News & Discussion: Other Transport Projects

[[Shuz]]

Great idea, but that's one hell of an EIS needed for the Brownhill Creek corridor. Given the Adelaide Hills is Adelaide's strongest Greens territory, it's going to be very hard to get the support from the local communities.

[ml69]

Should probably go in Visions though:

SA transport expert Luigi Rossi proposes $1bn superfast train from Adelaide to Mt Barker
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sout ... 8869ba275b

A SUPERFAST rail link from Adelaide to Mt Barker would relieve travel woes for motorists, capitalise on tourism and prepare for population growth, according to a South Australian transport expert.

Former senior Transport Department bureaucrat Luigi Rossi, who has guided some of the state’s biggest infrastructure projects, has proposed a $1 billion fast rail connecting the city to the Hills, taking just 22 minutes and reaching a maximum speed of 160km/h.

Mr Rossi spoke at Mount Barker Council on Monday night about the renaissance of rail needed as the South Eastern Freeway neared its capacity.

“We see this as far more than a just a public transport project, we see this driving economic growth, housing affordability and lifestyle,” he said.

There were two options proposed for a rail link to Mt Barker. The first included using the existing rail corridor from Belair to Mt Barker and removing freight trains.

It would cost $50-$100 million with a travel time of 50 minutes. That cheapest option would be reliant on the Northern Freight Bypass being completed.

If it was upgraded to allow for tilting trains it would cost $250-$300 million, although speeds would still be restricted because of bends in the route.

The second and more beneficial option, according to Mr Rossi, was for a new rail corridor to deviate after Mitcham station and follow Brownhill Creek, including construction of viaducts.

The South Eastern Freeway’s median strip would then be used from Stirling right through to Mt Barker, with a total project cost estimated at $1 billion.

Engineer and project proponent Edwin Michell told the meeting: “This is a very achievable engineering project and well within the capability of what has been achieved already in Australia and SA”.

The council will consider funding a feasibility study for the project in the next two months.

$1 billion project cost ... they surely must be in fairyland! Such a project with 25-30km of new track would have price tag between $4-6 billion with the amount of viaducts and tunnels that would need to be built. It would be near impossible to build a business case to support this expenditure.

Much better to build a CBD rail tunnel if we were going to spend that kind of money.

[Patrick_27]

Should probably go in Visions though:

SA transport expert Luigi Rossi proposes $1bn superfast train from Adelaide to Mt Barker
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sout ... 8869ba275b

A SUPERFAST rail link from Adelaide to Mt Barker would relieve travel woes for motorists, capitalise on tourism and prepare for population growth, according to a South Australian transport expert.

Former senior Transport Department bureaucrat Luigi Rossi, who has guided some of the state’s biggest infrastructure projects, has proposed a $1 billion fast rail connecting the city to the Hills, taking just 22 minutes and reaching a maximum speed of 160km/h.

Mr Rossi spoke at Mount Barker Council on Monday night about the renaissance of rail needed as the South Eastern Freeway neared its capacity.

“We see this as far more than a just a public transport project, we see this driving economic growth, housing affordability and lifestyle,” he said.

There were two options proposed for a rail link to Mt Barker. The first included using the existing rail corridor from Belair to Mt Barker and removing freight trains.

It would cost $50-$100 million with a travel time of 50 minutes. That cheapest option would be reliant on the Northern Freight Bypass being completed.

If it was upgraded to allow for tilting trains it would cost $250-$300 million, although speeds would still be restricted because of bends in the route.

The second and more beneficial option, according to Mr Rossi, was for a new rail corridor to deviate after Mitcham station and follow Brownhill Creek, including construction of viaducts.

The South Eastern Freeway’s median strip would then be used from Stirling right through to Mt Barker, with a total project cost estimated at $1 billion.

Engineer and project proponent Edwin Michell told the meeting: “This is a very achievable engineering project and well within the capability of what has been achieved already in Australia and SA”.

The council will consider funding a feasibility study for the project in the next two months.

$1 billion project cost ... they surely must be in fairyland! Such a project with 25-30km of new track would have price tag between $4-6 billion with the amount of viaducts and tunnels that would need to be built. It would be near impossible to build a business case to support this expenditure.

Much better to build a CBD rail tunnel if we were going to spend that kind of money.

You seem to think this is merely a pipe-dream proposal... Hence your comparison to the CBD rail tunnel. As it has been said, the S/E Freeway is nearing it's capacity and something needs to be considered to ease that pressure.

[Patrick_27]

If the state government could argue this as a freight priority project, we might be able to squeeze funding from the feds for such a project. Which could include moving freight north and freeing up the existing Belair corridor and retaining services to Belair. I see viability in this vision based somewhat on comparing the Dandenong viaduct project in Melbourne, whilst different types of projects the scope is of similar size; the Vic government spent $1.6b there.

[SBD]

I visited Victoria over the weekend. I was surprised to encounter roadworks at the level crossing just this side of Ouyen on what I thought had bene an unused railway line. It turns out that the Victorian government has a big push on to upgrade and convert to standard gauge a number of the old grain railway lines in the Mallee. The work of the Murray Basin Rail Project involves converting over a thouand kilometres of track to standard gauge, increasing the axle loading from 19 to 21 tonnes and the speed limit to 80 km/h. The line I crossed is the Victorian end of the Pinnaroo railway line that was converted to SG in South Australia, then stopped being used a few years ago.

I have also noticed that the SA RAVNet Heavy Vehicle map now has a lot more road train routes than it had a year or two ago. I assume that is a consequence of closing the railways.

[drsmith]

With regard to bypassing Port Wakefield or additional lanes along the existing alignment through the town, the following from August last year has some costings,

Seven councils are fighting the bypass option, proposing instead an alternate plan for a double lane highway through the town and further improvements to a nearby “crash corner”, off the Copper Coast Highway.

The solution, costing about $60 million instead of $180m for the bypass, is expected to ease congestion around the town and at the corner, during long weekends and special holidays.

Wakefield Regional Council Chief Executive Jason Kuchel, says the sheer cost of the proposed bypass is one of the reasons why the government has not built it and probably would not do it for a few decades.

https://www.magic1059.com.au/news/local ... goes-ahead

The $60m option presumably includes the Libs recently announced single lane overpass at the intersection north of the town (crash corner).

Either way, it's a lot of money for what each option delivers and perhaps explains why nothing substantive has happened in the more than 20 years since the dual carriageway was extended to a few km south of the town near where the bypass would start. A BCA needs to be done on both options and it may be that neither as presently costed stack up.

[Goodsy]

I don't know if this really belongs here. But does anyone have any information about why the Main North Road/Tiver Road intersection is so overbuilt, Or what's going to be built to the west?

[Nort]

I don't know if this really belongs here. But does anyone have any information about why the Main North Road/Tiver Road intersection is so overbuilt, Or what's going to be built to the west?

Don't know, but just from looking at the satellite view I'd expect that land to have a few hundred homes on at some point, and wouldn't be surprised if a shopping centre ends up in there as well.

[Kasey771]

I don't know if this really belongs here. But does anyone have any information about why the Main North Road/Tiver Road intersection is so overbuilt, Or what's going to be built to the west?

I'm guessing Chairman Rau has said yes to more urban sprawl and a local shopping centre

[crawf]

I don't know if this really belongs here. But does anyone have any information about why the Main North Road/Tiver Road intersection is so overbuilt, Or what's going to be built to the west?

I'm guessing Chairman Rau has said yes to more urban sprawl and a local shopping centre

Wouldn't matter who's in Government, it's inevitable this area will be taken over by sprawl. Pretty sure it's in the 30-Year Greater Adelaide Plan.

[Waewick]

the development at Aspire funded a large portion of the work (as it improved access to their site) so the Government had capacity to built out the intersection.

eventually the road will link it Orleana Waters which I believe long term has a shopping precinct involved, but it also will give access to the train line without having to go down MNR.

[ChillyPhilly]

Tiver Road will surely be extended westward, and once the Gawler East Bypass is complete (red in the top right corner), there'll be an alternate route available to NExy.

[Eurostar]

According to political letter Curtis Road is now State Government owned, the plan is to make it dual lane, underpass/overpass at level crossing and roundabout at the Heaslip Road intersection

[SBD]

According to political letter Curtis Road is now State Government owned, the plan is to make it dual lane, underpass/overpass at level crossing and roundabout at the Heaslip Road intersection

I think I saw something about the Liberal candidate for Taylor campaigning for that roundabout. Nobody has mentioned the Curtis Road level crossing, and certainly not a new one at Tiver /Gordon Road. Labor proposes a new level crossing removal authority, but only mentioned seven, nothing like the fifty to be removed inMelbourne.

[[Shuz]]

Baby steps SBD, seven is better than none. Level crossing removals had barely been on any Government's radar for the last 25 years until about 3 years ago. It's a massive improvement and I'm sure if Labor is re-elected, we will see more to follow the initial seven once they have started construction.

Liberals on the other hand have no policy commitments for level crossing removals other than Oaklands. The establishment of an Infrastructure SA body doesn't count because that's just a commitment to conduct more "investigations" into projects but not actually committing to any projects. I know we're sick of infrastructure projects being 'politicized' and used to porkbarrel votes in marginal seats but I would much rather something be done than nothing.