News & Discussion: Adelaide Metro Trains

[rhino]

So let me get this straight, Mount Barker has a population of 40,000 and the state government have rebuked every suggestion of an electrified rail service to the centre, meanwhile Kouts is talking out of his arse about a possible rail service to Riverlea, so long as the population of the area grows enough to justify it. This is either a bullshit promise that will lead nowhere (which will just further cause problems for our bus and road network(s), or IF it were to happen, just goes to show that state Labor governments will only serve the typically northern suburb electorates that vote for them. Either way, fund the public transport projects that are already begging for it, i.e. electrified O/H and Belair Line(s).

Mount Barker rail service has more and different issues to a service to Riverlea. As has been said many times on this forum, a rail service to Mount Barker has to climb the hills on a route that is torturous for a fast train, and still compete timewise with a freeway that finishes 5km from the CBD. The obvious question is "Will it get used to the point of being worthwhile?" Riverlea doesn't have this issue, in that the ground is relatively flat and can support a fast service.

[RetroGamer87]

Flinders train was so late it ended up arriving after the time it was scheduled to depart.

It left the station very shortly after it arrived.

[rev]

Extend Adelaide’s Seaford and Gawler rail lines to Aldinga and Concordia: RAA
Northern and southern suburban rail line extensions are being urged by the RAA as part of a massive infrastructure push.

Paul Starick
Editor At Large
@paulstarick
5 min read
March 4, 2024 - 5:30A

Rail line extensions to support rapid housing development in Adelaide’s north and south are being urged to avert a deluge of motorists from almost 25,000 new homes choking Adelaide’s road network.

Warning city roads cannot handle an extra 100,000 car commuters, RAA chief executive officer Nick Reade is calling for a massive infrastructure expansion to support major housing developments in the state’s biggest land release in history.

The RAA, the state’s biggest membership group, wants a metropolitan rail network expansion to include extensions of the Seaford line about 9km south to Aldinga by 2030, and the Gawler line to Concordia, about 7km northeast.

Mr Reade also is urging other rail extensions or high-capacity bus links to Dry Creek, where 10,000 homes are planned, and Walker Corporation’s $3bn Riverlea estate, officially opened in February last year, that will house 40,000 people.

Premier Peter Malinauskas, who in February last year unveiled the largest single release of residential land in the state’s history, said his government had stepped in to preserve a rail corridor for a potential Aldinga extension and had started a northern Adelaide transport study in which “nothing is off the table”.

Backing increased land supply for housing as the state’s population climbs to two million as early as 2029, Mr Reade said the release within the past year of land for almost 25,000 new homes for 100,000 people, in areas including Dry Creek, Riverlea, Concordia, Sellicks Beach and West Lakes, needed to be backed by roads, rail, water, electricity and other infrastructure.

“Imagine what would happen if an extra 100,000 people jumped into their cars and joined the morning commute? Our road network couldn’t absorb that without significantly increasing congestion and travel times,” Mr Reade said.

“If we want to retain our gong as one of the world’s most liveable cities — and do our bit for the environment as well — we need to encourage public transport usage – especially for those living in the outer suburbs.”

Mr Reade said extra people living in the new houses would put huge pressure on roads, public transport, utilities and services.

“There’s no doubt we need more homes, but we also want to see an investment in infrastructure to support this growth at the same time,” he said.

“Housing developments can’t outstrip infrastructure and utility investment – otherwise we’re doomed to repeat the mistakes we’ve seen in Mount Barker, where infrastructure is playing catch-up.

“That means everything from roads and rail, through to water and electricity. Industry are telling us the funding and construction of water infrastructure is a big concern that may stall development, particularly for the greenfield sites.”

Mr Malinauskas highlighted a 2022 decision to preserve land around Seaford “to allow for a potential future extension of the Seaford line to Aldinga, ensuring there are long-term options for expanding public transport in South Australia”.

He said transport planning studies had started in the Fleurieu region, on Kangaroo Island and in Adelaide’s north, covering the inner and outer suburbs.

“These will identify transport improvement options that build on the existing investment already underway by the government in these regions, and follows a similar consultation in the Adelaide Hills and Mount Barker,” he said.

“These significant works address exactly what is being discussed here – detailed and proactive planning for future needs.

“Nothing is off the table, with the studies considering current transport usage and requirements, community feedback on the improvements and developments they want to see and detailed demographic data on expected population growth and associated transport needs.”

The chief executive of major retirement living accommodation and aged care services provider ECH, Claire Scapinello, said infrastructure and housing played a critical role as people aged.

“Having the ability to access rail and bus services, whether that’s fast bus ways, for example, they’re really important parts around that social inclusion and around creating community,” she said.

“If the infrastructure isn’t there, then older South Australians, in particular, will struggle to live in areas where they don’t have access to infrastructure and then affordability, again, becomes a challenge.”

Housing Industry Association SA regional director Stephen Knight branded as a “no-brainer” the extension to future developments of existing public transport services, particularly rail.

“However, not all roads need to lead to the city – increasingly cross-town and suburb-to-suburb rapid transport options need to be considered. Critical planning on where people who will live in the new outer suburbs will work, go to school, shop, seek medical facilities and socialise should be at the forefront in the process,” he said.

“. Masterplanned communities, such as ready-to-go developments at Roseworthy and others that may provide all of these services, could help reduce the need for a massive infrastructure spend on transport.”

Master Builders Association of SA chief executive officer Will Frogley said there clearly would be a need for both proposed rail extensions.

“Planning for housing should always include proper planning for social infrastructure such as public transport, schools and hospitals. Population growth is picking up after years of virtual stagnation,” he said.

Property Council of Australia SA executive director Bruce Djite urged infrastructure and growth compacts between state and local governments to ensure housing development was backed by local employment, transport, schools, libraries, shops and public spaces.

“With exponential growth planned for communities around Aldinga and Concordia, it is vital that these communities have access to the benefits public transport provides,” he said.

Case studies show...
An Aldinga Beach woman has labelled the Seaford train line extension to Aldinga as “definitely necessary” for both her family and the wider Aldinga community.

Angie Miller, 46, said an extended train line would make a massive impact on the future of her two children, aged 8 and 10.

“It would be a huge benefit for my children when they’re wanting to go to Uni,” the social worker said.

“When it comes time for them to have that choice, they’d at least have the opportunity to travel into the city.

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/subscrib ... nt-1-SCORE

[[Shuz]]

Am I reading this right?

A business lobby who traditionally advocates on behalf of motorists, is advocating for better public transport services?

Should have been done ten years ago but better late than never.

[ChillyPhilly]

Am I reading this right?

A business lobby who traditionally advocates on behalf of motorists, is advocating for better public transport services?

Should have been done ten years ago but better late than never.

RAA have usually been quite good at advocating for better non-road transport.

But yes, better late than never in this regard, and equally the State Government should already have masterplans in place with space reserved and clauses against developers from building on potential rail corridors.

But here we are, still thinking like a country town.

[Nort]

Am I reading this right?

A business lobby who traditionally advocates on behalf of motorists, is advocating for better public transport services?

Should have been done ten years ago but better late than never.

I was surprised, but that's how obviously bad our growth strategy of building housing first and then trying to shoehorn in extra costly transport later is.

[abc]

Am I reading this right?

A business lobby who traditionally advocates on behalf of motorists, is advocating for better public transport services?

Should have been done ten years ago but better late than never.

I was surprised, but that's how obviously bad our growth strategy of building housing first and then trying to shoehorn in extra costly transport later is.

long term projections for Adelaide's population growth over the past 30 years have always had it tailing off before declining... this is why successive governments haven't invested in infrastructure for projected growth

the spike in immigration into Australia over the past couple of years may or may not be a long term trend which may change such projections

[Nort]

Am I reading this right?

A business lobby who traditionally advocates on behalf of motorists, is advocating for better public transport services?

Should have been done ten years ago but better late than never.

I was surprised, but that's how obviously bad our growth strategy of building housing first and then trying to shoehorn in extra costly transport later is.

long term projections for Adelaide's population growth over the past 30 years have always had it tailing off before declining... this is why successive governments haven't invested in infrastructure for projected growth

the spike in immigration into Australia over the past couple of years may or may not be a long term trend which may change such projections

That is relevant for infrastructure in existing built up areas, such as South Road. Less so when building new towns which everyone agrees are gonna be host to thousands of new homes.

[rubberman]

Am I reading this right?

A business lobby who traditionally advocates on behalf of motorists, is advocating for better public transport services?

Should have been done ten years ago but better late than never.

I was surprised, but that's how obviously bad our growth strategy of building housing first and then trying to shoehorn in extra costly transport later is.

long term projections for Adelaide's population growth over the past 30 years have always had it tailing off before declining... this is why successive governments haven't invested in infrastructure for projected growth

the spike in immigration into Australia over the past couple of years may or may not be a long term trend which may change such projections

That may have been the case, but it costs almost nothing to do a little planning and reserve transport corridors for the possibility that land is required for housing. If it never happens, nothing is lost. If it does happen, then at least governments have the option to use those corridors, rather than having to buy land already built on...at the expense of the ever suffering taxpayer.

What is happening at the moment now in SA is a demonstration of the adage: to fail to plan, is to plan to fail. Given that the ALP has been in power for most of the past 20 years, the blame needs to be accepted by Malinauskas, as must the remedial action. (Not that the Libs were any better).

[Eurostar]

Short term a new bus route , lets say 409 run from Settlers Farm to Modbury via Kings Road and McIntyre Road. Long term make it light rail or Tway style busway.

[Spotto]

The Seaford extension should’ve been Phase 1 of a two-phase extension all the way to Aldinga. As the Seaford phase wound down, shift the same crews straight over to the next section.

Now 10 years and 1 week later we still don’t have rail to Aldinga and the Seaford extension was the last significant extension anywhere on the network. The Transport Department is asleep at the wheel.

[Nort]

The problem seems to be that since PT infrastructure is very stop and start, getting ahead of problems by building good stuff from the start incurs the scrutiny of costs, without generating substantial goodwill from seemingly having listened to and solving a bunch of people's frustrating situations.

What's needed is for the cost of building this sort of infrastructure to be priced into these expanding suburbs from say one, so that the question becomes not "why are you spending so much on a train line that won't be used much in the next few years?" and instead "why are you building this in a way without the PT so it's gonna end up costing more later?".

Honestly don't see if we can get there with the way state politics works.

[SBD]

It puzzles me that the focus is to (re-)extend rail to Concordia because the government has "released for housing" some land there. There are several hundred hectares of land on the northern end of the current suburbs (south of Gawler) that were released for housing by the Rann government and still grow crops each year.

There are large housing estates being developed right now between Gawler and Roseworthy which also abut a former railway line, yet the call is to extend the service to Concordia, not to Roseworthy.

[Nort]

It puzzles me that the focus is to (re-)extend rail to Concordia because the government has "released for housing" some land there. There are several hundred hectares of land on the northern end of the current suburbs (south of Gawler) that were released for housing by the Rann government and still grow crops each year.

There are large housing estates being developed right now between Gawler and Roseworthy which also abut a former railway line, yet the call is to extend the service to Concordia, not to Roseworthy.

I believe the scale of Concordia dwarfs that of the Roseworthy developments. And while the train should be extended to Roseworthy, the fact the line is already there means a corridor is already reserved. With Concordia putting in a train line later would be a nightmare.

[SBD]

It puzzles me that the focus is to (re-)extend rail to Concordia because the government has "released for housing" some land there. There are several hundred hectares of land on the northern end of the current suburbs (south of Gawler) that were released for housing by the Rann government and still grow crops each year.

There are large housing estates being developed right now between Gawler and Roseworthy which also abut a former railway line, yet the call is to extend the service to Concordia, not to Roseworthy.

I believe the scale of Concordia dwarfs that of the Roseworthy developments. And while the train should be extended to Roseworthy, the fact the line is already there means a corridor is already reserved. With Concordia putting in a train line later would be a nightmare.

I have not seen a map of exactly which land is "released" in Concordia. The former Kalbeeba stop/station on the Barossa Line is not far from Concordia.