[U/C] Port Adelaide Dock Spur Line

[Llessur2002]

Why does this silly obsession with trams on OH keep coming up? It's like fetch, it's never going to happen so stop trying to make it happen. Seriously get a grip on reality guys.

Because it was part of the last Labor government's AdelLink tram network plan and we now have a new Labor government: https://www.dit.sa.gov.au/__data/assets ... _FINAL.pdf

[[Shuz]]

Considering the state of things right now, no Government, Labor or Liberal, is going to spend $2-3b just to replace trains with trams. There are far more urgent priorities.

[Llessur2002]

The 3000 class trains have just been extensively refurbished so I agree that nothing's going to happen in the short term. However the long-term future of the line will certainly need to be carefully considered before they reach the end of their service life in maybe 20 years from now so I can't see why it's not a valid topic of conversation, especially now there's about to be tens of millions spent on building a new spur from that line.

I personally think that the new spur would be a great fix for the interim period - the vast majority of the current and planned activity at the Port is in the immediate vicinity of the planned station and transport hub. $50M is not a huge amount of money to be spent to provide an attractive transport option for a fast-growing area for the next couple of decades. It will likely repay that several times over in increased economic activity.

If it's not required in 20 years time due to whatever the long-term plans for the line turn out to be then deleting it completely and returning the line to the NRM won't be a massive controversy. It will have done its job.

[crawf]

Now that the Gawler Line Electrification is FINALLY nearly completed.

Focus now needs to be on electifying the Outer Harbor and Grange Lines, and even Belair. Time to finally finish the job.

[Spotto]

Now that the Gawler Line Electrification is FINALLY nearly completed.

Focus now needs to be on electifying the Outer Harbor and Grange Lines, and even Belair. Time to finally finish the job.

1-2 years ago would’ve been the time for the government to start that conversation. Roll crews and companies over to the Outer Harbor and Grange lines as GREP winds down for a continuous work flow.

If the Port Dock extension somehow happens, I think the preferred original solution was to electrify the OH line up to that section.

[I Follow PAFC]

⁣⁣Thrilled to share some exciting news for the Port! The newly-elected South Australian Labor Government is set to rebuild the Port Dock railway line and station linking Port Adelaide to the CBD, bolstering liveability for the whole western community.
more at https://www.facebook.com/dockone.portad ... 6155525226

[[Shuz]]

Shouldn't this be back to PRO: rather than CAN: ?

[1NEEDS2POST]

The remaining unknown is how frequent this spur will be. If it's every half hour, then most people will walk to Commercial Road to get the train from there and the spur will be pointless.

There is a simple and cheap solution to have high frequency on both the Outer Harbor line and Port Dock spur. Drive a longer train from ARS to Alberton and then split it up. For example, if the train is two 3000 class DMUs, split them at Alberton, the front DMU drives to Port Dock and another driver gets on at Alberton and drives the rear DMU to Outer Harbor. This is what happens to the NSW Northern Tablelands Express and there is no reason it can't be done here.

All Adelaide Metro DMUs are fitted with quick working Scharfenberg couplers. I don't think the electrical and pneumatics are automated, but automated electrical and pneumatics can be retrofitted. There would also need to be a sign so passengers know which carriages go to Outer Harbor and which go to Port Dock.

Easiest option would have trams terminate at Adelaide Station instead of running via Thebarton (still have a connection at Bowden though, some trams could run this way)

With Adelaide Station you would expand into the (north) carpark to make Platforms 10 and 11. Trams would use platforms 8-11.

If it gets converted to light rail, with trams at ARS, you may as well connect it with the Festival Plaza tram stop and run trams all the way to Glenelg.

[SBD]

The remaining unknown is how frequent this spur will be. If it's every half hour, then most people will walk to Commercial Road to get the train from there and the spur will be pointless.

There is a simple and cheap solution to have high frequency on both the Outer Harbor line and Port Dock spur. Drive a longer train from ARS to Alberton and then split it up. For example, if the train is two 3000 class DMUs, split them at Alberton, the front DMU drives to Port Dock and another driver gets on at Alberton and drives the rear DMU to Outer Harbor. This is what happens to the NSW Northern Tablelands Express and there is no reason it can't be done here.

All Adelaide Metro DMUs are fitted with quick working Scharfenberg couplers. I don't think the electrical and pneumatics are automated, but automated electrical and pneumatics can be retrofitted. There would also need to be a sign so passengers know which carriages go to Outer Harbor and which go to Port Dock.

[...]

The Northern Tablelands Express is a much longer route than Adelaide to either Port Dock or Outer Harbor. That solution would be more suitable for splitting at Crystal Brook so that part of the train goes to Whyalla and the rest to Broken Hill.

How long does coupling or decoupling a 3000-class DMU, including checking and charging brake lines etc? From an operational perspective, there is also the consideration of how long should the Port Dock train wait for the Outer Harbor train if it is delayed by trackwork or a faulty level crossing for example.

Closures, grade-separated junctions and a new freight route mean that now the metro passenger network is completely separated from the freight railways - no common track running and no at-grade crossings. The only conflicts are coordinating level crossing road gates to avoid annoying drivers. The signalling the Adelaide side of Alberton or Woodville could be upgraded to run trains very close together. They can sort out which one goes next at Adelaide, without regard to which order they arrived, just like trams can arrive in Mebourne from different origins in any order.

Alternatively, if there is enough space where the Alberton good sidings used to be, a new platform and track could be built so that passengers just cross a platform to a shuttle service on the other line.

[Smithy84]

This project is funded in tomorrows state budget I believe.

[Norman]

This project is funded in tomorrows state budget I believe.

Yes, and will take approximately 2 years to build. Hopefully they get on with it quickly enough.

[PeFe]

2years ! To build what?....

You're reactivating an old rail line into an old station...in that 2 years some Chinese city will have built an entirely new line on its metro network!

[Waewick]

I still find it incredible that this is deemed by this Govt as worthwhile rail infrastructure above all the other options.




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[Llessur2002]

I think it's more about the catalyst it will provide to the continued rejuvenation of the Port as opposed to whether it stacks up from solely a rail point of view. I'll certainly visit more - getting to the Port via public transport is a to pain at the moment.

[Waewick]

I think it's more about the catalyst it will provide to the continued rejuvenation of the Port as opposed to whether it stacks up from solely a rail point of view. I'll certainly visit more - getting to the Port via public transport is a to pain at the moment.

Why is the Port more important than other areas that arguably already have less PT options ?

It feels more like they've put some Pork in the Barrells