Newcastle Transport

[Linto63]

What is the "former" interchange?

Bus stops and layover area on the northern side of the former Newcastle station.

[Newcastle Flyer]

What they didn’t mention is that 29 now goes to Swansea North, replacing 45, which has been discontinued.
45 becomes the first casualty
11/13/14 officially terminate at former interchange

In this case 45 is not really the "first causalty" as extending 14 from Belmont <-> Swansea Heads takes over the the 45, and the 29 between Swansea & Swansea Heads & now gets more services, eg: 45 at the moment is only between 06:00 & 18:00.

But it the information should say "29 now goes to Swansea North", not "29 now extends to Swansea North".

11,13 & 14 have been terminating at the REAL Newcastle Station/Newcastle Bus Layover since May when "residents" complained about buses turning into Centenary Rd.

[mandonov]

Sensible changes overall, apart from the Queens Wharf cutback.

[burrumbus]

Agreed mandonov.Especially since the connections did not seem to be overly robust.
Hopefully that will placate the main complaints-and KD can concentrate on refining the system and getting it completely reliable.

[mandonov]

Comparing the maps, the 47 no longer enters Hunter Street via Maitland Rd but via Hannell Street cutting off a strange double back that it did. Also there's no longer any routes on Parry Street outside the Tafe campus, with the 23, 26 and 28 now using Hunter Street en route to their new Marketown terminus.

[Newcastle Flyer]

I've deleted the post in the What gives you the sh*ts & post it here:-
A fruit & vegetable shop in Hamilton is blaming Keolis Downer for buses not going down Beaumont for him closing.

Oh come on, he's only a block away from Tudor St (make that less than a block).

Does this look like too far for his "customers" to walk from/to the Tudor St?: https://tinyurl.com/y8jhgn3t

[Newcastle Flyer]

I thought the Newcastle Herald was using other people's photo regarding Newcastle Transport Buses/Newcastle Buses.
eg: http://showbus.com/A/Amo3371.JPG

[moa999]

Proposed Newcastle LR stop names (and alternatives):
Newcastle Interchange
Honeysuckle (Kuwumi)
Civic
Crown Street (Coal Bridge, Fish Belly Rail)
Queens Wharf (Market Lawn)
Newcastle Beach (Pacific Place)

But submissions to the GNB accepted.

An interestingly written article, author has some humour.

https://www.theherald.com.au/story/5518 ... any-ideas/

[jpp42]

Using numbers for tram stops isn't unheard of - stops in Melbourne have numbers (although the highly overlapping nature of the Melbourne network makes them a bit unpredictable at times).

[boronia]

Sydney's old system used sequential stop numbers.

Many overseas rail systems use stop/station numbers, for some it is a recent innovation

It is much easier to tell people to get of at Stop #X, than have them remember names. It can also be advantageous for passengers to count up/down in advance of the stop.

[Fleet Lists]

Recruitment of tram drivers
https://www.theherald.com.au/story/5534 ... ight-rail/

[tonyp]

Newcastle Beach (Pacific Place)

Except that the line doesn't quite make it to Newcastle Beach. I can't understand why they don't take it to the original terminus further down the road at the beach. There's nothing in the way. There's also a lot of residential to serve down there.

[Tonymercury]

Pacific Park is very close to Newcastle Beach, as opposed to Nobby's Beach.

If the line had been built prior to the 1989 earthquake it would have been very handy for Newcastle Hospital!

[tonyp]

Pacific Park is very close to Newcastle Beach, as opposed to Nobby's Beach.

If the line had been built prior to the 1989 earthquake it would have been very handy for Newcastle Hospital!

Pacific Park would still be served if the line went further and it's not just the beaches but the growing residential density to the east (and the Ocean Baths).

Be grateful that I haven't suggested reinstating the turning loops there!

[ScaniaGrenda]

2731 ST sounds like it's having a rough time. The Door closing / Stop requested chimes have either broken or been switched off on this bus and the engine doesn't seem so healthy to say the least.

2140 ST observed operating the 110 today around 12:00 PM

[Fleet Lists]

https://www.theherald.com.au/story/5541 ... struction/

Hunter Street reopening to traffic after Newcastle light rail construction

The state government is confident long-awaited private investment will flow into Hunter Street after a section of the road reopens to traffic on Tuesday morning.

The two long blocks between Union Street and Darby Street and the Worth Place connection to Honeysuckle Drive will open to cars after more than 10 months of light rail construction work.

East-bound traffic will be able to turn right into Darby Street but not Auckland Street. Parts of the reopened road will be single lane and the speed limit will be 40 kilometres an hour.

The bitumen sits flush with the concrete base of the light rail tracks, but motorists are not allowed to drive in the tram lanes.

The 60 per cent of the route east of Darby Street could reopen in September before the first of six trams arrives from Spanish manufacturer CAF late that month or in early October. The trams will be tested over several months before the line starts operating most likely in February.

The state government views the $650 million Revitalising Newcastle program, which includes the light rail line, as a driver of economic growth in the CBD.

The project has attracted criticism from some traders whose businesses have suffered a decline in customers during construction, but parliamentary secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald said on Monday that he hoped the Hunter Street reopening would demonstrate the tram’s potential to stimulate investment.

“I think it’s fair to say this part around Worth Place hasn’t performed well over the past 30 or 40 years,” he said. “We have seen renewal in other parts of the city, but now we’re seeing the transport infrastructure come through, urban amenity being built, better footpaths.

“It’s opened up, it’s very attractive looking down to Worth Place.

“I believe you’ll see that confidence return here. I think you’ll see that will to invest up and down Hunter Street.”
One of the Newcastle trams undergoing tests in the CAF factory.

One of the Newcastle trams undergoing tests in the CAF factory.

Newy Burger Co, which moved to a temporary store in Honeysuckle during light rail construction, said on its Facebook page on Sunday that it was moving back to Hunter Street on August 1.

It said it had lost about $100,000 in trade, extra rent and moving expenses in the past seven months.

“We feel strongly for those that haven’t made it through this revitalisation and lost their businesses as a result,” the post reads.

Revitalising Newcastle program director Michael Cassel said on Monday that he was “very hopeful the traders can now see the quality of the end product”.

“My data shows that there’s plenty of parking, plenty of options. Civic Lane will open again this week, so all of this will start to come together, so there’s no reason not to come into the city,” he said.

The section of road reopening on Tuesday includes about 20 two-hour parking spaces and several loading zones. The rest of the tram route has virtually no parking.

The light rail tracks do not have electricity running through them. The trams will be charged at each of the six stops by an overhead pantograph.

[tonyp]

I note that they've yet again chosen an obscolescent power system, this time one involving recharge at every stop and extending the stop dwells. I guess it won't matter much in the short term, with it being a pretty short and bucolic operation.

[moa999]

What's obsolete about that - it's using battery technology. And by having stop charging that reduces the size/weight and cost of batteries.

I believe it's only at the terminus stations as well, although one recent render also showed it at a midstop location.

[mandonov]

It's at every stop along the route.

[moa999]

Some more Twitter photos of completed sections.

https://twitter.com/lizfarquhar/status/ ... 46208?s=19

[boronia]

And good to see we have watch out for TRAMS.

[Swift]

if only Sydney had done it as well as Newcastle. This line is going to breath life into the city centre. Could Newcastle become the public transport utopia Sydney can only wish to be? Careful Newcastle, or else you are going to pose a threat if you are too sucessful!

[Fleet Lists]

I think that is most unlikely.

[matthewg]

What's obsolete about that - it's using battery technology. And by having stop charging that reduces the size/weight and cost of batteries.

I believe it's only at the terminus stations as well, although one recent render also showed it at a midstop location.

Every stop charging is obsolete tech. CAF call it ACR and have spent about 6-7 years trying to find someone to sell it to after fitting out Sevilla as a 'demonstration line'.
The performance of the Sevilla operation is distinctly underwhelming. One Sunday morning, I walked the route, photographing and videoing the operation. I kept pace with the regular tram service ON FOOT.
You could argue that the slow vehicle speed was due to it running down a pedestrian mall, but even on Sunday morning with only a handful of passengers, each stop was 90 seconds or more while the tram when through its cycle of raise pantograph, get 60 seconds of boost charge, lower pantograph and proceed.


One of CAF's competitors has been selling trams with batteries for longer than CAF and they have a project where the trams run 6km at 30lm/hr on battery and that 6 km includes a number of stops. The batteries are recharged on the fly by 1.6km long sections of overhead at either end of the route. The run out to the terminus and back fully recharges the batteries for the next wire-free run through the city centre. And these competitors trams have full airconditioning. (Which admittedly goes into a 'low power mode' when on battery and progressively shuts down as the battery charge level drops). They are not saddled with having to do a 'flash charge' cycle at each stop.

Had these other trams had been picked for Newcastle only one end of the route would have needed wires.

Although personally, I think the entire wirefree thing is stupid. There are weight, operational and ongoing extra cost issues that are simply unnecessary. Single wire tram overhead can be very unobstriviely installed and it's super efficient. All the wirefree options perform significantly worse on the power transfer efficiency front.

[tonyp]

CAF call it ACR and have spent about 6-7 years trying to find someone to sell it to

Well, they certainly found a sucker. Word must be out around the tram manufacturing industry that NSW, Australia is the land of new opportunities without barriers of critical appraisal.

One of CAF's competitors has been selling trams with batteries for longer than CAF and they have a project where the trams run 6km at 30lm/hr on battery and that 6 km includes a number of stops. The batteries are recharged on the fly by 1.6km long sections of overhead at either end of the route. The run out to the terminus and back fully recharges the batteries for the next wire-free run through the city centre. And these competitors trams have full airconditioning. (Which admittedly goes into a 'low power mode' when on battery and progressively shuts down as the battery charge level drops). They are not saddled with having to do a 'flash charge' cycle at each stop.

Is this Skoda in Turkey or another?

For in-motion charging (which is the current trend instead of purely static charging) they could have just wired the section over the old railway line plus a static charge at the eastern terminus. That would have given plenty of juice to run the whole line reliably.