Newcastle light rail, renewal & integrated transport

[LB608]

Nothing has changed when I worked at Gordon Ave in the 60's and 70's the first services to be cancelled were Wallsend routes if there was a shortage of staff or buses

[Fleet Lists]

http://www.newcastletransport.info/late ... and-events

More time to have your say on the future of Newcastle transport

The opportunity to have your say on how Newcastle’s public transport system can be improved has been extended by a week.

The Newcastle Transport community engagement program, the Voice of Newcastle, opened on 1 July and was due to close on 4 September. Comments will now close on Monday 11 September.

“We have received valuable feedback so far via Social Pinpoint, Facebook, direct mail and face-to-face at the Newcastle Transport Hub,” Keolis Downer Hunter chief executive officer Campbell Mason said.

“This feedback is being taken into account by our network planning team as they work on finalising an improved future network.

“We’ve heard that more direct bus routes between key locations, to save travel time and increase efficiency, will make public transport a more attractive option.

“Better integration between different modes of transport is also important to Novocastrians; in particular, buses better connecting with train stations will make public transport a more viable option for customers.”

The new network will be released later this year, before being implemented in January 2018.

To find out more visit newcastletransport.info, stop by the new Newcastle Transport Hub in the heart of the city or follow us on Facebook @newcastletransport.info.

[Newcastle Flyer]

I believe that a almost mini bus (a midi bus maybe?) number 3413, is one of the new "buses" for what was NB&F?

But at the moment, it's white.

Edit: Oops, almost forgot the main reason I posted this. The 106's/107's starting & ending at Queens Wharf is not a mistake ( ). Other bus operators are going to the Newcastle Station bus layover as a passenger service all the way.

Yes, these two bus routes, will go empty between Queens Wharf & Newcastle Station Bus Layover.

If other operators can do it, then why can't KD?

[Fleet Lists]

http://fleetlists.busaustralia.com/kdn.php?search=KDN
shows a number of white BCI buses in the fleet number 3407-3413 range of which 3413 is a mini bus

[Newcastle Flyer]

http://fleetlists.busaustralia.com/kdn.php?search=KDN
shows a number of white BCI buses in the fleet number 3407-3413 range of which 3413 is a mini bus

I was going to post a picture or video of that & wasn't able to, but that's not the important part of this post.

My subject of this post is really the edit about between Queens Wharf & Newcastle Station Bus Layover.

[743]

Yes, these two bus routes, will go empty between Queens Wharf & Newcastle Station Bus Layover.

If other operators can do it, then why can't KD?

Keolis Downer, and previously Newcastle Buses, use layover space away from the kerbside bus stops within the layover.

Kerbside bus stops are reserved for Port Stephens Coaches, Hunter Valley Buses, Rover Motors and Busways, depending on the time of day, and according to the signage at each stop. This means these Operators can safely board and alight passengers at the layover.

The fact the Keolis Downer buses - including Routes 106 and 107 - are required to layover away from the kerbside stops, means there is no safe way for passengers to board or alight at the layover. Hence, these buses will start and finish their service runs at Queens Wharf.

The distance from Queens Wharf to the Layover is a little over 200 metres. Given bus stops are, on average, meant to be 400m apart, this would also place these stops very close together.

[Newcastle Flyer]

http://fleetlists.busaustralia.com/kdn.php?search=KDN
shows a number of white BCI buses in the fleet number 3407-3413 range of which 3413 is a mini bus

Some more buses for what was STA Newcastle that don't match the fleet number with the rego plate.
Anyway, here is a video.

[Fleet Lists]

New timetables are now available on the Newcastle Transport website.
The situation with routes 106 and 107 is still confusing - to Newcastle both timetable and Transport Info map show the routes terminating at Queens Wharf but departing from Newcastle the new timetable also shows them as departing from Queens Wharf while the map shows then as starting at Newcastle Interchange located at Newcastle Station and not the new Newcastle Interchange at Hamilton.

[Tonymercury]

The bus section of the new Newcastle Interchange at Wickham is still in the planning process.

[boronia]

Guess that is why trains will run to/from Wickham, but passengers will be stuck with Hamilton?

[mandonov]

They’re just waiting for the new timetable in November.

[Newcastle Flyer]

Wonder what the 441 charter bus was that went along Hunter st today?
And two other "Not in Service" buses also went along Hunter St.

[Fleet Lists]

Bus services are no longer operating along Hunter St but Hunter St is not closed yet so there is nothing to stop buses not on route services to go along Hunter St until it officially closes. The same thing happened with the George St closure in Sydney.

[jpp42]

Hunter St may not be permanently closed, but having the buses routed away gives them the flexibility of having short closures (for utility investigations, for example), without having to worry about the impact on bus services each time.

[Newcastle Flyer]

Jpp42, I was more wondering what the Charter 441 bus former STA bus that went along Hunter St today, not the not in service buses.
I doubt they'd have a tour about the last buses going along Hunter St.
------------------------
Of interest though, is that the pick up stop from Newcastle Station stop on the Custom House is affecting all traffic, as unlike last time, they've closed off one lane, forcing all traffic behind a bus to wait & wait & wait - especially if gets a lot of passengers, such as the 350 did.

By the way, their are are still people that believe they should send the Hunter & Endeavours from Wickham to Newcastle via the "light rail line." along Hunter & Scott Sts. (This person that claims to have been a school bus driver) I've tried to tell that person(s) that the light rail tracks are different to the train tracks, and you just can't get through to them.

Nor do I know how the North West Metro is related to this subject. That person (& another group - forget their name) keep saying that the North West Metro is being built to a different gauge. You can't tell them that it's a different "loading gauge". You still can't get it through to them either.

[Newcastle Flyer]

Don't see why this person can't post here themselves as this person is on here, but they want to know if the buses 3413 & 3408 - 3412 (fleet num.) have seat belts (Yep, you could say this person is one of the SBB!)

[Newcastle Flyer]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-21/n ... ts/8965576

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/220-million-p ... yld4t.html

---------------------------------------

Just read a document, that claims that a certain group & her "sheep" believe in the fantasy that another government will put back the heavy rail to Newcastle.

Oh pleeease, give up the fantasy believing that another Labor (or Labor/Greens[1]) government is going to put back the "heavy" rail to Newcastle Station. I know one transport lobby group that has attempted to tell her many, many times, but is just ignored (That group supports light-rail on the rail corridor). She also claims that her group does not support light rail on the "rail" corridor with development OVER it. But I believe that they have supported that before. Even Tim Crackenthorp MP has stated that Labor won't be putting it back.

She (or whoever typed the document for her) says that it's not too late to stop light rail going along Hunter & Scott Sts.
Please don't tell me she is not kidding?

If she & her group compromised & supported light rail in the "rail" corridor, then Newcastle may have had a better outcome with light-rail.

1. Aye, the thought of having greens in (cough UR cough UR cough) power!

[Tonymercury]

At the speed that massive construction is taking place all over Newcastle, it would seem that any possibility of restoring the rail line will be long gone.

[Newcastle Flyer]

The distance from Queens Wharf to the Layover is a little over 200 metres. Given bus stops are, on average, meant to be 400m apart, this would also place these stops very close together.

The distance is 436 - 440 metres between the Newcastle Station/Custom House & Queens Wharf bus stops. So going by your example distance, it meets the 400 metres guidelines.

Surely, they could consider making the western most bus stop at the footpath next to the station reserved as both only for a 106/107 layover, set down & pick up bus stop? That would solve the need for a Keolis Downer bus to enter the layover for a second time.

^^ At Tonymercury, cutting the rail line had nothing to do with stalling development. The rail line was just used as an excuse, but the tram line SHOULD'VE gone along the rail corridor. That has many benefits, but the state government didn't listen.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/220-million-p ... yld4t.html
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-21/n ... ts/8965576

[Tonymercury]

^^ At Tonymercury, cutting the rail line had nothing to do with stalling development. The rail line was just used as an excuse, but the tram line SHOULD'VE gone along the rail corridor. That has many benefits, but the state government didn't listen.

I don't think I said otherwise - I was commenting on the speed of the work.

[gilberations]

Newcastle Interchange Station will officially open October 16th.

[Fleet Lists]

Source?

[gilberations]

Source?

I got Quallified for it yesterday, and they told us then

[Fleet Lists]

And you were wrong - it is Sunday 15th October https://transportnsw.info/news The link behind it does not work - that is the second time in two weeks that a news item has gobe up with the link not working.bles are up on Transport Info
https://transportnsw.info/documents/tim ... 171015.pdf
https://transportnsw.info/documents/tim ... 171015.pdf

[gilberations]

And you were wrong - it is Sunday 15th October https://transportnsw.info/news The link behind it does not work - that is the second time in two weeks that a news item has gobe up with the link not working.bles are up on Transport Info
https://transportnsw.info/documents/tim ... 171015.pdf
https://transportnsw.info/documents/tim ... 171015.pdf

The official opening is the 16th. As in when Gladys tells us it’s a good thing