PRO: Port Adelaide Tramline | $260m

[fkj]

yeah thats what i was thinking,
but how would you go about ticketing that? buy bus tickets as you go into the car park or something :p

[Tonsley213]

Something like the green pensioners tickets. They buy the $2 ticket at the gate of the park like at you parks and that gets them on the tram between the aec and south terrace throughout the day.

[monotonehell]

The current shuttle service and Tce to Tce on the Glenelg trams are a free ride are they not? I don't see them hurrying to charge for the extra leg out to Bowden

[rubberman]

Trams are now running past City West (as specials).

Saw a couple of flexitys and a citadis go past as I supped my Weeties.

Crappy phone pic - but evidence

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A little less crappy, but still a mobile phone.

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[Alyx]

Commuters piled on to ride free trams to try the new Adelaide Entertainment Centre extension today.

About 100 people departed the Entertainment Centre stop on Citadis 205, the first tram to carry public passengers along the extension, at 11:50am as part of a special community open day of the tram extension and the Entertainment Centre refurbishment.

Packed trams shuttled at 10-minute intervals from the Entertainment Centre to Rundle Mall stops for free during the early afternoon.

The extension officially opens to the public on Monday, March 22.

New tram timetables were handed out by government officials to the public at tram stops including the Entertainment Centre and Railway Station.

The free shuttle services will be extended to the Entertainment Centre for the first six months at this stage, spokesperson for the Department of Transport Ross Stargatt said.

Members of the public enjoyed the community ride and many also saw the Entertainment Centre Open Day.

Passengers Bev and Rob Miles, of North Adelaide, took their grand-daughter Scarlett, of Walkerville, along to the activities.

“It’s something new, it’s a new experience, a free ride and a chance to see the Entertainment Centre,” Mrs Miles said.

Mr Miles said “the trams are fabulous.”

Tram fan Terry Bourke, from Modbury Heights, thought the extension provided greater access to the area.

“I can catch a bus and a tram to see things like the Brewery Lights at Christmas,” he said.

Passengers Megan Bennett, from Clarence Park, and Dee Bluett, from Highbury said they’d definitely use the line to go to the Entertainment Centre.

Passengers thought the ride was comfortable and smooth on the Citadis and Flexity Classic trams.

Mr and Mrs Miles said the ride was very comfortable and smooth, whilst Miss Bennett said the new section of track was “better than the Glenelg to City West section of track.”

The first tram departed about 9:45am with Premier Mike Rann, State Minister for Transport Patrick Conlon, Adelaide Lord Mayor Michael Harbison, Mayor of Charles Sturt Council Harold Anderson and media on board.

Scones with jam and cream and a sausage sizzle were available for the public to celebrate the event.

- By Anthony Caggiano for RailSA

[BillD]

Here are a few shots from today. The first four trams were reserved for invitees but appealing to one of the nice women in charge of tickets
resulted in a few for our use and we rode into town and back on the third tram.

There's considerable work to be done on the first stop out of the city (Thebarton), a bit less on the second stop (Bonython Park), and much
gardening and tidying up yet to happen along the route.

Citadis 205 and Flexity 101 wait while the dignitaries do their business.


The just-refurbished Entertainment Centre (which also had its opening day today).


The Entertainment Centre stop canopy.


Citadis 205 crosses onto the up track, heading for town.


Another load of passengers arrive.


Bill.

[yousername]

Nice photos Bill, the stations look really good and inviting.

[AtD]

I was also lucky enough to chance a ride on one of the newer trams from the Entertainment Centre today. The project is very unfinished so it's too soon to really start nit-picking.

The only real negative was the fat obnoxious woman rent-a-cop at the Rundle Mall stop, who clearly hated everyone. She spent her time yelling at pedestrians and abusing anyone who dare ask her a question about the trams. Welcome to Adelaide indeed.

[AG]

I dropped by the EC this arvo and tried the tram as well. All smooth sailing until City West, where trams were queued up at one point waiting to use the single track section. Photos to follow soon.

[iTouch]

I was also lucky enough to chance a ride on one of the newer trams from the Entertainment Centre today. The project is very unfinished so it's too soon to really start nit-picking.

The only real negative was the fat obnoxious woman rent-a-cop at the Rundle Mall stop, who clearly hated everyone. She spent her time yelling at pedestrians and abusing anyone who dare ask her a question about the trams. Welcome to Adelaide indeed.

Kinda like my ex-wife

[AG]

The Shuttle trams were running back and forth between Rundle Mall and the Entertainment Centre and were stopping at West Terrace but not Thebarton or Bonython Park. The onboard announcements for West Terrace seem to have been influenced by the state Government (future site of the RAH).









The tram on the right was bound for Rundle Mall, while the one on the left was heading to EC. The unusual movements confused quite a few people with some trams running to West Terrace and some to Glenelg.

[Straze]

I know many people have been looking forward to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre tramline but i have not, from day one i have been opposed to this tramline extensions as part of the $2 Billion transport plan because i see it as just unnecessary duplication of existing services, the so called experts say that trams are a good thing it may work well in cities with high density but it doesnt work well in low density cities like Adelaide. If i were the decision maker i would even close down the Glenelg Line, call me crazy yet i have been on trams outside peak periods that are same amount of passengers that could fit on a new rigid or articulated bus.

[muzzamo]

I know many people have been looking forward to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre tramline but i have not, from day one i have been opposed to this tramline extensions as part of the $2 Billion transport plan because i see it as just unnecessary duplication of existing services, the so called experts say that trams are a good thing it may work well in cities with high density but it doesnt work well in low density cities like Adelaide. If i were the decision maker i would even close down the Glenelg Line, call me crazy yet i have been on trams outside peak periods that are same amount of passengers that could fit on a new rigid or articulated bus.

Of course this ignores the fact that Adelaide is going to double in size over the next 40-50 years.

In fact, I think at the time Anazc Highway was a waste of resources because the existing horse and cart on dirt track worked better!

Just look at the amount of development that has been in the vicinity of the South Terrace tram stop since the extension to North Terrace. No doubt it would have been far less had the tram extension not been in place.

[Aidan]

I know many people have been looking forward to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre tramline but i have not, from day one i have been opposed to this tramline extensions as part of the $2 Billion transport plan because i see it as just unnecessary duplication of existing services, the so called experts say that trams are a good thing it may work well in cities with high density but it doesnt work well in low density cities like Adelaide. If i were the decision maker i would even close down the Glenelg Line, call me crazy yet i have been on trams outside peak periods that are same amount of passengers that could fit on a new rigid or articulated bus.

You're crazy! There's no reason why every tram should always carry more passengers than a bus can.

Trams work well in low density cities like Melbourne, and there's no reason why they can't do likewise in Adelaide - particularly as the density of our inner suburbs is rising, and the density of our CBD is high.

Having said that, what we have at the moment seems to be quite badly planed - we don't have enough trams, and our platforms are too short to run them in multiple. And the plan for dual voltage vehicles with mixed operation on the Outer Harbour line is a stupid waste of money. It should be all or nothing - and I favour the former option as it would enable street running in Port Adelaide and closer spacing of stops beyond Taperoo.

[Heather]

According to Apelbaum Consulting, who have for years produced Australian Transport Facts, the energy efficiency of trams in Australia is about that of cars, and are only half as energy efficient as buses. Trams and cars are around 360 passenger km per GJ energy, and buses 690. For a discussion on this, go to http://www.adelaidecyclists.com/group/bugprospect and look for the pertinent posting.