PRO: CBD Tram Loop

[Alyx]

The image above, which was released earlier today, shows the State Government's preferred route for a future city tram loop.

From the West Terrace tram stop, the route will travel along West Terrace, Currie Street, Morphett Street, Sturt Street, Halifax Street, Carrington Street, Regent Street, Frome Street, and North Terrace, where it will connect to the existing line.

[Howie]

Good on ya Alyx, thanks for posting that up.

As soon as the press release drops i'll throw it on here. Thoughts everyone?

[kenget]

I think its a shame it won't travel along Gouger St but I do like how it attaches to the southern city squares!

[russo92]

Love it, reaches all the important parts of the CBD. Great thinking having it go down currie. I'm just annoyed I'll have finished Uni by the time it's all done, getting a tram to Adelaide Uni would have been quite handy

[[Shuz]]

It's a good idea, but I don't get what's with all the nooks and turns and weird side streets; i.e. West Terrace, Currie Street, wrapping around Light and Whitmore Squares, Carrington Street, Frome Street, etc.

What's so wrong with a simple loop - in a dead straight line, cutting through the squares, down Morphett, Gouger/Angus (or Sturt/Halifax as the case may be), Pulteney Streets and back along North Terrace?

[Nathan]

It's a good idea, but I don't get what's with all the nooks and turns and weird side streets; i.e. West Terrace, Currie Street, wrapping around Light and Whitmore Squares, Carrington Street, Frome Street, etc.

What's so wrong with a simple loop - in a dead straight line, cutting through the squares, down Morphett, Gouger/Angus (or Sturt/Halifax as the case may be), Pulteney Streets and back along North Terrace?

My thoughts as well, seems to be a bit of a weird route with some pointless little turns (for instance, surely it would be easier to run the tram across Carrington St, through the little park to Regent St South, and turn on to Halifax St there, rather than the depicted series of 3 turns.

[Waewick]

I don't get it really, I like the idea but not sure if I like the locations

[bearhunta]

The light rail network advanced in the Integrated Design Commission's 'Life on the Edge' report http://bit.ly/tslRCM has a number of advantages over this somewhat meandering route proposal.
The Life on the Edge light rail network is composed of a loop connecting the four squares, another loop running along the terraces/Hutt Street, bisected north-south and east-west through Victoria Square.
It is profoundly simple and 'legible', any location in the city being only a block or two from a tram route once complete. The plan responds to Light's plan of the city, can be staged over time as and facilitates future inner suburban expansion of a light rail network.

[PeFe]

Looks like a very expensive replacement for the "city connector bus". As transport funding is limited I would rather see the money spent on upgrading more railway stations on the Adelaide metro network. I know many (well maybe 5 or 6) stations are due, or in the process of being upgraded but with the arrival of brand spanking new trains the SA government needs to realize "tin sheds" are unacceptable as railway stations in this day and age. I would really like the government to investigate ways of commercializing railway stations that could provide funding for station improvements and reconnecting railways stations as a focus of community life i.e. the local shops are by the railway staion. The Adelaide train network is (literally) too far away from the average person's life. And yes more tram lines.....to the suburbs.

[ml69]

It's a good idea, but I don't get what's with all the nooks and turns and weird side streets; i.e. West Terrace, Currie Street, wrapping around Light and Whitmore Squares, Carrington Street, Frome Street, etc.

What's so wrong with a simple loop - in a dead straight line, cutting through the squares, down Morphett, Gouger/Angus (or Sturt/Halifax as the case may be), Pulteney Streets and back along North Terrace?

My thoughts as well, seems to be a bit of a weird route with some pointless little turns (for instance, surely it would be easier to run the tram across Carrington St, through the little park to Regent St South, and turn on to Halifax St there, rather than the depicted series of 3 turns.

I like it, it's similar to the route I imagined but goes down Sturt/Halifax instead of Gouger/Angas. I can easily see how this could regenerate and encourage redevelopment of Whitmore and Hurtle Sq.

I think the proposed route is actually attempting to do a simple loop of North Tce, Morphett, Sturt/Halifax and Frome, however due to physical constraints it was required to detour to West Tce and Carrington.

Yeah it looks a bit odd as lines on a map, but I think it covers the key destinations it should in the CBD.

[[Shuz]]

Re; The physical limitations of Morphett Street, I assume they mean the bridge? Personally, I don't see this section of the route as a limitation.

They could always just close off the two slip lanes either side of the bridge, and convert the lanes to tram-only access thoroughfares, with the Morphett St northbound segment of the track turning east onto North Terrace, using the western slip lane, and the Morphett Street southbound track using the eastern slip lane. At the Hindley Street intersection they could then converge the 'split tracks' into a centre-of-median track arrangement (like KWS) assisted by a special light sequence for the trams.

Not a lot of traffic use the slip lanes of the Morphett Street Bridge, so I think you could easily get away with any uproar from a mere handful of disgruntled motorists, and also, it opens up the potential for stations to be built along the (widened) footpath either side, as a 'secondary' City West stop, considering the loop trams would not stop at the current City West station.

[Waewick]

I am also disappointed that their is no clear integration with future tram/light rail.

obviously that would need other council sign off but how would the loop work in with a Tram to Norwood (or Unley if it could ever happen)

[Alyx]

I have added this latest proposal to RailSA's Light Rail Network map. For anyone that is interested, the map also contains all of Adelaide's past and present light rail lines, locations, and previously proposed extensions.

[Waewick]

that site does make me cry

however imagine the cost of upgrading all those lines to modern standards.

I would assume that rebuilding them (eventually) will be almost on par?

[Hooligan]

Poor old Hindmarsh Sq misses out