Sensational-Adelaide.com

I would just like to point out that there'll be a state election in 2014 so this project is far from certain.

Didn't see this coming...

New tram service 'free forever'
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sout ... 5911475760

TRAM travel between Adelaide's Entertainment Centre and the city will always be free, the South Australian government says.

Premier Mike Rann says the service has been a "terrific success'' since it started carrying passengers in March.

The government had planned to offer free travel for just six months on the $100 million extension, which runs from the western end of the city's North Terrace to the Entertainment Centre.

The new service was inspiring more people to use public transport, the premier said at Sunday's official opening of the route.

"Based on patronage figures from July this year compared to July 2009, total patronage on the entire tram line grew by 55 per cent, and it is estimated 2000 people a day board this tram to and from the Adelaide Entertainment Centre,'' Mr Rann said in a statement.

"While the government initially made the commitment to provide free travel from the Adelaide Entertainment Centre to the city centre for six months, we have decided to keep the current free travel permanently in place.''

Mr Rann said the next step for Adelaide's light rail development was a $520 million extension of the tramline from the Entertainment Centre to suburban Semaphore, Port Adelaide and West Lakes.

The construction is scheduled to take place from 2015/16 to 2018/19.

Huzzah! Free rides to the AEC & Gov 4evah!

"Based on patronage figures from July this year compared to July 2009, total patronage on the entire tram line grew by 55 per cent'

That puts it at 3.3 million. Not bad at all.

"2015/16 to 2018/19"

If it is such a success, why is further expansion not going to be touched for another 5 years? They really should be getting it moving ASAP (along with other additional lines, like a city loop, North Adelaide, and airport > city > Norwood.

Nathan wrote:"2015/16 to 2018/19"

If it is such a success, why is further expansion not going to be touched for another 5 years? They really should be getting it moving ASAP (along with other additional lines, like a city loop, North Adelaide, and airport > city > Norwood.

Probably funding issues, they've already got rail electrification as a priority to be done by 2014/15.

atleast there is still a plan for it to happen

which is good. I guess its important that is starts prior to them getting booted next election.

Does any one know what the LED displays at the Thebarton stop are going to be used for? They've been installed for some time now, but not operational and I have not seen them at other stops, certainly not City West at least anyway. I'm not sure about Bonython Park or the Entertainment Centre stops.

One would assume next tram announcements, but it seems odd that Thebarton would have them built in but there be no apparent provision for them at City West, both having been built as a part of the extension.
*edited for spelling

I've seen them lit up with time, date, temperature etc

i've seen them lit up saying only the name of the stop

also feels like those useless screens they put in a few buses, that say "Adelaide Metro" and then flash up other random pictures.

A quick question, apologies if it's been raised and answered already, but how do they measure patronage on the free section withou the creuzet system? Is it through surveys with the clipboard?

Shiftalinag, You are correct there are some people who armed with a clip board count boarding and unloadings. These people are prety dam obvious to spota dn out there pretty much everyday. hope this helps

There's been some works going on around the South Terrace tram stop, and along the line between South Terrace and Greenhill Road.

Trams have been going about 10kph along the section for weeks now, which is starting to piss a lot of people off.
Anyways, from observation, a new rest stop/toilet block for drivers has been built adjacent the outbound (Glenelg) platform, and some minor works on the inbound (City) platform for either lighting, or a new canopy/shelter, it's hard to tell because there's just a lot of orange fencing and dirt around the place.

I think my eyes were decieving me this morning, but it appears as if the third track (the shuttle section) has been removed completely.

Fear not Isiskii, the third track is still there as of lunchtime today.

Rail delay but trams on time
Local News15 Jun 11 @ 09:30am by Tim Williams
Port Adelaide Enfield Mayor Gary Johanson says the Port River bridge should remain for pedestrian, cycle and fishing use.
DEFERRING the electrification of the Outer Harbor passenger rail line will not push back the delivery of trams to Port Adelaide, the State Government says.

Last week’s State Budget revealed the electrification would be done by the end of 2015-16, a delay of a year.

It extends a previous two-year deferral, announced in 2009, from the original 2013 completion date.

A spokesman for Transport Minister Pat Conlon said the Government would still adhere to its commitment to bring “tram-trains” to Port Adelaide by the end of 2016.

“As far as timelines go, that was the only change,” he said of the electrification plan.

The tram-trains will run on both the electrified train line to the Port and spur tramlines to West Lakes and Semaphore.

The spur lines are due for completion in 2018-19.

Meanwhile, the Government allocated $1.5 million in the Budget for a planning study to replace the rail bridge over the Port River. The 1910-built bridge crosses the river between Port Adelaide and Ethelton.

“It’s basically because it’s 100 years old and in need of replacing,” Mr Conlon’s spokesman said.

The study would “examine the state of the bridge and work out how critical that (replacement) would be,” he said.

He said replacement was not urgent but would likely be done before the electrification of the Outer Harbor line to avoid replacing the track over the bridge twice.

Port Adelaide Enfield Mayor Gary Johanson said he would prefer the “historic” bridge to remain for pedestrian, cycle and fishing use.

He said the council’s preferred alternative route for the electrified rail line was along Commercial Rd, St Vincent St, and across the Birkenhead Bridge, instead of the existing rail bridge.

On the electrification delay, he said: “It’s fine to defer things but if it adds further costs down the track, would it not be better to bite the bullet now?”