[U/C] Port Adelaide Dock Spur Line

[EBG]

Same article in today's Advertiser.

[1NEEDS2POST]

I'm cautious of this development. With this development, there will be three routes for trains from the city to Woodville. The problem is that each time you branch a route, it lowers the frequency of each route. This article goes into more depth: http://humantransit.org/2011/02/basics- ... river.html

Public transport is extremely frequency sensitive. When you lower frequency, you increase wait time, which makes your trip longer. It's something that car drivers don't appreciate because you can start driving your car at any time.

There is a smart solution to keeping a high frequency at minimal additional cost. The railcars are fitted with Scharfenberg couplers, which take a couple of seconds to couple or uncouple. Drive a two or more railcar train from the city to Alberton, uncouple the front railcars, drive that to Port Dock. Another driver then drives the rear railcars to Outer Harbor. Vice versa on the trip to the city. They could also do the same for the Grange line.

[Patrick_27]

I'd favour keeping Port Dock/Outer Harbour and closing Grnage. If I recall correctly, patronage on the Grange line isn't that great?

[PeFe]

Make Grange a spur line, using the 3000 class diesels, with passengers always changing trains at Woodville with the Outer Harbor or Port Dock trains.
Co-ordinate the timetables.....should be no problem (it has been done in the past as a temporary measure with no apparent issues)

[ml69]

I'd favour keeping Port Dock/Outer Harbour and closing Grnage. If I recall correctly, patronage on the Grange line isn't that great?

I remember reading somewhere that patronage on the 3 stations of the Grange line is around 1000 ppl/day (weekdays). Can someone confirm this? If true, it's really insufficient to sustain a train line and should be closed.

What we should do, is build a new rail spur line to West Lakes, and integrate this with the existing West Lakes bus interchange. Therefore this can become the major bus/rail interchange for the north-western suburbs. This would have patronage many multiples of the Grange line the moment. With decent pedestrian connections to Westfield West Lakes. Something similar to the TTP Obahn interchange (sorry for getting off topic).

[claybro]

I'd favour keeping Port Dock/Outer Harbour and closing Grnage. If I recall correctly, patronage on the Grange line isn't that great?

I remember reading somewhere that patronage on the 3 stations of the Grange line is around 1000 ppl/day (weekdays). Can someone confirm this? If true, it's really insufficient to sustain a train line and should be closed.

What we should do, is build a new rail spur line to West Lakes, and integrate this with the existing West Lakes bus interchange. Therefore this can become the major bus/rail interchange for the north-western suburbs. This would have patronage many multiples of the Grange line the moment. With decent pedestrian connections to Westfield West Lakes. Something similar to the TTP Obahn interchange (sorry for getting off topic).

This is actually what was planned as part of the rail options for the northwest corridor under the previous government. Most options presented were for light rail though, which would have made the inclusion of the West Lakes spur easier. Because of the dithering over many years, momentum has now been lost, and now with the government change, we can forget light rail, and possible the grange line altogether. At best, I think we may get an electrified version of the current setup, but there is no way a heavy rail spur would be run down the middle of West Lakes boulevard as it did in the past, because of all the new housing along there, and the problems with running heavy rail with traffic, and how to integrate heavy rail into the car park/bus interchange area at West Lakes Mall.

[Norman]

Interesting render I found on the PTPA website, which still lists this project as "In Design".

[I Follow PAFC]

Photo from https://www.facebook.com/NRMPortAdelaide/
Stage One.....more next year...what a great attraction/view to people using the new Port Dock railway station Adelaide Metro line extension today (3 December 2018).

Port Dock Railway Line & Station website.
https://ptpa.com.au/projects/port-dock- ... ne-station

[Honey of a City]

Website still shows “in design” 18 months after the announcement and 12 months after contract awarded.

[Hooligan]

I'm starting to wonder if this has been quietly put to sleep

[Eurostar]

I'm starting to wonder if this has been quietly put to sleep

3000 Class Railcars have been seen tested on the branch line. What I do wonder is where car parking can be expanded, there is residents in the Gray Terrace area, some are in walking distance whereas some might still want to drive, park and ride. If the police station was moved that land could be used for parking and bus interchange.

[Nathan]

If the police station was moved that land could be used for parking and bus interchange.

If the police station was moved, they should build a proper station in it's place.

[baytram366]

The ironic thing is that where the police station is now is where the original Port Dock station stood until the early 1990's...

[85trainfan]

I'm starting to wonder if this has been quietly put to sleep

3000 Class Railcars have been seen tested on the branch line. What I do wonder is where car parking can be expanded, there is residents in the Gray Terrace area, some are in walking distance whereas some might still want to drive, park and ride. If the police station was moved that land could be used for parking and bus interchange.

Railcars have always been able to run into jackets Siding.(as shown by the 4 car sets used for the special Scout jamboree charters the past week) The railway Museum has moved all its stored stock from the lines they were losing in order to facilitate this network extension.
The main works were scheduled to start first quarter of this year from memory.

[claybro]

The ironic thing is that where the police station is now is where the original Port Dock station stood until the early 1990's...

A beautiful old station it was too. I vaguely remember it as a young kid. Such a shame to replace it with the awful 80's generic public service bog standard that took its place. At least if the station had remained, it would have connected with the main strip and not now have a station tucked away and hidden, like most other Adelaide stations. It would have been a destination in its own right, with room for a cafe, newsagent etc.