A Transport Department spokeswoman confirmed work in the area where the remains were found on February 17 had been halted, but overall progress on the 5.7km extension had not been affected.

Archaeologists at the site – on the corner of Lovelock Dr and Honeypot Rd, Noarlunga Downs – are examining the remains prior to their reburial.

via AdelaideNow

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

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

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

Timetables for the buses – which were last week delivered to more than 45,000 letterboxes in the line’s catchment area – show commuters will need to leave their homes earlier to reach their destinations on time.

The timetable also showed bus services to Noarlunga would depart Oaklands Interchange 25 minutes earlier than the usual trains.

The schedule – which shows only one replacement bus service for each train – has frustrated some local train users.

Morphett Vale resident, Melanie Lawrence, 24 – who was at Noarlunga station last Wednesday – said the substitute bus service timetable would be a “big inconvenience”.

“I usually get to spend time with my two-year-old son in the morning before I take him to my mum’s house before heading to the station where I travel to the city for work,” Ms Lawrence said.

“Now I don’t know what I’m going to do. It will be a big rush. It means I’ll have to probably wake up about an hour or so earlier than I already do.”

Monica Golab, 45, of Port Noarlunga – who also travels to the city for work – said she was already “dreading the early mornings” and the continual “stopping and starting” of buses.

Keep up-to-date with the latest Noarlunga line upgrade news and photos in our forums

Commuters were last month told they would be without a rail service for six months, while contractor Tracksure lays new tracks, replaces sleepers, improves level crossings and upgrades stations.

A Transport Department spokesman said the substitute bus timetable had been aligned as “closely as possible” with the train timetable, and would “cater for the full capacity of the Noarlunga line services, and be monitored daily throughout the closure”.

“On average the journey time will increase by about 15 minutes,” he said. “There are some express options which only add about eight to 10 minutes to the overall journey time.”

Buses will replace trains from Sunday, February 6, and will service the 12 stations from Noarlunga to Oaklands.

via Messenger News