News & Discussion: Adelaide Metro Trains

[rubberman]

Good, now let's start planning the extension under the CBD. It will allow higher frequencies on all lines due to being able to run through the CBD rather than terminating in a terminus station.

The next step needs to be electrifying the Outer Harbor and Belair Lines.

Then a city loop

I seem to recall that height of one or both of the tunnels on the Belair Line prevent electrification without substantial works to increase their height. Those costs wouldn't justify it. As extra diesel cars become available, what will stop the Belair Line getting more passengers will be the frequency of services. The passing loops currently stop that. All but a few trains into the city in the morning and back out in the evening have to stop at at least one loop.

The alternative would be a third rail collector for the tunnels. The power could be switched on and off by the train as it approaches the third rail section.

[Ser Noit of Loit]

Wonder if they're going to get rid of any level crossings while they're at it

Like the Belair line crossing on Cross Road. It's a level crossing on a major arterial road and the only east-west one in the inner southern suburbs. Furthermore, goods trains using that line means cars are stopped for up to a few minutes. I'd have thought it'd be a no brainer to have made this an underpass or overpass ages ago.

[SBD]

Wonder if they're going to get rid of any level crossings while they're at it

Like the Belair line crossing on Cross Road. It's a level crossing on a major arterial road and the only east-west one in the inner southern suburbs. Furthermore, goods trains using that line means cars are stopped for up to a few minutes. I'd have thought it'd be a no brainer to have made this an underpass or overpass ages ago.

That will become a priority once the North-South Corridor between Anzac Highway and T2T has been improved - when Cross Road becomes preferred over Portrush and Grand Junction Roads to travel between the Southeastern Freeway and the Wingfield/Port Adelaide industries.

[rev]

If you read the announcement carefully you will see that it is Labor Party spin and they are only electrifying the section from Adelaide to Salisbury (Hint: they talk of Stage 1 and Stage 2). The section from Salisbury to Gawler remains unfunded and will not occur until the State Government can extract funds from the Feds.

My vote for the next project after electrifying the OH line is installing passing loops on the Seaford and Gawler lines so we can have true express services.

Erm, hows it spin if it was all over the news/media that the electrification will go up to Salisbury, with the remaining line up to Gawler going ahead being contingent on federal government funding?

It's a step in the right direction, obviously timed for the coming state election. That's about as much spin as there is in this. Same with the Oaklands crossing works. Same with the announcement of the T2T being ahead of schedule. Politicians eh..

[Kasey771]

Wonder if they're going to get rid of any level crossings while they're at it

Like the Belair line crossing on Cross Road. It's a level crossing on a major arterial road and the only east-west one in the inner southern suburbs. Furthermore, goods trains using that line means cars are stopped for up to a few minutes. I'd have thought it'd be a no brainer to have made this an underpass or overpass ages ago.

given the value of properties around Unley Park, Im guessing compulsorarily acquiring properties would be out of the govts budget so an overpass would be the best way to eliminate thecross rd level crossing. thoughts?

[[Shuz]]

Any level crossing removal for Cross Road would also involve level crossing removal for Hilda/Sussex Terraces given they are only 350m apart.

There's a few factors at play here;
1. Cost & property acquisition of about 15 homes.
2. Belair line patronage / possible light rail conversion.
3. Freight line possibly detoured through the Murray Plains.

I think the crossing is there to stay for another couple decades at least.

[mawsonguy]

If you read the announcement carefully you will see that it is Labor Party spin and they are only electrifying the section from Adelaide to Salisbury (Hint: they talk of Stage 1 and Stage 2). The section from Salisbury to Gawler remains unfunded and will not occur until the State Government can extract funds from the Feds.

Erm, hows it spin if it was all over the news/media that the electrification will go up to Salisbury, with the remaining line up to Gawler going ahead being contingent on federal government funding?

Throughout the press release they refer to it as the "Gawler Rail Electrification Project". It's not until your half way through that it states that it's only to Salisbury. It should be called the "Salisbury Rail Electrification Project". The word "Salisbury" is only mentioned twice whilst "Gawler" is mentioned 12 times. It's a bit like calling T2T the "Darlington to Regency Park South Road Upgrade Project". The Advertiser was certainly fooled (not hard) with it's intial headline being "Gawler Electrification to Begin within Weeks" although they have now changed it to "Stage 1 of Salisbury's new electric rail to begin in weeks". The whole art of spin is to state what is technically true but in a way that misleads the ordinary person by steering them down the wrong path.

[SRW]

It is the Gawler line so it’s fair enough to call it Gawler electrification.

[claybro]

Any level crossing removal for Cross Road would also involve level crossing removal for Hilda/Sussex Terraces given they are only 350m apart.

There's a few factors at play here;
1. Cost & property acquisition of about 15 homes.
2. Belair line patronage / possible light rail conversion.
3. Freight line possibly detoured through the Murray Plains.

I think the crossing is there to stay for another couple decades at least.

Unless Cross road becomes an urgent priority from a national freight route point of view to connect the Mt Barker Freeway to the southern sections of NS motorway. It is still on the radar as a possible route, although what form that takes is still very unclear. What we do know is, within a decade, that section of Cross road will be far busier than it is now due to the advent of the NS motorway.

[Patrick_27]

Any level crossing removal for Cross Road would also involve level crossing removal for Hilda/Sussex Terraces given they are only 350m apart.

There's a few factors at play here;
1. Cost & property acquisition of about 15 homes.
2. Belair line patronage / possible light rail conversion.
3. Freight line possibly detoured through the Murray Plains.

I think the crossing is there to stay for another couple decades at least.

Why do you people keep mentioning the possibility of a light rail conversion? Not only would converting this corridor to light rail cost more than actually fixing this corridor for heavy rail, but I think it's safe to say that light rail would take longer to make it up into the hills than what's already there... And if they were to have a light rail line end at Mitcham, that would basically cut off the mass of people who do actually use the Belair Line and live beyond Mitcham.

[PeFe]

Why do you people keep mentioning the possibility of a light rail conversion? Not only would converting this corridor to light rail cost more than actually fixing this corridor for heavy rail, but I think it's safe to say that light rail would take longer to make it up into the hills than what's already there... And if they were to have a light rail line end at Mitcham, that would basically cut off the mass of people who do actually use the Belair Line and live beyond Mitcham.

Yes........exactly. Well said Patrick 27 !

A couple of years I was visiting my parents house in Malvern and was using public transport to get around.
At night I faced the choice of using the train to Unley Park, or the Unley Road bus, to get home.........The train won, 7 or 8 minutes from Adelaide to Unley Park station then a 10 minute walk or, a 18-20 minute bus trip from King William Street up Unley Road to Cross Road, then a 5 minute walk.

Don't destroy high speed rail corridors...fix them up and maintain them!

[claybro]

Don't destroy high speed rail corridors...fix them up and maintain them!

Speed is not a valid heavy v light rail argument for this rail corridor. The current heavy rail achieves a top speed of 80km/h...but realistically rarely gets above 70km/h. A light rail (run properly) has equal top speed, but is actually faster off the mark than the current diesel trains. No time would be lost over the current setup, unless they went to on road running along Unley Road.

[rev]

If you read the announcement carefully you will see that it is Labor Party spin and they are only electrifying the section from Adelaide to Salisbury (Hint: they talk of Stage 1 and Stage 2). The section from Salisbury to Gawler remains unfunded and will not occur until the State Government can extract funds from the Feds.

Erm, hows it spin if it was all over the news/media that the electrification will go up to Salisbury, with the remaining line up to Gawler going ahead being contingent on federal government funding?

Throughout the press release they refer to it as the "Gawler Rail Electrification Project". It's not until your half way through that it states that it's only to Salisbury. It should be called the "Salisbury Rail Electrification Project". The word "Salisbury" is only mentioned twice whilst "Gawler" is mentioned 12 times. It's a bit like calling T2T the "Darlington to Regency Park South Road Upgrade Project". The Advertiser was certainly fooled (not hard) with it's intial headline being "Gawler Electrification to Begin within Weeks" although they have now changed it to "Stage 1 of Salisbury's new electric rail to begin in weeks". The whole art of spin is to state what is technically true but in a way that misleads the ordinary person by steering them down the wrong path.

It' part of the Gawler line electrification project.
It's not the governments fault if someone is too lazy to read what's provided.

[Goodsy]

It' part of the Gawler line electrification project.
It's not the governments fault if someone is too lazy to read what's provided.

It's pretty clear that's it's only to Salisbury from the release.. But the graphic being an electric train at the Gawler station with Gawler as the destination is a bit disingenuous

[Norman]

It' part of the Gawler line electrification project.
It's not the governments fault if someone is too lazy to read what's provided.

It's pretty clear that's it's only to Salisbury from the release.. But the graphic being an electric train at the Gawler station with Gawler as the destination is a bit disingenuous

That's because the government didn't give The Advertiser any pictures this time round. That graphic is from the 08/09 State Budget when they made the big rail announcement.