveal the plans to sell land at Redfern and North Eveleigh will be confirmed during a “market-led process” to redevelop the precinct around the station. The government wants to announce the preferred developer for the precinct redevelopment next year. Redfern is the sixth-busiest station on Sydney's rail network. Credit:Ben Rushton The state's lead transport agency has estimated the cost of the station upgrade at $207 million, the documents show. Loading Redfern station is under strain from a surge in passengers using it as a “transport gateway” to the nearby University of Sydney campus and Australian Technology Park.

The pressure from commuters will intensify over the next two years as about 10,000 Commonwealth Bank staff begin working at the technology park. While improvement works such as a new entrance are under way, Redfern has not had a major upgrade for three decades. The station fails to meet accessibility standards because most commuters are forced to use stairs to get to and from platforms. Parents forced to carry prams down the stairs at Redfern station. Credit:Dean Sewell The station had a lift installed in 2015 but it serves just two of its 12 platforms. The Herald has also revealed that Redfern's underground platforms on the Eastern Suburbs line are rated the second-most vulnerable on Sydney's rail network to fire after Town Hall.

Labor's transport spokeswoman, Jodi McKay, said Redfern station had been overlooked as a priority for an upgrade for far too long. “Stations like Redfern should be a priority because of the number of people using them. It has become over-congested because it services the university and the business park,” she said. A strategic business case completed late last year estimated the Redfern station upgrade would have a benefit-cost ratio of 2.3. It means the long-term benefits easily exceed the upfront costs. Loading The leaked documents are short on detail about what an upgraded Redfern station would look like. That is because the government is looking to allow the winning bidder to “influence” the station upgrade and incorporate it into the larger precinct renewal project.

One of the challenges for the precinct renewal will be the “timing of access to and transfer of ownership of land”, as well as financial returns for the developers. The large number of complex infrastructure projects underway in Sydney and Melbourne will also make it harder to find suitable contractors to carry out the work. The government has opted for a tender process after rejecting in April an unsolicited proposal from developer Mirvac to redevelop the site into a tech hub with Google as the anchor tenant. Geotechnical and surveying works at the station were completed early this year, the findings from which will be used to prepare the final business case for the station. That business case is due to be completed by the end of this year. Transport for NSW said it had begun investigations into improving access at the southern end of Redfern station to cope with forecast growth in the precinct. “This will include improving access to platforms for customers with disabilities,” it said.