claybro wrote:Existing OH trains are generally 2 cars, are rarely full and the service is infrequent. Even at the same frequency a tram could easily handle what is on there now. However upping the schedule to every 5-10 minutes, the existing length trams would have no problem handling extra demand. Note that the St Kilda light rail uses similar length trams and services a much larger population albeit over a shorter distance than Outer Harbor, but certainly similar distance to West Lakes and Port Adelaide.
I dont know when you're catching the OH train Claybro, but whenever I used to catch it during the morning/evening peak, trains were usually 1-2 cars long and packed full of people, the only time it was empty was off peak and heading into town at night and out of town in the mornings, weekend trains usually have lots of spare seats, but if there's an Adelaide Oval event on then it's either cram on Japan style or wait for the next train 30min away and repeat the cramming - and patronage has increased since then. Downgrading to trams does not make sense, firstly it would cost far more than simply electrifying the trains (new tracks, new signals, electrifying anyway for the trams, every station would have to be rebuilt, plus a new tram depot, plus 30ish new trams, a tram bridge over the Port River, as well as a year closure of the line to do it, and the road works to frustrate motorists as well), secondly it will be far more disruptive to convert to tram with a full closure of the line for goodness knows how long meaning people would start driving into town, and lastly the end result is a slower service (
http://tinyurl.com/h4jdobt). An electric train would make the service much faster and provide much greater capacity for any patronage increase without any major disruption, and most importantly for a fraction of the cost and time. Any upgrade though, whether it is a conversion to tram, or electrifying the trains will certainly see an increase in patronage, especially in a few years time when Bowden is nearing completion and new higher density residential is being built around Croydon, Kilkenny, St Clair/Woodville, Woodville West, Port Adelaide etc.. I'd much rather see a spacious 3 car electric train zipping people into and out of the city at speeds upto 110km/h rather than a Glenelg Cram thing that can only go 70km/h, so what if it means a more direct service to the Central Markets or Glenelg - you can simply hop off the train at either Bowden or Adelaide Station and wander upto the tram stop and hop on - people need to learn how to transfer modes and/or walk, and the latter will do good for some people.
The St Kilda line works well as a tram because it's only 5km from the city, and there are two other tram lines working either side, while Port Adelaide is more than twice the distance and for any tram trip longer than 20min you either get a sore arse or sore legs from standing in an awkward position because the tram is so full, the Glenelg tram is bad enough, Port Adelaide will be worse. The downgrading of the St Kilda line in Melbourne made sense, it was a short rail line, it took up track capacity on a network which had limited capacity, and the line was in the way of Southbank and Crown Casino which would be built a few years after the conversion. Fortunately it was only one of a few recommendations of a very 80s/90s pro-roads and anti-PT report which also suggested closing down all country trains, along with several poorly used rail lines like Sandrinham, Williamstown, and Hurstbridge and others, also recommended a number of tram lines to be removed and replaced with buses including the St Kilda line, along with other measures to make public transport less attractive -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonie_Report (I hate citing wikipedia, but trove is down).
Back to the OH line, we wouldnt even be discussing converting to trams if the line was already electrified, it's just the anti-rail DPTI wanting to get rid of yet another train line in Adelaide which isnt even the worst performer for patronage - if this line is closed and turned into trams, the Belair line will be shut down too but no trams. But for the expansion of the tram network in Adelaide, I believe the next destination should be either Norwood and/or the Airport - two big passenger destinations very close to the CBD currently lacking decent public transport. But I would rather see the rail electrification completed first; to Gawler, OH/Grange, and Belair before any other public transport project is started, the way both state and federal govts have handled the Gawler line and rail electrification has been an absolute joke, and starting the Obahn tunnel before completing the Gawler line was despicable.
doesn't happen on the Seaford line even now. And there is no known reason the trams on Glenelg line are restricted to 70km/h-they are capable of faster.
worth.