RailSA » Adelaide

No city trams due to cable fault

admin — Mon, 16 May 2011 00:58:26 +0000

A cable fault means there are no tram services in the city this morning for Adelaide commuters.

The power supply was lost at Victoria Square on Sunday.

There are still tram services between Glenelg and South Terrace.

The Transport Department is running buses for city commuters affected by the tram problem.

Opposition transport spokesman Steven Griffiths says Transport Minister Patrick Conlon must ensure tram services become more reliable.

“He needs to get the electrical supply to the Adelaide trams fixed so you actually put confidence back in commuters,” he said.

“At the moment you’ve got people wondering is the tram going to work today, is it not, do I need to get my car organised, am I better off taking a bus?

“It’s that level of confusion that’s not good enough and that’s what the Minister’s got to accept responsibility for.”

via ABC News

Adelaide’s newest tram set to roll

admin — Mon, 09 May 2011 00:57:41 +0000

Adelaide has taken delivery of the first of four new trams from Germany, three years after they were ordered.

The tram arrived at Appleton Dock in Melbourne last Wednesday.

It was then transported to Adelaide and installed on the tracks early on Monday.

Transport Department head of public transport services, Rod Hook, says the trams were ordered in 2008, but there had been several delays.

“There were some issues with the construction of them. There were some floods in Germany which impacted the product that was being built and they had to go back and start again,” he said.

via ABC News

Trams proposed in Mall masterplan

admin — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 13:54:11 +0000

A draft masterplan for Rundle Mall shows potential for a tram along North Tce, Frome Rd and Grote St.

The detailed plan which will be presented to Adelaide City Council on Tuesday reveals tram stops at the North Tce entrance of David Jones and the UniSA apartments and a major bus interchange along Grenfell St.

A civic hub including a piazza and outdoor dining area has also been earmarked for the centre of the mall, along with set busking performance zones.

The entire city block bordered by the mall, King William and Grenfell streets and James Place has also been earmarked for development.

Rundle Mall Management Authority chairman Theo Maras said the plan revealed an early wish list. “This time we’re not just looking at what colour the bricks on the ground are, we’re looking at what will reinvigorate a 24/7 environment,” he said.

via AdelaideNow

New trains are on track

admin — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 02:11:30 +0000

Fifty-four railcars from Adelaide’s existing fleet will be electrified and an extra 66 added.

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

Rail electrification to begin next year

admin — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 08:14:04 +0000

Electrification of Adelaide’s rail network will start next year with the State Government awarding a major construction contract.

Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese and state counterpart Pat Conlon said the $10.2 million project development contract for electrification had been awarded to Laing O’Rourke.

Mr Albanese said the company had over 30 years experience designing and constructing electrified rail systems nationally and overseas.

“The Adelaide rail electrification project will deliver long lasting benefits for the Adelaide transport network: modernizing the lines, benefiting the environment and enhancing lifestyle in Adelaide” he said.

“It is also delivering jobs and bringing international companies to SA.”

The system will cover over more than 100 kilometres of track from Gawler to Seaford, and Adelaide to Outer Harbor.

Mr Conlon said the next phase of the project would deliver about 100 jobs.

“This work represents the nuts and bolts of electrification the poles and wires and signalling and communication systems required to run a state-of-the-art electric rail system complete with brand new trains,” he said.

“In around two years electric trains will be part of a multi-billion dollar network providing faster, more efficient, greener, more frequent and safer bus, train and tram services.”

The first electrified services will run on the new Seaford rail line in 2013, and on the Noarlunga and Gawler lines later that year, with electrification of the Outer Harbor line to be completed in 2015.

The electrification project includes provision of a 25,000 volt overhead wiring system to the metropolitan passenger rail network.

via AdelaideNow