News & Discussion: Adelaide Metro Trains

[VinyTapestry849]

Man we really need a line to the airport, falling severely behind other mainland capitals. This North-South road corridor is really eating up the infastructure budget

[gnrc_louis]

Man we really need a line to the airport, falling severely behind other mainland capitals. This North-South road corridor is really eating up the infastructure budget

Any rail line to the airport would be a tram, not a train.

[rev]

Man we really need a line to the airport, falling severely behind other mainland capitals. This North-South road corridor is really eating up the infastructure budget

Any rail line to the airport would be a tram, not a train.

Why? Does it need to be a single line or can't be it be part of a larger expansion for some reason (other then the usual money/politics excuses) ?

[Saltwater]

Exactly. Any tram from the airport to the city is just going to sit in the same traffic that buses do today, there would minimal time savings and little incentive to use them.

Any consideration of a tram to the airport longer term should certainly include other options, such as whether it could extend to Fulham / Findon etc, and encourage higher density housing in the western suburbs for example.

[rubberman]

Exactly. Any tram from the airport to the city is just going to sit in the same traffic that buses do today, there would minimal time savings and little incentive to use them.

Any consideration of a tram to the airport longer term should certainly include other options, such as whether it could extend to Fulham / Findon etc, and encourage higher density housing in the western suburbs for example.

Why couldn't the tram use the same alignment as a train? Vehicle and signalling costs would be far less. Then, if at some later time trains proved viable, it could be converted to heavy rail.

[Spotto]

Any tram from the airport to the city is just going to sit in the same traffic that buses do today, there would minimal time savings and little incentive to use them.

Buses along Henley Beach Road or Sir Donald Bradman Drive contend with traffic as they’re forced to share lanes with cars. Trams, or even bus priority lanes would provide a quicker service as they don’t get stuck in traffic to the same extent.

[claybro]

Any discussion of rail to the airport has always only identified light rail/tram as an option never heavy rail. This is both from the Airport management and the state government. As for the route, there has been discussion around using Keswick creek reserve as an off road dedicated rail reserve. Richmond road is also an option as it can easily be widened, is relatively under developed, allowing for urban renewal, and carries far less traffic as it ends pretty much at Marion Road as a main road.

[ChillyPhilly]

A tram to Adelaide Airport would be successful in a dedicated corridor.

Reducing the road to one traffic lane will be fine because trams tend to act as traffic calming devices.

Plus - trams will replace many car trips anyway. There is nothing to lose with a tramline. Henley Beach Road then Airport Road is the best option.

[rev]

Hope nobody takes offense to this, but I think the 'ideas' shown so far are a good view into the states overall mentality and what's wrong with it, why we're so far behind.
A tram line, a short distance, to the airport. What's the point?
Just like all the other short little tram extensions that have pretty much amounted to nothing of significance.
This is why this state needs a huge rocket up it's ass, in the form of a major global event (as much as some people think such things are a waste). That would force the investment into these big infrastructure projects like PT.
We've had how many brain farts from governments that were meant to kick start this state and it's economy? Adelaide Oval & the riverbank redevelopments, submarines, frigates, destroyers, solar/wind/battery storage sites, Tonsley, Lot14..need I go on?
Sorry to go a little off topic, but we don't need a little extension here or there. We need massive investment.
Instead of thinking on a small localised scale, we should be thinking (and doing) on a larger scale.
Why should a line to the airport be the end/start point? Why shouldn't it be part of a wider expansion into the western suburbs?

What makes a city liveable, is the ability for the people living there to move around with ease on multiple modes of transport, including their private vehicles.
Not reducing road traffic lanes in brain fart ideas that this state is well versed in to accommodate a tram to nowhere for a short distance.

We will have the tunneling machines for south road here soon, they'll be here for quite a few years working. Why not investigate if they can be used and at what cost for other transport projects like a metro line or two or an inner suburban loop into the cbd?

It's going to cost a lot. That's the price that has to be paid though for decades of incompetence from our elected leaders. If it's going to cost a lot today, how much more will inaction cost in the future?
At some point South Australia needs to bite the bullet and get on with these things in a big way, or forever be left behind.

[baytram366]

Could not have said it better myself. So much pissing around especially when it comes to public transport and infrastructure in this state. Its quite sad really. So much money has been wasted on plans and brain farts since the 1960's MATS plan. Yet nothing comes of it. But until any government gets serious about development, urban planning and transport, nothing will continue to happen.

[Saltwater]

Any discussion of rail to the airport has always only identified light rail/tram as an option never heavy rail. This is both from the Airport management and the state government. As for the route, there has been discussion around using Keswick creek reserve as an off road dedicated rail reserve. Richmond road is also an option as it can easily be widened, is relatively under developed, allowing for urban renewal, and carries far less traffic as it ends pretty much at Marion Road as a main road.

I'd say the Keswick Creek concept is pretty much off the table now, as West Torrens Council want to use the space between Brooker Terrace and Marion Road for open space. As a local resident I provided feedback saying I'm well in favour of this, the area has a shortage of open space and we need more, not less with further being taken away for a transport corridor to the airport that offers little benefit for the local community. So it's either get trams working along existing roads, which as others have pointed out are already congested, or look at longer term solutions, such as underground rail that then connects through to other areas.

https://yoursay.westtorrens.sa.gov.au/creekpark

[ChillyPhilly]

Keswick Creek wouldn't be a good corridor to use. I get it was a compromise to get SOME positive thinking happening.

Heavy rail to the airport could work. I have a pipe dream (very aware of the pipe dream) concept to extend the Grange line south to Henley and West Beach. It would arc south east underground beneath Harbour Town (with potential stop there) onwards to the terminal and to the CBD, connecting with existing rail north of Adelaide Showground - then feeding into the CBD Loop.

This would make the Grange line more viable, would fill some rapid transit gaps, and greatly uplift each area.

It is difficult because of the water table, but with positive engineering, would be possible.

[claybro]

Regarding Adelaide train network, looking at old photos of the Port Dock station, and the Commercial Road Pt Adelaide station, it is hard to believe what has been lost to Adelaide train network over the years. The Port stations were proper old European style stations. To have the dumbed down versions that exist now is a sad reflection on the lack of respect all sides of politics in SA regard rail transport, and seems we still don't really get it.

[SBD]

$10M including federal funds could be used to establish terms for agreement with ARTC to run standard gauge metro/near regional services on shared tracks. This makes sense for the Virginia-Two Wells corridor and a Mount Barker service on the existing (single track with tunnels) alignment. Mount Barker would also service parts of the hills with stops at Mount Lofty (near Stirling), Bridgewater, Balhannah, Lttlehampton.

Salisbury would be an interchange station between the broad and standard gauge trains, and perhaps also Mawson Lakes/Dry Creek if passenger services are proposed towards Osborne.

[Spotto]

$10M including federal funds could be used to establish terms for agreement with ARTC to run standard gauge metro/near regional services on shared tracks. This makes sense for the Virginia-Two Wells corridor and a Mount Barker service on the existing (single track with tunnels) alignment. Mount Barker would also service parts of the hills with stops at Mount Lofty (near Stirling), Bridgewater, Balhannah, Lttlehampton.

If the government actually cared about rail to Mount Barker it would’ve already happened, or at least actually be in planning. Just look at what’s been achieved in states that actually care.

Rail to Mount Barker needed to happen 10 years ago. The second best time to do it is now.