News & Discussion: Adelaide Metro Trains

[claybro]

Why did they need to close the Tonsley line in the first place.

The work for the convention centre, that required track space was completed by July last year.

Tonsley is only a branch line off the Noarlunga line isn't it? Surely if the Noarlunga line is being re-laid, and wired and is closed, it is also necessary to have the Tonsley line closed as trains cannot get onto the Noarlunga line section between Ascot Park and the city.

[Tonsley213]

I understand why it is closed now.

Why was it still closed between July and January 2012 we it didn't really need to.

[buildit83]

I understand why it is closed now.

Why was it still closed between July and January 2012 we it didn't really need to.

To put it simply DPTI are useless when planning infrastructure projects. they have 9 platforms at Adelaide Railway Station, yet they still couldn't coordinate 6 services at once with 6 or 7 platforms available.

[bm7500]

I understand why it is closed now.

Why was it still closed between July and January 2012 we it didn't really need to.

To put it simply DPTI are useless when planning infrastructure projects. they have 9 platforms at Adelaide Railway Station, yet they still couldn't coordinate 6 services at once with 6 or 7 platforms available.

Correct and the double stacking of trains and stopping them at the far end of the platform just adds to the annoyance. All the work that is happening on the lines at ARWS should have been well and truly completed by now

[Archer]

With the re-opening on the Noarlunga line apparently on track for September as originally planned, (Noarlunga rail line to be reopened on schedule...) where are they at with the overhead wiring? I admittedly don't drive the length of the line at all but do go past area's and it seems to me that there is still a lot of wiring to be done before the re-opening.

I've seen the wiring from Noarlunga through Lonsdale, and Hallet Cove areas, but beyond that, not so much. Like the last time I was through the Brighton Road, Diagonal Road, Cross Road and Leader Street Crossings, there was no overhead in these area's.

Is the plan to re-open the line before the overhead is completed all the way into the city, forcing Further closures before Feb to complete the wiring?

[Aidan]

Is the plan to re-open the line before the overhead is completed all the way into the city, forcing Further closures before Feb to complete the wiring?

It shouldn't require any further closures - many railways around the world are electrified without any closures at all.

[metro]

It shouldn't require any further closures - many railways around the world are electrified without any closures at all.

Not in Adelaide, they needed a weekend closure of the Gawler line to fix the signals

[monotonehell]

It shouldn't require any further closures - many railways around the world are electrified without any closures at all.

There you go again, setting yourself up for disappointment.

[[Shuz]]

The University of Adelaide has been forced to modify the designs of its new medical school to incorporate a future North Terrace subway.

The State Government required the university to leave an area of land in the new west end development vacant to allow access to a future subway track.

Despite asking the university to change the shape of its building to accommodate the subway, the transport department says no modelling has been done on the potential multi-billion dollar proposal, nor are there any plans to fund the project.

The $130 million North Terrace medical school was announced earlier this year and will be built next to the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute.

University of Adelaide Vice Chancellor Warren Bebbington let the subway idea slip during an interview on the university’s radio station.

“If you look at the picture (of the new medical school) you’ll see there’s a kind of bite out of the building at one end,” he said.

“That relates to the fact underneath the site there is a future plan for an Adelaide subway, an underground railway, and if that were ever to be built they have to get access from above ground to sink pylons and things, so we’ve had to allow some air space at one corner of the building which accounts for the slightly unusual shape.”

Bebbington later told InDaily the land next to SAHMRI for the new medical school was given to the university by the State Government with an “easement” which required no development in the area earmarked for the subway.

The “bite” is clearly visible in renders of the medical school’s northern side. The render suggests the land would be covered by an elevated walkway, which presumably would not impede access.

The easement on the North Terrace site appears to be the only part of the subway program that has been put in place.

A spokesperson for the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure confirmed the university’s site was the only one with a subway easement, which was established in 2010.

No detailed study of the proposal has been done, nor has any funding been allocated to it.

“This provisioning is simply about long-term planning for Adelaide,” the spokesperson said.

“The easement has now been refined as part of the planning and building design for the proposed University of Adelaide medical school.

“While there has been a concept for an underground train link through Adelaide for many decades, the city’s population and transport demands are still not sufficient to warrant making this infrastructure a priority. Consequently no funding has been allocated to this proposal.”

RAA senior manager of automotive policy Mark Borlace applauded the government for having a long-term vision but said there were many better ways to spend the billions that would be needed for a subway.

“It would be a massive piece of infrastructure. And for such a relatively short couple of kilometres. It would be billions.

“There’s a lot better ways to spend that sort of money.

“More importantly, they’ve got to get the public transport system that’s above ground now working. That includes frequency and those sort of fundamentals that get people actually wanting to use public transport.”

It's not an 'official' proposal just yet, but the subway is being very seriously considered and looked into. It won't be an 2014 election issue - but do expect it to come about in 2018.

[buildit83]

2018 would be very optimistic Shuz! They would need to electrify the rest of the network before they can even think about a subway loop in the CBD. just to electrify the whole network alone is a massive project in itself, that is already behind schedule and hasn't been completely funded yet. its great that they have the foresight to leave a gap for a subway entrance but its going to take a long time for any sort of subway development to happen unfortunately. to me it just sounds like another DPTI plan that will be shelved once again before the feasibility study has even been completed.

[Nathan]

They would need to electrify the rest of the network before they can even think about a subway loop in the CBD. just to electrify the whole network alone is a massive project in itself, that is already behind schedule and hasn't been completely funded yet.

I've be very surprised if we get to 2018, and the Gawler and Outer Harbour/Grange lines haven't be electrified. Belair line maybe not, but that's a special case.

[[Shuz]]

Sorry I should be a bit clearer. I'm aware that some investigation has already been undertaken into the possibility of a subway - purely route alignments at this stage and working out where the tunnel portals would go - i.e one of the options is basically where the new UoA building on North Terrace would go as revealed by InDaily today.

It seems very likely that in 2018 both major parties (Liberals have already indicated they will) will go to the election with the promise of undertaking a serious feasibility study and/or constructing a subway, and then in that first term (2018-2022) that the idea of a subway would undergo the more complex stuff, feasibility studies, soil testing, design, drawings, etc. Construction probably wouldn't happen until 2021-2014 and even then, it wouldn't open until three or so years after that. Those would be optimistic guesses. But I definetly think Adelaide will have an underground subway by 2030.

On a seperate note of personal opinion, as South Australia is basically in a stall / recession at the moment, I believe it's imperative that the fiscal stimulus continue towards infrastructure spending, and hope that the Weatherill Labor Government maintains the momentum, upon completion of the Southern Expressway duplication, South Road Superway, Adelaide Oval, etc. and bring the concept forward to this election term (2014-2018). I'm aware we have a massive $1.3b deficit and a $12b debt and rising, which isn't good, but so long as any extra debt is invested in productivity measures which generates a positive economic return to the State, I think we should take out more borrowings to fund such things like the proposed subway - this bit is probably best placed for the Pub, so if a spin-off conversation ensues... I'll copy-pasta this into the Pub thread, and take it from there.

[metro]

Adelaide really needs to get on to building underground rail fast! Perth has already built one with plans for an underground airport link I think, and Auckland is planning to build one pretty soon too. These aren't huge cities either, but similar in size to Adelaide (for the moment).

[Ben]

It would be "cool" however the reality is Adelaide simply does not need one and won't in the foreseeable future.

[Aidan]

It would be "cool" however the reality is Adelaide simply does not need one and won't in the foreseeable future.

Just how overloaded and slow must our road system be before you think we need a subway?