Train stations serve as symbolic landmarks that define a city's character and welcome travellers with a sense of place and identity. Geelong Station, a heritage-listed gem, unfortunately, stands as a stark example of neglect. Despite its historical significance and architectural charm, the station suffers from a lack of pride, maintenance, and upkeep.
The once-grand structure now bears the scars of time, with visible damage, vandalism, and signs of poor workmanship obvious.
As a frequent traveller from Waurn Ponds to the Geelong CBD, I recently had the opportunity to observe the state of Geelong Station while waiting for my train. During my 15-minute wait, I encountered numerous instances of neglect and poor care.
Waiting Room
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| The waiting room is ridden with stained carpets. |
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| An exchange library, once a unique initiative now stands abandoned. |
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| Holes in the walls aren't hard to find. |
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| A drinking fountain was removed from this spot over 2 years ago, The skirting boards have still not been replaced. |
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| Missing signs and mismatched sections of paint outside the toilets. |
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| The ceiling cladding is riddled with gaps and holes. |
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| Vandals have run wild leaving scratches and etches in most windows. |
Bus Bays and entrance.
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| I don't think this is how the signage in the bus bay is supposed to look. |
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| Eww, also the smoking information is outdated. |
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| The cafe leaves their milk crates right next to the main entrance. |
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| Tactile indicators in the bus bay, carpark and taxi zones are parcialy missing making them useless for the vision impaired. |
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| More contradictory smoking information due to peeling stickers. |
Platforms
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| It's hard to stand behind the yellow line when it's non-existent. |
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| Rubbish is everywhere among the tracks. |
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| These heritage benches have seen better days. |
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| This fire hose box looks beat up. |
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| Vending machines were removed from this spot months ago. |
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| New vending machines were installed with a powerboard cable tied to a beam allowing anyone to interfere with the power supply. |
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| The chilled water fountain was unplugged, likely due to the exposed access to the power cord and outlet. |
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| The heritage stairs are uneven and worn out due to years of use with little repairs. |
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| These benches are tied together with metal wire. |
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| Gashes and mismatched paint on the cladding of the heritage stairs. |
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| Finally more eww, just pressure wash this. |
Such neglect not only diminishes the aesthetic appeal of the city but also carries broader implications. Poorly maintained train stations can deter those considering public transport, tarnish cities' reputations, and adversely affect local businesses.
The state government is pouring unprecedented funds into new stations network-wide through the Metro Tunnel, Level Crossing Removal and Regional Rail Revival projects, but unfortunately is leaving those not receiving upgrades in a sorry state of neglect.
When compared to car travel where cheap SUVs with all the mod cons are the alternative It is not unreasonable to expect stations, stops and interchanges to be clean and well-presentable. Nobody wants to spend time in facilities that look like they aren't cared for.
The state government must prioritize the upkeep of not just Geelong Station but all stations across the state. It's nice that we are seeing some truly world-class station designs but it's very much a tale of two networks. There needs to be more investment across the board in the maintenance and upkeep of existing stations.
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