News & Discussion: Adelaide Metro Trains

[Spotto]

How much test running of trains is required on the gawler line?

I live near the line and hear a train go by atleast once an hour from first thing in the morning to late into the evening every day.

Just seems strange to me.

Government is probably pushing for the driver training to run around the clock so that it can be finished quicker and passengers can come on as soon as the line is officially handed back to the government and KD.

Remember, all the new drivers need to be trained on a route they’ve never done before, and the old drivers need to refamiliarise themselves with the route.

[SBD]

How much test running of trains is required on the gawler line?

I live near the line and hear a train go by atleast once an hour from first thing in the morning to late into the evening every day.

Just seems strange to me.

I think I've heard gates have been stuck down twice lately. Was that because of the test running on the Gawler line, or completely unrelated issues with the standard gauge, or problems with the interface between the two?

[aaronjameslange]

How much test running of trains is required on the gawler line?

I live near the line and hear a train go by atleast once an hour from first thing in the morning to late into the evening every day.

Just seems strange to me.

I think I've heard gates have been stuck down twice lately. Was that because of the test running on the Gawler line, or completely unrelated issues with the standard gauge, or problems with the interface between the two?

Which gates?

[SBD]

How much test running of trains is required on the gawler line?

I live near the line and hear a train go by atleast once an hour from first thing in the morning to late into the evening every day.

Just seems strange to me.

I think I've heard gates have been stuck down twice lately. Was that because of the test running on the Gawler line, or completely unrelated issues with the standard gauge, or problems with the interface between the two?

Which gates?

Park Terrace I think. I recall it being somewhere in Salisbury, and I didn't intend to go near so did no directly effect me.

[aaronjameslange]

I think I've heard gates have been stuck down twice lately. Was that because of the test running on the Gawler line, or completely unrelated issues with the standard gauge, or problems with the interface between the two?

Which gates?

Park Terrace I think. I recall it being somewhere in Salisbury, and I didn't intend to go near so did no directly effect me.

Yes, there has been a few issues with the ARTC and GREP interfacing that I am aware of with Park tce and Kings road immediately coming to mind.

Anderson walk LX has had a few unrelated issues aswell

[Goodsy]

Which gates?

Park Terrace I think. I recall it being somewhere in Salisbury, and I didn't intend to go near so did no directly effect me.

Yes, there has been a few issues with the ARTC and GREP interfacing that I am aware of with Park tce and Kings road immediately coming to mind.

Anderson walk LX has had a few unrelated issues aswell

Anderson Walk x-ing has been broken for years, well before electrification.. the boom gates used to get stuck down atleast once a fortnight

[Brucetiki]

Looks like there was an issue at Kings Rd this morning, with the gates stuck down for a lot longer than they should've.

In the middle of peak hour too.

[ChillyPhilly]

Looks like there was an issue at Kings Rd this morning, with the gates stuck down for a lot longer than they should've.

In the middle of peak hour too.

This crossing and others (in fact, all of them) should have been removed.

[Spotto]

This crossing and others (in fact, all of them) should have been removed.

Removing only three level crossings at Kings Road, Park Terrace and Commercial Road would’ve given a 17km level crossing-free stretch from Dry Creek to Womma not too long after the line was originally planned to reopen. Removing only one more at Cormack Road would’ve extended that down to Islington for a 21km stretch (half the line) crossing-free.

Adelaide’s public transport network DESPERATELY needs their own version of Perth’s Metronet agency!

[SBD]

This crossing and others (in fact, all of them) should have been removed.

Removing only three level crossings at Kings Road, Park Terrace and Commercial Road would’ve given a 17km level crossing-free stretch from Dry Creek to Womma not too long after the line was originally planned to reopen. Removing only one more at Cormack Road would’ve extended that down to Islington for a 21km stretch (half the line) crossing-free.

Adelaide’s public transport network DESPERATELY needs their own version of Perth’s Metronet agency!

15 years ago (I think), there was talk of closing Anderson Walk and grade-separating Curtis Road which would have extended another crossing-free section from Womma Road to Dalkeith Road. The Curtis Road crossing is only about 30 years old anyway!

[Nort]

We should have more of these crossings grade separated, but always worth reminding that they are primarily to improve the flow of traffic on roads and do little to make the public transport itself better.

[Spotto]

We should have more of these crossings grade separated, but always worth reminding that they are primarily to improve the flow of traffic on roads and do little to make the public transport itself better.

It works both ways. It improves traffic flow but it also removes a potential conflict point which means no more train-vehicle or train-pedestrian crashes at that intersection. Or, no more vehicles crashing into boom gates stopping both traffic and trains.

Trains can also move through that section of track faster (unless they’re pulling into or leading a station of course) since it’s fully grade separated and the hazards listed above do not exist.

[ChillyPhilly]

We should have more of these crossings grade separated, but always worth reminding that they are primarily to improve the flow of traffic on roads and do little to make the public transport itself better.

It works both ways. It improves traffic flow but it also removes a potential conflict point which means no more train-vehicle or train-pedestrian crashes at that intersection. Or, no more vehicles crashing into boom gates stopping both traffic and trains.

Trains can also move through that section of track faster (unless they’re pulling into or leading a station of course) since it’s fully grade separated and the hazards listed above do not exist.

Grade separated crossings at the following stations can provide opportunities for interchanges and redeveloped stations:

- Ovingham
- Islington (worst station on the line)
- Parafield
- Chidda (creating a new link of Spain's/Frost Road and introducing a new bus route)
- Salisbury
- Nurlutta (even though this should be closed)
- Womma
- Smithfield
- Evanston (moved)
- Gawler Central (and beyond).

[SBD]

We should have more of these crossings grade separated, but always worth reminding that they are primarily to improve the flow of traffic on roads and do little to make the public transport itself better.

It works both ways. It improves traffic flow but it also removes a potential conflict point which means no more train-vehicle or train-pedestrian crashes at that intersection. Or, no more vehicles crashing into boom gates stopping both traffic and trains.

Trains can also move through that section of track faster (unless they’re pulling into or leading a station of course) since it’s fully grade separated and the hazards listed above do not exist.

Anderson Walk is next to Smithfield Station and gets a lot more train-pedestrian incidents than Curtis Road which is between stations and has a curve so northbound trains are not visible until well after the boom gates have activated.

[SBD]

We should have more of these crossings grade separated, but always worth reminding that they are primarily to improve the flow of traffic on roads and do little to make the public transport itself better.

It works both ways. It improves traffic flow but it also removes a potential conflict point which means no more train-vehicle or train-pedestrian crashes at that intersection. Or, no more vehicles crashing into boom gates stopping both traffic and trains.

Trains can also move through that section of track faster (unless they’re pulling into or leading a station of course) since it’s fully grade separated and the hazards listed above do not exist.

Grade separated crossings at the following stations can provide opportunities for interchanges and redeveloped stations:

- Ovingham
- Islington (worst station on the line)
- Parafield
- Chidda (creating a new link of Spain's/Frost Road and introducing a new bus route)
- Salisbury
- Nurlutta (even though this should be closed)
- Womma
- Smithfield
- Evanston (moved)
- Gawler Central (and beyond).

Nurlutta is in a primarily industrial area. It is next to a road served by one or two buses each way per day. I have no idea how well patronaged it is, but it is the sort of station needed if we want workers to use trains instead of private cars. A few pages back was a rant that Adelaide's public transport network is purely oriented for white collar workers in the CBD not blue collar workers in industrial suburbs.

Beyond Gawler Central is mostly the wrong direction. It leads to the Barossa Valley which should be preserved as not just being an outer suburb. Maybe extending the service to Kalbeeba service the large housing estate (Springwood) at Gawler East, but no further. The other branch (original route) from Gawler Junction should be revived to serve Xavier College and the housing estates at Roseworthy and Wasleys.