Melbourne’s Bell Station has been named one of the World’s Most Beautiful Passenger Stations of 2024 by the prestigious Prix Versailles, becoming the only Australian project recognised in its category this year.

Designed by acclaimed architecture studio Wood Marsh and delivered under the Victorian Government’s transformative Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP), Bell Station is a striking example of public infrastructure that elevates both form and function. Its recognition places it among a select group of international stations commended for design excellence, sustainability and cultural relevance.

Held annually at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, the Prix Versailles celebrates architecture that fuses innovation with social and environmental purpose. The 2024 jury, chaired by Benjamin Millepied and featuring leading voices in global architecture including Daniel Libeskind, Sou Fujimoto, David Adjaye and Wang Shu, praised Bell Station’s integration into Melbourne’s urban fabric and its richly expressive architectural language.

Bell Station and neighbouring Preston Station were part of the LXRP’s broader redevelopment along the Mernda Line, a project that saw the removal of four dangerous level crossings and the delivery of extensive new green space, equal in area to three MCGs, for the surrounding community.

The Prix Versailles citation noted Bell’s “concrete façade, a nod to the heritage-listed housing ringing the site, with a three-dimensional pattern representing the roofscape of the City of Darebin.” The design approach was equally attentive to experience and atmosphere, with multi-coloured glass windows casting dappled light into the double-height concourse and a soft interplay of shadow and hue enlivening the public realm throughout the day.

A civic beacon in lilac and light

Colour and geometry are used intentionally throughout the project, serving as tools for placemaking and wayfinding. Bell Station adopts the lilac identity of the Mernda Line, with vibrant pink and purple piers, cladding and lighting creating a distinctive civic presence. These colours, drawn from the nearby Darebin Arts & Entertainment Centre, inform both the station’s aesthetic and its illumination strategy, reducing the need for artificial light in the concourse and enhancing visibility into the evening hours.

A public amphitheatre adjacent to the station doubles as a functional flood basin, exemplifying the project’s intelligent sustainability. Developed in collaboration with landscape architects Tract Consultants, the space extends the reach of the Darebin Arts & Entertainment Centre and seamlessly connects to a broader green corridor beneath the elevated rail. This landscaped area incorporates gathering spaces, seating, pathways and native planting, creating a vibrant linear park that reconnects the community.

Throughout the project, Indigenous-led design initiatives were integrated to promote inclusivity and cultural learning. These include patterned lift towers and viaduct screens, along with landscaped yarning circles that embed cultural narratives into the public domain.

The train platform is accessed via a grand, double-height stair — its form accentuated by the shifting light from the coloured glazing panels overhead. At night, the station is illuminated in its signature colourway, transforming the concourse into a glowing urban landmark.

Together with Preston Station, Bell represents a new model for transport infrastructure in Australia — one that is expressive, inclusive and deeply embedded in its place. The international recognition from Prix Versailles reaffirms this vision, spotlighting Melbourne as a leader in civic architecture that aspires to more than movement alone.

Images by Peter Bennetts.

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