October Bus Timetable changes

[Westside]

What is this obsession with connecting rail/bus services so close to the city?

For many people, you would need to get from where you are in the city (Hutt Street, Central Market, South Tce for example) to Adelaide Railway Station, wait up to 15 minutes for a train, then get off and get a connecting bus.

Often it would be quicker to jump on a bus and go to where you want to go.

There in lies the problem - our railway station isn't convenient for a good proportion of passengers. Thus, any savings made on the train are eaten up.

The desire to get more pax onto our trains is that it can free up a number of buses and feed passengers into our underutilised rail network. However, there is no point in doing so if there are significant disbenefits to do so - ie increased travel time due to waiting at transfer point or having to walk for 10-15 mins in the city. It's a bit of a chicken and egg situation because only when we have more pax on the trains will we be able to increase the frequency to make it more convenient.

[1whoknows]

To make rail work in the City of Adelaide it really needs a Melbourne style underground loop with (say) tracks continuing from a lowered Adelaide station under the city to new underground stations at the East End, Victoria Square and near Morphett Square before looping back out to the suburbs. This was of course never practical whilst diesel railcars were used but once electrification is complete......

To simplify movements trains could operate as Gawler- Adelaide -Seaford using 4-6 car trains and as Outer Harbour - Adelaide - Belair/ Tonsley (alternating) with 2-3 cars. Each line would have a basic 15-20 minute frequency outside peak hours and 30 minutes in the evenings. Peak hour would see three trains every 10 minutes two on the long line and one on the shorter line. This would all require only a two track underground capable of say 18 movements per hour in each direction.

Any additional peak hour services required beyond the above could start and finish at the present terminus. There would of course be no layover time in the city just at the outer ends - as is generally the case in the other capital cities.

Now all it needs is the cash. Oh well.

[TA3001]

Speaking of these extra services, how much does it actually cost per km to run each railcar?

[Route 506]

To make rail work in the City of Adelaide it really needs a Melbourne style underground loop with (say) tracks continuing from a lowered Adelaide station under the city to new underground stations at the East End, Victoria Square and near Morphett Square before looping back out to the suburbs. This was of course never practical whilst diesel railcars were used but once electrification is complete......

To simplify movements trains could operate as Gawler- Adelaide -Seaford using 4-6 car trains and as Outer Harbour - Adelaide - Belair/ Tonsley (alternating) with 2-3 cars. Each line would have a basic 15-20 minute frequency outside peak hours and 30 minutes in the evenings. Peak hour would see three trains every 10 minutes two on the long line and one on the shorter line. This would all require only a two track underground capable of say 18 movements per hour in each direction.

Any additional peak hour services required beyond the above could start and finish at the present terminus. There would of course be no layover time in the city just at the outer ends - as is generally the case in the other capital cities.

Now all it needs is the cash. Oh well.

Great comments. Spot on here. This would be a great addition to Adelaide's railway network and would surely lift passenger numbers a fair bit. However getting all the lines electrified first will take some time I believe....