News & Discussion: O-Bahn

[Cruise]

why not rip up the tracks and replace them with an electric train/tram system in line with the rest of the proposed public transport system?

Did you actually watch any of the videos?

[peas_and_corn]

I personally would like to see the opposite- ripping up some (not all, for obvious reasons) of the existing train tracks and replacing with obahn! It will increase the number of buses needed and thus when obahn buses are ordered a better deal will be done...

[PhilM]

Yes Cruise, I watched the promotional video that promoted the O-Bahn as the way of the future in 1986. It had great potential.

Sadly only Adelaide picked it up and ran with it and now we can't buy buses or parts for what is now an outdated pipedream thus my argument to cut our losses and start again with the technology that has been accepted around the world, whatever that may be.

[jk1237]

while waiting for my bus home this arvo, a new artic o'bahn bus pulled up (M44). Is this the first of many. Looked very new

[Will409]

What those videos didn't mention is that after a few years, Mercedes and the other firms involved in the construction of the O-bahn sold the patent rights to the SA Government so they no longer have any involvement in any design specifications for either the track or the buses. With a new artic bus fleet needed for the O-bahn, we have to go it alone almost.

[Norman]

No, there's only one of them. There is extensive tyre scrubbing on that new artic, so they will continue to look for something else.

[monotonehell]

No, there's only one of them. There is extensive tyre scrubbing on that new artic, so they will continue to look for something else.

What Norm said. That new artic is a one off and isn't fairing well.

As good as the OBahn system is, if we can't find the buses, it's dooooomed. Although having said that Cambridge seem to have found buses for their 'new-soon to be opened-twice as long as ours-busway'. But I'm guessing that their track has been laid with new bus widths in mind?

And by the way -- everything that they said in that video is/was true! There's a few new guided busways being constructed around the World, perhaps Adelaide was 25 years ahead of its time?

[Prince George]

Lack of standardised stock and infrastructure likewise kills monorail projects in cities like Seattle. Just prior to the Queen and I arriving, Seattle finally pulled the plug on a monorail project that was supposed to provide 54 miles of track connecting various parts of the city with downtown. It started in 1997, by 2005 no work had begun, and was finally and totally laid to rest only last year after the money they had collected (excise on vehicle licensing) had dried up.

They certainly had problems on the financing side, but another big roadblock was the lack of an effective way to control their operating expenses. There are only a few manufacturers of monorail equipment, and they are all totally different to each other. They were going to use the Hitachi models - once you've committed to that model, you have then only one company you can negotiate with for ongoing support.

[fishinajar]

Firstly, good find.

"No ugly or dangerous overhead wires or under rail power supply"- they are comparing combustion powered buses to electric rail, what about our diesel trains?

Also, yes I absolutely agree buses have a place in moving people in suburban areas closer to thier front door, however once you are moving massive amounts of people massive distances buses become less effective. Busses cannot be compared to rail transport in terms of their passenger capacity.

In higher density cities such as Melbourne they trams do a superb job of running people around in the cbd, a job that would be very ugly if it was done by buses. Already our cbd is crawling with fume producing, heat extruding & noisy buses-imagine in another 20 years.

The o-bahn did a brilliant job of getting the buses off of NERd and Lower NERd, but at some point we will need to replace the o-bahn with a higher capacity transport method. Then buses can take their rightful (and essential) place- transporting people to and from high capacity transport terminals and their doors in suburban and country areas.

[PhilM]

very well said. We need to think forwards and with some element of standardization across the entire network.
What we must begin to do is think about the future of this great state and well past the next election, and the one after that.

[GMark2]

Did he say it was TOO accessable to Vandals!?!? He'd be right. That bus stopped on a dime, good thing their were no passangers on board, they'd be sharing the front of the bus with the driver.

[Mr.Frodo]

I wonder what happened to "Hye Kong Ng" whose name appeared at the end of Part 3 who was selling Adelaide's expertise?

[Aidan]

Summary of news as we know it:

• $61 million has been allocated in the Federal Budget for the construction of a busway from the end of the O-Bahn at Park Rd to West Terrace.
• No new O-Bahn track will be built.
• A reversible bus lane in the median will be constructed along Hackney Road to Rundle Road, probably similar to the setup on West Lakes Boulevard.
• Two bus lanes will run down Rundle Road, East Terrace, Grenfell Street and Currie Street to West Terrace. Presumably these will be regular bus ways and on the left.
• The exact details are not yet finalised. We do not know how many lanes will be removed from traffic. Details are subject to change.
• Construction is expected to commence before the end of the year.

Edit by AtD: Sorry Aidan, I'm hijacking your post!
Original post:
_______________________________________
I've just heard the budget announcement of money for extending the O-bahn track. That was completely unexpected - has anyone heard anything else about it?

[Port Adelaide Fan]

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/stor ... 01,00.html

[BradJC]

I heard him say this as well. Interesting.