Separartion of T4 from rest of network

[andy_centralcoast]

Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra Line to stand alone in a decade: report
By Jacob Saulwick
28 March 2018 — 12:00am

Transport for NSW will separate the running of the T4 Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra lines from the rest of Sydney’s rail system, government documents show, creating opportunities for private companies to run more of the city’s transport network.Handing the Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra Line to a private operator has long been a goal of transport bureaucrats, with the line already operating relatively independently from the rest of Sydney’s complicated rail system.

But Infrastructure NSW documents confirm that Transport for NSW has started work on a plan to further extricate the line, which runs from Bondi Junction to Waterfall and Cronulla, as part of a decade-long program of improvements called SmartRail. The privatisation of other sections of Sydney’s rail system will begin within months. The Epping to Chatswood line, opened as part of Sydney’s regular rail system in 2009, will soon be closed so stations and systems can be retrofitted to run automated and driverless trains by the private operator of the metro rail extension to Rouse Hill. Early next decade, the existing Bankstown Line will be under the control of a new operator when the metro line is extended from Chatswood under the harbour and central business district to Sydenham.


The State Infrastructure Strategy, released this month by the peak advisory body Infrastructure NSW, said the first three stages of the SmartRail program developed by Transport for NSW “should be delivered over the next 10 years”. The first stage would involve capacity upgrades to the T4 Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line and the T8 Airport line, and the second would involve more upgrades and the introduction of a new intercity fleet of trains. The third would include “deploying automation and providing the transformative programs needed to separate inner urban and intercity services on the T1 Western and Northern line and the T4 Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line.” “SmartRail will allow the independent operation of rail lines across the system, improving the capacity, frequency and reliability of the network and permitting the conversion of lines to provide high-frequency all-day services in the future, with the T4 Illawarra Line as the top priority for transformation,” the strategy says.

Transport for NSW says the plans do not relate to privatisation. “Upgrades to help parts of the network operate more independently are about improving capacity, frequency and reliability,” a spokesman said. “There are no plans to privatise the existing heavy rail network,” the spokesman said.

The tenor of the Infrastructure NSW report recommends prioritising investment in public transport in inner Sydney, even at the expense of road space. The highest priority new rail line for the city, the report says, is the so-called Sydney Metro West, planned to double capacity between Parramatta and central Sydney. But that line would not be running until at least 2027 and, in the meantime, traffic lanes should be prioritised for frequent bus routes. “High quality on-road public transport will not be feasible if the government continues to insist on preserving existing levels of road space for general car traffic,” the report says. “With record investment in projects like WestConnex putting large volumes of traffic into tunnels, higher priority should be given to public transport by converting existing traffic lanes to full-time public transport lanes, without the need for significant land acquisition.”

The report also suggests the so-called Beaches Link motorway to Sydney’s northern beaches, and F6 motorway extension through the Sutherland Shire should be deferred in favour of projects “which may have greater city-shaping impacts.”
“Infrastructure NSW supports an increased focus on public transport,” the report says. The Berejiklian government has, however, committed to both projects.

At Redfern Station on Tuesday, commuters had mixed views on operational changes to the T4 Line.“If it's privatised it's just going to get worse,” said Chris, citing over-crowded and infrequent services. Another commuter, Sital, however, thought rail services would probably improve with a change.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/eas ... 4z6j3.html

[tonyp]

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/stor ... de/?cs=300

[Tonymercury]

So, how do you separate the South Coast Line from the T4?

[tonyp]

Of course, in the Wollongong press feedback, everybody is interpreting "Illawarra" to include the south coast line because Illawarra after all means the south coast between Helensburg and Mt Pleasant and the railway was called the Illawarra line for a century or so. So perhaps a bit of clarification is needed in this announcement and, yes indeed, how do you separate the real Illawarra line from the misnamed Illawarra line?

[burrumbus]

Maybe that is the intention.Bondi Junction-Bomaderry in full??

[mandonov]

In the Regional Infrastructure Strategy the language indicates that they want to extend quadruplication to Sutherland as well as to Penrith as part of 'SmartRail', which is now known as 'More Trains, More Services'.

[boronia]

So, how do you separate the South Coast Line from the T4?

Would you need to? We already have Sydney Trains, NSW Trains, and various freight operators sharing the tracks.

[boxythingy]

The line desperately needs a metro conversion. The sheep keep stopping as soon as they board the carriage without considering that it's possible to stand upstairs or downstairs! But of course, this will anger the big flock due to 6 months of trackwork buses

[tonyp]

Wholesale panic on the Real Illawarra averted:

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/stor ... says-govt/

[Frosty]

Though separating the T4 Line from the rest of network there would be a quite a bit of work like quadruplication to Sutherland and additional platforms at Wolli Creek. But if the T4 Line takes over the both locals & mains after Wolli Creek it would force all T8 trains to run via the Airport.

[Fleet Lists]

It is the operation of T4 which would be outsourced and not the tracks - that does not force T8 to operate via the Airport. Sharing of track eg with goods, has been done for years so that can still continue under some circumstances.

[grog]

The report in question (Infrastructure NSW Infrastructure Strategy) mentions nothing of outsourcing and specifically mentions full separation. Any talk of outsourcing is speculation, talk of fully separating T4 services is just reporting the contents of the INSW recommendation.

[Fleet Lists]

Yes fully separating the services which is done by outsourcing even if that word is not mentioned.

[grog]

You may speculate such, but when it is only based on comments about full separation you can’t then say that a private operator would share track with T8. Its one of the other.

[Fleet Lists]

It says FULL separation of services ie T4 Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra lines - no mention of track either way so it leaves the way open either way whether tracks may be shared.
As has been said elsewhere the tracks are also shared by goods services.

[Linto63]

Probably a bit academic given that the department has denied it is on the agenda, and at some stage in the 10 years we will have a Labor government who will put the kibosh on it. Even if did happen would most likely be a concession, much like Harbour City Ferries, Transit Systems in Region 6 etc. With a full privatisation, the operator rakes responsibility for revenue, i.e setting fare levels which obviously couldn't happen while we have Opal and its caps. Much like in Melbourne, the infrastructure and the allocation of paths would probably remain a government function.

[Fleet Lists]

The privatisation referred to would be the same as for the Ferries, Newcastle Buses and Region 6 ie operation only with TNSW retaining fare and service levels.
I agree with your comment that most likely TNSW would retain control over the allocation of paths which would allow some sharing of tracks.
And as you also say it is a bit academic at the moment with the government denial but then again where there is smoke, there is fire.

[mandonov]

What do those on the board think the service configuration would be for a potential quadruplication to Sutherland?

All stops Cronulla to Bondi, limited stops from south of Sutherland to Syd Terminal?
Cronulla and South Coast limited stops to ST, all stops Sutho to Bondi?
Would limited stops services share track with T8?

Lot's of possibilities.

[grog]

Here is the source material for the speculative article:

https://insw-sis.visualise.today/chapters/Transport.pdf

Page 134 (page 17 of the PDF)

Greater Sydney rail strategy

Future Transport 2056 acknowledges the rail network will play a pivotal role in realising the vision of a three city metropolis with connected housing, jobs and services outlined in the Greater Sydney Region Plan. To achieve this, the Greater Sydney rail network will need to transition from its predominantly radial pattern and focus on the Eastern Harbour City to service an interconnected system of cities and centres with accessible 30-minute catchments.

Rail trips are expected to more than double over the next 20 years, growing from 386 million trips per year in 2016 to 817 million by 2036 and to over 1.1 billion by 2056. As shown in Figure 38, without further investment in parts of the network as Sydney grows, beyond 2021, the main routes into the Eastern Harbour City and the Central River City will suffer from levels of crowding that will impair the performance of the system.

To address these pressures, in the near term, Transport for NSW has developed the SmartRail program, a series of network-wide investments that will deliver additional capacity, reduce the complexity of rail operations and better connect the network. SmartRail will transform the rail network by utilising world-class technology to enable automated high-capacity turn-up-and-go services. The first three stages should be delivered over the next 10 years, with targeted investments to remove bottlenecks, automate train control, improve signalling systems and capitalise on the benefits of new rolling stock and infrastructure.

Stage 1 would deliver extra capacity across the network by upgrading rail infrastructure to unlock capacity in central Sydney. It includes the development of new automated systems to cost-effectively improve train control. Stage 1 would deliver capacity upgrades on the T4 Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line and the T8 Airport line.

Stage 2 would continue to upgrade the T4 Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line and improve the T8 Airport line, providing an uplift of capacity, as well as delivering further upgrades in central Sydney to provide a network-wide benefit. Stages 1 and 2 include the deployment of new suburban trains and coincide with the introduction of the New Intercity Fleet, further improving services across the network.

Stage 3 would complete the reconfiguration of the network in central Sydney, deploying automation and providing the transformative programs needed to separate inner urban and intercity services on the T1 Western and Northern line and the T4 Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line.

These investments would deliver significant customer benefits by transforming the network into a more efficient and reliable rail system that allows more trains to run per hour in peak times and helps separate longer distance intercity, suburban and freight services from suburban operations. SmartRail will allow the independent operation of rail lines across the system, improving the capacity, frequency and reliability of the network and permitting the conversion of lines to provide high-frequency all-day services in the future, with the T4 Illawarra Line as the top priority for transformation.

While SmartRail will benefit the entire network, the most constrained parts of Sydney’s heavy rail system will realise the most significant benefit of the initial stages, particularly services in the south of Sydney on the T4 Illawarra Line and the T8 Airport Line.

The State Infrastructure Strategy Update 2014 allocated $1 billion towards the More Trains More Services program, and SmartRail should continue to be a priority for funding to ensure that existing rail assets are used to their full potential.

Recommendation 52

Infrastructure NSW recommends that Transport for NSW complete business cases for Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the SmartRail program by the end of 2018 and 2019 respectively to enable progressive delivery of this program as a priority to provide capacity needed beyond 2021.