Sensational-Adelaide.com

Advertiser...Trams late nearly 400 times a month - TransAdelaide figures
MICHAEL OWEN, POLITICAL REPORTER June 05, 2008 09:20am
EXCLUSIVE: ADELAIDE'S trams are running late more than ten times more often since the city line extension was opened last year, TransAdelaide documents reveal.
Internal monthly service performance reports, obtained by The Advertiser under Freedom of Information laws, reveal the extent of delays which continue to frustrate thousands of commuters every day.
The reports highlight the worsening transport problem confronting the Government, particularly in the first three months of this year , when the amount of late or cancelled services rocketed.
And the number of late trams has risen spectacularly since the city line extension and introduction of new trams last October.
Between January and September, 2007, trams were late an average of 29 times a month.
Since last October, trams have officially run late an average of 387 times a month.
The worst month was November, when tram services ran late 570 times and 159 scheduled services did not show up.
A similar dramatic increase was recorded for the number of "missed" tram services.
Monthly tram service performance reports show services were cancelled or did not complete their scheduled journeys an average of 17 times a month in the nine months before the city extension opened. Between last October and March, that increased to an average of 99 services a month.

The Opposition last night claimed a transport plan would be announced in today's Budget.

That would include light rail on Port Rd, an O-Bahn interchange behind the new Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Hospital and a light rail-linked commercial and residential development at Port Adelaide.

The TransAdelaide documents show that since January, a quarter of all train services have run late.
There was a peak of 26 per cent of services officially late in March.
A train or tram is only officially late if it runs six minutes or more behind time.
The number of missed train services hit a peak of 510 in January.
Overall, more than 28,000 train services ran late and almost 1400 were cancelled or did not complete their journey in the past 15 months, the documents reveal.
A total of 2586 tram services ran late during the same period, from January, 2007, to March, 2008, and 745 simply did not arrive.
Full reports for April and May were unavailable yesterday but TransAdelaide acting general manager Randall Barry said the preliminary figures showed an "improvement".
TransAdelaide was "naturally disappointed" with the past 18 months. He said the "primary factor" for delays was "speed restrictions in some sectors".

fishinajar wrote:I think the budget is due to be released at 3pm. You can register to receive the "Budget:E edition" at at http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow.

Norman wrote:

fishinajar wrote:I think the budget is due to be released at 3pm. You can register to receive the "Budget:E edition" at at http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow.

I'm sure they'll be putting a Liberal spin on that. I'm waiting for the raw budget data on the Treasury website.

Wayno wrote:

Norman wrote:

fishinajar wrote:I think the budget is due to be released at 3pm. You can register to receive the "Budget:E edition" at at http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow.

I'm sure they'll be putting a Liberal spin on that. I'm waiting for the raw budget data on the Treasury website.

yep, the treasury.gov.au site is the best place to go...no bias or spin...