COM: Seaford Rail Extension | $291m | 5.5km

[Wayno]

Presumably the South/Sturt rd underpass will need to take measures because of the contaminated land? If so, it might be more cost effective to divert the rail through the mitsubishi site, run parallel to South rd, and cross at the South/Sturt rd intersection. You could configure it so South Rd traffic is not affected (because of underpass) and the Sturt Rd traffic has to stop for trains (similar to how cross/south rd intersection works). This approach also eliminates the need for separate rail bridges. Hope that makes sense...

tonsley-line.JPG (83.94 KiB) Viewed 4609 times

The disused rail corridor off Sturt Rd could also be converted into a "park-n-ride" access road (use some of the mitsubishi land as a parking lot) to keep traffic out of the suburban streets.

[AtD]

Contaminated land is not the end of the world. The Clipsal site is contaminated, the Rail Yards site is contaminated, much of the Port Adelaide water front was contaminated. It's a matter of how contaminated. They're not evacuating residents.

[fabricator]

Another issue is the contamination could easily spread to the adjacent land for the Flinders interchange and proposed high density housing. Or even the South/Sturt road underpass. Any deep hole in the ground dug would allow rain water to mix with the contaminated ground water.

In any case I expect a delay in any developments around this area, while the extent of the contamination is investigated. I can't see developers clambering over themselves to buy the land now, contaminated soil is easier to clean than contaminated ground water as well.

The exact nature of the rail bridge needed over Sturt Road for my proposal was never 100% completed. I was thinking of lowering the road a few meters to reduce the cost and length of the earthworks required. After this contamination scare I think it would be smarter to just add 50-100 meters of track embankment to avoid digging. Sometimes the best solution is to not dig holes everywhere, instead prevent water from seeping in from storm water or the nearby creek.

The chemical involved is water soluble, 0.1g per 1L of water so probably a few kilos of the stuff down there, dissolved in many thousands of litres of water.

[Cruise]

Appreantly people that dont work in the CBD don't need decent Public transport.

Interesting......

[fabricator]

Its that toxic chemical again:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009 ... 551834.htm

High levels of an industrial solvent have forced a group of residents to relocate from two blocks of flats at Clovelly Park.

The Health Department says tests have found a high level of the chemical tricholoroethylene (TCE).

It says people should not live in the flats in the long term because of health risks.

Housing SA is helping 19 residents relocate as a precaution.

The Health Department has been carrying out tests since November last year, when groundwater at Clovelly Park was found to be contaminated.

Well that is the underground station idea scrapped then, no way they would ever let you build underground in an area that could expose people to chemicals everyday while they wait for a train.

Anyone know which blocks of flats are involved, quite a lot near the Tonsley railway line in Clovelly Park.

[AtD]

Treating contaminated earth is neither new nor a huge problem. The new apartment complexes on the Port River are a prime example. There's a freaking playground there now.

It just takes $$$.

[adam73837]

Appreantly people that dont work in the CBD don't need decent Public transport.

Interesting......

You have quite a good point Cruise, but unfortunately that's the thing about Adelaide. If it weren't for the Circle Line Bus service, you'd have to go into the city to go out of the city. But that only really caters for people around that route, everyone else that needs to commute to places other than the CBD suffer. However because the numbers don't measure up, these people are constantly overlooked. Hence, a major revamp would be needed to cater for all Adelaidians.

[Pat28]

Appreantly people that dont work in the CBD don't need decent Public transport.

Interesting......

You have quite a good point Cruise, but unfortunately that's the thing about Adelaide. If it weren't for the Circle Line Bus service, you'd have to go into the city to go out of the city. But that only really caters for people around that route, everyone else that needs to commute to places other than the CBD suffer. However because the numbers don't measure up, these people are constantly overlooked. Hence, a major revamp would be needed to cater for all Adelaidians.

At the InfoCentre, the 100 bus is not recommended as it takes ages to get around in, most of the time the suggestion is go into the city and out again - cross-suburban public transport in Adelaide doesn't work for some reason.

[Somebody]

Circle Line is hopeless - it only runs every half hour, making it useless for connecting to/from other services. Problem is, that's the whole point of it!

I think a lot of suburban trips would be short-of-CBD on radial services (like Brighton to Noarlunga) or on just one bus within suburbia, or otherwise trips like say Lizbef to Port Adelaide that would ideally take a train and one bus from somewhere on the line. Rather so than Mitcham to Gepps Cross or similar.

[fabricator]

Yes, I found this. At Islington the circle line bus crosses the track just meters from the station, but on a bridge with not direct path. So means a long walk to the nearest bus stop, and an even longer wait for the bus to appear.

Tonsley has the 600-601 bus for example which is an east west route, Blackwood station to Tonsley via Flinders Uni and Hospital. Slow enough but then continues to Oaklands (Noarlunga train), Glenelg (tram) and then all the way to West Beach. What is with the obsession the government in this state have with making important connecting buses for trains/major shopping center etc, into insanely long routes which never keep to the timetable ???

On another note, counted 6 passengers on the Tonsley train when it got to the end of the line, compares a lot better to the 2-3 it had at the exact same time some 6 months ago. Perhaps Mr. Rann's mentioning of the new station to replace Tonsley has made the locals realize they have a train on their doorstep. I was amazed to hear someone say they worked meters from the station and never knew it was there.

[adam73837]

Appreantly people that dont work in the CBD don't need decent Public transport.

Interesting......

You have quite a good point Cruise, but unfortunately that's the thing about Adelaide. If it weren't for the Circle Line Bus service, you'd have to go into the city to go out of the city. But that only really caters for people around that route, everyone else that needs to commute to places other than the CBD suffer. However because the numbers don't measure up, these people are constantly overlooked. Hence, a major revamp would be needed to cater for all Adelaidians.

At the InfoCentre, the 100 bus is not recommended as it takes ages to get around in, most of the time the suggestion is go into the city and out again - cross-suburban public transport in Adelaide doesn't work for some reason.

Oh yes, believe me, I know all about that; in the school holidays, if I need to get around town I usually walk down to Portrush Rd to catch the Circle Line. Occasionally I'll be less than a minute late and instead of having to wait for say <15 minutes, I have to wait for at least half an hour. It is very inefficient, however I guess it's because there's just not that much demand for it.

[Pat28]

I forgot to add, I (and most probably most here have) experienced the woeful 100. What alternate options are there other than going into the city and out again? Basically none. Why doesn't cross-suburban transport in Adelaide not work? Is it due to not knowing about it (I think elsewhere on this forum, there was something about Tonsley Station as a comparison) or something sinister?

[Omicron]

With Adelaide as a long, thin metropolitan area with the CBD essentially smack-bang in the middle of most north-south trips, I'm not surprised that there aren't all that many suburban routes that don't include the city centre somewhere along their journeys. One would either have to cling to the coast or to the foothills to be far enough away from town to justify avoiding it completely, or introduce lots of little routes like the various 600s (I think) that fan out from Marion. It really does depend on where you live, where you want to go, and how good you are at co-ordinating multiple transfers.

[danielphin]

from tonights budget "$291m to extend Noarlunga line", from what I remember $230m was going to be invested? for what extra?

Someone care to correct me

[Norman]

Extra cost is probably a revised figure. However, this is confirmation that the bridge will be a double track, not single track.