Newcastle Transport

[Aurora]

Tsk tsk, Broadmeadows is in Melbourne...

[Tonymercury]

He may be promoting the worlds' longest tram route - perhaps with sleeping and dining car trams.

[tonyp]

Blame GazzaOak, I picked up the slip of the pen from him!

[hornetfig]

There are maintenance and longevity advantages to a rigid pavement instead of a flexible one. (Look at all the old concrete slab roads getting major rehab and diamond grinding - some of them would be 8 *decades* or so old. As an extreme comparison, you have the Moore Park stretch of Anzac Pde - every few years they renew what looks to be what, 200mm? of asphalt, and a year later it's full of wheel ruts again.)

Sub-surface of Anzac Pde is questionable. There's a story about how they uncovered the original Botany Road sandstone block surface near Alison Road. But that's not full width and the interlocking of each block is probably not good. Concrete roads build on no road base and with heavy traffic simply crack up too. CSELR works suggest that Donmcaster Ave to Day Ave was reconstructed post tramway with a roadbase-slab-asphalt construction. It's also the only section where the kerbside hasn't disintegrated entirely once put into general traffic use.

[Transtopic]

What they should have really done, is to demolish the newcastle branch, and build light rail all the way to broadmedows (and its could extend to Hunter Stadium or even Kotara Westfield) with an upgraded interchange to terminate trains and ease of interchange with trams at broadmedows.

Also there could be an option of electrification to maintland with direct services to sydney from there.

Yes, that's what I've been saying for years (and maybe a new CBD at Broadmeadow too), but unfortunately I suspect too many political emotions would be raised by killing off the branch altogether. What they've done now is very half-hearted and doesn't really satisfy any urban restructuring goals for Newcastle.

Although I've never supported truncation of the Newcastle branch line, I could live with this as a compromise if the light rail ran along the existing heavy rail corridor all the way to the Newcastle CBD (which is still shown as the CBD on current planning documents btw, not Wickham). Agree that the present scheme is half-baked, with no prospect in sight AFAIK for any future extensions.

I suppose the option of truncating the heavy rail line at Broadmeadow and extending the light rail along the existing track to an interchange there would still be possible. At least the conversion wouldn't cause the disruption that's been created on Hunter St. If the light rail had just been adapted to the existing heavy rail line in the same manner as the IWLR was to the freight line in Sydney, then it would still leave open the option in the longer term for a reinstatement of the heavy rail link, albeit partly underground, if it was deemed warranted as Newcastle developed, as in Auckland.

In the meantime, extension of electrification to Maitland would be useful in enabling travellers from the Hunter Valley to have a more direct journey to the Central Coast and Sydney while still maintaining convenient interchange to the light rail to the Newcastle CBD and destinations in between.

[boronia]

If you want to "revitalize" a commercial and retail area, it might be much better to have your public transport running through the middle of that area, not tucked away out of site behind other buildings.

[Swift]

Newcastle will remain Oldcastle with rampant mediocrity like this.

[tonyp]

https://www.nbnnews.com.au/2018/08/04/f ... newcastle/

[moa999]

Tram number 2151.
Which is consistent with Sydney's CAF trams.

Obviously a much smaller project and fleet, but both Sydney and Canberra have had trams on the ground and under test for months, even though it appears Newcastle may open first.

[boronia]

Tram number 2151.
Which is consistent with Sydney's CAF trams.

Obviously a much smaller project and fleet, but both Sydney and Canberra have had trams on the ground and under test for months, even though it appears Newcastle may open first.

Sydney's current CAFs go up to 2124.

Reportedly, the XO5s will be 2125-2184

2151 doesn't seem to fit into either sequence?

[mandonov]

What were the last numbers of Newcastle's trams?

[boronia]

The old Newcastle trams were in the same series as Sydney's tram fleet numbers, which ended at 2087. The first IWLR trams followed on from 2101.

[Tonymercury]

Sydney's current CAFs go up to 2124.

Reportedly, the XO5s will be 2125-2184

2151 doesn't seem to fit into either sequence?

2151 is the one on the wall decoration in Newcastle as well.

Interestingly, the TfNSW photos available to download after Constance 'unveiled' the Randwick yard on Monday appear to have had the numbers deliberately obscured on the trams.

[tonyp]

John Cowper, who's pretty close to the ground on this, says that there are no numbers applied to the Citadis yet. As Boronia writes, 2151 doesn't fit into any class-based sequence, but I'm sure it will be just fine in a scattergun of random numbers.

[moa999]

At least some of the photos of the Alstom trams on the web have '00x' numbers at present.

Obviously changes can occur.

[ScaniaGrenda]

Fleet-lists for Newcastle Transport reports that two new BCI Proma LF's have been delivered to Newcastle recently. Both in a full white paintjob and on non MO & non m/o plates.

Fleet No 52 - CP52KK (BCI Proma LF)
Fleet No 53 - CP53KK (BCI Proma LF)

Wonder what's the case for these being on private plates and not in TNSW livery?

Me thinks these will go into the on demand shuttle service or Chater / School services. Haven't seen a Proma LF on public route service in a long time to be honest.

When it comes time to withdrawing the Ansair bodied buses me hopes they'll be replaced by Custom CB80's or Volgren Optimuses but that's probably a pipe dream. Would like to see them give "express" bodied buses a go but don't see anyone up here with them and Custom or Volgren seems to be what bus operators go for these days on route service.

[boronia]

At least some of the photos of the Alstom trams on the web have '00x' numbers at present.

Obviously changes can occur.

From memory the first one was 003

[neilrex]

Tsk tsk, Broadmeadows is in Melbourne...

It took me years to get that one right.

[LB608]

[quote="ScaniaGrenda"]Fleet-lists for Newcastle Transport reports that two new BCI Proma LF's have been delivered to Newcastle recently. Both in a full white paintjob and on non MO & non m/o plates.

Fleet No 52 - CP52KK (BCI Proma LF)
Fleet No 53 - CP53KK (BCI Proma LF)

Wonder what's the case for these being on private plates and not in TNSW livery?

Me thinks these will go into the on demand shuttle service or Chater / School services. Haven't seen a Proma LF on public route service in a long time to be honest.

Have had them 6 months

[mk2n75]

I think someone ticked the wrong box for plates ,might be fixed up ,they are kind of busy up there,
hear a few B8 bustechs on production line for them

[ScaniaGrenda]

I think someone ticked the wrong box for plates ,might be fixed up ,they are kind of busy up there,
hear a few B8 bustechs on production line for them

Someone said months ago that there were Bustechs on the way but not what chassis their on and that whatever the Bustechs are, they'll be replacing some MAN Ansairs and withdrawing the only Scania L113CRL down here (m/o 5515). Haven't heard since about any other withdrawal plans but the Ansairs will be the first to go due to their age I guess. Shame as I never get to ride them much as I always end up getting anything but them. I at least hope a majority don't end up to the scrapper and instead go onto private use, preservation or a museum somewhere. Wonder if the Sydney Bus museum will be interested in some other Ansair buses eventually?

These Bustechs probably won't be built with STA specifications so hopefully the annoying problems others have with the current set are ironed out when the new Bustechs come to NT.

[mandonov]

The BCI Cityrider's are horrible IMO. The high stairs and coach like qualities result in most people staying right up the front, and I've not yet seen anyone further back than the 3rd row upstairs. Also the stop buttons are located on the window sill, so you can't really rest your arm at all lest you mistakenly press it. It's also more difficult to get to if you happen to be in the aisle seat.

I don't know why these were purchased for regular route service.

[tonyp]

The BCI Cityrider's are horrible IMO. The high stairs and coach like qualities result in most people staying right up the front, and I've not yet seen anyone further back than the 3rd row upstairs. Also the stop buttons are located on the window sill, so you can't really rest your arm at all lest you mistakenly press it. It's also more difficult to get to if you happen to be in the aisle seat.

I don't know why these were purchased for regular route service.

When (like Bustech) you get a manufacturer promoting a bus design as "ultra low floor" when it's actually only half (normal) low floor and half high floor, you know you're onto something that's not the full quid.

http://www.bcibus.com.au/Corporate/Buse ... /CITIRIDER

You and I know that the local industry (manufacturers and operators/agencies) just don't seem to get it, but at least there's a bodybuilder (Volgren) ready and waiting when the light bulb is finally switched on. Fortunately Volgren has the majority of the market already. A pity they don't have all of it. I don't understand any operator wanting any other brand of body. They're not perfect but they're far and away the best we have.

[Campbelltown busboy]

Someone said months ago that there were Bustechs on the way but not what chassis their on and that whatever the Bustechs are, they'll be replacing some MAN Ansairs and withdrawing the only Scania L113CRL down here (m/o 5515). Haven't heard since about any other withdrawal plans but the Ansairs will be the first to go due to their age I guess. Shame as I never get to ride them much as I always end up getting anything but them. I at least hope a majority don't end up to the scrapper and instead go onto private use, preservation or a museum somewhere. Wonder if the Sydney Bus museum will be interested in some other Ansair buses eventually?

These Bustechs probably won't be built with STA specifications so hopefully the annoying problems others have with the current set are ironed out when the new Bustechs come to NT.

Newcastle Transport would need to wait a while before they get anything from Bustech as the Epping Chatswood station link order is the main priority for Bustech to deal with at this moment

[Daniel]

When (like Bustech) you get a manufacturer promoting a bus design as "ultra low floor" when it's actually only half (normal) low floor and half high floor, you know you're onto something that's not the full quid.

http://www.bcibus.com.au/Corporate/Buse ... /CITIRIDER

You and I know that the local industry (manufacturers and operators/agencies) just don't seem to get it, but at least there's a bodybuilder (Volgren) ready and waiting when the light bulb is finally switched on. Fortunately Volgren has the majority of the market already. A pity they don't have all of it. I don't understand any operator wanting any other brand of body. They're not perfect but they're far and away the best we have.

Can you get over it? Or is it your objective to turn every topic towards your agenda? Most people have had enough and/or just just stopped visiting or posting as a result.