News & Discussion: Adelaide Metro Trains

[1NEEDS2POST]

What has taken so long to fit a battery to the 3000 class railcars? Each time they stop at a station they are wasting energy without it.

[claybro]

What has taken so long to fit a battery to the 3000 class railcars? Each time they stop at a station they are wasting energy without it.

Not to mention the 3000 series are incredibly noisy when sitting idling. Surely at least a hybrid would allow the trains to be silent in the stations and on initial exceleration.

[rubberman]

(Snip) but I'd be pretty annoyed if whatever the solution is involves trains still fuelled even in part by diesel.

Given that Ricardo's brief was for a feasibility study examining zero-emissions rail technology I assume that the diesel hybrid trial is purely for examining the basic concept of a hybrid train, as opposed to being genuinely considered as a solution in its own right? Or perhaps as a stopgap for the immediate future?

I tend to agree, though if it meant that the carbon cost of building new trains was deferred, it might be worth it. That is, is the embedded carbon cost of a new railcar somewhere near the carbon cost of the fossil fuel over the remaining life? The test should establish this.

I'd agree with the stop gap as being something to do with the diesels to reduce emissions for the rest of their economic lives.

Plus, in ten to twelve years, battery tech may be such that other hybrid solutions could be feasible for heavy rail. For example, limited overhead for battery charging in certain stretches of routes, but not the whole route. That would get round the problem of electrification in the tunnels, and reduce complexity a lot. At the moment though, batteries big enough for that are huge.

[1NEEDS2POST]

Adelaide has 89 railway stations. These could be used as hubs to send and receive parcels, like the parcel lockers at Australia Post. Parcels would automatically be loaded to/from trains so parcels will move across the network faster than the post. It could even be fast enough for food deliveries, like an alternative to Uber Eats.

No other city does this. In other parts of the world, parcels are moved on public transport, but there's a lot of manual handling involved. With trains, an automated system to load parcels should be easy to build.

Instead of waiting days to receive online orders, you could get it within two hours. Supermarkets could deliver groceries using this. Since it's automated, it would be the cheapest delivery method.

[rev]

Adelaide has 89 railway stations. These could be used as hubs to send and receive parcels, like the parcel lockers at Australia Post. Parcels would automatically be loaded to/from trains so parcels will move across the network faster than the post. It could even be fast enough for food deliveries, like an alternative to Uber Eats.

No other city does this. In other parts of the world, parcels are moved on public transport, but there's a lot of manual handling involved. With trains, an automated system to load parcels should be easy to build.

Instead of waiting days to receive online orders, you could get it within two hours. Supermarkets could deliver groceries using this. Since it's automated, it would be the cheapest delivery method.

Whose going to deliver the mail/parcels from the train stations? What would be the benefit of decentralizing the existing Australia Post/Fast Track facilities?

To deliver groceries, the vehicle, or part of it, needs to be refrigerated.
Would groceries be left there for people to collect? The storage would then need to be refrigerated as well.
What would be the benefit to Coles and Woolies existing delivery service with small refrigerated trucks that deliver on a date and within a time range the customer picks?

[Eurostar]

Adelaide has 89 railway stations. These could be used as hubs to send and receive parcels, like the parcel lockers at Australia Post. Parcels would automatically be loaded to/from trains so parcels will move across the network faster than the post. It could even be fast enough for food deliveries, like an alternative to Uber Eats.

No other city does this. In other parts of the world, parcels are moved on public transport, but there's a lot of manual handling involved. With trains, an automated system to load parcels should be easy to build.

Instead of waiting days to receive online orders, you could get it within two hours. Supermarkets could deliver groceries using this. Since it's automated, it would be the cheapest delivery method.

Ok in theory but in reality how do you propose these parcels to be moved. In 3000s , ok you got the option of the unoccupied drivers area to transport goods. In 4000s there is no safe option to transport goods. Also what takes priority , passenger or courier, being a public transport service passengers shall be priority. Space is premium during peak hours , do you suggest a rule whereby prohibits couriers during those hours?

[Saltwater]

I like the idea of using existing infrastructure to move goods around, but the oldies would have a field day thinking we were returning to the glory days of the 1.18pm all stops mixed goods service to Outer Harbour

[rev]

Adelaide has 89 railway stations. These could be used as hubs to send and receive parcels, like the parcel lockers at Australia Post. Parcels would automatically be loaded to/from trains so parcels will move across the network faster than the post. It could even be fast enough for food deliveries, like an alternative to Uber Eats.

No other city does this. In other parts of the world, parcels are moved on public transport, but there's a lot of manual handling involved. With trains, an automated system to load parcels should be easy to build.

Instead of waiting days to receive online orders, you could get it within two hours. Supermarkets could deliver groceries using this. Since it's automated, it would be the cheapest delivery method.

this place has some special people

Grow up.

[abc]

Adelaide has 89 railway stations. These could be used as hubs to send and receive parcels, like the parcel lockers at Australia Post. Parcels would automatically be loaded to/from trains so parcels will move across the network faster than the post. It could even be fast enough for food deliveries, like an alternative to Uber Eats.

No other city does this. In other parts of the world, parcels are moved on public transport, but there's a lot of manual handling involved. With trains, an automated system to load parcels should be easy to build.

Instead of waiting days to receive online orders, you could get it within two hours. Supermarkets could deliver groceries using this. Since it's automated, it would be the cheapest delivery method.

this place has some special people

Grow up.

after you

[1NEEDS2POST]

Adelaide has 89 railway stations. These could be used as hubs to send and receive parcels, like the parcel lockers at Australia Post. Parcels would automatically be loaded to/from trains so parcels will move across the network faster than the post. It could even be fast enough for food deliveries, like an alternative to Uber Eats.

No other city does this. In other parts of the world, parcels are moved on public transport, but there's a lot of manual handling involved. With trains, an automated system to load parcels should be easy to build.

Instead of waiting days to receive online orders, you could get it within two hours. Supermarkets could deliver groceries using this. Since it's automated, it would be the cheapest delivery method.

this place has some special people

It's more realistic than drone delivery that gets a lot of hype.

[SBD]

Adelaide has 89 railway stations. These could be used as hubs to send and receive parcels, like the parcel lockers at Australia Post. Parcels would automatically be loaded to/from trains so parcels will move across the network faster than the post. It could even be fast enough for food deliveries, like an alternative to Uber Eats.

No other city does this. In other parts of the world, parcels are moved on public transport, but there's a lot of manual handling involved. With trains, an automated system to load parcels should be easy to build.

Instead of waiting days to receive online orders, you could get it within two hours. Supermarkets could deliver groceries using this. Since it's automated, it would be the cheapest delivery method.

this place has some special people

It's more realistic than drone delivery that gets a lot of hype.

Agreed - a modern, automated load/unload system could address the manual handling of the old Red Hen goods trailers.

It doesn't completely solve the "last mile" problem. There is a market for click-and-collect, so a system like this could extend the reach of that. As someone said, we expect groceries to be delivered and stored refrigerated (although insulated boxes and ice packs work for that too). Depending on the scale of deliveries, local Uber Eats style services could address the last mile - or Dominos extending the time their vehicles are in use.

[rev]

this place has some special people

It's more realistic than drone delivery that gets a lot of hype.

Agreed - a modern, automated load/unload system could address the manual handling of the old Red Hen goods trailers.

It doesn't completely solve the "last mile" problem. There is a market for click-and-collect, so a system like this could extend the reach of that. As someone said, we expect groceries to be delivered and stored refrigerated (although insulated boxes and ice packs work for that too). Depending on the scale of deliveries, local Uber Eats style services could address the last mile - or Dominos extending the time their vehicles are in use.

The problem is the cost to retrofit such a system or develop one.
The other major problem is that our rail lines don't service the entire metro area.
And given the limited coverage of the train network, would the cost/benefit of such a system out weight the cost/benefit of what we have in place now with parcel & grocery delivery?

[I Follow PAFC]

Heritage restoration works at the Adelaide Railway Station
09 Aug 2023
Works to remove the air bridge connecting Adelaide Casino to Adelaide Railway Station will begin mid August as part of heritage restoration works planned by Renewal SA. "
https://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/about- ... ay-station

[Patrick_27]

Heritage restoration works at the Adelaide Railway Station
09 Aug 2023
Works to remove the air bridge connecting Adelaide Casino to Adelaide Railway Station will begin mid August as part of heritage restoration works planned by Renewal SA. "
https://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/about- ... ay-station

Good riddance, that bridge oddly enough destroys so much of the character of the main hall.

[ChillyPhilly]

The screens listing train departures been temporarily relocated until I presume a new location is found.