COM: Glenelg Tramline Upgrade

[Norman]

Yes, I think Bill needs to teach me some tools of the trade as well

[Will409]

As a fellow railfan (and I am not trying to steel your thunder Bill), it is all part of the routine to chase down something, no matter what the time or conditions are. As I have said before elsewhere, they are great photos, especially since they are of my beloved H class lol.

[BillD]

The "skid mark" on the yellow strip at the southern end of Victoria Square platform should give an indication of the required trimming following 380's pulling up short the other night.

Bill

[Will409]

Even though my main camera has died, I have a camera phone and today was it's chance to shine. I know the quality isn't great but there has been plenty of work since I last posted here. Captions are part of the attachments. Track laying in the northern end of the square is going a pace and the UP line (or the track on the eastern side of the alignment) was nearly complete when I was there. It is probably connected with the existing track on both sides now, the DOWN line (or the track on the western side of the alignment) isn't quite as advanced. Forming and rebar is going in as we speak. Most traffic lights have now been fitted to the caternary masts although there are still about 3 sets that still need to be fitted.

There is progress at all of the new stops as well. City West has now got rebar fitted and is nearly ready for concreting to take place. Railway Station stop is about ready to take pavers, the same is the case at Pirie Street. There hasn't been much progress at Rundle Mall stop.

[Norman]

Good one Will. I drove down KWS on Saturday and was extremely impressed at the quality and glossiness of the new masts and traffic light poles, but was let down on how shotty the road was in general, including lines and smoothness. I hope that gets fixed soon, because the road is still an absolute mess.

[AG]

The two scramble crossing on King William Street are now in operation as of yesterday.

[mitch]

My name is Mitchell and for my year 12 tourism assignment i have chosen to study the tramline extension and how it will affect Adelaide. if anyone would like to answer some of the following questions it would really help me out. Thank-you.




-once the project is completed do you think it will attract more people to the centre of Adelaide?

-will there be any other possible extensions in the future to the tram system which have been discussed?

-have the new trams increased the use of the system opposed to the old trams?

-are these trams much safer/more environmentally friendly?

-what do you have to say about the current inconvenience to the people of Adelaide such as traffic restrictions and closed roads? how are they managing this?


-how much is the project costing overall?

-is most of the work done at night to reduce traffic problems ect?



if anyone could answer any of these questions as soon as possible it would be greatly appreciated


thankyou heeps

[bmw boy]

Hi mitch, good luck with the assingment .... its alot of work... did one last year (If only i had knwon about this site at the time lol... wouldve mad emy life alot easier )

You can probably find alot of the answers to your questions here : http://www.transport.sa.gov.au/tramextension/

- I think no doubt it will attract more poeple to the city centre

- There has been possible discussion by the govt of a city loop... which will continute form city west and come back onto grote street pas the new bus station and into victoria sq.
Govt has also thrown in the ideas of going to port adelaide

There has also been non official govt talk on possible extensions to - North Adelaide, Norwood, The East End, The Airport, Henly beach, AAMI stadium .. plus more

- not sure if new trams have officially increased patronage... but im confident they would have

- Not sure on the environemtal front... as they both use electricity... whether the new 1 uses less not sure (sum1 else on here would prob know). But they are getting rid of the city free buses when the new route is in operation... which is a more environmentally friendly option.

- More safe? More aglie to go through city streets... and wheel chair/pram frendly.

- I think its either 31/32 million .. keeps changing (but official figures should be on the govt site i put up)

- In the beggining i believe most works were done at night, but now its done during the day.... and whole intersections have been closed for the whole weekend for non stop work.

- Inconvenience is an opinional thing.... most people on here would say its worth it in the long run... and have a flick through the thread for arguements for this. But other people in the community may say other wise

[Norman]

Hey Mitch, welcome to S-A. I just finished Year 12 so I know what it's like

-once the project is completed do you think it will attract more people to the centre of Adelaide?
I think so, as the connections between the different forms of transport (Train, O-Bahn, Tram) will all be connected through the tramline extension.

-will there be any other possible extensions in the future to the tram system which have been discussed?
They are being discussed, and they may happen in the future. As BMW already said, city loop and Port Adelaide are already considered. I too heard about going into the east of the city and then on to the Parade.

-have the new trams increased the use of the system opposed to the old trams?
From what I have seen, more people are using the trams, and the new extension will definitely increase use even further as more area is covered in the city and the fact that the tram will replace the already well used Bee Line service.

-are these trams much safer/more environmentally friendly?
Compared to cars, busses (such as the Bee Line it replaces) and our diesel trains, yes. If Australia itself moves to cleaner power generation, such as Solar Power, then it will be even cleaner. In terms of safety, the reduction of busses on King William Street will make it much safer for pedestrians and drivers. The "scramble" crossings for pedestrians will also improve the convenience for the people moving along King William Street.

-what do you have to say about the current inconvenience to the people of Adelaide such as traffic restrictions and closed roads? how are they managing this?
The traffic restrictions may be bad for some drivers, but I think the "No Right Turn" rule for the inner centre of the city is long overdue. Noone likes to wait for the car in front of you to turn. People should use Pulteney Street and Morphett Road instead to clear traffic in the centre.

-how much is the project costing overall?
$31m at least... it may be more (cost overruns, etc.)

-is most of the work done at night to reduce traffic problems ect?
They work thorughout the day behind the barriers with little to no road closures, but on past long weekends they have closed sections of road to lay track and resurface roads, an idea which was genius IMO.

Hope that helps

[mitch]

thanks heeps guys for your help

[Ho Really]

...People should use Pulteney Street and Morphett Road instead to clear traffic in the centre.

I doubt many will take those alternative routes. Pulteney Street is fine going south, but in the other direction it terminates at North Terrace and Frome Road is not congenial to high loads of traffic unless you want to go all the way to Hackney Road. Morphett Street is a little better since traffic can go north, but not from North Terrace. How much traffic can you send to those two north-south streets before they also become an issue? I guess people have to change their habits from driving to public transport or even walk.

Cheers

[Xaragmata]

As the North Terrace extension nears completion, it follows an ACC City Traffic Management Strategy, reported in "Transit Australia" in December 1997. The Strategy suggested a tram extension along KWS to North Terrace West / UNISA Campus. Among other things, it also suggested alternate one-way streets.

[mitch]

just another quick question.

are they still going to run the old trams at all or are they being taken off the line all together?

thanks

[crawf]

I'm pretty sure they still run them on weekends, public holidays and school holidays (I'm not 100% sure though)

[AtD]

They intend to, but there's an issue with the H-class and the Victoria Square platform. On the north-bound track, it can't actually get around the corner due to the platform. I assume this will be corrected in time.