The Great Northern Railway was built through Maitland in the 1850s and extended to Lochinvar in July 1860. Maitland was serviced by Victoria Street, East Maitland and High Street when it opened however it was not until 1880 that what is now Maitland's principal station opened as West Maitland. Initially the station comprised only one platform, the present Platform 1. The station expanded with an island platform and footbridge constructed in 1914 followed in 1933 by another island platform. In April 1949 in recognition of its position as Maitland's primary station it received its present name. A bay platform was located at the eastern end of Platform 1 for terminating services from Newcastle, it was removed in the 1990s. The station is susceptible to floods. In the 1955 floods the signalbox was washed away with its replacement constructed on stilts. This closed on 27 October 1990 and has been leased to a model railway club. The high water marks have been marked on the building on Platform 1. Flood gates have been installed at the northern end of the platforms. A new signal box opened opposite the station on 17 December 1990. A yard is located east of the station. It is mainly used to stable railway maintenance equipment, although each April is used as a depot for locomotives attending the Hunter Valley Steamfest. Immediately east of the station the Main Northern and North Coast lines split, while about 500 metres west of the station the South Maitland Railways line to Pelton branches south. On 27 July 2015 Maitland was the first station to receive a Regional Customer Support Centre covering the Central Coast, Hunter and North West areas of NSW.
The station complex includes two brick station buildings, the platform 1 building completed in 1880 of type 5 first-class design, and the platform 2/3 building completed in 1914 of type 11 initial island/side building design. The signal box is of elevated timber on a steel frame and was completed in 1956, and the booking office, on the street facing Railway Prade, was completed in 1948. There is also a pedestrian overbridge connecting the road to the platforms.
Heritage listing
The Maitland station group is of high significance both as a complete unit, and for its individual elements. The various buildings date from the earliest surviving on the north line through to the 1950s forming a harmonious group with an important civic contribution particularly from the booking office and first class station building. The site is of additional interest with the relationship of the first class building to the alignment of platform 1 and the extended awning down to the realigned and lowered line which is unique in the railway system. The main station building is of high significance and is a very important building in Maitland and in the State particularly with its adaptive awning structure. The other buildings at the station including the signal box are significant and indicate the importance of the location as a commercial centre and junction station, particularly with the adjacent Maitland colliery system which linked with the main line nearby to the west. The number of platforms also indicate the importance of the site for changing trains and as a centre of commerce and the furthest link of the Newcastle commuter rail system.
