Pym St Rail Level Crossing in Dudley Park rated as Most Dangerous in South Australia Video 2014
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- Опубликовано: 16 окт 2024
- Train Drivers have rated Pym Street Level Crossing as the "most dangerous level crossing in South Australia".
www.bigrigs.com...
On the West Side of the North Line is an large old industrial estate which in turn is on the East Side of the M2 (South Road).
There is a "no-truck allowed" sign on Exeter Terrace that was ignored by numerous large semi-trailers.
Semi-trailers could not turn left into Exeter Tce without crossing over to the other-side of the Exeter Tce roadway.
Other vehicles on Exeter Tce had to backup so the semi-trailers could get around the corner. (Otherwise the semi-trailer would be left stranded with its trailer across the ARTC track.)
It is suggested that both Exeter Tce and Pym Street adjacent to the Level Crossing are not wide enough to allow the semi-trailers that are attempting to turn left or right without crossing over to the other side of the roadway. A "log jam" scenario involving vehicles be stuck across the rail lines is a daily potential.
Re-direction of long vehicles to use the Pym Street - South Road Intersection, which has traffic lights, would help solve this problem at the the rail crossing in their attempt to go about their business.
The North East corner of the grave yard has been cleared of headstones.
One partial solution is to block-off Exeter Tce North access to Pym Street. Vehicles on Exeter Tce North and attached side roads can get access to the main roads system via Pedder Cres and the road underpass under Regency Road.
It appears the ARTC has slowed down their trains as a precautionary measure.
There are 2x Broad Gauge tracks owned by AdelaideMetro used for Commuter Trains & 1x Standard Gauge owned by ARTC used for 1.5 Km long freight trains and 0.8Km long.
The video was taken in a 20 minute period on a Thursday morning around 8:00am
Awesome video, thank you! The amount of Jumbo sets back then that cross there was striking to me, truly did not expect to see that many Jumbos.
Sadly the Driver's Cab meant it could run on tacks with overhead electric cables.
8th May 2023: The crossing has been updated in 2022. It's definitely a busy area. It's disappointing that the council don't keep on top of the weeds and unsightly area around the tracks. The long trains are still a pain in the butt too. I've always wondered why the Islington Station is in Dudley Park and the Dudley Park Train Station is in Devon Park.
Yes in the last 9 years there have been a lot of changes around this level crossing.
The 3 car Electric Trains are a lot quieter than the diesel electrics.
Housing on the Prospect CC side of the track is increasingly multi-story apartments.
Dudley Park Station remains a 30 minute service. with every second train in rush periods go straight past this station. Given the extra capacity of 3 car trains it would be sensible of all trains stopped at Dudley Park Station.
The railway lines are the dividing line for the suburbs.
Dudley Park Station is in the S.E. corner of the Dudley Park Suburb.
There is NO suburb called Islington in South Australia.
The Islington Station is just inside the N.W. corner boundary for the suburb of Prospect.
Passenger trains will want to come from the housing developments around Two Wells on the Standard Gauge and from Roseworthy and Barossa Valley on the Broad Gauge tracks
The standard gauge train line will probably need to be doubled track at some time in the future for the Two Wells trains
Making the North Line from Salisbury Junction to Thebarton Junction into a 4 track right of way.
I've always found watching railway crossings in action quite satisfying since I was like 4 years old
+Gyo Kamata I have been filming the level crossings that train drivers have identified as being dangerous.
Which level crossings do you find the most interesting?
When in Japan travelling from Tokyo to Beppu on Shinkansen (Bullet Trains) about 30 years ago. At one stage we caught a Bullet Train at Shin-Fuji Railway Station: Shin-Fuji is an intermediate station on the line so we could visit Mt Fuji. This station has for tracks with two platforms. The UP and Down Platforms are on the extreme outside and serve the Passing Loops for the "local train". The UP and DOWN express tracks run down the middle and do not have access to any platform.
Most of the line was single UP and DOWN tracks with passing loops at Intermediate Stations. This is the most economical way to mix Express Trains and Local Trains with minimal disruption to both.
The Express Trains speed through at 300 Kph and are a safe distance away from passengers waiting on the Platforms. No problem of passengers being hit by the rear view mirror or being sucked-off the platform by 300 Kph express trains.
www.google.com.au/search?q=mishima+station+japan&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=jRWUU4r5G4ymkQWE4IHQDA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1115&bih=903#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=pDsu4eiag8_gjM%253A%3Brcg7Pxcap-0nAM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.japan-guide.com%252Fg2%252F6901_03.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.japan-guide.com%252Fe%252Fe6930.html%3B550%3B290
"Between Tokyo and Osaka, the two largest metropolises in Japan, up to thirteen trains per hour with sixteen cars each (1,323 seats capacity) run in each direction with a minimum headway of three minutes between trains."
"Though largely a long-distance transport system, the Shinkansen also serves commuters who travel to work in metropolitan areas from outlying cities. "
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkansen
You will notice there are two lines shown in the Mt Fuji region.
JR Tokaido Line and the JR Tokaido Shinkansen
The Shinkansen often runs above the other line with a similar name.
We were told Japanese people use the word Shinkansen to mean "Elevated Train".
A check with "street view" in Google Earth will confirm the similarity to the our own O-Bahn in the use of Concrete Beam construction. In the Japanese case the beams are about 3 metres off the ground. It means people, cars and business can easily move from one side of the track to the other at almost any point along the track.
The Shikansen track is one continuous rail overpass !!!
The elevation also means less noise - sound diminishes with the square of distance. This same trick of using height to reduce noise for surrounding people and business was used with our own Urban Superway portion of the South Road in Wingfield, Adelaide.
On the return journey I did travel on a very crowded standing-room-only ground level train for portion of the trip into Osaka, with the Bullet Trains speeding above us. The Osaka area is much more crowded than near Mt Fuji and hence their use of Rail above Rail near Osaka.
When travelling on a Shinkansen train you could NOT take any luggage. Just a brief case. All luggage had to be forwarded by truck to the next suitable stop.
If you are doing a series of one night stops you have to live out of your brief-case because there is not enough time for luggage to be sent to each hotel in ready for your arrival.
Japanese people changed into a hotel provided Kimono and sent their clothes down to be laundered over night, so the could be made ready to be put back on the next morning.
Apparently the ground level train lines are no longer used for passengers for most of their length and used mainly for freight trains.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%8Dkaid%C5%8D_Main_Line
This is precisely why we need a rail freight bypass from Murray Bridge to Mallala. Only 20% of freight carried on the freight line is destined for Adelaide. If that 20% of freight came and went via Mallala, we would free up the Adelaide Hills line for commuter trains and reduce traffic from the north by over 50%. (One trip each way to carry the Adelaide consignments). The other 80% of freight could bypass Adelaide entirely. The long term plan is to standardise all the metropolitan rail gauges and half of the hills line has already been done by ANR and the Adelaide Metro broad gauge line has been fitted with dual gauge sleepers, ready for the eventual changeover.
Bob, the answer may be soon at hand.
At last night's, 27-May-2019, "Public Forum: What's the Future for Public Transport in SA?" Minister Knoll let us know that the business case for "GlobeLink" is soon to be available.
www.saglobelink.com.au/
ruclips.net/video/PEAfgdTPqjo/видео.html
Adelaide Metro passenger trains can remain Broad Gauge whilst MelbourneMetro keeps using the same gauge. Brisbane and Perth Metro trains are all narrow gauge by contrast.
Nice shots
irelandbloke Thanks +ve for the feedback
You're very welcome
All of the commuter trains running parallel to Freight Trains are there to set the level crossings and whistle, this requires the Freight train crew to focus on their train, as there's will stop first
Curious; the commuter trains are "broad gauge"; what would that be? I know that in metric standard gauge is 1435 mm or 56 1/8".
We still have 3 gauges in Australia. But we are slowly change most of the lines to 4' 8.5" Standard Gauge.
* Broad Gauge (Irish Gauge) 5' 3" (1,600mm) is still used in some railway lines in South Australia and Victoria.
In the 1850s's the 5' 3" gauge was meant to be the standard / common gauge used by all the railways in the "colonies" in continental Australia.
The colonies of South Australia and Victoria got tracks laid down before the British Government decide to adopt 4' 8.5" as the "Standard Gauge" for the British Isles.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad_gauge
* Standard Gauge 4' 8.5" New South Wales being a bit later in building their tracks then adopted the new "Standard Gauge" of 4' 8.5". Trains between South Australia and Victoria could cross over their common border without any problem.
Trains between Victoria and New South Wales on the other hand had to stop at the border towns of Albury / Wodonga where passsengers changed trains.
In 1912 the Federal Government built and owned the railway line between Port Pirie (South Australia) and Kalgoorlie (Western Australia). This meant passengers and freight between Perth and Adelaide had to change trains twice to complete the journey because of the narrow gauge line from Kalgoorlie to Perth.
* Narrow Gauge. Heavy Duty 3' 6" narrow gauge is / was found in feeder lines South Australia. Plus the main lines in Queensland and Western Australia because of their reduced costs in construction.
In the time of the Whitlam / Dunstan Governments the S.A. main trunk lines were sold to the Federal Government.
The lines between Port Pirie and Adelaide plus Melbourne and Adelaide were both converted to Standard Gauge. The lines into Adelaide were brought into a new Railway Station in the Adelaide Parklands.
The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) now owns the main trunk lines in South Australia. The ARTC is a private corporation of which the Australian Federal Government is the sole share-holder.
There is a long term policy of the South Australian Government to convert the suburban rail lines in Adelaide to Standard Gauge
so, i have learned that australia actually drives on the left, and that it is the only other place in the world that i actually kinda like the trains, also, do you have any stack cars for intermodal? or is it all always just flat like that? also, as one that likes grade crossings, for once i would have to say an overpass would be better...
+chuckufarly5
Thanks for your comments.
Double stacking is not common in Australia at the moment because of all the tunnels in in the mountains of Eastern Australia. In South Australia the Adelaide Hills with its many tunnels is another barrier to Double Stacking of freight trains east of Adelaide.
i
Double stacking is possible West of the town of Parkes in New South Wales and West of Dry Creek here in South Australia. This is across the broad plains.
On my my video of the Dry Creek to Port Adelaide Line I filmed a double stack train.
ruclips.net/video/B4rpKm2AWho/видео.html
These double stack trains do then travel across the level crossing at Kings Road Parafield.
Elevated Railways have the advantage that that movement under the train line can occur at any point along the track.
The high speed trains in Japan and China are mostly elevated trains.
is the empty Jumbo in service or go back to Gawler depot 2109 2010 and 2114 on video clip 10:32
Hi Steve
Probably returning to a marshalling yard somewhere to await for the afternoon rush period. Or going to Dry Creek rail workshop for servicing? Hard to tell
I think is Dry creek
What time did you recorded it?
It was recorded around 07:11 to 08:05 on Thursday 3rd April 2014
Trains from Gawler Central stopping at all 24 stop to Adalide takes 60 minutes to travel the 42.2Km.
An "ExpressTtrain" stopping at 6 stops only saves 12 minutes for the same journey
The up and down tracks have few passing loops to allow "Express" to pass "Local Trains" so there is a 12 minute gap that must always exist if express trains do not run into the back of a local train.
Put another way, this means 5 trains per hour is the maximum number of trains if there is mixture of "Local" and "Express" trains.
The use of "Express Trains" also has un-intended reduction in usefulness to travellers. e.g. Northern Suburb workers at the many factories at Dudley Park or who wish to visit the Dudley Park cemetry have to catch 5:05 to 6:35 up trains from Gawler Central after that time is basically impossible to get there by train. Either the train that stops at Dudley Park does not stop at their local station. Or trains that stop at their local station do not stop at Dudley Park.
Dudley Park resident similarly have to catch those early morning trains - after that time the systems usefulness degrades. Example: their trains during the day do not stop at Womma or Broadmeadow stations.
It is suggested that all trains should be "local trains".
Pym street crossing is a pig if you get caught, especially if you get a freight train coming. I timed it from the time the boom gates started flashing to when I actually spotted the freight train just under 7 minuets ( traffic sat with no train passing) the freight train must have been going no faster than 5kph so total time at the crossing was just under 11 mins. Having to wait for approx 7 min to even see the train coming is dangerous as I have seen impatient drivers who when they do spot the train approaching at what seems like 5 kphs have driven around the boom gates. Yet when a commuter train is coming its a very short wait . A way to try and ease the congestion at Pym street is no freight trains to pass from 7am -845am or shorten the boom gate time. PS if you do get caught with a freight train its usually 7.20am 8.15am and around 9.20am if you are on Exeter tce side it is far quicker to turn around go back through Pedder crescent and back on to Regency Road
HI U-A-L " I have seen impatient drivers who when they do spot the train approaching at what seems like 5 kphs have driven around the boom gates."
Thanks for the confirmation that the problem continues.
The answer is "grade separation"
* Elevate the train tracks is good solution because it allows large numbers of crossing points for pedestrians and vehicles with no up-ramps for bridges or down-ramps for under-passes. Noise being the contra concern for this solution. The nearby Urban Superway ruclips.net/video/AlVro0tpsR0/видео.html is a superb example of what can be done with heavy freight movement.
* Putting the train tracks into tunnels / cuttings is better because it removes the problem of noise. The construction of the road bridge at Park Terrace Bowden on the Outer Harbor Line shows how "tunnels" can be constructed quickly and at lower cost. (Build the side walls with pile drivers, using the earth to support the roof when concrete is being poured and then dig out the dirt to create the tunnel)
Northbridge in Perth Central Business district has a freeway running under in a tunnel parallel to Newcastle Street is an example of what can be done in highly built-up areas ruclips.net/video/iuXVEomQy2A/видео.html
* Road Overpasses and Road Underpasses involve ramps that disadvantage property owners. This is the piece-meal solution.
Do you know why the 2000 class Jumbo cannot run on Seaford, Tonsley and Belair Line from 23/2/2014?
"From 23 February 2014, these cars were no longer permitted to operate on the Belair and Seaford lines due to low clearances as a result of the electrification of these lines"
www.flickr.com/photos/85173628@N03/sets/72157663159621035/
2006 and 2112 have been preserved and were delivered to the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide in July 2016, while 2010 and 2109 have been allocated to SteamRanger, they were delivered by road in June 2016.
In addition, both 2009 (cut in half) and 2104 have been donated to the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service to be used as training areas. The rest of the railcars were scrapped in June 2016.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_class_railcar
it's like a fly vs 100 caterpillars
I drive down pym st all the time and its never that busy!
Don't you believe the video evidence?
investment.infrastructure.gov.au/publications/reports/pdf/Adelaide_Rail_Freight_Movements_Study_Final_Discussion_Paper_09_10_09.pdf
This problem of freight trains also occurs in the Adelaide Hills
The best solution would be to use the Murray Bridge - Palmer - Penfield link.
That right of way could also be used for a Roadway to carry Road Freight. Heavy trucks are currently causing so many deaths on the Adealaide - Mt Barker Freeway.
why is pym street level crossing in dangerous
Train Drivers voted it the most dangerous level Crossing in South Australia.
www.bigrigs.com.au/news/worst-...
In this video you can see cars and trucks that are almost trapped but other truck drivers who are blocking the exit from the level cossing back-up.
You may remember the further along this North Line a school bus and two cars were trapped on the very wide level crossing at Park Terrace Salisbury in 2002
www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/10/24/1035416936279.html
In my videos of Park Terrace I am often standing where school children waiting cross the track and were killed or severely injured. If you look carefully at the videos you will see "RIP and names of victims" written on many of the poles at that crossing point.
ruclips.net/video/5cyRJBUV9Vo/видео.html
www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/horrific-video-of-the-2012-banyo-train-and-truck-crash-has-been-released/news-story/d74c7429cb61c18450286ab9fc1fcd86
The above video shows what happens when a truck bottoms-out on a level crossing. That occurred in Brisbane in 2012
I saw seen 2 trains collide in Adelaide and 1 passenger was killed at Rosewater when I was a lad.
The freight train is going very slowly to give the train driver a chance to stop and people in the motor vehicles to get out, if something goes wrong on the level crossing.
Rail accidents can happen here in Adelaide.
Wow, gates down for ages, looks way worse than any vic crossing
YES. Long freight trains that have just come from Eastern States via the Adelaide Hills Line. Multiple engines are needed because of the steep ascent and decent in the Adelaide Hills.
Since making this video there have been a lot of changes with the Pym Street being cut in half by the nearby North South Road T2T development (Torrens River to Torrens Rd). Some of the factories at Dudley Park have closed.
Since 2014 the Prospect City Council / State Government has approved multi-story housing on the Eastern Side of the Track. No pedestrian under-pass or overpass at the stations to get to the platforms at Dudley Park Rail Station and Ovingham Rail Stations
@@Highbury5089 geez why don’t they just put the rail under road there?
@@louithefly Our citizens largely drive motor cars.
1 Km south of Pym Street we are in the midst of building the Ovingham Level Crossing Removal Project at Torrens Rd.
ruclips.net/video/eWpSi5k45hs/видео.html
Pedestrians will still have a level crossing at the Ovingham Railway Station. With the electrification of the Gawler Line the number of trains will probably be greater than in 2014. .
Its only busy because it probably 5 o clock and because there was a freight train
It gets this busy every time a freight train passes over this level crossing during waking hours.
This is the only rail route for freight trains between Melbourne & Perth and around 90% of all freight between these two cities goes by rail.
The freight trains go so slow because they cannot stop in time if a truck, bus or cat gets stuck on the level crossing.
Banyo level crossing in Brisbane A truck got stuck on the rail track
www.qutnews.com/2012/09/14/truck-in-level-crossing-smash/#.Wk8GIFWWbIU
ruclips.net/video/5cyRJBUV9Vo/видео.html
Salisbury Level Crossing in Adelaide. A School Bus and two cars go stuck on the rail track.
ruclips.net/video/amsueXrKsM4/видео.html
The trains you see in the above Salisbury Level Crossing video also go across the Pym Street Level Crossing.
Nonsense! Go and sit there for the day and learn!
Should remove the level crossing and make it a Rail Underpass imo
Removal of level crossings should be occurring along the entire length of the Standard Gauge Freight Line and Broad Gauge Passenger Line from Keswick to Salisbury.
So the reason for this level crossing being rated one of the worst is because of the industrial factories and trucks having to cross over, seeing the Belford Ave crossing on the other side of the Dudley Park station it would be less dangerous than Pym St cos the factories don't go over that side, also about the trains running express that is the ones only Gawler trains and not Gawler Central ones stop, every other train stops at every other station in between the regular and high frequency stations Gawler, Tambelin, Smithfield, Elizabeth, Salisbury, Parafield, Mawson Lakes, Islington and Adelaide
There are a number of problems. The side of Exeter Tce is 3 metres from the ARTC freight track. West bound vechicles on Pym St trying to turn right have to wait for a break in the East bound traffic. Any large westbound vehicle following would then be stuck across the ARTC track.
Because the sight lines on the ARTC track are good AND because the Freight train was going so slowly there would have been sufficient distance for the freight train to be brought to a halt. In an earlier video of the "Torrens Junction", which 100m south of the North Terrace Railway Station, I noticed the freight train "crawling" along. It would appear that because there are so many dangerous points along the ARTC track from the River Torrens crossing to Islington that the freight trains are scheduled to travel a the safest speed - very slow.
A number of pedestrians have been seriously injured or killed by collision with trains when they are attempting to go about their business and cross over the Gawler Line + ARTC track
Neil Hamilton Yeah I firgured the freight train on the ARTC line was going slow because of that and also the yards between the stations of Kilburn and Islington, I've seen the Train Enthusiast Video Diary videos uploaded by adnoorak and I've seen a few trains on that line from around this area, at the Ovingham station at Torrens Rd there's a Ghan train that passes through in that video which just had a single carriage and that appreared to be going at normal speed, I did see your video of Torrens Junction while at the North Adelaide station there was a freight train passing through, you then also uploaded a short video later of that station and you mentioned in the description of that video stating the reason it's rarely used is probably because the car park is on the wrong side of ARTC track, the Torrens Junction video during the freight train passing through as you mentioned, it would have been impossible for people to cross through to that station from the car park
Record Adelaide Metro patronage as passengers flock to train network
29 Jul 2015
dpti.sa.gov.au/news/?a=173210
There’s been a big increase in the number of passengers taking public transport in Adelaide, with an extra three million trips recorded in the past financial year.
Almost 67 million passenger trips were recorded across our bus, train and tram networks in 2014/15 - the largest ever patronage figures in the network’s history.
Last year Adelaide Metro carried 3.4 million extra passengers - a 5.5 percent increase on the previous financial year.
This is above the expected population growth and represents the investment that South Australia has made in our public transport networks.
The largest increase was experienced on the train network in the first full year of patronage since the electrification of the Seaford line.
Commuters have returned to the Seaford line in droves with more than 4.45 million passengers choosing to catch Seaford services, an increase of 78 percent.
Last year’s increase on the Seaford line follows a 2.7 percent jump in the 2013/14 year when commuters returned to the newly electrified rail infrastructure and new electric trains were introduced.
Patronage for buses and trams ramped up significantly in previous years while train services were suspended for works and part of the increase in train patronage has come from many passengers making the shift back.
The Outer Harbor and Gawler lines have also shown steady improvements, recording 8 and 7.3 percent increases in patronage respectively.
On the Belair line the delivery of the Millswood Station and a revised timetable last October have helped deliver an extra 240,000 passenger trips.
The bus network has shown a steady improvement with a 1.5% increase in 2014/15 compared to the year before, now carrying more than 51 million commuters.
Tram patronage was steady with a slight drop in passenger numbers over the past financial year as commuters returned to upgraded train services on the Seaford line.
For the first time free trips have also been recorded through improvements in Adelaide Metro technology and monitoring, such as the introduction of Metrocard.
Previously we haven’t been able to record free trips but through these developments we have identified more than 8 million free trips to special events, free travel in the CBD and Glenelg, and Footy Express.
The 8 million free trips are not included in the total patronage figures of almost 67 million for 2014/15.
Key facts and figures
Adelaide Metro annual patronage
2014/15 - 66,785,807
2013/14 - 63,312,184
2009/10 - 66,505,887 (previous high)
Record-high patronage for 2014/15 financial year
Patronage increased by 5.5% on previous financial year
Train patronage
2014/15 - 13,115,666
2013/14 - 10,388,830 (includes period of line closures on Seaford and Belair lines)
2009/10 - 10,702,267 (previous high)
78.77% increase on the Seaford line on previous financial year
26.57% increase on Belair line
8.01% increase on Outer Harbor line
The ‘sky rail’ saga: can big new transport projects ever run smoothly?
www.railexpress.com.au/the-sky-rail-saga-can-big-new-transport-projects-ever-run-smoothly/
Tensions are rising in Melbourne over plans to use elevated rail to remove suburban level crossings. Sydney has already begun building its “Skytrain” project in the city’s northwest. However, the Victorian government is discovering, as have many before it, the travails of translating popular transport promises into big project announcements.
Last month, as residents in ALP electorates along the Dandenong line in Melbourne’s southeast returned from summer holidays, they read tabloid stories of “secret” plans to build a “sky rail” to eliminate nine level crossings. Some logged on to viral online petitions condemning the idea.
Labor won the November 2014 Victorian state election with a plan to remove 50 level crossings over eight years to reduce congestion and improve safety. This was a rapid acceleration of an existing program, which had sunk railways at ten suburban crossings since the 1990s. People knew changes were on the way, but many expected the railway to be put in a trench.
What are the benefits of elevated rail?
Even as researchers long interested in these issues, it took us time to recognise the benefits of elevated rail compared to trenching. In 2012, we began investigating improved station designs for Melbourne. Could stations again become vital nodes in networks of civic public space, rather than neglected back doors to the suburbs they serve?
We set our graduate students the task of re-imagining stations selected by our local government partners. We used these designs to stimulate critical debate across private sector and government professional networks involved in many of Melbourne’s recent station upgrades and crossing removals.
We discovered that some form of grade separation was necessary to achieve a step-change in station performance. After three iterations of our design-research process, it became clear elevated rail had a distinct edge over trenching.
We have continued, with support from the Level Crossings Removal Authority, to investigate design parameters for level-crossing removal in Melbourne while documenting their historical legacies across the city.
Clearly, elevated rail can be done badly, but if done well there are many benefits. These include:
opportunities for multi-scale economic and social development around stations;
extended networks of linear parks and quiet streets for safer walking and cycling;
opportunities to reorganise Melbourne’s bus system and its rail connections;
superior passenger experience, views and way-finding;
greater efficiency: gravity aids braking and acceleration through stations; and
less disruption to traffic and trains during construction.
What about the objections?
Objections to elevated rail have centred on questions of overlooking, noise and shading. Such objections are frequently accompanied by calls for decked-over trenches or full-scale tunnels.
Visual screening from elevated rail is usually not necessary where viaduct height and train speed obviate overlooking. It can easily be achieved where necessary.
Reducing rail noise involves a combination of high-quality design and construction, good maintenance and, in places, low-height sound baffles. Freight, above or below ground, can pose special issues; in New South Wales, a compensation scheme supports sound insulation in homes.
Residents on the Dandenong line may need performance guarantees through post-construction monitoring. However, many living close to level crossings already anticipate an end to disturbances from train whistles, boom-gate bells and tyres bumping over rails.
Shading is more difficult. Negotiated settlements might be needed with some residents.
Decking is impossible on the inclines towards road crossings, since trains need clearance. It is very expensive and only for developers wanting to erect tower blocks above stations would it be attractive.
Deep tunnelling is typically about five times more expensive than trenching. That rules it out except in areas of very high land value, such as the CBD.
The shift from trenches to sky rail
Melbourne has a legacy of successful elevated rail, much of it in desirable suburbs. Yet somehow trenching became the default.
Between 2013 and 2015, our findings on the benefits of elevated rail were presented widely to transport industry experts, government officials and our academic peers. With growing acceptance of our conclusions in these professional networks, it was no surprise that tenders for level-crossing removals on the Dandenong line included options for elevated rail.
The state government was under pressure to act fast on the Dandenong line. Labor came to power just as the previous government was finalising agreements on an “unsolicited” proposal from a private consortium, led by rail operator MTM, to upgrade tracks and remove several level crossings.
The proposed works included plans for what the consortium called “level crossing-lite”. This offered no improvement to the urban realm. It also required the state to pay an “access fee” to MTM to use the upgraded track.
The incoming Andrews government, to its credit, rejected this deal. But that left little time to bring forward new plans to fill the gap and keep Labor’s ambitious electoral promise on track.
Finding new ways to talk about big plans
What options did the government have to bring people with them and not act so far ahead of public expectations?
In Melbourne, as in other Australian cities, consultation on everything from major projects to local development has been utterly debased. Few citizens have any confidence their objections will be heard or their fears addressed.
People with legitimate grievances often feel they have no option but to appeal to the tabloids. Political opportunists do all they can to fan the flames. In such a climate, broaching new or challenging ideas is fraught, yet there are clear imperatives for innovation.
Repairing this damage to civil society will require strong political commitment to more inclusive and open-ended processes of consultation and planning, along with evidence-based policy. Countless international and local models are available.
These new processes will need to weather the anger and distrust created by years of cynical manipulation. The government could start to take the heat out of the debate by providing some accurate comparisons of the costs and benefits of different options for removing level crossings for Dandenong and other rail lines on their list.
The alternative is to abandon the many potential beneficiaries of well-designed elevated rail - who are just coming to appreciate what this might offer - to the uncertain outcomes of a contest between a defensive government and the shrill voices of complaint.
John Stone is Senior Lecturer in Transport Planning, University of Melbourne, and Ian Woodcock is Associate Lecturer, School of Global, Urban & Social Studies, RMIT University.
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article here.
theconversation.com/the-sky-rail-saga-can-big-new-transport-projects-ever-run-smoothly-54383
Suggested Dudley Park Station with Passing Loops for local trains
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ PLATFORM [[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
========== LOCAL UP===========
// \\
=========>>===== EXPRESS UP ==>>====================>>