When Burpengary station reopened in late 2024 after an eight-month closure, commuters returned to new lifts, a new overpass, raised platforms and a reconfigured carpark. Among all of it, one structure was deliberately retained: the concrete shelter shed on the platform. It has been standing there for more than 107 years and, thanks to a deliberate decision by Queensland Rail, it is not going anywhere.
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Queensland Rail Head of South East Queensland Scott Riedel said ahead of construction commencing that the building was significant to Queensland Rail because it was one of the early examples of a construction technique that was later adopted across the network, and that the team had taken care to incorporate it into the accessibility upgrade to ensure it was preserved.
The shed was prefabricated from a kit of reinforced concrete components and assembled using semi-skilled labour under the supervision of one or two tradespeople, a technique Queensland Rail subsequently adopted across the broader network.
The station itself has been in operation since 1888. The North Coast railway line to Caboolture was built by contractor John Robb, with construction beginning in 1886 and 420 workers employed for the duration. By June 1888, the 25-mile section to Caboolture was complete, and Burpengary received its first platform, which functioned as a crossing gate where a gatekeeper manually opened and closed wooden gates to stop road traffic when a train was due.
When the shelter shed was built in 1917, workers left a handwritten document in the ceiling recording their names and noting that the Great European War was raging in its third year. It was discovered in the 1990s. That same year, the local community raised funds for an honour board at the station recognising local WWI enlistees, which now hangs at Burpengary Community Hall. In 1921, the station won a prize in the Commissioner for Queensland Railways Annual Garden competition, and from 1931 a station mistress was placed in charge. The post office also operated from the station for more than 50 years.
As for the upgrade itself, the station was closed from 22 January until 9 September 2024 to allow the $53 million works to proceed. Two footbridges, one weighing more than 35 tonnes and another more than 65 tonnes, were lowered into place using 450-tonne and 500-tonne cranes, fastened between lift shafts to form the overpass structure linking the platforms across the tracks.
The refurbished station is now equipped with lifts, an overpass and raised platforms, along with accessible toilets, a disability-compliant ticket window, improved seating, extended platform shelters, hearing augmentation loops, tactile floor indicators, new wayfinding signage, CCTV upgrades and a reconfigured carpark with space for almost 500 cars.
During the upgrade, Burpengary State School students and the Burpengary Community Association buried a new time capsule at the station, set to be reopened in June 2054. The station also includes new artwork from local resident Brenden Hirst, who won Queensland Rail’s photography competition.
Queensland Rail has committed to installing a story board on the side of the heritage shed detailing its history. The building is listed on the Queensland Rail Heritage Register but not on the State Heritage Register.
Featured image: Burpengary Railway Station in 1917 (Photo credit: City of Moreton Bay, reference number CLPC-P0001)
Published 1-April-2026
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