I remember when I first moved to Sydney from Melbourne back in 2001. Gosh, George Street was completely different back then-packed with cars and buses, and far from pedestrian-friendly. Fast forward to 2024, and it’s amazing to see how much it has transformed. The street now feels alive, with people enjoying the trams and the revitalized spaces. Most of the time, it’s bustling with locals and tourists alike, all soaking in the vibrant atmosphere from Circular Quay to Railway Square. I recall the excitement during the construction phase. Watching the tracks being laid on one section was a highlight for me-I couldn’t stop talking about it at work! It felt monumental, probably the biggest infrastructure project the city had seen in decades. As someone mentioned below, No project is ever perfect, and challenges are bound to arise in large-scale infrastructure builds. What really matters are the long-term benefits. Even if we don’t fully see the impact ourselves, future generations-our kids and grandkids-surely will. Just imagine Melbourne without its iconic tram network. The city simply wouldn’t function as efficiently, nor would it be able to move so many people if it relied solely on heavy rail or metro systems. I hope Sydney continues to expand its tram lines, connecting even more parts of the city. I’m particularly hopeful for the proposed Little Bay and Coogee extensions-they would be incredible additions!
Hi Marty, interesting seeing light rail trams running along George Street. I remember the trams originally running there up to 1958 and then later seeing the buses and other road traffic there. Incidentally, the idea of changing from third rail to overhead wire was originally done on the London trams, which ran until July 1952. Here is one interesting thing that happened in Anzac Parade. There was an original tram stop shed that was left there even after the trams ceased running and had been used by the buses. However, more recently, the shed was removed to make space for a larger light rail stop. The light rail could easily be extended to La Perouse, as the reservation in the centre of the road is still there as far as I know. Anyway, take care. Rob in Melbourne Australia.
nice video mate - 3:30 the 2 abandoned platforms now house Sydney metro communications equipment and was repurposed as part of the Stage 2 Metro project!
@@gregessex1851 but most of the capital cost was going to be paid by the private sector proponents. Plus the City of Sydney was going to throw in some funding too. There will never be a cheaper alternative to building light rail on this corridor. Such a lost opportunity.
Union mates... And Labor hates and does not have too much idea about large capital projects/investments . They will have to partner with consortium that are not part of their gang. Other projects benefit them more like western Sydney airport and developments in Parramatta
@@erroreliminator2.076 The Unions are shooting themselves in the foot. They think that jobs will be lost by replacing three one-crew buses with a tram with one crew. Yet the new trams have been a runaway success with them running at much greater frequencies than the buses did, to handle the heavy passenger (er, "customer') demands. That nullifies the objection to replacing buses with trams.
It's a mortal sin for any NSW Labor MP to even think about extending the present light rail lines, or a new one along Parramatta Road. There are some ways in which NSW Labor is still stuck in the 1950s; it's quite conservative compared to the ALP in the other states. A tramline down Parramatta Road to Leichhardt would really be a shot in the arm for the area and really rejuvenate it.
2:08 Recent arrivals to Sydney, or tourists, have no bloody idea how diabolical George St was in the 2000s and early 2010s when cars and buses ran up and down George St. In a sense, the implicit real goal of the light rail project was to simply rid George St of these damned petrol and diesel vehicles.
You must be joking surely? The light rail on George St is painfully slow and moves a pitiful amount of people. The cost, and disruption caused by this project should see some people put in prison.
@@emmett3067 Everything is relative. The George St light rail is an immeasurable improvement compared to what was before it with noisy and smelly buses in the early 2010s. This is beyond doubt. Of course there was going to be a massive disruption and cost with the construction during the back half of the 2010s. It would have been stupid to say otherwise. No pain, no gain. The gain was definitely worth it.
@@user-kc1tf7zm3b I love the Light Rail through the city, I use to get off at central from T4 and pureposely catch tram to Wynnie. Couple days a week I walk george street and the trams are freaking choka, but what I think has also been benefit , with no cars or buses there are people walking along the whole street and cafes,bars with outdoot seating its really revatilised the street. I hope the lines will be extend to Little Bay and Cogee it seems logical and brings more transport options to South East Suburbs which can only be a good thing. Now Barangaroo has metro station so I go there which is where I work.
the most important aspect of this project was that it was (wrongly) designed to keep some car lanes and now some years later they are all gone. if only they had the foresight stops at chinatown and bridge st could have been side platforms instead of island for improved safety.
It's so good that remedial work on the electrical system via third rail needs work, only after 5 years, plus still snail rail. Could be a lot quicker even along Anzac Parade.
I did hear a mention that capacity on whole line is governed by the electricity load on the APS section.. and that it is basically at capacity now without an upgrade (which I am assuming will be at a major cost). But I could be wrong.
4:40 moore park could have been better designed. there was supposed to be underground access at both ends but they only did one so people funnel one way. in a crowd it can be quite intense
Good question. I don't have the answer - but having a relative live right near the Olivia Gardens block I saw first hand the years of work that went into that section of the line.. I had always thought could have they taken the line up a bit further north - all on the street and entered the ANZAC parade reservation - pretty much like the former trams used to. Saving the bridge and the tunnel.. but now it is built.. it's great.
Actually I should have chosen my words more carefully the place itself isn't infamous.. but it did get caught up in an incident that once bought down a NSW Government Minister.. that was the infamous bit..
Back in 2019 in April the light rail turned left at china town then had to walk two blocks to the motel was staying at then that was just before covid came . March 2024 went to sydney and done first run from central to circular quay on the lighrail . They need the light rail go to bondi beach.
I would like the government to extend the existing T4 Train line from Bondi Junction to Bondi, Bondi beach and then North Bondi. That could be done all underground
Yes that would be great - they actually did start work building the line to Bondi - I think in the late 1990s/ early 200s.. but protests from locals and the fact the Airport line wasn't successful meant the project's backers pulled out (it was a public private partnership I seem to recall?). Shame.
@@Seanpaulnz01It won’t happen. All future large rail projects will have to support extra housing. Making travel quicker for people in existing areas is not sufficient justification.
Ha, yes I didn't chose my words that well.. the place of course wasn't infamous.. but that incident with that NSW Minster was... so not to confuse, I just deleted the comment from the video..
@ the scripting was fine/amusing 😀… I was aware of what went on behind closed doors 😎 and to the incident you referred to… it was a nice extra, highlighting the area’s rich and diverse history 😉
Your regular subscriber Neil Forbes claimed these are trams *WRONG* The main differences between light rail and a tram are: Capacity and speed: Light rail systems can operate at higher speeds and capacities than trams. Right-of-way: Light rail systems often operate on an exclusive right-of-way, while trams may run on public streets. Vehicle operation: Light rail vehicles are often made up of coupled modules, while trams are usually separate vehicles and there's your answer
makes me wonder. when full automation comes in some time in our future, maybe decades away with EV's and people pods will history repeat itself and they rip it all up to allow these more personal and smaller automated vehicles to dominate and take people directly to destinations without alighting into mass carrier transports that cost the state to run and maintain.
am with you.. I watched I ROBOT the other week and that was what I was thinking as well.. as everyone in that movie just caught auto pods everywhere.. oh and then the AI robots try to kill everyone.. both are possible future scenarios :)
The main reason for the delays and extra costs was Ausgrid’s underground assets. Gladys personally refused suggestions from one of the two remaining consortiums for the government to carry the risk on Ausgrid who are notorious for not cooperating with contractors. That consortium pulled out of the tender process and the government had to take on Acciona, a Spanish company with no relevant local experience and virtually no staff.
I guess Gladys put the blame on Ausgrid as a private company refusing to work well with another private company. “Why should the government have to fix the issues between two private companies”, perhaps.
@ The person who put that argument to Gladys is a friend. He said basically that his company could not quantify the risk based on past experience and therefore it was appropriate for the client to carry that risk. TfNSW certainly made the wrong call as they ended up with the same problem but at a higher price.
What a load of rubbish. The two modes fulfil different missions thus shouldn’t be directly compared. As for the “underutilisation” claim. The whole system gets over 40mil annual trips. That’s just from 3 lines with a combined track length of only 24km.
I remember when I first moved to Sydney from Melbourne back in 2001. Gosh, George Street was completely different back then-packed with cars and buses, and far from pedestrian-friendly. Fast forward to 2024, and it’s amazing to see how much it has transformed. The street now feels alive, with people enjoying the trams and the revitalized spaces. Most of the time, it’s bustling with locals and tourists alike, all soaking in the vibrant atmosphere from Circular Quay to Railway Square.
I recall the excitement during the construction phase. Watching the tracks being laid on one section was a highlight for me-I couldn’t stop talking about it at work! It felt monumental, probably the biggest infrastructure project the city had seen in decades.
As someone mentioned below, No project is ever perfect, and challenges are bound to arise in large-scale infrastructure builds. What really matters are the long-term benefits. Even if we don’t fully see the impact ourselves, future generations-our kids and grandkids-surely will.
Just imagine Melbourne without its iconic tram network. The city simply wouldn’t function as efficiently, nor would it be able to move so many people if it relied solely on heavy rail or metro systems. I hope Sydney continues to expand its tram lines, connecting even more parts of the city. I’m particularly hopeful for the proposed Little Bay and Coogee extensions-they would be incredible additions!
Couldn’t agree more with your views above thanks for watching and thanks for sharing.
Hi Marty, interesting seeing light rail trams running along George Street. I remember the trams originally running there up to 1958 and then later seeing the buses and other road traffic there. Incidentally, the idea of changing from third rail to overhead wire was originally done on the London trams, which ran until July 1952. Here is one interesting thing that happened in Anzac Parade. There was an original tram stop shed that was left there even after the trams ceased running and had been used by the buses. However, more recently, the shed was removed to make space for a larger light rail stop. The light rail could easily be extended to La Perouse, as the reservation in the centre of the road is still there as far as I know. Anyway, take care. Rob in Melbourne Australia.
Thanks Rob, for the insight - I will have to add it to the next video.
nice video mate - 3:30 the 2 abandoned platforms now house Sydney metro communications equipment and was repurposed as part of the Stage 2 Metro project!
When I moved to Sydney in 2017, I lived in Randwick by the racecourse and worked on George Street. So, I experienced all the construction 😂
That is a neat fact! I didn't know that about the Monorail Beams... I wish I had known as would have put in the video. Cheers M
i remember traveling on light rail was far back as 1997 when it was only from central station to the Casino
Happy Birthday to Light Rail
Hip hip hooray
The question now is: Why is Minns so against the Parramatta Road rejuvenation proposal? What honestly is the downside?
@@whophd cost
@@gregessex1851 but most of the capital cost was going to be paid by the private sector proponents. Plus the City of Sydney was going to throw in some funding too. There will never be a cheaper alternative to building light rail on this corridor. Such a lost opportunity.
Union mates... And Labor hates and does not have too much idea about large capital projects/investments . They will have to partner with consortium that are not part of their gang. Other projects benefit them more like western Sydney airport and developments in Parramatta
@@erroreliminator2.076 The Unions are shooting themselves in the foot. They think that jobs will be lost by replacing three one-crew buses with a tram with one crew. Yet the new trams have been a runaway success with them running at much greater frequencies than the buses did, to handle the heavy passenger (er, "customer') demands. That nullifies the objection to replacing buses with trams.
It's a mortal sin for any NSW Labor MP to even think about extending the present light rail lines, or a new one along Parramatta Road. There are some ways in which NSW Labor is still stuck in the 1950s; it's quite conservative compared to the ALP in the other states.
A tramline down Parramatta Road to Leichhardt would really be a shot in the arm for the area and really rejuvenate it.
2:08 Recent arrivals to Sydney, or tourists, have no bloody idea how diabolical George St was in the 2000s and early 2010s when cars and buses ran up and down George St. In a sense, the implicit real goal of the light rail project was to simply rid George St of these damned petrol and diesel vehicles.
You must be joking surely? The light rail on George St is painfully slow and moves a pitiful amount of people. The cost, and disruption caused by this project should see some people put in prison.
@@emmett3067 Everything is relative. The George St light rail is an immeasurable improvement compared to what was before it with noisy and smelly buses in the early 2010s. This is beyond doubt.
Of course there was going to be a massive disruption and cost with the construction during the back half of the 2010s. It would have been stupid to say otherwise.
No pain, no gain. The gain was definitely worth it.
@@emmett3067 pitiful? You must not know how to count .
@@user-kc1tf7zm3b 💯%
@@user-kc1tf7zm3b I love the Light Rail through the city, I use to get off at central from T4 and pureposely catch tram to Wynnie. Couple days a week I walk george street and the trams are freaking choka, but what I think has also been benefit , with no cars or buses there are people walking along the whole street and cafes,bars with outdoot seating its really revatilised the street. I hope the lines will be extend to Little Bay and Cogee it seems logical and brings more transport options to South East Suburbs which can only be a good thing.
Now Barangaroo has metro station so I go there which is where I work.
the most important aspect of this project was that it was (wrongly) designed to keep some car lanes and now some years later they are all gone. if only they had the foresight stops at chinatown and bridge st could have been side platforms instead of island for improved safety.
It's so good that remedial work on the electrical system via third rail needs work, only after 5 years, plus still snail rail. Could be a lot quicker even along Anzac Parade.
I did hear a mention that capacity on whole line is governed by the electricity load on the APS section.. and that it is basically at capacity now without an upgrade (which I am assuming will be at a major cost). But I could be wrong.
4:40 moore park could have been better designed. there was supposed to be underground access at both ends but they only did one so people funnel one way. in a crowd it can be quite intense
And on the few special events I’ve been there they haven’t been using the Tunnel at all.
whats the simplier apporach to get from the city to anzac parade you mention at 4:13?
Good question. I don't have the answer - but having a relative live right near the Olivia Gardens block I saw first hand the years of work that went into that section of the line.. I had always thought could have they taken the line up a bit further north - all on the street and entered the ANZAC parade reservation - pretty much like the former trams used to. Saving the bridge and the tunnel.. but now it is built.. it's great.
What’s the “infamous landmark” at 7:06 ?
Actually I should have chosen my words more carefully the place itself isn't infamous.. but it did get caught up in an incident that once bought down a NSW Government Minister.. that was the infamous bit..
At least it got finished. Unlike what appears to be happening with the Parramatta light rail at the moment with testing suspended indefinitely.
I know right.. I just realised the first trams ran trials just before Christmas 2023... nearly a year ago now..
Those two ‘abandoned platforms’ at central now house metro electrical equipment!
Thanks Marty.🍺
Back in 2019 in April the light rail turned left at china town then had to walk two blocks to the motel was staying at then that was just before covid came . March 2024 went to sydney and done first run from central to circular quay on the lighrail . They need the light rail go to bondi beach.
I would like the government to extend the existing T4 Train line from Bondi Junction to Bondi, Bondi beach and then North Bondi. That could be done all underground
@@Seanpaulnz01 I totally agree to it . Only got bus and train .
Yes that would be great - they actually did start work building the line to Bondi - I think in the late 1990s/ early 200s.. but protests from locals and the fact the Airport line wasn't successful meant the project's backers pulled out (it was a public private partnership I seem to recall?). Shame.
@@Seanpaulnz01It won’t happen. All future large rail projects will have to support extra housing. Making travel quicker for people in existing areas is not sufficient justification.
@@gregessex1851 Exactly. The west and newer parts of Sydney need better public transport, as many areas have no real public transport to speak of.
“Infamous landmarks” huh? That’s a very revealing comment! 🤣
Ha, yes I didn't chose my words that well.. the place of course wasn't infamous.. but that incident with that NSW Minster was... so not to confuse, I just deleted the comment from the video..
@ the scripting was fine/amusing 😀… I was aware of what went on behind closed doors 😎 and to the incident you referred to… it was a nice extra, highlighting the area’s rich and diverse history 😉
Your regular subscriber Neil Forbes claimed these are trams *WRONG* The main differences between light rail and a tram are:
Capacity and speed: Light rail systems can operate at higher speeds and capacities than trams.
Right-of-way: Light rail systems often operate on an exclusive right-of-way, while trams may run on public streets.
Vehicle operation: Light rail vehicles are often made up of coupled modules, while trams are usually separate vehicles and there's your answer
He see the world differently to ours
makes me wonder. when full automation comes in some time in our future, maybe decades away with EV's and people pods will history repeat itself and they rip it all up to allow these more personal and smaller automated vehicles to dominate and take people directly to destinations without alighting into mass carrier transports that cost the state to run and maintain.
am with you.. I watched I ROBOT the other week and that was what I was thinking as well.. as everyone in that movie just caught auto pods everywhere.. oh and then the AI robots try to kill everyone.. both are possible future scenarios :)
The main reason for the delays and extra costs was Ausgrid’s underground assets. Gladys personally refused suggestions from one of the two remaining consortiums for the government to carry the risk on Ausgrid who are notorious for not cooperating with contractors. That consortium pulled out of the tender process and the government had to take on Acciona, a Spanish company with no relevant local experience and virtually no staff.
I guess Gladys put the blame on Ausgrid as a private company refusing to work well with another private company. “Why should the government have to fix the issues between two private companies”, perhaps.
@ The person who put that argument to Gladys is a friend. He said basically that his company could not quantify the risk based on past experience and therefore it was appropriate for the client to carry that risk. TfNSW certainly made the wrong call as they ended up with the same problem but at a higher price.
this light rail is such a waste of tax payer money.. The metro was one of the best investments for the city
Tell that to the residents and workers of Sydney who rely upon the light rail everyday… 🚈
@ it’s under utilised and should be scrapped
What a load of rubbish. The two modes fulfil different missions thus shouldn’t be directly compared.
As for the “underutilisation” claim. The whole system gets over 40mil annual trips. That’s just from 3 lines with a combined track length of only 24km.
@ I work in the city and always see the trams running mostly empty. I guess it must only get full on the weekends or when it gets to Randwick
@@joshporter5422 Do you even live in Sydney? You posted your comment at 2am. Just seems a bit odd, or are you a bot?