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Unley Road could also get the same bus stop treatment

One of my biggest public transport peeves at the moment isn't so much the transport but the infrastructure: specifically, the Park Tce level crossing in Salisbury. It's a nightmare at the best of times - not helped by a chaotic and extremely uncoordinated local road network, along with the freight line.

ChillyPhilly wrote:One of my biggest public transport peeves at the moment isn't so much the transport but the infrastructure: specifically, the Park Tce level crossing in Salisbury. It's a nightmare at the best of times - not helped by a chaotic and extremely uncoordinated local road network, along with the freight line.

Driving through the Park Tce level crossing is rather slow most times. But I think when the Salisbury Hwy underpass opened in 1992 the Park Tce level crossing probably should have been closed, and most certainly after the accident that resulted in the deaths of school children in 2002. It's my understanding that the chaotic and uncoordinated local roads was an intentional part of the safety alterations made after that accident. I've found it much quicker to drive the long way around through the Salisbury Hwy underpass than sit at all the red lights around the level crossing, and run the risk of getting caught by trains as well.

A big public transport peeve of mine in Salisbury is the train station is crap, it urgently needs some extensive modernisation works, trains dont come often enough, rail electrification should have been done years ago, and the local bus services could be better.

metro wrote:

ChillyPhilly wrote:One of my biggest public transport peeves at the moment isn't so much the transport but the infrastructure: specifically, the Park Tce level crossing in Salisbury. It's a nightmare at the best of times - not helped by a chaotic and extremely uncoordinated local road network, along with the freight line.

Driving through the Park Tce level crossing is rather slow most times. But I think when the Salisbury Hwy underpass opened in 1992 the Park Tce level crossing probably should have been closed, and most certainly after the accident that resulted in the deaths of school children in 2002. It's my understanding that the chaotic and uncoordinated local roads was an intentional part of the safety alterations made after that accident. I've found it much quicker to drive the long way around through the Salisbury Hwy underpass than sit at all the red lights around the level crossing, and run the risk of getting caught by trains as well.

A big public transport peeve of mine in Salisbury is the train station is crap, it urgently needs some extensive modernisation works, trains dont come often enough, rail electrification should have been done years ago, and the local bus services could be better.

The mess that is Park Terrace occurred in the mid 90's. Back in the day, Gawler St doglegged around a historic hotel (built in the 1850's), and the intersection lined up perfectly with North Lane. This meant that the railway crossing/intersection somewhat worked in sync with the intersection. Then the council decided that Gawler St desperately needed to be straightened, so the hotel got demolished, the Stockade was built in it's place, and you ended up with the dogs breakfast that is that particular intersection - and a massive flop/eyesore in the Stockade hotel.

It was intended that the dogs breakfast and the Salisbury Highway/Park Tce/Waterloo Corner Rd intersection would be synced at the time, but it was turned off, which contributed to the 2002 accident. Since then, they synced up the intersections, but now it's just a nightmare to get through. Good luck not being stopped at the railway crossing eastbound.

That crossing is the Adelaide equivalent of St Albans crossing in Melbourne, which was recently eliminated

too bad they delayed building the freight line with the Northern Connector, it would have made rebuilding the gawler line crossings much more straight forward

GoodSmackUp wrote:too bad they delayed building the freight line with the Northern Connector, it would have made rebuilding the gawler line crossings much more straight forward

Maybe there is a "cunning plan" to get a bigger donation from the Federal Government for the alternate route as part of a funding package to improve or remove those level crossings.

The Salisbury level crossing is a difficult equation to solve. Ideally freight can be re-routed via a new line (as per the Northern Connector), but that isn't exactly happening until further announcements in the future. In the meantime the only way is up: the rail overpass should be strengthened and a rail viaduct built on top of that to allow Park Tce to continue underneath. It would also allow for a new station and interchange: think Bondi Junction in terms of function. I'd also advocate for improvements around the area, like reducing the Park Tce speed limit, local road design and traffic management upgrades, and rezoning of land around the existing station, and removing the Eureka and Stockade pubs for all the trouble they cause.

The other issue with Park Terrace at Salisbury is that it looks like the rail bridge over Salisbury Highway may have to be rebuilt as well - there just simply isn't enough room to allow the gradient possible for a new overpass at Park Terrace and then return to ground before the Salisbury Highway rail bridge.

ChillyPhilly wrote: In the meantime the only way is up: the rail overpass should be strengthened and a rail viaduct built on top of that to allow Park Tce to continue underneath.

Why can't the rail go down? And put a station down in a ditch like bowden?

Because of the Salisbury Highway bridge.

[Shuz] wrote:Because of the Salisbury Highway bridge.

There are also fuel efficiencies gained from having the station on top of the hill rather than bottom of the valley. Since that relates to physics, I imagine it remains true if the line is ever electrified.

[Shuz] wrote:Because of the Salisbury Highway bridge.

Isn't that 300m away?
A park Tce bridge raised up by say 2m and the train line went down by 2m, relocate the station to the carpark to the south of park tce/under road.
What kind of climb can a freight train do over 300m of track?

Red: the sunken part of Salisbury Highway.
Blue: vacant and government-owned carpark land.
Orange: Eureka Hotel and Stockade Tavern.

It's 210 metres from the northern end of the Salisbury platforms to the rail bridge.

It would be easier for all aspects of the infrastructure here for the railway to be sunken, but the existing road underpass makes that difficult.

bits wrote:

[Shuz] wrote:Because of the Salisbury Highway bridge.

Isn't that 300m away?
A park Tce bridge raised up by say 2m and the train line went down by 2m, relocate the station to the carpark to the south of park tce/under road.
What kind of climb can a freight train do over 300m of track?

Do you get "interesting" effects on a freight train if the front and back are on hills, but the middle is in a hole? Can the locomotives exert enough pulling power to lift the middle of the train enough to derail or damage it? That could be a concern with a relatively short underpass, too.