News & Discussion: Adelaide Metro Trains

[dsriggs]

How will the new electric cars on the "Seaford" line get to rail car depot at Dry Creek if the electrification has been suspended there?

perhaps they could get towed by diesel cars

Ah, so it is true! Oh dear Adelaide.

http://www.nearmap.com/[email protected],1 ... d=20120417

[Aidan]

It matches the rest of our inadequate mass transit system.

So it will look like this:
South, Electric train
South East, Buses that struggle up a steep hill, diesel train on single track that won't be electrified anytime soon
East: Buses, despite best efforts of Norwood council to get trams to return.
North East: Buses on almost worn out and technically obsolute concrete track
North: Brand new rail depot and some overhead poles, but using 20-30 year old diesel trains.
North West: diesel trains to Outer Harbor, every half hour, buses to everywhere else including Virginia.
West: diesel trains to Grange, but buses to airport, shopping centres, etc
South west: Tram to Glenelg
City: Tram down King William street that stops at every single set of traffic lights, and so takes 20 minutes.

This is a complete joke, what we have is inadequate in coverage, frequency and travel time. We really should replace the Obahn with proper heavy rail, expand the network with new rail and tram corridors. For example, there is a 2nd rail corridor to Glenelg, which if converted to heavy rail/tramway would deal with the capacity problems with the current tram line.

That's a bad examplfe, as it no longer reaches either Glenelg or the City, its current role as green space is very valuable to residents, and the capacity problems on the existing tramway coule be solved simply by running the services ad a decent frequency.

The O-bahn is not technically obsolete, and where did you get the idea that it's worn out?

[fabricator]

This is a complete joke, what we have is inadequate in coverage, frequency and travel time. We really should replace the Obahn with proper heavy rail, expand the network with new rail and tram corridors. For example, there is a 2nd rail corridor to Glenelg, which if converted to heavy rail/tramway would deal with the capacity problems with the current tram line.

That's a bad example, as it no longer reaches either Glenelg or the City, its current role as green space is very valuable to residents, and the capacity problems on the existing tramway coule be solved simply by running the services ad a decent frequency.

The O-bahn is not technically obsolete, and where did you get the idea that it's worn out?

Um as the government have already stated, they can't increase the frequency of the glenelg tram due to all the level crossing and resulting traffic grid lock. Anyway the street running at both ends of the line creates it's own problem of slower travel time and getting stuck in traffic.

The O-bahn is worn out, think about what effect driving heavy vehicles over the same stretch of concrete constantly for 30 years at up to 100 km/hr has ?
The track so some obvious signs of this, the gaps between the segments didn't used to 'boom' so much when driven over. There was quite a build up of rubber on the track surface last I was on it.

Point is at some stage the track itself will fail, and need replacement, I think the government know this and that is why the new buses will spending around 5 years on the track before being used elsewhere and replaced with newer buses. If your not sure how long the track will last, why spend extra for sturdier buses that would stand up to the punishment better.

The state government really need to have plans for replacing or improving what we have now for the better. Instead of looking for the next giant 'shiny thing' project; stadium, freeways, and huge bridges seem to take a priority over $10m-$100m projects to actually solve a small but important problem.

South Australia's government was given a chance to fix public transport in this state, and they blew all the money on other crap with didn't really need straight away. Had they been more cautious and take a pick of South Expressway OR new Adelaide Oval, they wouldn't have had to cancel anything, the remaining project would have been fine if left for a few more years.

[Waewick]

I'm happy to give the Governmner 2 more years to get it right.

the economic turmoil at the moment really is worse than anyone is willing to admit.

that being said, we will know by December how screwed we really are.

[[Shuz]]

I'm happy to give the Governmner 2 more years to get it right.

the economic turmoil at the moment really is worse than anyone is willing to admit.

that being said, we will know by December how screwed we really are.

Why December?

[Waewick]

Olympic Dam

[85trainfan]

Electrification works are continuing on the Noarlunga Centre line (Should start calling it the "Seaford Line")
A small work site has been setup south of Christies Downs station, on the down track, with 2 piles of poles already onsite, and a small area leveled (looks just about the right size for a workers site office). This same area was used for a huge ballast and sleeper stockpile during the Noarlunga to Oaklands upgrade.

[Norman]

Looking at the latest NearMap, it seems like they are prepping the Tonsley Line for duplication. What do you guys think?

[85trainfan]

Looking at the latest NearMap, it seems like they are prepping the Tonsley Line for duplication. What do you guys think?

The current works on the Tonsley line are Signal cable replacement (to cope with Electrification) and Drainage works. Anther interesting item to note, the Points leading into the former Mitsubishi Plant have been removed (both ends) and the booked out section of track adjacent the platform has been relaid with new wooden sleepers.

[fabricator]

Looking at the latest NearMap, it seems like they are prepping the Tonsley Line for duplication. What do you guys think?

That is my thought as well, the Noarlunga line didn't get its signalling/power cables dug up and relocated. I doubt they will be laying the second track too soon, but as a longer term plan, moving the underground pipes now makes perfect sense. The drainage needed fixing anyway.

[shaun]

Adelaide Railway Station to close for a month
David Nankervis
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sout ... 6452728491

ADELAIDE will be plunged into commuter chaos with the closure of the Adelaide Railway Station to all train services for more than a month.

The lengthy shutdown in January will be due to the multimillion-dollar Convention Centre upgrade and electrification of the southern rail network.

The work is expected to impact on the tens of thousands of rail commuters who use the service each day and also severely restrict traffic along the Morphett St Bridge.

Further electrification of the major southern line will also have a major impact on the Noarlunga service.

Adelaidenow understands the suspension of services to the city's major public transport rail hub will begin on January 2 and last up to five weeks.

Train services will continue but terminate at inner city stations and passengers will be bussed into the city.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union has been briefed by the State Government about the closure.

State secretary Ashley Waddell said he was told by the Transport Department at a meeting in June that "train services won't be running into Adelaide Railway Station" early in the New Year.

Closure of the station as part of the $350 million Convention Centre upgrade will allow cranes to work without compromising safety of trains and passengers passing underneath heavy loads.

"There's a significant amount of work to be undertaken in the Adelaide yard and it will be disruptive to running services into and out of Adelaide," Mr Waddell said.

The department told the union it planned to terminate the northern line trains at the North Adelaide station and the southern services at Goodwood, Mile End or Keswick, Mr Waddell said.

"Passengers will be bussed in from there," he said.

Where western service passengers will disembark has not been decided at the June meeting, Mr Waddell added.

Construction industry sources have also told adelaidenow large scale renovation works would take five weeks and commence from January 2.

The electrification work on the Noarlunga line will see services suspended between the city and the Oaklands Park station and is expected to also begin in January and take several months.

[shaun]

Oh my god, I am so glad I don't have to catch a train to work. This is going to be complete chaos.

Five weeks seem very excessive to close the busiest train station in Adelaide. Hopefully during this time they use it wisely and do some renovations to spruce up the old girl, eg the station platforms, around the gates and the Riverbank entrance. Hell even modernise those tired looking stairs at the North Tce entrance.

[muzzamo]

Its always possible to do these sort of works without total closures, but not without significant expense.

The experience with Perth was that after electrification patronage doubled (or was it tripled?) - hopefully once electrification is complete the train system will be considered important enough (due to much higher patronage) that the government can't simply shut it for weeks or months at a time.

[Ho Really]

[...]

Where western service passengers will disembark has not been decided at the June meeting, Mr Waddell added.

[...]

How about Bowden...and have the tram run on the early morning and late night services to/from Adelaide Station and the Entertainment Centre?

Cheers

[witsend]

Bowden makes the most amount of sense for the western passengers. Personally, I'd put a set of points on the western side of bowden, and do what they were doing in the first closure between Adelaide and Mawson Lakes, save the train traversing Park Terrace, except when it has to run back to Dry Creek. You've tram there, just ensure the frequencies are up, say by extending the City Shuttle to run to the Entertainment Centre. As for the Gawler Line, North Adelaide should be fine.

TBH, I'd hoped they would have electrified the Noarlunga Line from Seaford to Oaklands prior the works commencing at Goodwood Junction, and have the new electric trains running the shuttles. Worksite begins east of the sturt river. Alas, unlikely to happen now.