Sensational-Adelaide.com

mattwinter wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 02, 2017 1:07 pm

Sorry I'm thinking about the Hills in my post.

I think most would agree that the better way to get to Victor from Adelaide would be via Seaford, but the point is there is a rail corridor already there through Mount Barker. Still operational too if you count the Steamranger. There'd need to be a gauge conversion though and a major upgrade / replacement of the line, which still makes it expensive but probably way more realistic than a new line from Seaford.

But it's a twisty-turny, gradient hugging line from the 1800s. Not at all good for high speed rail.

$1.5b would be nowhere near the cost required to upgrade and construct the line.

The proposed extension from Seaford to Aldinga has been costed at $800m. And that's on predominately flat land, with three bridges required to cross over the gullies that run through Seaford, Aldinga and Maslins Beach. plus property acquisition, stabling, electrification, new trains and labor.

Two rail projects that involve tunneling, currently underway in Australia are
9km of twin bore tunnels under the Melbourne CBD for the Melbourne Metro rail project, which is costed at $11.1b, and $8.3b to construct twin bore tunnels for the 15km Northwest Link in Sydney. The cost per kilometre is very variable; $500m per km for Northwest, $1.2b per kilometre for Melbourne Metro.

According to the map - it looks like the line goes straight from Mitcham to Aldgate - not via the Belair line. This is 11km as the crow flies. Assuming the intent is for a new rail tunnel from Mitcham to Aldgate railway stations - already; the cost for that stretch alone is going to be anywhere between $5.5b to $13.2b. Let alone the cost involved for the remainder of the route.

We don't even have $5.5bn lying around. It's not a priority, given other much needed infrastrcture works (i.e. North South Motorway).

It's just not going to happen. It's pie in the sky. We'll all be long dead and Planet Earth will cease to exist before there's even buckley's chance of getting up.

Well said, end of discussion, back to reality please

So you guys think there shouldn’t be any visions, forward planning etc?

Precisely why this state is playing catch up, with infrastructure lagging behind other major capitals.

There's a difference between a vision and pure fantasy. This is the latter.

Sydney doesn't have fast rail through the Blue Mountains. That must mean they are backwater hicks with no vision.

Norman wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 03, 2017 8:04 am

There's a difference between a vision and pure fantasy. This is the latter.

Sydney doesn't have fast rail through the Blue Mountains. That must mean they are backwater hicks with no vision.

You really are struggling at the moment lol. Did I say we are a back water because we don't have high speed rail to regional SA towns?

High speed rail in Australia, particularly South Australia is not particularly viable due to the distances involved meaning it's quicker and easier to fly, as well as high centralisation, meaning that you'd be running trains once a day due to low demand.

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Rail would provide better access to country towns for tourists.
Of course not if we are short sighted.

Start with Adelaide to Pt August/Wyalla.
Existing pretty straight corridor.
Look to the hills later once we've found our regional rail feet.

monotonehell wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 02, 2017 1:10 pm

mattwinter wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 02, 2017 1:07 pm

Sorry I'm thinking about the Hills in my post.

I think most would agree that the better way to get to Victor from Adelaide would be via Seaford, but the point is there is a rail corridor already there through Mount Barker. Still operational too if you count the Steamranger. There'd need to be a gauge conversion though and a major upgrade / replacement of the line, which still makes it expensive but probably way more realistic than a new line from Seaford.

But it's a twisty-turny, gradient hugging line from the 1800s. Not at all good for high speed rail.

Agreed. If we're going to talk in the realm of remote possibility though, I think we need to use the existing alignment.

Gauge Conversion. Upgrade. Decent Train. Maybe a Journey time of 1hour 15min to Victor Harbor is possible? Probably still not quick enough to be a popular route, but might be something there.

Definitely think rail to Pt Augusta, Whyalla, Iron Trinagle is the place to start. Though all of this is pretty far fetched.

Some have dismissed the viability of rail journeys as a tourist draw card.
There's tourist rail journeys in the USA that go for days, and in Europe they can go for weeks.
Then there's the opportunity to get some freight to/from regional centers off our roads and onto rail.
Doesn't have to be some maglev trains running around the outback.

Yeh flying is quicker, easier.
But that doesn't stop people all over the world hopping on trains or cruise ships.

rev wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 13, 2017 12:42 pm

Some have dismissed the viability of rail journeys as a tourist draw card.
There's tourist rail journeys in the USA that go for days, and in Europe they can go for weeks.
Then there's the opportunity to get some freight to/from regional centers off our roads and onto rail.
Doesn't have to be some maglev trains running around the outback.

Yeh flying is quicker, easier.
But that doesn't stop people all over the world hopping on trains or cruise ships.

The point is whether the numbers stack up - will the numbers of tourists, or the amount of freight off the road, justify the expense of the exercise?

having a fast train via Seaford wouldn't stack up due to the low population from Willunga or Aldinga to Victor Harbor. This plan would cost more than $1bn as the realignment for the Adelaide Hills has been costed at $1.5 bn. I can see developers rubbing their hands as it would open the Fleurieu to residential development, but Mt Barker would be the drawcard as a regional city