COM: Glenelg Tramline Upgrade

[Cruise]

Yeah, you are right buses can, but in my opinion are less efficient in the sense that trams go on tracks and don't have to weave in and out of traffic in peak periods i.e faster travel.

Dedicated Bus lanes would solve this problem, a lot cheaper than tram tracks

True again, but trams add a certain street appeal and vibe about the city to encourage the use of PT that buses don't have.

Trams also add a certain cost to the tax payer.

[AG]

Doors fly open on trams
RENATO CASTELLO
January 13, 2008 12:10am
ADELAIDE'S new $60 million tram fleet is beset by problems with faulty doors, TransAdelaide documents reveal.

Tram drivers are reporting faults at least twice a week on services between Glenelg and the city, with doors opening mid-journey or failing to open or close.
Four of the 11-strong fleet, each bought for $5.5 million in 2005 and 2006, had to be pulled from service for urgent repairs last year.

Reports of tram door faults rose after the German-made Bombardier Flexity fleet came into service.

In 2006, 89 door faults were recorded, 79 of which involved the new trams, while in 2007 the Flexity fleet accounted for 178 of 181 door faults. By contrast, in 2005 when the 78-year-old heritage trams were the workhorse of the tramline, just 77 door faults were recorded.

But TransAdelaide general manager Bill Watson said the problems with the new trams were not faults but "system glitches", the majority caused by people inadvertently preventing doors from closing.

The most trouble-plagued tram in the new fleet, No. 108, had 39 separate reported problems with its doors and was withdrawn from service twice last year for repairs.

The findings were revealed in a comprehensive list of incidents and accidents on Adelaide's rail and tram network over the past four years. The documents, obtained by the Sunday Mail under Freedom of Information, show:

ASSAULTS are on the increase.

NEAR-MISSES between vehicles and pedestrians occur daily.

THERE WERE five derailments last year compared with one in 2006.

A COLLISION occurs almost every week on train and tram tracks.

Under the Rail Safety Act, TransAdelaide must provide Transport SA with details of any incidents or accidents including collisions, derailments, mechanical faults and heat buckles in the track.

"Reportable incidents" range in severity from fatalities and derailments to people falling over on trains. The previously unknown tram faults come in the wake of ongoing concerns with the safety of Adelaide's trains.

The Sunday Mail revealed in September that guards had been stationed on parts of Adelaide's rail fleet because doors were opening while trains were moving. TransAdelaide recorded 314 problems with the doors of its 92-car rail fleet last year.

Mr Watson said that of the 176 faults reported in trams, 146 were able to be cleared by the driver, allowing the tram to continue in service.

"The new trams have a door system that is computer-controlled and, as such, the computer is continually checking the doors for correct functionality," he said.

"Any time there is an inconsistency, this is flagged to the driver via the fault display.

"It isn't a fault as such but a system glitch that the computer re-checks and clears if everything is OK. There is also a green loop system which checks that all doors are closed, before allowing the tram to move.

"If this loop is broken while the tram is in motion, automatic braking will occur and again the driver will be notified of a door fault."

He said the door controller to tram No. 108 was replaced in May and it had recorded no further problems.

People for Public Transport spokeswoman Margaret Dingle said "teething problems" were to be expected with the new trams.

"I don't think these will be an ongoing problem; the only problem is they (the Government) didn't get big enough trams," she said.

Opposition transport spokesman Duncan McFetridge said the problems with the doors should not have occurred.

"We've got brand-new trams with supposedly the latest technology," he said.

"The Government keeps telling us they fixed the software in the trains, yet the problems keep piling up."

But Transport Minister Patrick Conlon said TransAdelaide had assured him it was happy with the trams' performance.

"The new trams have very hi-tech software and are certainly more sensitive than the 1929 trams," he said.

[jk1237]

cruise, this sounds silly, but buses are not attractive PT, they're boring, whereby people are far more likely to want to take a tram or train. Trains, and less so trams have their own reserved track so they're not held up by traffic, and they are much smoother, quieter and spacious. And for some reason, there are so many people who hate going on a bus, yet they dont mind train/tram.

[frank1]

Doors fly open on trams

A COLLISION occurs almost every week on train and tram tracks.

I find that hard to believe

[jk1237]

The Advertiser/Sunday Mail only print fact - NOT A lot of stuff i read from News Ltd, I now assume the opposite to be true in most 'stories'.
Um , I wonder if anyone at News Ltd has ever had their car breakdown, or a home appliance crap itself, or I wonder if the Advertiser factory at Keswick has never had a production fault or glitch.
I mean, no other PT system around the world ever has any faults, its only in Adelaide

[skunk82]

The door faults on trams are not faults. As a safety feature on the trams if someone is blocking the doors or force the doors open the tram will lock that door out. The driver is then alerted and must reset the door by going to that door. It makes the driver visually check to make sure there is no one jammed in the doors. If you watch some people board the trams, the doors are on an automatic 3 second shut and people panic when they see them shutting and instead of pressing the door button they force them open.

[Cruise]

cruise, this sounds silly, but buses are not attractive PT, they're boring, whereby people are far more likely to want to take a tram or train. Trains, and less so trams have their own reserved track so they're not held up by traffic, and they are much smoother, quieter and spacious. And for some reason, there are so many people who hate going on a bus, yet they dont mind train/tram.

I'm all for a train upgrade. i just don't want anymore bloody trams

[AG]

The way the doors on the Flexity trams operate is a bit unusual. On most rail vehicles with push-button doors, the door opens when the button is pushed and then remains open until the driver decides to close all the doors that are open. They close after a certain period of time on the Flexity trams and reopen if someone is detected to be in the doorway or forces them open. Sometimes the doors are completely driver operated if they choose to do so and all doors open upon driver command, and then close only when the driver closes them all.

[jimmy_2486]

I belive their should be equal funding for both train and tram.

I live within a go zone bus, the tram, and a train. I have the option of either, however the bus lacks the speed especially in peak hour. 50min - 1 hour+ for the bus compared to say 20-25 min tram in peak hour. Non peak hour your looking only maybe an extra 5-10 for a bus over a tram as my bus runs express for a bit.

Heavy rail services are the fastest, only 11-15 min for me however to be worth it I have to be going somewhere near the railway station. Getting a transfer service is a waste for me as I could had just caught the tram from home and taken the same time. Also the trains only provide decent frequencies during peak hour (and only on Noarlunga, Gawler, and kinda on Outer Harbour.....the others NEVER have frequent services) and this is off putting for me so I only really catch the train either in peak hour or to transfer to another train to go northern suburbs etc.

I know most people only have access to either tram or train, however having both nearby, these are my opinions and I beleive they are both equally as important. Obviously for those living in the outer suburbs the train would benefit, where as trams would benefit most of the inner suburb dwellers.

Another thing is that I belive is that for bus sevices where buses cross trams, that buses should be coordinated to arrive at the same time a tram does. A tram should wait for bus commuters to hop on the tram if it is there when a bus has rocked up and vice versa. Best way for this is to ensure that a tram rocks up a minute or two after a bus for services to the city and a minute or two before a bus for services out of the city.

[Norman]

I belive their should be equal funding for both train and tram.

I live within a go zone bus, the tram, and a train. I have the option of either, however the bus lacks the speed especially in peak hour. 50min - 1 hour+ for the bus compared to say 20-25 min tram in peak hour. Non peak hour your looking only maybe an extra 5-10 for a bus over a tram as my bus runs express for a bit.

50 minutes? My stop number is higher than yours, we live on the same route, and in peak the bus takes me 30-35 minutes.

[jimmy_2486]

Well maybe it also depends on where in the city you catch the bus.

I catch the bus from the north east side of the city and I live in the south west, so I have to pretty much go cross city where the majority of the wait is. North Tce and KW street are the worst roads in peak hour by far and are the hardest roads to get out of.

I get on a bus at like 10 past 5pm near Adelaide Uni and by the time I hit Victoria Square I glance to look at our big clock to notice its almost half past 5.

Takes me about 25-30 min during the middle of the day to get home on a bus so I dun understand how it can take only 5 minutes more in peak hour. Unless you dont travel as much through the city where most of the congestion is.

[PhilM]

It is humbling to cop personal attacks from those espousing informed opinion and research!

I especially like the one that went on to say the Tram track ends at a point for future extensions. Doh!

Instant gratification may well suit those spruiking for the Government but as a society we deserve far more. I don't want it all now, I just want the Government to offer some leadership, some direction and dare I say some vision!

If South Australia wants to achieve its potential, we need visionary leadership, we need grand plans and real ideas to aspire to. Not some hodge podge system drawn together by spin doctors and media advisors seeking to appeal the the greatest common denominator thus votes.

If you don't agree with the opinion, feel free to revert to the attacks!

[frank1]

No one is attacking. It is just that you don't really offer any solutions/ ideas to the problems, but just blame the government and go on and on about leadership and vision. How about YOU offer some vision and ideas.

[PhilM]

Maybe you should check the "Visions" thread!

[PhilM]

Re: Idea's to improve our public transport
by PhilM on Sun Jan 13, 2008 2:34 pm

The O'Bahn was about as visionary as the one way freeway and the tram to nowhere!

Scrap the lot and start with a clean sheet. A star network of light rail that initially goes to the main points such as Port Adelaide, Henley, Gawler, Golden Grove, Newton, Noarlunga and Glenelg. Create a bus interchange at each of the main end stations to service the suburbs. Bring the lot into a two way (clockwise/anti clockwise) underground 'circle line' doing KWS, North Tce, East Tce and South Terraces. Dig it in from above, close the individual roads completely for a year at a time if needs be!

Just think, one could catch the 9am train from Tea Tree Plaza to Glenelg, or wait for the 915 to the Port or the 9.30 to Noalunga etc. The Service does a lap of the City before heading South. There could be a train heading in each direction of the circle line every 5 minutes.

So how do we afford it? Well there is almost two Billion Dollars in cash sitting on the WorkCover balance sheet trying to offset the management incompetence that created the two and a half Billion liability. Fix the real problems in WorkCover and therein lies the cash foundation of a wonderful transport system!

Oh we also have a few pennies coming in from the GST so who cares if it costs another $250 Million a year for 20 years!

The real problem is that it will take 10-20 years to implement and that sadly goes way beyond the next election so is not deemed politically expedient! If only the ghost of Sir Thomas could inspire a politician from either party!