The Great Western Railway line from Sydney to Parramatta opened in 1855 with four stops along the way, including Newtown. The original train station was near Crago Flour Mills (now the Silos Apartments), hence the street name Station Street, but was moved to its present site in 1892 when the railway line was expanded. A ticket office was built at street level on the Newtown Bridge and the platform accessed by steep stairs.