News & Discussion: Adelaide Metro Trains

[PD2/20]

They're now putting up boundary fencing for the NRAH adjacent the rail corridor. It appears to me that they've continued to leave sufficient space between the new boundary fence and the existing pair of rail tracks for the Seaford Line. Could it be possible this space will accommodate a continuation of the rail siding which is currently being used to stable the electric trains for the Seaford line?

Having said that, it also appears to me that there is enough room under the Port Road Bridge for seven tracks (which can still be seen on Google Maps) when there is currently only six active lines. Surely there would be a need in future to maintain a reservation to accomodate for a third track on the Seaford / Tonsley lines? One would hope so especially if there is possible opportunities in future for the extension of both lines to Aldinga and FMC / Flinders University respectively.

Remember that the Belair lines can be used to either Mile End or to Wayville/Goodwood by Seaford/Tonsley trains, although it can cause confusion to Mile End passengers.

There has been work going on over the last week or two adjoining the skatepark which has involved new signalling cables. This might be related to a siding upgrade.

[[Shuz]]

Read / heard somewhere in the news this morning that the budget / money allocated for the grade separation of the Torrens Junction has been deferred by another year.

Looks like the State Government has bought itself another 12 months to decide what the hell to do with the Outer Harbor line, whether it will convert to light rail / trams or remain heavy rain. I guess it's now wait and see until the State Budget for any news.

[claybro]

Read / heard somewhere in the news this morning that the budget / money allocated for the grade separation of the Torrens Junction has been deferred by another year.

Looks like the State Government has bought itself another 12 months to decide what the hell to do with the Outer Harbor line, whether it will convert to light rail / trams or remain heavy rain. I guess it's now wait and see until the State Budget for any news.

My guess is this will be deferred indenfinately. we wont see electrification, heavy or light rail on this line any time in the forseeable future. Given the patronage on the OH line as it is, the longer this drags out, it would well be in danger of closing, with Port road wide enough to handle priority bus lanes. (Heaven Forbid)

[Llessur2002]

My guess is this will be deferred indenfinately. we wont see electrification, heavy or light rail on this line any time in the forseeable future. Given the patronage on the OH line as it is, the longer this drags out, it would well be in danger of closing, with Port road wide enough to handle priority bus lanes. (Heaven Forbid)

I hope that's not the case - I would have thought a direct rail link to the City would be vital for the regeneration of the Port and the corridor between there and Woodville...

[claybro]

My guess is this will be deferred indenfinately. we wont see electrification, heavy or light rail on this line any time in the forseeable future. Given the patronage on the OH line as it is, the longer this drags out, it would well be in danger of closing, with Port road wide enough to handle priority bus lanes. (Heaven Forbid)

I hope that's not the case - I would have thought a direct rail link to the City would be vital for the regeneration of the Port and the corridor between there and Woodville...

Absolutley agree. But current patronage is poor. Service is slow and infrequent. Stations are average at best. there is a huge investment required along here. The only saving grace may be the requirement to get more people onto rail on football days at AO, as busses only add to road conjestion. but the temptation to spend a few million on upgraded bus only lanes along the very wide Port Road corridor instead of hundreds of millions for a full rail transport option, well it m ay be very tempting for any Gov to take the cheap nasty option.

[Llessur2002]

Although presumably if that happened the residents of Day/Euston Terrace in West Croydon would be a bit peeved about having a brand new yet disused overpass sitting outside of their front doors...

[ChillyPhilly]

My guess is this will be deferred indenfinately. we wont see electrification, heavy or light rail on this line any time in the forseeable future. Given the patronage on the OH line as it is, the longer this drags out, it would well be in danger of closing, with Port road wide enough to handle priority bus lanes. (Heaven Forbid)

I hope that's not the case - I would have thought a direct rail link to the City would be vital for the regeneration of the Port and the corridor between there and Woodville...

Absolutley agree. But current patronage is poor. Service is slow and infrequent. Stations are average at best. there is a huge investment required along here. The only saving grace may be the requirement to get more people onto rail on football days at AO, as busses only add to road conjestion. but the temptation to spend a few million on upgraded bus only lanes along the very wide Port Road corridor instead of hundreds of millions for a full rail transport option, well it m ay be very tempting for any Gov to take the cheap nasty option.

[PeFe]

From the 'Tiser

Minister reveals where transport priority should be in Adelaide’s west


Electrifying the Outer Harbor train line and extending it to West Lakes is more important than building a new western tram network, Transport Minister Stephen Mullighan says Source: News Limited


ELECTRIFYING the Outer Harbor train line and extending it to West Lakes is more important than building a new western tram network, Transport Minister Stephen Mullighan says.

Mr Mullighan said extending the city’s tram line to the planned AAMI Stadium housing estate and Port Adelaide was impractical, despite both projects being in Labor’s 30-year transport plan.

“A tramline down Port Rd would require building across 20-30 intersections,” Mr Mullighan said.
He said electric trains would attract more passengers and reduce road congestion.

“Our priority is to electrify the Outer Harbor line and create spur lines that run-off to West Lakes and Semaphore,” Mr Mullighan said.

He said the electrification of the Outer Harbour line would likely start once work on electrifying the Gawler line was completed post 2017/18.

In 2013, the State Government released its 30-year transport plan, which included extending the city tramline to Outer Harbor, Port Adelaide, Semaphore, Grange and West Lakes.

The government’s vision also included a tramline along Henley Beach Rd that passed through Adelaide Airport.

Charles Sturt Council, Federal Liberal MP Matt Williams and a local residents group have this month renewed calls for an extended tram network in the western suburbs.

The council’s engineering and strategy manager, Phil Hewett, said a tramline should be extended down Port Rd and to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, on Woodville Rd.

Mr Williams said he wanted to see a dedicated light rail service that included stops at West Lakes, Henley Beach and the Airport, but admitted it “would take a significant amount of work”.

Community group Friends of West Lakes has repeatedly called on the State Government to build a light rail service to cater for the increased population at the 1600-home AAMI Stadium housing estate.

In addition to electrifying the Outer Harbour Line, Mr Mullighan said other priorities were delivering the $898 million South Rd upgrade from Torrens Rd to the River Torrens, building more dedicated cycling routes and creating more “park and ride” services.

He said the government had already begun discussions with developers Commercial & General about a “park and ride” in the AAMI Stadium estate. “People consider health and education as the most important areas, but we use our transport networks everyday ,” Mr Mullighan said.

http://www.news.com.au/national/south-a ... 7381500457

I am somewhat confused by this article and what Mulligan said. "Trains" in this country means "heavy rail" yet we have a picture of a "tram".....Electrifying the Gawler line followed by Outer Harbor implies electrifying the "heavy rail" line..

[Torrens_5022]

It does seem odd, I thought the plan is to convert the OH line to light rail and have tram lines to West Lakes of that. Trams don't hold as many people as trains but can have a much greater frequency. It would cost a lot but turning the obahn into light rail and having it connect to the OH line you could easily run a very frequent service.

[rubberman]

I suspect that the issue is that the people advising the Minister are heavy rail experts. So they know how to design and operate a heavy rail system.

However, when it comes to light rail and tramways, they are a little uncomfortable. This comes out in all sorts of subtle ways. For example the use of single truckers such as the Citadis, really over engineered overhead, over engineered signalling and track speed restrictions. These smack of people brought up in the heavy rail environment not really believing you can run trams safely without all the extra heavy engineering doo-dads...despite evidence of trams being able to do just that quite safely. For example, the old bay trams ran faster than those we have now, with much cheaper overhead and signal systems for seventy years satisfactorily. But apparently now that's not possible in SA?

Of course, if you have to pay twice as much as needs be for trams, overhead and signalling, then what the heck, it's only a bit more, and you get a heavy rail system which management are more comfortable with.

[Norman]

A heavy rail line to West Lakes, Grange, Semaphore and Outer Harbor would be much more preferable in my opinion, so I am glad the government is moving in that direction.

[[Shuz]]

Does the Minister really envision A - City 4000 trains travelling down West Lakes Boulevard and Semaphore Road?

It's not going to happen.

[rev]

What's wrong with extending it to West Lakes? There's plenty of room along West Lakes Blvd. There's also plenty of room at the West Lakes Blvd/Clark Tce intersection to widen the intersection and put a train through the middle up West Lakes Blvd.
Thye could even start a lowered section just after the Albert Park station and tunnel under the intersection and bring it back up just after the Tapleys Hill/West Lakes intersection in the media area they created for the footy express buses years ago.
They could then go under again before AAMI stadium and cut across the northern and western side of the stadium and have an underground station on the western side there near Checkside Tavern.
If the AAMI stadium surrounds turn into a medium density pocket of housing and commercial, why not?

[[Shuz]]

What part of its not going to happen do you not understand?

I will eat my hat and pigs will fly before it does.

Some of you really need to stop foaming over absolute impractical nonsensical crap, really.

[PeFe]

Does the Minister really envision A - City 4000 trains travelling down West Lakes Boulevard and Semaphore Road?

It's not going to happen.

I think you may be a little young to remember (or weren't born) but a train used to run down the middle of Semaphore Road.....service was discontinued in the 70's (I believe) due to poor patronage
and....when West lakes was conceived, the original plan had a train line down the centre of West Lakes Boulevard to service the new housing estate and the expectant crowds at the fantastically new Football Park....but the developer of West Lakes said "No! We don't want a train line, its too down market for our new development!"
Minister Mulligan appears a little confused on the difference between light and heavy rail (or maybe its his advisors who have no idea)
its hard to tell......