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This is one of those topics that comes up every few months. The answer is that electified dual track is just not going to happen, especially with double stacking.

The best answer I have heard so far is to offer free bus transfers into the city, which would cost a lot less than building a new station, changing gauges or anything else.

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[Shuz] wrote:Patrick,

The single-track Belair Line, which is managed by Adelaide Metro, is owned by the State Government/DPTI.

The other track, the one which carries the frieght trains, is owned by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC).

ARTC don't like sharing tracks. So it won't happen.

Maybe so, but never say never. From my understanding freight trains share tracks with suburban rail in Melbourne.

Patrick_27 wrote:On another note.

Has consideration been made for potentially standardising the Belair line?

I know that all the new concrete sleepers have the ability to change gauge. And to me it seems stupid that they didn't attempt to do so in this rail renewal project (too late now). But at present, the Belair line won't be electrified because it isn't a duel track line the entire stretch, however, if it were converted to standard gauge from Adelaide Railway Station to Belair, it could be electrified, it could run on both tracks, they could consider re-opening beloved stations such as Millswood, and they could consider extending the line back out to Aldgate, Bridgewater, Mt. Barker, Murray Bridge and maybe even Strath and Victor Harbour. Therefore better connecting the CBD with these new communities forming in and around the Adelaide Hills. Now sure, Bus' operate, but Train services could prove a lot quicker.

Belairs not being electrified is nothing to do with it not being duel track. The Tonsley line is single track and it IS being electrified. As much as we all would like to see trains to Mt Barker/Murray Bridge etc, the problem as has been discussed in this forum is the meandering form of the track, which is very indirect and will never compete with the freeway for speed of service even if the trains were electric. That the Belair line is not being electrified may be that there are no long term plans for this line and I believe the current shutdown of the line and replacement buses is being closely monitored to evaluate if buses would in fact be a viable long term alternative to the train. The remaining diesel electric cars which were to continue use on belair line only have a limited life span and there appears to be no plan to either electrify or replace with another series of diesels, which would be cost prohibative to buy in the small number required for the Belair line only.

AG wrote:Must be the first time I've seen wires strung since the electrification process started. How far along the Seaford Line have the stanchions been completed so far if anyone has seen any beyond the extension?

All Stanchions are in place from Noarlunga Center to Seaford. Between the Old Honeypot rd Bridge and the Seaford Meadows Station have the Overhead Cable in place.
Last Thursday, crews were installing the Overhead Cables between the Old Honeypot Rd Bridge and Goldsmith drive Bridge. Most Concrete stanchions have the Insulators in place, but the Steel beams across the lines are just secured with straps for the time been.
Further towards the city on the Noarlunga Line, Stanchions are in place from Noarlunga Center to the Grand Central Av Bridge near Hallett Cove Beach. The Lonsdale Stabling yard has been done aswell, and crews were installing the foundations for the Stanchions in the Cutting between the Yard and Lonsdale Station.
Some Photos from last Thursdays works.

Patrick_27 wrote:

[Shuz] wrote:Patrick,

The single-track Belair Line, which is managed by Adelaide Metro, is owned by the State Government/DPTI.

The other track, the one which carries the frieght trains, is owned by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC).

ARTC don't like sharing tracks. So it won't happen.

Maybe so, but never say never. From my understanding freight trains share tracks with suburban rail in Melbourne.

They do operate freight trains on some suburban lines in Melbourne, but where the freight trains do operate they only tend to operate a handful per day and they are gradually disappearing. The busier interstate freight corridors - which are dual gauge - are dedicated use. Both Sydney and Melbourne are gradually working their way towards getting the freight trains, long distance trains and suburban trains out of each other's paths. In Sydney, the Southern Freight Line has just opened and the Northern Line is about to get a dedicated freight line as well.

Ahhh...

Good to see Adelaide's Rail Network moving into the present....wait, what?

Interesting to see the 3000s stuck at the Lonsdale Depot. Guess they'll be the lucky ones to test the new line etc prior to the Electrics arriving?

I was always of the original mention by Pat Conlon (or whoever) that Belair was not to be electrified because tunnel roofs were too low.

It's not that hard to dig out the floor of a tunnel to increase headroom. They did it at Port Augusta to get double stacked trains under the roadbridge, shouldn't be too hard to lower the rails enough to fit wires.

Methinks that's not the reason.

rhino wrote:It's not that hard to dig out the floor of a tunnel to increase headroom. They did it at Port Augusta to get double stacked trains under the roadbridge, shouldn't be too hard to lower the rails enough to fit wires.

Methinks that's not the reason.

Double stacking is not only an issue on this end of the line, the Vic end also has some major issues.

mattblack wrote:Double stacking is not only an issue on this end of the line, the Vic end also has some major issues.

And that would affect the Belair line in what way?

rhino wrote:

mattblack wrote:Double stacking is not only an issue on this end of the line, the Vic end also has some major issues.

And that would affect the Belair line in what way?

Because the ARTC line and the Belair line share the same corridor - which includes each of the tunnels it passes through. At present, the tunnels do not have sufficient clearance allowing for doublestacking, thus affecting the Belair line if ever in the event the existing ones needed to be modified to allow for double stacking. The Belair line would need to close as trains just wouldn't be allowed to run through the tunnels because of worker's safety and the logistical nightmare of managing a construction site in such an obscure location, and tunnels being the confined and constrained environment they are.

All this talk is folly anyway, as the long-term plan is to redirect the freight line past Murray Bridge, bypassing the Hills and redirected to the north of Adelaide.

If, and until that happens, the ARTC will likely surrender their portion of the track along the Belair line back to the State Government (at cost) to allow them use it to duplicate the corridor, and then maybe in the even longer-term future, we may see some work on realigning the route of the Belair line through the Hills, including new tunnels and whatnot, to allow for the resumption of passenger services to Mount Barker and perhaps to Murray Bridge. Or at least that is what one would hope the eventual scenario will be. We're talking 50 years down the track (pun intended) here.

I originally mentioned double stacking at Port Augusta as an example of how the railbed could be lowered through the hills tunnels to accommodate wires for electric commuter trains. I did not suggest that double stacking be on the agenda for the hills. There are many many spots on the Main South that would need to be altered before double-stacked freights could run between Melbourne and Adelaide.

Moreover, if the railbed was lowered enough to cope with double stacked freights in the Adelaide Hills, the wires for electric commuters would have to be high enough to allow double stacked freights underneath them. This would likely be too high for the commuter trains in any case (speculating here - correct me if I'm wrong).

Chilly Philly's statement that the tunnels were too low for EMUs has become a discussion on double stacked freight trains.

[Shuz] wrote: the long-term plan is to redirect the freight line past Murray Bridge, bypassing the Hills and redirected to the north of Adelaide.

Whose long term plan is this? Mitcham Council's? As far as I am aware, this is a Pie in the Sky idea that was dis-counted by ARTC after a comprehensive study, as unnecessary and not cost-effective.

[Shuz] wrote:If, and until that happens, the ARTC will likely surrender their portion of the track along the Belair line back to the State Government (at cost) to allow them use it to duplicate the corridor, and then maybe in the even longer-term future, we may see some work on realigning the route of the Belair line through the Hills, including new tunnels and whatnot, to allow for the resumption of passenger services to Mount Barker and perhaps to Murray Bridge. Or at least that is what one would hope the eventual scenario will be. We're talking 50 years down the track (pun intended) here.

Tell 'im e's dreamin'!

Actually Rhino, it is not quite that cut and dried. The ARTC official position is that their present strategy does not include an Adelaide Hills bypass, but that it "...requires further research and may be justified for reasons not directly associated with rail performance." ie, they are leaving the door open. So they are aware of it, it does provide some rail benefits (eg double stacking), but not enough to make it onto the investment list at the moment, and are not pooh-poohing it.

http://www.artc.com.au/library/RIS_2.2.pdf