Ideas for a greater public transport system

[Düsseldorfer]

So why were the red hens withdrawn? I think all they needed was some major overhaul to give them automatic doors, aircon, better interior...oh and a new paint job in AdMet colours

[Norman]

I don't think the Red Hens should come back. The old L, R, S, K and C sets in Sydney look ugly enough outside and inside to repel me from ever using one of the redhens.

[Cruise]

oh and a new paint job in AdMet colours

This is an extremely important requirement.

[SRW]

My Vision is for Adelaide to have a great Tram system. All travel within the city being free (like in Perth). This would encourage people to explore Adelaide, all of it, not just Rundle and North Terrace.

One day even a monorail, for tourists and transport during rushour. Connect it to Adelaide Oval, North Terrace, down Hindley, thorugh the mall, down Rundle, along east terrace, make its way to Vic Square and somehow get back to Adelaide Oval. Moooonnnooooorail, YES THE MONORAIL!

Monorails are a hideous folly.

[muzzamo]

Atleast get the Tonsley line extended into the paddock over Sturt Rd, have walkway bridges connecting to Flinders Med Centre, and a large interchange for buses to Happy Valley and outher southern suburbs. Then we wont need to have all these F buses fighting with cars on South and Goodwood rds to the city.
By the way, I wonder if another important obstacle to the Noarlunga to Seaford extension is - where do we get enough trains to use. Building new trains is not even on the radar for Dept of Transport and theres no old broad gauge trains that other cities dont need. We can refurbish all the jumbos but I doubt if we could cope with the extension with current stock, because of the huge growth in passenger numbers that would happen. We could refurbish some old Red Hens maybe. I dont know if Transport SA know what an electric train is so Im not going there!

I think you have hit the nail on the head. I suspect that this is even the obstacle to the Tonsley plan. IMO opinion amongst all the pie in the sky ideas on this thread it is the concept of extending the Tonsley line 500m into an interchange that would have the greatest cost/benefit, by far. I really do think that it will happen eventually. In any other city it would have happened a long time ago.

[Ash-SV6]

Haven't read through all this thread, only last few pages so apologies if something like this has already been suggested. I agree with muzzamo that the Tonsley Park line should be extended into Bedford Park to intercept traffic off the Southern Expressway and South Rd, as well as servicing Flinders Uni and Hospital. I was looking at a map at how the line could be extended, and I thought how the Tonsley Line could be looped back around past Westfield Marion via a subway, joining back on the Noarlunga line near Oaklands Park. The cost obviously would be significant, but where the line follows roads such as Morphett Rd and Sutton Ave they could use cut and cover to reduce costs. Would such a project be worth the capital?



I also believe they should re-open the Northfield line, and build Mawson Lakes style interchanges at Port Wakefield, Main North and Brien's Roads, which like the Tonsley Park extension idea, would hopefully entice people not to drive that final bit into the city (where the worst congestion is) but to leave the car at the interchange and take a train instead. Building bridges for Port Wakefield and Main North Roads would be expensive, so perhaps the line could be dug a few metres below ground level so the bridges don't need to as significant.



Either way I believe re-opening the Northfield line and extending the Tonsley line to Bedford Park are definately worth the expenditure required, though I'm not convinced on the Marion subway loop, just putting the idea out there!

[AtD]

If you're going to spend bucket loads on earthworks anyway, it'd be better to send the "Flinders Line" to, well, Flinders, rather than doubling up on the Noarlunga line. I'd wager there'd be more regular commuters going to FMC and the Uni from the city than to Westfield.

Your Northfield line would probably end up like the Tonsley line is now - underutalised stations near no significant centres.

[Norman]

Just on your Sturt line, I think it would make more sense to go under Sturt Road and move the Marion Shopping Centre stop to where the current Interchange is now.

[AG]

I think the idea of looping the Tonsley line around to Westfield Marion and back to the Noarlunga line is great. However, I think a station serving Westfield Marion should be located under Diagonal Road (linked by underground passages to the existing bus interchange and into the shopping centre) and the Sturt Station isn't really necessary.

The type of operation on this sort of loop line would be strange though. If one train operates from the city to the loop line every 30 minutes (standard offpeak frequency), the stations on the loop would only get one train an hour in each direction if each alternating service was run around the loop in the opposite direction or trains would be every 30 minutes but only in one direction, which isn't great for any commuters.

The Northfield Line shouldn't be reopened unless it is extended beyond Northfield as most of those stations are located in areas isolated from many houses and businesses. Reopening it to the layout as to when it was closed isn't ideal.

[muzzamo]

We should understand the difference between things that *could* actually happen, and things that would be really cool to happen
Things that may actually happen one day:
- Electrification of our rail system
- Conversion of some of the lesser used lines to light rail
- extension 500m at Tonsely
- Extension to Seaford
- A slow program of actually spending money on stations
- Maybe some other bits n pieces
- Further tram extensions in the city

Things that will never happen, but I would do if this was Simcity:
- Basically anything underground in the suburbs
- Most probably anything underground in the city
- Any additional suburban lines

[jk1237]

Excellent ideas Ash-sv6. I fully agree about the Northfield line. How many buses and cars drive down Port Wakefield Rd, Main North Rd and Bridge Rd that go to the city. Thousands. A bus/rail interchange at the old Cavan, Pooraka and Northfield stations with park and ride facilites would be perfect. And it would make more use of the silly 1 hour Dry Creek train service. There is now all that surplus land where med density housing could be built around the stations.

[AtD]

How many buses ... drive down Port Wakefield Rd, ... that go to the city.

Currently, one every half hour.

[Ash-SV6]

How many buses ... drive down Port Wakefield Rd, ... that go to the city.

Currently, one every half hour.

And how many for Main North Road and Briens Road?

By and large the Northfield line existed for livestock and some other freight, and passenger services were never a major concern on the line. Despite its prior history and location away from housing, I don't see any reason why it can't be re-opened. If the line was built to quality standards, with interchanges to the same standard as Mawson Lakes, then surely just terminating the buses that would otherwise continue into the city at these interchanges would provide enough patronage for a half hourly service. Then take into consideration the number of drivers lured by the free parking and quick congestion free trip into the city, and the line would pay for itself.

[jk1237]

Well Main North Rd has buses 225, 226, 228, 229, plus prob 40,000 cars a day. Bridge Rd has 206, 209 and prob 25,000 cars a day. If they built the Thornlie spur in Perth for nothing special, Im sure the Northfield line would work. It could also be extended into Para Hills, but the hills maybe a probem for trains

[jk1237]

how interesting, transport sa website has maps and data on number of cars/trucks (traffic) per day on each road. From Grand Junction rd heading north - Port Wakefield road averages 23,500 vehicles, but increases to over 47,000 cars after Salisbury Hwy crnr.
For Main North Rd (from Gepps Cross heading north), it averages 36,000, but increases to 51,000, after the Diagonal Rd crnr.
Bridge/Briens rd averages about 25,000 the whole way along

And the busiest section of road in Adelaide appears to be the Port Rd stretch in front of Coke factory - 61,000 vehicles
and South Rd stretch at Bedford Park - 62,700

Heres the link
http://www.transport.sa.gov.au/transpor ... olumes.asp