How have Sydney Trains Mall Seats held up after 10 years?

If you’ve travelled on Sydney Trains within the last decade, chances are you’ve sat on a Street Furniture Australia seat. 

In 2015, Sydney Trains installed over 2000 Concourse and Mall Seats. Concourse Seats were specified for underground and metro stations while Mall Seats, which made the bulk of the order, were installed across the network of regional, suburban and CBD train stations.

A total of 1,639 Mall Seats using Wood Without Worry battens were chosen for high traffic, exposed and graffiti prone locations for their durability, low maintenance and strength. Wood Without Worry battens are aluminium, sublimated with a woodgrain finish.

Now ten years on we have sent a team, including two engineers and two product specialists, to assess the state of the Mall Seats. They visited ten Sydney stations in metro, suburban and regional locations to audit the condition of the aluminium battens and collect feedback from station masters, to understand how these seats are performing after ten years.

Sydney Train stations accommodate millions of passenger journeys each year. Here are passenger numbers for the ten we visited:

Station Name	Type	Passengers recorded in 2023
Bullaburra	Regional	24,050
Regents Park	Western Sydney	614,040
Woodford	Regional	158,58
Artarmon	Metro	2,320,470
Summer Hill	Inner West	1,730,440
Lewisham	Inner West	1,341,900
Stanmore	Inner West	1,532,770
Merrylands	Western Sydney	3,096,450
Sydenham	Metro	4,087,010
Doonside	Western Sydney	1,297,950
	Total	16,045,080

Results of the visual audit and interviews with station masters

Overall condition after 10 years

• All 172 seats visited were considered to be in good condition. 
• No battens needed replacing.
• 14% of seats showed signs of scratches from general wear and tear.

Fading

• There were 69 seats in full sun. While battens had lost some of their original lustre, the rich tones of the woodgrain remained, with little to no sign of fading.

Graffiti

• No seats had painted graffiti. One seat in Woodford, Blue Mountains had fresh graffiti. The station master removed it with wipes during our visit.
• The station masters were given touch up paint for scratches.
• 3% of seats were gouged.
• 23% of seats showed signs of scratched graffiti typically on the first batten. Tagging was done with a sharp object such as a knife. The station masters didn’t consider this form of graffiti to warrant replacing the batten.

Maintenance

• Station masters hose seats daily, mainly due to bird droppings. 
• Marker and spray paint graffiti is removed with wipes.
• Maintenance included hosing seats with soapy water.

Woodford Train Station Master explained their cleaning protocol. “The seats under cover are cleaned with soapy water once a week. Uncovered seats are cleaned twice a week, because of bird droppings. Graffiti is removed with wipes when it appears. They are easy to clean and I think they look good.”
Station maintenance teams can be called to replace battens if required, but when asked about batten replacement he noted, “I’ve been at this station for three years and in that time, no battens have been replaced”.

Conclusion

A timber look can be achieved through ‘Wood Without Worry’, also known as Woodgrain Aluminium. 

Wood Without Worry is a tried-and-tested batten material that is stronger and more durable than timber and is ideal for locations requiring a low-maintenance and graffiti-resistant option. Its appearance is stable over time. The battens do not fade after a decade in direct sunlight and graffiti can be easily removed.