Sensational-Adelaide.com

Heather wrote: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.

Link properly
http://www.adelaidecyclists.com/group/b ... ore-energy

Its not really a fair comparison until relative average speeds of both bus and tram are compared.Even without a dedicated corridor the tram is still faster as it doesn't have to dodge cars to get in and out of its stops.

fabricator wrote: Its not really a fair comparison until relative average speeds of both bus and tram are compared. Even without a dedicated corridor the tram is still faster as it doesn't have to dodge cars to get in and out of its stops.

Trams are much more appealing in attracting people out of their cars and (back) to public transport. Routes and tram stops are much more defined and safer and the dedicated routes are a bonus (as pointed out by fabricator). The trams look 'cool' too and this goes a long way to making the use of public transport 'cool' and a preferred mode of transport (where available). I certainly prefer a tram to a bus any day, especially for short - medium distance trips in a city.

Standing in a tram and egressing vs doing the same from a bus? - no contest! It's the tram for me.
The good folk of Adelaide have certainly voted with their feet since the tram extension.

Why is it that any group that decides that they don't like one specific example of a thing, then go and cherry pick as many generalised factoids, out of context and then go and generally slur them? It's sad and usually ends up having the opposite effect than intended.

Heather, I hope your only reason to join this community was not to simply spam your anti Prosect rd tram agenda. Especially since your stance seems to be counter to your cause. Which I think can be summarised this way; Buses are better than trams therefore I want buses down Prospect road instead of trams, even though buses are far more dangerous to cyclists than trams, trams are far more predictable as they don't pull into the bicycle lane randomly for passengers.

How about a more constructive approach? While I personally don't think the Prospect rd tram idea will go ahead, wouldn't it be better to recognise that trams aren't such a bad idea, and that a safer bicycle lane design could be incorporated into the vision? Instead of just screaming for the statu quo, which isn't that good for cyclists.

From yesterday.

These tension things are everywhere


Thebarton stop




The Bonython Park stop was just a frame.

A friend and i were at the EC early on Sunday to ensure we were on the first Tram back to the city (205). We stood right behind the drivers compartment so we could watch the driver at work. The Citadis Trams are indeed smooth and quiet but the seats are no more comfortable than than those on the Flexi's. The Rundle Mall stop seemed to be packed most of the day and with a mix of City Shuttle, Glenelg & Ent Centre Shuttle services using the platform. It was also quite a logistical excercise to co-ordinate the manual switching of the tracks everytime an Ent Centre Shuttle Tram arrived at the Rundle Mall stop and then have the passengers disembark/embark the tram quickly so the tram could vacate the stop and allow the thouroghfare for the Glenelg & City Shuttle Trams. We actually stopped for a coffee and cake at Buskers at the end of the mall on our second trip on the tram so that we could watch all this happening. We also had a chat to the first driver on the way back and he loves the new Citadis Trams. He also went through all the different speed limits for the diferent track secions and it became clear that there is a lot more to it than just pushing a lever forward and back. He also said that Trams should be able to do up to about 60km/h on the new section and that the signal sequences generally favoured the Trams. The free BBQ and backstage tour of the Ent Centre topped off a very enjoyable and interesting day.

Also, whist standing on the Ent Centre platform with a Citadis parked each side and the cool overcast weather of the day, you could have been excused for thinking that you were somewhere in Europe.... if only for a moment

You can park at the new Entertainment Centre Park‘n’Ride from 6 am to 6.30 pm Monday to Friday for just $2 and ride the new tramline extension to and from the City FREE*!

VIEW THE NEW ABRIDGED TRAM TIMETABLE AND BROCHURE (283KB)
http://adelaidemetro.com.au/routes/pdfs ... knride.pdf

more: http://adelaidemetro.com.au/routes/parknride.html

Great Photos to all.

Aidan your idea to convert the Outer Harbor Line from a trainline to a tramline i think is a bad idea, why? Lets just take a trip to Melbourne and see an example - Heavy rail costs about the same as light rail once you buy enough vehicles to carry the required passengers. In 1988 the light rail enthusiasts got their way when the St Kilda and Pt Melbourne train lines were changed to a tramline. 20 years later people are being sardined onto overcrowed trams or being left behind. Changing a trainline to a tramline cripples capacity as light rail carrys only one third of the capacity that of heavy rail. More stops would mean increased travel times which will decrease patronage. So in my opinion i strongly recommend that the Outer Harbor Line stays as a trainline. If it aint broke dont fix it.

Straze wrote:Aidan your idea to convert the Outer Harbor Line from a trainline to a tramline i think is a bad idea, why? Lets just take a trip to Melbourne and see an example - Heavy rail costs about the same as light rail once you buy enough vehicles to carry the required passengers. In 1988 the light rail enthusiasts got their way when the St Kilda and Pt Melbourne train lines were changed to a tramline. 20 years later people are being sardined onto overcrowed trams or being left behind.

Therefore they should run more trams. Inadequate capacity is the fault of Yarra Trams, not the mode itself.

Changing a trainline to a tramline cripples capacity as light rail carrys only one third of the capacity that of heavy rail.

If the heavy rail is nowhere near capacity, that's not a problem.

More stops would mean increased travel times which will decrease patronage. So in my opinion i strongly recommend that the Outer Harbor Line stays as a trainline. If it aint broke dont fix it.

I'm not suggesting putting more stops on the entire line! Beyond Taperoo the number of through passengers will be lower, and the shorter walk to the station will more than make up for the slightly longer journey time for most passengers, and they'll all benefit from the shorter waiting time as well.

A big problem with the heavy rail setup is that the railway doesn't adequately serve the two biggest employment centres on the line: Port Adelaide and Outer Harbour. By closing the line to upgrade the viaduct they've not only unnecessarily inconvenienced peninsula residents, but they've made it unlikely the line will be diverted straight through Port Adelaide. But there's still the matter of Outer Harbour. There used to be a balloon loop there, but it was eventually dismantled because it was not needed to serve a single station. But if it were reinstated with four stations on it, it would be within walking distance of much of the industrial area, and the line would benefit from two way commuting.

Details regarding the entertainment centre park n ride and new timetable are up http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/routes/parknride.html . Looks like the new tram terminates at victoria square??

That timetable you refer to is an abridged version of the full timetable,and is shown on the 2 page brochure.It is for the benefit of those using the Light Rail service to/from the Entertainment Centre including the "free parking option"(valid for 6months).
The full new timetable is now available on the Adelaide Metro website,albeit with an incorrect timetable showing for Saturdays from the Entertainment Centre to Glenelg(they have used the Monday to Friday timetable).No services terminate at Victoria Square.

muzzamo wrote:Details regarding the entertainment centre park n ride and new timetable are up http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/routes/parknride.html . Looks like the new tram terminates at victoria square??

The timetable on the website is a bit misleading and won't just run to Victoria Square (not the best place to be terminating and turning trams around). During weekdays, most trams either run the entire length of the line between Glenelg and the Entertainment Centre, or shuttle between South Terrace and West Terrace. During peak hours, shuttle tram services are extended to the Entertainment Centre. On weekends, all trams run the entire length of the line.

Full tram timetable
http://timetables.adelaidemetro.com.au/ ... ttable.pdf

AER to Adelaide Station is timetabled as 14 minutes, vs 5 minutes by train.

The Timetable on the website has now been corrected.The Public timetables are correct.

Looking at the new timetable I notice they have got rid of the express PM service. This is a bad move. I can imagine the PM Peak trams are going to be worse off with filling up from Port Rd and North Tce. By the time they get to King William St, no one will get on. I believe they need a service to commence from Rundle Mall stop empty to Glenelg. They can use the crossover.