• Newcastle Transport

Posted: **Tue Aug 07, 2018 5:15 pm**

Daniel wrote:
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.

A pretty noble agenda compared to others around here, like those who will hear of nothing except how world class our transport is.

Posted: **Tue Aug 07, 2018 8:37 pm**

Daniel wrote:
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.

Yes quite right, an over-reaction on my part sorry. This wasn't really about "my agenda" but getting annoyed at seeing yet another company claiming that they offer a product that they clearly don't. This goes beyond the normal indulgence of a little puffery in advertising to blatant untruth. I don't know why they set out to tarnish their image this way, there's nothing to be gained from it and something to be lost through that little flag raised that's says if they have that wrong then what else is wrong?

Posted: **Tue Aug 07, 2018 10:09 pm**

tonyp wrote: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.

You spend an awful lot of time pushing Volgren's products here and bad mouthing everyone else's. Are you on their payroll? Normally board members are entitled to maintain their anonymity and the nature of their income is nobody else's business, but as you asked whether I was a Transport NSW operative a few month ago, thought it fair to ask?

Posted: **Tue Aug 07, 2018 10:40 pm**

If Bustech pulled out their CDi and chopped off the top deck, removed the staircase and cut out a doorway behind the rear axle, as he has been imploring them to do for years, he would be a Bustech devotee for life, that can be assured. (Painting it up in Hunters Hill Bus Co. colours wouldn't hurt though.

)
In the meantime, I believe he simply views Volgren (rightly or wrongly) as the least awful of a middle of the road bunch Australia is stuck with thanks to their regime of transit agencies.

Posted: **Tue Aug 07, 2018 11:06 pm**

Campbelltown busboy wrote: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

I don’t know where you would get this idea from or source, but they do have production factories in Adelaide with partnership with Precision Vehicles, and another factory in Tasmania. All 3 places can’t be filled up with orders for 60 buses for production and working to their full capacity

Posted: **Wed Aug 08, 2018 6:42 am**

No - fairly accurate comment. Adelaide is building DPTI Scanias and Busabout MANs and Tasmania is building Metro XDis at the moment. The Newcastle B8s have not commenced build yet on the Gold Coast, StationLink B8s and Mercs are the priority up there given the deadline to start operations is fast approaching.

Posted: **Wed Aug 08, 2018 6:56 am**

Linto63 wrote:You spend an awful lot of time pushing Volgren's products here and bad mouthing everyone else's. Are you on their payroll? Normally board members are entitled to maintain their anonymity and the nature of their income is nobody else's business, but as you asked whether I was a Transport NSW operative a few month ago, thought it fair to ask?

I don't quite recall what it was, but if I asked you if you are from TfNSW it was a tongue-in-cheek comment because you may have written something that sounded like it was something TfNSW would say.

No I don't work for Volgren and if I did I would be a lot more subtle about it! It's merely my opinion that they offer the best product design in terms of functionality as a citybus (this is not about build quality either). The market has voted with their feet on this so I can't be far wrong. In terms of what's seen as my "agenda", they're also already experienced in designing and building low-floor (as correctly defined) citybuses for the time when operators start to take them up in numbers - which they are already in Victoria. Except for Custom, which has built one, nobody else has yet tackled this, nor, unlike Volgren, do they show any signs of the passenger-oriented mindset necessary to successfully move forward on this. Otherwise they wouldn't be putting in either forbiddingly high or invisibly-little steps to trip people up, cause them to fall down or otherwise deter them from fully populating the bus so that it becomes a fully-efficient passenger transport vehicle.

I don't share Swiftys view that they're a complete pack of buggers though, as a manufacturer will only provide what its clients ask for (though a good manufacturer would and should make suggestions) and it's basically down to the operators/agencies to set the standard for design. They're the ones often falling down on the job. There is a distinct lack of passenger-oriented thinking and a failure to perceive citybuses as mass transit vehicles. Considering that the bus industry spent so much effort over the years hewing down the tram industry, which provided the highly-efficient mass street transit in Australian cities (over 30% loss of capacity when they got rid of them in Sydney for example), it's nothing short of disgraceful that the bus industry has then just lazily sat on its laurels and failed to make an effort to put at least some of that capacity and efficiency back. This is what is so annoying about the pockets of resistance to articulated buses which are the best and most efficient tool that the industry has to restore some of that capacity.

Which brings us back to the evidently not-so-passenger-oriented Newcastle BCI as an example of slack thinking.

Posted: **Wed Aug 08, 2018 7:49 am**

BAMBAM wrote:
Campbelltown busboy wrote: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
I don’t know where you would get this idea from or source, but they do have production factories in Adelaide with partnership with Precision Vehicles, and another factory in Tasmania. All 3 places can’t be filled up with orders for 60 buses for production and working to their full capacity

I didn’t know about the Adelaide or Tasmanian Bustech plants I don’t do much reading of discussions from other states so thanks for the info and my sorce for that info is from a Busabout diver that sometimes gets the chance to talk to Joe Calabro when he’s not busy if there’s anyone who knows about the current status of Bustech on the Gold Coast it would be mr Calabro

Posted: **Wed Aug 08, 2018 3:11 pm**

tonyp wrote: I don't share Swiftys view that they're a complete pack of buggers though, as a manufacturer will only provide what its clients ask for (though a good manufacturer would and should make suggestions) and it's basically down to the operators/agencies to set the standard for design.

I did qualify that by mentioning the transport agency aspect. I'm not questioning their ability, just their configurations.

Posted: **Wed Aug 08, 2018 7:08 pm**

tonyp wrote:I don't quite recall what it was, but if I asked you if you are from TfNSW it was a tongue-in-cheek comment because you may have written something that sounded like it was something TfNSW would say.

No it definitely wasn't tounge in cheek, it was quite offensively worded and several others agreed. Does seem to have been removed by the admin, probably for that very reason.

I think you're missing Daniel's point. Agenda, hobby horse, banging the drum, expressing an opinion, call it what you will; you have half a dozen or so themes that you constantly work into threads. It is labouring over the same point again and again that it is wearing a bit thin. And you do have a habit of glossing over facts to fit in with your views.

You have your opinions and of course you are more than entitled to express them, but the endless essays regurgitating the same message that is only of vague relevance to the topic is nauseating. Witness your post from this morning on this thread going on about resistance to articulated buses, totally irrelevant to Newcastle who have never operated one and probably won't in the foreseeable future.

I think we all agree there have been some bad decisions made, but lamenting on things that happened 60 years ago isn't go to change it.

Sorry if this sounds like I am trying to do a hatchet job, am very reluctant to do so, but we just seem to be going around in circles and seems I am not the only one noticing it.

Posted: **Wed Aug 08, 2018 7:21 pm**

Linto63 wrote: You have your opinions and of course you are more than entitled to express them, but the endless essays regurgitating the same message that is only of vague relevance to the topic is nauseating. Witness your post from this morning on this thread going on about resistance to articulated buses, totally irrelevant to Newcastle who have never operated one and probably won't in the foreseeable future.

Until this argument began he was on topic.

His initial comment was in response to mine complaining about a poorly designed bus that has recently been introduced. I don't see what's so wrong with him agreeing and then discussing what he see's as a better alternative.

Posted: **Wed Aug 08, 2018 7:39 pm**

Thank you mandonov but I can see that I laboured the point for too long.

To Linto63 I can assure you that I have absolutely no interest in knowing where you work and if you interpreted a comment that way, then it was clearly badly phrased for which I apologise. I very much believe in the principle of playing the ball, not the man in any exchange of views, that everybody is not only entitled to, but should express their views and have them respected without any personal ill-will resulting.

Posted: **Wed Aug 08, 2018 8:13 pm**

How do they plan to celebrate the opening of this world class light rail line? A sausage sizzle Bunnings style?

Posted: **Mon Aug 13, 2018 9:24 pm**

11/08 Update

Newcastle Interchange
Just some clean up left to do. Note the westbound track (the left one) won't be extended any further. The second track was laid across Stewart Ave just for future proofing.

Rail corridor west of Steel Street

Rail corridor east of Steel Street

Honeysuckle stop
Last time I toured the route, Steel Street crossing was shut but this was open. They've switched now.

New road paint on Hunter Street at Merewether Street. Civic stop in the background.

Posted: **Tue Aug 14, 2018 2:56 pm**

https://www.theherald.com.au/story/5564 ... s/?cs=7573

Heritage plans for The Store revealed as demolition day nears

Matt Carr August 4 2018 - 7:00AM

PARTS of The Store facade including its window frames could be used to tell the site’s story within its $200 million re-development, a strategy for the site reveals.
...
Demolition is expected to be done by the end of the year. The new bus interchange is slated to operate from 2020.

“The heritage strategy … has been given to Doma Group as the successful developer of the site to consider in their upcoming development applications to Newcastle City Council,” Mr Cassel said.

“We’re expecting the Doma Group to submit its masterplan development application within the coming months, which will include a detailed vision for the site.”

Those plans will go before the Joint Regional Planning Panel and Newcastle City Council for assessment.

Posted: **Sun Aug 19, 2018 8:54 pm**

90 sec video of Newcastle Light Rail track
(Also shows changes to the old rail corridor)

https://twitter.com/RevitalisingNCL/sta ... 73920?s=19

Posted: **Sun Aug 19, 2018 9:24 pm**

There'a a page on the Revitalising Newcastle website about following road rules around trams: https://revitalisingnewcastle.nsw.gov.a ... -the-rules

I didn't realise the section from Newcomen to Pacific streets was shared with mixed traffic.

Posted: **Sun Aug 19, 2018 11:10 pm**

I imagine there will be a lot of road rage with trams.

Posted: **Mon Aug 20, 2018 5:44 am**

Swift wrote:I imagine there will be a lot of road rage with trams.

Well, trams do persist in steering in front of innocent motorists according to parts of the media.

Posted: **Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:01 am**

These are not changes to road rules, but existing rules that every driver should know, but of course most car drivers seem to need to be reminded of most of the road rules anyway.

Posted: **Mon Aug 20, 2018 3:18 pm**

Tonymercury wrote:
Swift wrote:I imagine there will be a lot of road rage with trams.
Well, trams do persist in steering in front of innocent motorists according to parts of the media.

Our accelerating toward them.

Posted: **Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:38 pm**

Nothing too special but Newcastle Transport had a Volvo B12BLE out on the 110 Loop today, not to often you see them operating it. Something different from the VST's and somewhat occasional BCI Citiriders that operate it.

Posted: **Wed Aug 22, 2018 7:19 pm**

Bus interchange and carpark (and ultimately two towers) proposed next to the Newcastle Interchange LR/Train stop

https://www.theherald.com.au/story/5598 ... store-site

Posted: **Wed Aug 22, 2018 8:05 pm**

So we must have ugly Goulburn St car parking stations for our public transport projects must we?
Why not more feeder bus services instead of generating traffic elsewhere?

Posted: **Wed Aug 22, 2018 9:26 pm**

Swift wrote:Why not more feeder bus services instead of generating traffic elsewhere?

If you looked at that link, you would have seen that the majority of parking spaces will be reserved for apartment residents in a new complex, and the remainder are for other workers in the same complex.

You're not seriously saying they should allow a residential development in Newcastle of all places with zero parking for residents? I don't think that anybody up there would choose to be a captive user of either public transport or taxis/ridesharing.

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