[U/C] Marion, Cross & Morphett Roads LCR | $400m

[EBG]

if these projects were happening in Melbourne, the tram serservice would only be closed for 2 months at the most. Compare this with the remvoal of the tram/train Square crossing removal at Glen Huntley where an 1800m trench was dug to allow 3 train tracks to pass under a Glen Hunntley Rd with 2 tram tracks. This also included a new 3 platfom station with lifts to all platforms and new overhead wiring for both trams and trains and all new singalling and corresponding tram stop abovve the train tracks. FFRieght trains continued through out the whole project and passeng trains were only cancelled for 8 weeks (arround June/July 2024).

In the last 6 years 85 level crossings out of 150 have been removed . There is now only one level Crossing ( at Dandenong) between Flinders St and East Pakenham 68km and work has started to remove this crossing.

[Chats]

The T2D promotions unit had a stall at the Tonsley Markets last weekend and I quizzed one of the team in regards to the tram bridge over South Road. She mentioned that it is only the western span that is being replaced, and also that the tram line will be closed for "at least 6 months".

[SouthAussie94]

if these projects were happening in Melbourne, the tram serservice would only be closed for 2 months at the most. Compare this with the remvoal of the tram/train Square crossing removal at Glen Huntley where an 1800m trench was dug to allow 3 train tracks to pass under a Glen Hunntley Rd with 2 tram tracks. This also included a new 3 platfom station with lifts to all platforms and new overhead wiring for both trams and trains and all new singalling and corresponding tram stop abovve the train tracks. FFRieght trains continued through out the whole project and passeng trains were only cancelled for 8 weeks (arround June/July 2024).

In the last 6 years 85 level crossings out of 150 have been removed . There is now only one level Crossing ( at Dandenong) between Flinders St and East Pakenham 68km and work has started to remove this crossing.

It's a matter of cost.

You could do all three in a month if you really wanted to, but this would require a significant amount of enabling works to take place before this shut down. These enabling works would largely need to be done at night and significantly more planning/scheduling of works would need to be done to allow it all to occur within strict time frames.

These all cost money.

I also suspect that the size of the Adelaide market plays a part. Realistically there are only a handful of contractors who are able to do these large scale projects in the Adelaide market. These contractors then have their own preferred suppliers for various things. Again, a limited pool compared to Sydney/Melbourne.

Less contractors means less competition for quoting, resulting in higher costs. If you then add the requirement to complete works in a 1 month shut, and you're further increasing the cost.

The counter to this is that shutting a public transport service down for 6 months+ sends the message that PT is an inferior mode of transport and that private cars are the only way of getting around.

[SRW]

It's the repeated pain more than the length for me. Within 10 years they'll need to shut down again to remove level crossings at least Beckman St and Goodwood Road. I'd rather they just do them all now.

[A-Town]

It's the repeated pain more than the length for me. Within 10 years they'll need to shut down again to remove level crossings at least Beckman St and Goodwood Road. I'd rather they just do them all now.

Goodwood Rd maybe, but Beckman St? I highly doubt it.

[SRW]

It's the repeated pain more than the length for me. Within 10 years they'll need to shut down again to remove level crossings at least Beckman St and Goodwood Road. I'd rather they just do them all now.

Goodwood Rd maybe, but Beckman St? I highly doubt it.

They're both the only remainig major level crossings. Beckman Street is a bus route, popular rat run, and in a densifying area. Traffic already gets significantly backed up.

(I don't count Brighton or to a lesser degree Greenhill as these are where the line is road running and aligned to traffic anyway.)

[urban]

If the aim is to improve public transport use and speed you would turn Greenhill Rd into an overpass (trams currently have to wait for the light sequence after stopping at the station) and leave Beckman St and Goodwood Rd because at grade stations are much quicker and easier to access.

[ChillyPhilly]

I don't think Goodwood Road should have an overpass. Light rail should ideally be delivered at ground level. Traffic flow on Goodwood Road can be improved by banning kerbside parking and lowering the speed limit between the line and Greenhill Road. Further to this, light rail running down Goodwood Road to Pasadena (or further) would assist and reduce traffic by reducing car trips.

[Norman]

For those interested, I've made a video about the projects.

https://youtu.be/0T_Vx253FDE

[A-Town]

If the aim is to improve public transport use and speed you would turn Greenhill Rd into an overpass (trams currently have to wait for the light sequence after stopping at the station) and leave Beckman St and Goodwood Rd because at grade stations are much quicker and easier to access.

This can and should be fixed by improving the light sequences and prioritising trams over cars (same with Brighton Rd).

[A-Town]

It's the repeated pain more than the length for me. Within 10 years they'll need to shut down again to remove level crossings at least Beckman St and Goodwood Road. I'd rather they just do them all now.

Goodwood Rd maybe, but Beckman St? I highly doubt it.

They're both the only remainig major level crossings. Beckman Street is a bus route, popular rat run, and in a densifying area. Traffic already gets significantly backed up.

(I don't count Brighton or to a lesser degree Greenhill as these are where the line is road running and aligned to traffic anyway.)

Only in peak hour though, whereas the Marion Rd intersection would regularly become a bottleneck in non-peak hour times as well. I'd be interested to see how Beckman St looks after the Motorway is complete, as well as the Marion Rd grade separation.

[adsta]

For those interested, I've made a video about the projects.

https://youtu.be/0T_Vx253FDE

Love your videos Norman, keep them up

[Spotto]

For those interested, I've made a video about the projects.

https://youtu.be/0T_Vx253FDE

You’re doing the Transport Gods work, Norman! Your videos are well researched!

Only feedback, it’s very obvious you’re reading from a script when the camera is on you. Memorising parts of the script and using editing cuts will help the video feel more natural and allow you to replace small stumbles in the script.

[NTRabbit]

It's the repeated pain more than the length for me. Within 10 years they'll need to shut down again to remove level crossings at least Beckman St and Goodwood Road. I'd rather they just do them all now.

Goodwood Rd maybe, but Beckman St? I highly doubt it.

They're both the only remainig major level crossings. Beckman Street is a bus route, popular rat run, and in a densifying area. Traffic already gets significantly backed up.

(I don't count Brighton or to a lesser degree Greenhill as these are where the line is road running and aligned to traffic anyway.)

Not sure we should be encouraging rat runs, but also, how much longer will it remain a rat run once the motorway is finished?

If anything I think the Forestville stop is a higher priority for grade separation purely out of safety concerns, given how all the awkwardly interacting diagonal roads there limit driver peripheral vision - combine it with a replacement for the now quite old Goodwood railway overpass that includes and interchange station with the trains (and the cancelled bikeway bridge for that matter), and then you have yourself a project worth temporarily shutting the line down for again.