[COM] M2 Northern Connector | 15.5km | $867m

[Norman]

At least they are investing in the future, not making quick fixes to draw our attention away like a new stadium, instant train electrification and whatever else MHS promises us he will do within a short period..

[Wayno]

I would hazard a guess that the main idea of this project is to get rail freight out of the hills, in part to shut the NIMBYs out there up. It'd keep Outer Harbor bound trains out of the suburbs.

Does this new road/rail project also reduce the need to have freight trains run through Belair?

[urban]

No it only gets them out of the Northern Suburbs. It does make it easier to do the re-route suggested for the Belair line with one of the reasons given for not rerouting is that it would burden the Northern suburbs with greater freight train movements.

[AG]

Please excuse my ignorance - I've been away from Adelaide for 18 months - but what is the new township at Buckland Park?
Thanks, Anne

Buckland Park is a new town planned near Port Wakefield Road north of Bolivar and south of the Gawler River, planned for about 15000 people from what I remember. It's effectively just outside the northern boundary of the Adelaide metropolitan area.

[monotonehell]

Anyway, I was reading the comments on news.com.au about this, and my god I can't believe how unsatisfied people are. There is obviously a greater plan here that the government is working with, I don't understand why people are so blind or stupid. It's 2008, if an outsider spoke to some of these people he'd be convinced Adelaide was stuck in the 19th century. I can understand now why they wouldn't want to release all their plans for transport infrastructure at once, the amount of whining and moaning people would do would absolutely kill it all off.

I also suspect that they are working from a greater plan, but are being cautious about the NIMBYism backlash, so they are taking it one step at a time and dealing with the residents affected's concerns for each part. Which is a sensible thing to do considering how a HUGE master plan made public would scare people, mess with land values and property speculation, and generally cause change-panic amongst the community.

MHS on the other hand has an unfunded dreamlike vision and everytime the govt comes out with something he's taking the extremely lame-duck opposition for opposition's sake path. MHS really needs to pull his team together and become a serious opposition if he wants to win elections.

[Queen Anne]

Thanks very much for your reply AG,

I just had a look at the S.A thread about Buckland Park (should have known there would be one ) I'm not sure if I'm too keen on the idea of this new "township", on a first think about it...but I will keep thinking. In my heart of hearts, I wish Adelaide would fill-in rather than expand outward..

I hope there's a good reason why the 'Northern Connector's' rail line does not include Buckland Park. I know the suburb is yet to be built but couldn't the planning be done now for a rail-link? I worry it won't happen and we will set the precedent for American style sprawl. We just drove through southern California, and Adelaide sure does not want what they have! Am I being unfair and hitting the panic button too soon? I hope so! Maybe I should just wait and let this plan unfold a little.. the only problem is sometimes when things unfold, they unfold badly and it is too late then to gather them up again..

[Will409]

Quenne Ann, the reason why rail hasn't been considered for Buckland Park is that the new route is designed as a freight only line (other then the Indian Pacific and The Ghan). Suburban passenger operation on the new route hasn't been considered.

[AG]

Thanks very much for your reply AG,

I just had a look at the S.A thread about Buckland Park (should have known there would be one ) I'm not sure if I'm too keen on the idea of this new "township", on a first think about it...but I will keep thinking. In my heart of hearts, I wish Adelaide would fill-in rather than expand outward..

I hope there's a good reason why the 'Northern Connector's' rail line does not include Buckland Park. I know the suburb is yet to be built but couldn't the planning be done now for a rail-link? I worry it won't happen and we will set the precedent for American style sprawl. We just drove through southern California, and Adelaide sure does not want what they have! Am I being unfair and hitting the panic button too soon? I hope so! Maybe I should just wait and let this plan unfold a little.. the only problem is sometimes when things unfold, they unfold badly and it is too late then to gather them up again..

Noting that the current freight rail line owned by the ARTC currently runs parallel to the Gawler Line and then diverges north west towards Virginia at Salisbury, the construction of two new rail tracks on a new corridor would effectively make the existing track between Dry Creek and Virginia redundant for its current use. Over 90% of the rail corridor required to link the proposed Buckland Park township to the city centre already exists! The only section that does not exist is the last few kilometres into where the town will be constructed. That third track existing between Salisbury and Dry Creek provides some good opportunities for the TransAdelaide network to improve and expand its service. The ARTC would not want to have suburban trains running down a corridor that it would want dedicated to the use of freight trains and intercity train services. This project is more targeted at accomodating future freight traffic (both road and rail) rather than accomodating people travelling from A to B.

That brings up a few more interesting questions. How will this upgrade affect the existing suburban rail services? What will be done now with Port Wakefield Road if anything? How will the two rail tracks on the new corridor provide an increase in capacity when there are still long stretches of single track to the north, south and west of the corridor?

I agree that Adelaide needs to consolidate rather than continue to build outwards. A release of new land at Buckland Park and in areas to the east of Adelaide such as Highbury seem to be very short-term solutions to rapidly increasing property values as it can only be done to such an extent before other impacts outweigh the benefits of continuing to sprawl.

[crawf]

I lol when I saw 'Buckland Park country township proposal' on the map, look how close it is to the Adelaide Metropolitan - its more like a outer suburb of Adelaide which will probably be eventually swallowed up by suburban sprawl.

[adam73837]

I'm sorry, but the road section of this plan is an absolute waste of money and I will tell you why I think this:
1. Why build a freeway standard road along an already freeway standard road when you can put overpasses and exits on Port Wakefield Road between Salisbury Highway and the Northern Expressway.
2. Instead of wasting all this money on buying more land to build another road, when you can merely transform the current road into a freeway. It would be CHEAPER and isn't that what our state is reknown for? Always finding CHEAPER options?
3. To put it simply, the only thing that we are doiong to the current Port Wakefield Road is make a few 'no right turn' t-junctions and a couple of upgrades to traffic Intersections.
I will give you some other points about the government behind this plan:
1. Notice how it took MHS's 2030 Master Plan before Mike Rann FINALLY put forward some sort of transport upgrade proposal (which is still a waste of money)
2. This is merely Mike Rann getting scared of MHS's Plan and because he wants to stay in power and continue to ride on the bumps of previous Premiers (eg. Adelaide Airport -John Olsen; Northern Expressway -Being proposed years before Mike Rann; and believe me, there are many more!)
3. His do-nothing government which has done nothing but build a few hundred METER tramline EXTENSION wants to also stay in power so they're also making themselves look good.

[crawf]

Oh I love the outbursts state liberal supporters come up with, btw its metre

So I guess MHS's trillion dollar vision for Adelaide isn't a waste of money?, oh and there was discussion over the 'Northern Connector' last year on here.

[frank1]

2. This is merely Mike Rann getting scared of MHS's Plan and because he wants to stay in power and continue to ride on the bumps of previous Premiers (eg. Adelaide Airport -John Olsen; Northern Expressway -Being proposed years before Mike Rann; and believe me, there are many more!)
3. His do-nothing government which has done nothing but build a few hundred METER tramline EXTENSION wants to also stay in power so they're also making themselves look good.

Yeah, MHS is so much better when everytime i hear of him his whinging and moaning over the most trivial problems and never actually comming up with solutions. What a visionary

[Queen Anne]

Thank you for your patient replies to my dunderhead questions I understand now that this connector is to be a dedicated freight line.

I'll watch this project with interest. I hope as things evolve, we hear it includes plans to upgrade our passenger train system. If they are, indeed, building Buckland Park, the northern line sounds like a great place to start with an overhaul! If we must sprawl, lets at least do it in a way that reflects we are a connected community and not simply groups of houses, roads and 'big box' stores that happen to share some space. Sorry, I'm having a flash-back to southern California!

I am encouraged to hear that 90% of the rail corridor needed to connect Buckland park to the city exists already.

[Queen Anne]

I lol when I saw 'Buckland Park country township proposal' on the map, look how close it is to the Adelaide Metropolitan - its more like a outer suburb of Adelaide which will probably be eventually swallowed up by suburban sprawl.

Crawf, you're right. It seems much more like an outer suburb than a township. The cycnic in me wonders if calling this place a "township" is a subtle way to give us the idea that it is self contained, with no need for city infrastructure - in other words, no train line. I see the developer goes to pains to say it will have a town centre, etc..no need for the city

There is a reason why raw land like this is developed - it's cheap for the developer (says the enthusiastic amateur whose reading a book about urban sprawl )

[Shuz]

From the DTEI Minister's website.

The Rann Government today announced early planning for a new billion-dollar 14km road and rail freight corridor in Adelaide’s north – the first dual-use project in the State’s history.



Transport Minister Patrick Conlon said a planning study would determine the preferred alignment and feasibility of a proposed joint road/rail route to be built in a new corridor to the west of Port Wakefield Road.



The Northern Connector project – which is estimated to cost $1 billion dependent on construction timing – would secure the long-term freight needs in Adelaide’s north and take freight trains out of the suburbs around Salisbury and Parafield.



“In 2005, the Rann Government’s State Infrastructure Plan prioritised consolidation of the State’s freight corridors and provision of a north-south transport corridor for Adelaide,” Mr Conlon said.



“We are well underway with those plans. The Port River Expressway is nearing completion and work has started on South Road with the Anzac Highway underpass.



“Combined with the South Road planning study and the pending Northern Expressway, we are making excellent progress in achieving these aims.



“A road/rail project like this will be the first of its kind in South Australia and demonstrates again this government’s commitment to addressing the State’s infrastructure needs now and into the future.”



Mr Conlon said the Northern Connector rail project would be fantastic for suburban communities living adjacent to the national east-west freight rail line - and also improve road safety.



Initial investigations reveal a Northern Connector would comprise:

Construction of a new expressway standard road between the interchange connection of Port Wakefield Road, the Northern Expressway and Salisbury Highway (a distance of 14 kms)
An upgrade of Salisbury Highway between Port Wakefield Road and South Road (a distance of 3 kms)
A double track freight rail link from the Adelaide-Darwin/Perth rail line near Pellew Road, east of Port Wakefield Road, to Dry Creek.
While the State Government is funding the planning study, a future Northern Connector would be a joint Federal and State undertaking funded under the Auslink program - reflecting the project’s status as a transport link of national importance.



“Innovative projects that both drive the economy forward and provide social and community benefits are seen as key national projects for investment by the Federal Government,” Mr Conlon said.



“This project brings road freight, rail freight and the port together and shows that our state is at the forefront of dealing strategically with the national freight needs.”



The planning study will involve contact with the owners of 200 properties, about half of which are expected to be affected by the final corridor. It will include a full economic analysis, establish environmental processes and outline an approach for design and construction.



“South Australia is set for very exciting times but we must take full advantage of the opportunities that are presenting themselves in the mining and defence industries by investing in projects of this scope,” Mr Conlon said.



“We’ll glean much more from a completed planning study but the benefits of combining road and rail transport into a dedicated corridor are tremendous.



“By improving access to Adelaide for freight transport while simultaneously reducing truck movements on local roads, we are dramatically improving safety and efficiency.”



The South Australian Road Transport Association, the South Australian Freight Council and the RAA have indicated their support for investment in the project.



The planning study and associated environmental impact assessments are expected to be finished by the end of 2009.



A completed project could be operational by 2017.