News & Discussion: Trams

[PeFe]

New electronic timetable displays coming to CBD tram stops......really electronic "next tram arrives" displays should be at all tram stops. (This encourages the general public to "turn up and go")

Also more smart displays for bus stops...

Small steps forward in a city that considers public transport " a fucking annoyance when I am driving my car somewhere"

The In Daily article

New 'smart' tram and bus stops to be installed around Adelaide



1 bus stop panels will be upgraded to include voice annunciators and hearing loops. Photo: Tony Lewis / InDaily
Ten new digital real-time arrival panels will be installed at the Adelaide Railway Station, City West, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Rundle Mall, Pirie Street, Victoria Square and Entertainment Centre tram stops.

In addition, 31 real-time arrival bus stop panels along the O-Bahn and Grenfell and Currie streets will be fitted with voice annunciators – to inform commuters when a bus is nearby – and hearing loops – which project those announcements directly into hearing aids.

Full article : https://indaily.com.au/news/local/2019/ ... -adelaide/

[Nathan]

It's interesting that they're not being installed on any of the new tram stops from the recent extension.

[[Shuz]]

Or at City South which is about to be upgraded?

[A-Town]

Or at City South which is about to be upgraded?

It will probably have one once the upgrade is completed. Not expecting work to start in City South anytime soon as the ACC is currently opposing it.

[EBG]

An interesting aside about distracting video display screens. Telstra installed a new pubic phone with Hugh display screen of the footpath outside the Foodland on Glen Osmond rd. They exempted themselves from planning approval. A week later it was removed because it completely blocked the view of oncoming traffic for cars trying to leave the shopping centre.

[SRW]

An interesting aside about distracting video display screens. Telstra installed a new pubic phone with Hugh display screen of the footpath outside the Foodland on Glen Osmond rd. They exempted themselves from planning approval. A week later it was removed because it completely blocked the view of oncoming traffic for cars trying to leave the shopping centre.

There's been a bit of battle between city councils and Telstra going on nationwide, as it uses its exemptions under federal law to sneak in giant advertising billboards under the guise of phonebox 'upgrades': https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-12/ ... a/10800876

[Nort]

An interesting aside about distracting video display screens. Telstra installed a new pubic phone with Hugh display screen of the footpath outside the Foodland on Glen Osmond rd. They exempted themselves from planning approval. A week later it was removed because it completely blocked the view of oncoming traffic for cars trying to leave the shopping centre.

There's been a bit of battle between city councils and Telstra going on nationwide, as it uses its exemptions under federal law to sneak in giant advertising billboards under the guise of phonebox 'upgrades': https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-12/ ... a/10800876

if I was a council I'd be planting some nice shrubby trees right next to those payphones.

[PeFe]

More on the digital tram and bus stops upgrade

New and improved digital stops
When: From Tuesday 2 April 2019

Public transport accessibility will be improved for passengers with the installation and upgrade of 50 digital real time bus and tram stops around metropolitan Adelaide.

These upgrades will make it easier to catch public transport from some of South Australia’s most populated and popular locations.

Construction works for the new digital bus and tram stops will commence in the coming months.

Upgrades to existing digital bus stops
New digital bus stops
Live example of digital bus stop screens
New digital tram stops

Upgrades to existing digital bus stops
To improve accessibility to current digital real time stops, 31 existing digital bus stops on Currie Street, Grenfell Street and along the O-Bahn will be fitted with voice annunciators and hearing loops.
Below is an example of the real-time plinths with voice annunciator.



New digital bus stops
Nine new real-time plinths with voice annunciators and hearing loops will be installed at the Tea Tree Plaza, Paradise and Klemzig O-Bahn interchanges and the Dumas Street Interchange at Mount Barker.
Below are examples of the information that will be displayed at the interchanges.


Tea Tree Plaza


Paradise


Klemzig


Dumas Street Interchange at Mount Barker

Live example of digital bus stop screens
This link will bring up a page which will display a live, visual example of what information will be displayed at the digital bus stops.

New digital tram stops
Ten new digital real-time plinths with voice annunciators and hearing loops will be installed at city tram stops including Adelaide Railway Station, City West, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Rundle Mall, Pirie Street, Victoria Square and Entertainment Centre.

Below are examples of the information that will be displayed at the city tram stops.




https://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/Announ ... ital-stops

[Norman]

They look great, I'm interested to see where the tram ones will be fitted.

Next should be the very outdated information screens at Adelaide Railway Station.

[Bob]

How far away is a tram to North Adelaide? This is my view to create some discussion.

What is known so far?

The State Liberal Party has made this one of their key infrastructure projects for further investigation.

Liberal party members that have an invested interest in the Adelaide Oval hotel proposal and other party members who are investors in North Adelaide, wielding their influence behind the scenes to progress this extension.

An Adelaide radio station recently leaked information ‘that a tram will soon be running to North Adelaide’.

What can be speculated on, that would further support the case?

ACC will have selected the final design and a developer for 88 O’Connell by the end of this year (CY 2019) for building to commence in 2020, and this development is expected to significantly rejuvenate this part of North Adelaide.

Adelaide Crows turning their vision into reality of a new base and community hub in the northern parklands.

The Brown family (of Paramount Brown local fame) going ahead with a final design and build for their three towers already approved on O’Connell Street for the block between Brougham Place and Ward Street.

The State Government cementing the case to build a new W&C hospital on North Tce West, which is currently being investigated, freeing up an entire block in the Cathedral precinct where the existing WCH is, for another major redevelopment.

The mixed used redevelopment of ex Channel 9 site will be complete next year, small but significant in terms of something actually happening for the first time in years, in the area.

What could be assumed politically?

The State Liberal Party will likely provide a case to support the tram extension and probably announce this during their first (and maybe only term?) in office but will be reluctant to announce the start date or sit on the fence and say they want to do this but site the lack of funding for progress. Then it will turn into a plea from both sides for Federal funding to assist.

[Waewick]

If they put a tram to infrastructure australia they would have funding pretty quickly you would think.

[rubberman]

If they put a tram to infrastructure australia they would have funding pretty quickly you would think.

Because it's not economic, I doubt Infrastructure Australia would support it, unless there was a political directive. The whole idea of IA is to sift out the uneconomic schemes.

The North Terrace extension was fully funded by SA, so Infrastructure Australia wasn't involved. However, from the minutes of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works it was revealed that at $80m cost, it was a bit short of economic. However, since the cost blew out, it was definitely uneconomic.

Ok, now add a questionable bridge upgrading, expensive track construction and low-ish utilisation, and the economics is even worse. Infrastructure Australia would lose all credibility if it passed a scheme with only a low economic viability. So, SA would have to fund it alone, or most of the cost, at least.

Of course, DPTI could do it cheaper and better, and look long and hard at the need for bridge strengthening to get the costs down...but I bet they won't.

[JAKJ]

The whole idea of IA is to sift out the uneconomic schemes.

if only that was how they operated in practice. Morisson coming in through a spanner in the works as if Turnball was still here it almost certainly would have been announced. Will be interesting to see what a Fed Labor government do.

[SRW]

I guess it depends on whether the state libs will cooperate - Fed Labor can hardly promise a project the Libs won't build. But if that's the case I hope Labor still tosses some money to PT in SA, maybe by promising contributions to electrifying Outer Harbor line or upgrading Grenfell/Currie to a transit mall. The state couldn't refuse.

[NTRabbit]

The state Libs have never wanted the trams, and would rather cancel them in favour of the 'trackless tram' brain fart if they could, so there won't be any more tram extensions until the next state labor government, unless the story about them being forced to build the North Adelaide extension by a Turnbull era federal funding package is true.