The State Government says the project will reduce traffic on Park Tce, improve train services and be a feature of its 2200-home Bowden Urban Village project.

A spokesman for Transport Minister Pat Conlon said the works had been costed at about $418 million and would need funding from the state and federal governments to go ahead.

Department of Trade, Energy and Infrastructure head Rod Hook said the project, which had no timeframe, would be programmed after “the Commonwealth comes to the party and puts their share on the table”.

Mr Hook said the tunnel would begin in the parklands about 500m southeast of Park Tce and travel under the freight line to reduce track and road congestion.

He said the tunnel would end immediately after Chief St and include an underground train station in the heart of the Bowden development.

“If we get the Commonwealth funds … there’s no point in bringing the Outer Harbor line half way up to Park Tce,” Mr Hook said.

“You might as well take it under Park Tce to take the crossing out and if you’re going under Park Tce, you might as well stay down and build the Bowden Station underground.

“It takes the delays associated with the level crossing out.”

The State Government will develop the Bowden Urban Village, planned for the former Clipsal and Origin Energy sites between Chief St and Park Tce, over the next 10-12 years, with shops, offices and 2400 homes.

It is the first of 14 transit oriented developments (TODs) planned across Adelaide, with some residents expected to move in by early 2013.

The $418 million pricetag on the works dwarfs the $264 million the government plans to spend on the TOD over the next decade. Mr Hook said tunnelling the passenger line through the 16 ha site would improve the development’s appearance.

He said separating the passenger and freight lines was already on Infrastructure Australia’s National Priority List of future projects.

“It becomes entirely a matter for the Commonwealth Government as to the timing,” Mr Hook said.

A spokesman for Federal Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese did not shed any light on when the project was likely to be funded.

“The Government has consistently said that when additional infrastructure funding becomes available in future budgets, the National Priority List will help guide our investment decisions,” he said.

Mr Conlon’s spokesman said works at the Bowden Urban Village could proceed for about five years before the trainline was put underground.

“In the unlikely event that no Federal funding is secured in that timeframe, the LMC (Land Management Corporation) is confident they will be able to adjust the planning for future stages of the Bowden Urban Village,” the spokesman said.

via Messenger News

The State Government yesterday signed a contract with Bombardier Transportation Australia as part of a $269 million deal to upgrade the network and boost the system’s carrying capacity by 540 people.

Transport Minister Pat Conlon also released images of the trains, which will be painted blue and travel at a maximum 110km/h.

The 66 new A-City railcars will be operational within two years and the first in Australia to meet tough new national safety guidelines.

Mr Conlon said the new railcars would be assembled as 22 three-car trains and specially designed for Adelaide’s upgraded electric network.

They will seat around 240 passengers and provide standing room for another 300.

“The A-City will be the first railcar in Australia to use an advanced best practice crash protection system now in use in Europe and will be a wide body train providing more room for passengers,” Mr Conlon said.

Other features will include enhanced security systems, airconditioning and disability access and a passenger emergency intercom at each doorway.

They will also be fitted with a smartcard ticketing system.

The 66 new railcars will be complemented by an on-going program to refurbish 70 vehicles while converting 54 to electric propulsion.

“Our new fleet will service an electrified network and be the backbone of a state-of-the-art, modern and integrated public transport system, delivering the best train, tram and bus services,” Mr Conlon said.

The Government’s multi-billion-dollar overhaul of public transport was dealt a blow last month when $61 million was pulled from the planned O-Bahn extension to help rebuild Queensland in the wake of natural disasters.

The Federal Government announced almost $1 billion in cuts to infrastructure projects to help fund the $5.6 billion rebuilding program.

via AdelaideNow

The bones of three Aboriginal people, which are thought to be more than 300 years old, were found during excavation works in Noarlunga Downs on February 17, 25 and 26.

A smoking ceremony – attended by Kaurna people, Transport Department staff and archaeologists – was held at the site last week.

Kaurna senior Buster Turner, who has overseen siteworks, said the ceremony was to “release the spirits peacefully into the sky”.

She said the remains could be reburied where they were found if the rail route between Old Honeypot and River roads was moved slightly to the south.

“That site is sacred and significant to our culture,” Ms Turner told the Southern Times Messenger.

“We’re asking the Transport Department to move the rail route so we can leave the bodies where they are.”

The Kaurna Nation Cultural Heritage Association last year called for another route to be found for the 1.2km rail bridge over the Onkaparinga River amid fears it would destroy ancient sites.

Elders said at the time there was “women’s ground” along the rail corridor, within the Onkaparinga River National Park, including ancient artefacts and remains.

Ms Turner said the unearthing of the remains and the continuation of work on the site was “distressing” for the Kaurna community.

“A day or two after the first bones were found there were workers excavating again.

“I found that appalling and disgusting – there was no respect for our culture.”

Flinders University archaeology professor Claire Smith said the discovery of the bones was culturally and scientifically significant.

A Transport Department spokeswoman said work continued “in a manner which is respectful of, and sensitive to, concerns about the exposure of skeletal material”.

“The Aboriginal groups in attendance were given the opportunity to conduct appropriate ceremonies and to participate in securing the remains, pending burial,” she said.

In an emailed response, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Grace Portolesi said she had not intervened in the on-site works.

“The respectful and sensitive management of discoveries of Aboriginal remains during this project are governed by existing plans and agreements, which were negotiated between the Transport Department and the Aboriginal people concerned in recent years,” Ms Portolesi said.

Australian Cultural Heritage Management chief executive Dr Neale Draper, who will be examining the bones, declined to comment.

via Messenger News

The boom gate on Kings Rd locked down about 3.30pm, which a Transport Department spokeswoman said happened automatically when an electrical fault was discovered.

“As a safety precaution, the boom gates and signals will automatically lock down in a “safe mode” at a rail crossing in the event of an electrical fault,” the spokeswoman said.

The problem was fixed by 5.10pm.

Trains were delayed by about 30 minutes initially, however, they should make up time over the evening, with delays of just a few minutes expected.

via AdelaideNow

A Transport Department spokeswoman said the city-bound train was forced to stop near the Emerson Station due to engine failure.

The break-down caused a number of other trains to bank up behind it.

Passengers from the affected train told The Advertiser they waited for up to one hour on the trains before they were allowed off.

They were told to wait on South Rd for buses to transport them to the city.

About 50 people were still waiting for a bus at Emerson Station more than one hour after the train broke-down.

Passenger, Mathilda Martin said she waited for up to one hour on the train before she was allowed to get off.

“We were standing the whole time – but that’s life,” she said.

“It’s lucky I’ve got understanding bosses – it’s clearly not my fault.”

Passenger, Corey Sandercock, was in the train behind the broken-down train and had been waiting for over one hour for a bus.

“It’s very inconvenient,” he said.

“I don’t have any phone credit so I could only phone work saying I’d be late after I found a phone box.”

The disabled train has now been moved and services on the Noarlunga line have resumed.

via AdelaideNow