PRO: Port Adelaide Tramline | $260m

[Norman]

Trams now show "West Terrace via City" on the destination boards. I'm assuming the other one will read "Entertainment Centre via City". Not sure about the ones to Glenelg though.

[kenget]

Park and ride urged on new Adelaide tramline

Updated 23 minutes ago
Port Road tram stop

(ABC News: Gary Rivett)

Adelaide's latest tramline extension from the city to the Entertainment Centre at Hindmarsh is now operating.

Rod Hook from the Transport Department says he hopes people take advantage of cheap parking at the Entertainment Centre, then jump on the trams to and from the city for no extra cost.

"Park in the Entertainment Centre car park any time after six o'clock. You'll need to be out by 6:30 at night," he said.

"So you pay your $2:00, you park there all day, walk over and get a free tram and it's a free ride into the city."

Mr Hook is expecting no problems with the new service after a trial proved a success.

"We had that linked in with the opening day for the Entertainment Centre. We probably ran about six trams every hour over four hours," he said.

"They were generally full and the services worked well, so we've just taken the last two weeks since that to do a bit more work along the corridor and get the platforms ready."

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010 ... 852247.htm

[drsmith]

How long will parking at the Entertainment Center stay cheap ?

[mattblack]

How long will parking at the Entertainment Center stay cheap ?

The tram will be free for the next 6 months, after that fees are expected to be introduced.

[rhino]

Adelaide Entertainment Centre park-and-ride tram deal popular
Amy Noonan From: AdelaideNow March 22, 2010 11:52AM

HUNDREDS of commuters have taken advantage of the new $2 park-and-ride deal under trial at the Entertainment Centre tram stop.
More than 200 passengers had boarded from the Port Rd stop by 10am and Office of Major Projects and Infrastructure executive director Rod Hook said he expected even more drivers to make use of the 700 Entertainment Centre parking places.
"We would hope that over the next few days that motorists may sit in congestion on Port Rd and decide this is a better option when they see a tram going past them," he said.
Commuters can park their cars in the Hindmarsh car park for $2 and ride to and from the city free between 6am to 6.30pm, the parking proceeds going to to the Entertainment Centre.
Mr Hook said the trial would run for six months, after which users could need to buy a ticket.
"It could be a Metroticket, but all the Government's announced at this stage is free travel for the first six months so we'll have a decision made as to whether further fees will apply," he said.
Mr Hook said extra trams would run for upcoming events.
"We've got a soccer match down here at Hindmarsh Stadium on Wednesday night and there's a couple of events in the next week or so, James Taylor, Carole King and Lady Gaga, so we'll be trying to work tram services around events to give people an option to use public transport,"he said.

[Waewick]

I wonder what the impact of the trams will have on Adelaide United games? surely its easier to get down there now for a heap of people... well from my limited experience at going to soccer matches given I've only been twice and parking was the main issue.

But the other interesting thing will be participation rates on the park and go if you need to buy a ticket

[rhino]

the other interesting thing will be participation rates on the park and go if you need to buy a ticket

Up at Crafers the Park'n'Ride is free. If they make the EntCent Park'n'Ride free, it will mean the cost of a trip will go up from $1 ($2 return) to about $2.90 per trip if you use a multitrip ticket. Still cheaper than parking in the city, with less stress. Especially once you have established a routine, which is what these first 6 months is all about.

[Myk]

Adelaide Entertainment Centre park-and-ride tram deal popular
Amy Noonan From: AdelaideNow March 22, 2010 11:52AM

More than 200 passengers had boarded from the Port Rd stop by 10am...

Just 200? I'd hope that the line sees a few more than 50 an hour in the peak...

[Waewick]

the other interesting thing will be participation rates on the park and go if you need to buy a ticket

Up at Crafers the Park'n'Ride is free. If they make the EntCent Park'n'Ride free, it will mean the cost of a trip will go up from $1 ($2 return) to about $2.90 per trip if you use a multitrip ticket. Still cheaper than parking in the city, with less stress. Especially once you have established a routine, which is what these first 6 months is all about.

thats great to hear

hopefully it is successful and attracts a high number of users. ( and then they duplicate it near my house )

[paul.h]

the other interesting thing will be participation rates on the park and go if you need to buy a ticket

Up at Crafers the Park'n'Ride is free. If they make the EntCent Park'n'Ride free, it will mean the cost of a trip will go up from $1 ($2 return) to about $2.90 per trip if you use a multitrip ticket. Still cheaper than parking in the city, with less stress. Especially once you have established a routine, which is what these first 6 months is all about.

If the Entercentre parking was free and the tram was a metroticket, then it would be $1.57 per trip as you could use a Reg 2-section multitrip which is $15.70 as the Entercentre would be within 2 sections. No need for $29 multitrip.

Who buys $29 multitrips anyway. I know of alot of people who buy 2-section multitrips but travel much farther distance than 2 sections. Just as long as you dont need to transfer services.

[monotonehell]

Who buys $29 multitrips anyway. I know of alot of people who buy 2-section multitrips but travel much farther distance than 2 sections. Just as long as you dont need to transfer services.

Or get caught by an inspector, their little black boxes know where they are in terms of sections - they program them when they board the bus.

[skyliner]

Adelaide Entertainment Centre park-and-ride tram deal popular
Amy Noonan From: AdelaideNow March 22, 2010 11:52AM

More than 200 passengers had boarded from the Port Rd stop by 10am...

Just 200? I'd hope that the line sees a few more than 50 an hour in the peak...

That figure will increase once awareness of the deal spreads further - bit like a stone in a pool - the ring spreads out takking a greater and greater area with it.
Good to see this is operating - success will have a bearing on the next stage one would think.

SA - STATE ON THE MOVE

[Myk]

.. success will have a bearing on the next stage one would think.

SA - STATE ON THE MOVE

[/quote]

True, and that's the issue. The problem with various projects, albeit in the eastern states, was that they never saw the ramp up. Look at the Sydney cross city tunnel and several others. Awareness didn't help. They were saying 20,000 per day for the Sydney ECRL. Now it is 8,000, mostly from uni kids. A good start might die before it gets off the ground, and this is not a good start. Good luck.

[rhino]

Any idea how many people are using it today? I would have thought that when people heard that there were lots of vacant carparks yesterday, more people would have chosen the option today.

Regarding the multitrip tickets, as I live so far out of town I have never used anything but a $29.00 ticket (which I buy from my union at 10% discount), in fact I didn't even know there were cheaper ones Good news, but.

[mm42]

Tram/train nightmare in Bowden TOD ?

Does the Port railway line really have the capacity for 2 tram routes plus 2 rail routes from the Bowden TOD to Woodville ? If each of these 4 routes has 4 peak hour services per hour in each direction, this is 32 services per hour between Bowden and Woodville.

1. This is 1 closure of level crossing boom gates every 2 minutes. Apart from South Road, what other road grade separations are proposed for the 4 other level crossings ?
2. Will there be sufficient capacity for 8 trams/hr to join 8 trains/hr in each direction at Bowden without grade separation ?
3. Will there be sufficient capacity for trams and trains to separate at Woodville without grade separation ?
4. How will trams fit into the relatively narrow paths between trains, when the trams are currently running up to 7 minutes late ?
5. Will this this frequency of trams and trains through the pedestrian mall of the TOD hinder its development ?
6. What are the safety aspects of runnings trains through a pedestrian mall ? Trams are designed for on-street operation, but trains have longer stopping distances.
7. If there is an accident between a pedestrian and a train within the mall, what would be the politically savvy response ? Would the whole line be changed to tram operation ?
8. If trams arrive at Bowden full from further up the line, how will there be room for drivers from the new 700-space park-n-ride at the Entertainment Centre ? Or will there be tram bypasses, as occur on the Glenelg line ?

I suspect the detailed modelling for this hasn't yet been done. It would be an embarrasment for a government to build without undertaking such modelling.

If new electric trains are being ordered with tram-like stopping distances suitable for running through a pedestrian mall, why not also run them along new rail branches to Westlakes and Semaphore, for which trams were proposed ? In Los Angeles, the Blue Line uses high-platform light rail trains, and its route runs along short sections of road and a pedestrian mall.

While the adjacent Clipsal site is in public ownership prior to its development as a TOD, the costs of sinking the line for grade separation of Park Terrace are much much lower than at any time once it is developed. There is 24/7 access, few neighbours to complain about noise and dust. Park Terrace is one of Adelaide's worst levels crossings, and severely compromises the capacity of the Park Terrace-Port Road intersection. If the line is sunk for Park Terrace it could also be sunk for the TOD, so a mall could be located above the railway line like at Subiaco in Perth.