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.

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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.

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Transport Department studies have shown that stopping the train 300m from the city terminus at the railway yards site was not justified given the number of potential pass engers. People for Public Transport secretary Margaret Dingle, however, called on the State Government to build a station at the North Tce complex for passengers travelling into the city.

She said it would be more convenient for people who were sick, although it would increase journey times for other passengers.

“When you are already on the train, to have to go to the central station and then have to catch a bus or a tram back is a bit silly,” Ms Dingle said.

Council on the Ageing chief executive Ian Yates said he was surprised the $1.7 billion hospital did not have its own train stop as he believed that was part of original plans.

“It certainly won’t assist it – and that’s not just for people visiting but people coming to the hospital for out-patient services,” he said.

A traffic assessment for the new hospital by engineering consultants Wallbridge and Gilbert shows there will 2300 car parks, dedicated bus stops on North Tce and Port Rd and space for 300 bikes.

A spokeswoman for Health Minister John Hill said the decision not to include the train stop was based on practical rather than cost considerations.

“Staff, patients and visitors will arrive on foot, bicycle, bus, tram, taxi and car – if coming by train, they would arrive at the station and either walk up to the hospital or travel by tram,” she said.

via Messenger News

The council’s recommendations for Adelaide by 2036 also include extending tram routes around the western and eastern ends of Adelaide.

South Australian executive director Nathan Paine said while the airport is modern, it needs to be more accessible.

“While we’ve got one of the best airports in the nation in terms of its proximity to the CBD, the connection between the two is still a bit lacking,” he said.

“Certainly we think that over time we need to look at putting in perhaps a light rail system out to the airport.”

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Fred Hansen is one of the world’s leading transport minds and arrived in Adelaide last Thursday to begin his tenure.

Mr Hansen – general manager of public transport provider TriMet in the U.S. city of Portland, Oregon – said there were clear similarities between Adelaide and his home town.

“Portland had an extensive tram system that was all torn out in the 1950s because people thought the car would dominate,” he said.

“We opened the first new light rail service in Portland in 1986, now have 52 miles of light rail and we’re planning more.”

Adelaide also had an extensive tram network spanning most of the suburban area, until increasing car traffic and an expanding bus fleet saw lines progressively shut down through the 1950s, leaving the Glenelg tram to stand alone from 1963.

Mr Hansen said the extension of the Glenelg tram through the city was a “wonderful investment” that helped “transform the downtown area”.

“It takes into consideration carbon (emissions) and global climate change and that people don’t want to be stuck in cars – they want to have choices,” he said.

During his initial three-week residency, Mr Hansen will focus on issues underpinned by the Government’s Draft 30-year Plan for Greater Adelaide.

He said a well-connected system of light rail, train and bus networks and a focus on transit-oriented development – a key ingredient in the Government’s plan – were important transport options for a city like Adelaide.

“The population is going to be growing here so it’s a question of how to develop those choices,” he said.

Mr Hansen will remain in Adelaide for two more weeks and return for a second visit late next year.

AdelaideNow