SA Footy

Ok, we had the weekend hysteria over too many cars on Adelaide roads.
Well I challenge the Governments to really plan for the future NOW!
What is the solution?

Trams- mmmno. Infrastructure costly, yet does not relieve traffic pressure
Buses- don't work now
Trains- whose homes are we gonna bulldoze to do this? (eastern suburbs, yeah right!)

My suggestion is the Government start building a subway system- this can extend the current rail network, without destroying homes, risking political suicide (in upper class belts), & more importantly reducing congestion on the roads.

Imagine getting on @ Adelaide Central, catching the underground to The Parade- getting off* for Fri night footy.

Thoughts people?

Sounds good Rooster, but be serious now.


it'll never happen, and you know it

it would be progressive, & a step towards the future.

Yes, I admit the it's $100,001 to happen, but they could worse than give it serious consideration, & start planning routes now.

Agree it would be better for sure- the best cities to get around are ones with subways- rome london paris barcelona beijing all of them have an effective subway system.

Not in a million years though

hooray someone thinks along the same lines as me. but it would cost mega bucks and take years to build. but alas it is too much forward thinking and will never happen

I was thinking just the other day - after a habitual dash from the end of platform 8 to the end of platform 2 at Adelaide train station, thanks to another late arriving train - that an underground city-loop train would work wonders for the commuter throughput.

One of the chief design flaws of the current rail system is that the central station does not allow trains in one side and out the other, as in Melbourne or Perth. This results in trains stacking on platforms, and trains held up in the yard.

If a train could enter Adelaide, do a loop of the CBD and then disappear to its next destination there would be no more holdups. Commuters would not crowd Adelaide station. Hell, trains need not even do the city circuit; we could get trains moving seamlessly from the Noarlunga line to the Gawler line without a holdup in town.

So thumbs up from me

I recall reading an article from a Doctor of Transport and Managment (?) in the US.

His idea was for small single person,to max. 4 person "pods" be constructed that link to existing over head power poles around major cities.These light weight stream lined 'pods' will run on solar power,raised 'platforms' will be placed at centres, like shopping,hospitals,sports venues around the city,they will run in single file,be them singular or multiple 'pods' to designated 'stations',much like trains do now,however,they will not have scheduled departure or arrival times and people will move from one station to another at thier own will.

The subway idea has a lot of merit and would be a massive improvement on what we currently have but it won't happen. Realistically complaining about traffic congestion in Adelaide is a bit much. The cities that have Subway sytems such as New York, London etc. are absolutely massive and need them. Adelaide would benefit from an underground rail system but it doesn't need one.

sound like a goo idea

I think SA can't afford the rail network. Too expensive to maintain.

Improve our Bus system.

Electric buses with free travel.

Get it up and running properly. Get the public hooked on buses.

Then slowly introduce fares.....

Make it too expensive to have a car......

Is't that whats happening now....? lol

we really have nothing to complain about here, our peak hour lasts about 20 minutes!!!

Monorail, Monorail, Monorail!

Falcon Chick wrote:Monorail, Monorail, Monorail!

Well they did it in Shelbyville and skagway, so why not.

rod_rooster wrote:The subway idea has a lot of merit and would be a massive improvement on what we currently have but it won't happen. Realistically complaining about traffic congestion in Adelaide is a bit much. The cities that have Subway sytems such as New York, London etc. are absolutely massive and need them. Adelaide would benefit from an underground rail system but it doesn't need one.

Yes, while Adelaide may not need one now, if the basic infrastructure is developed in the near future, we can be prepared for when the time comes that we really need it.
As Pseudo suggested, we could start off with a city loop-
to prevent banking up of trains
an easy method to travel around the city itself, eases congestion within the city
also, this basic system would provide future avenues to branch off into the eastern suburbs/major shopping centres etc

If Adelaide does not "think big", we'll be forever stuck in the malaise of being the "half-assed" city- Port Rd canal anyone???

Punk Rooster wrote:

rod_rooster wrote:The subway idea has a lot of merit and would be a massive improvement on what we currently have but it won't happen. Realistically complaining about traffic congestion in Adelaide is a bit much. The cities that have Subway sytems such as New York, London etc. are absolutely massive and need them. Adelaide would benefit from an underground rail system but it doesn't need one.

Yes, while Adelaide may not need one now, if the basic infrastructure is developed in the near future, we can be prepared for when the time comes that we really need it.
As Pseudo suggested, we could start off with a city loop-
to prevent banking up of trains
an easy method to travel around the city itself, eases congestion within the city
also, this basic system would provide future avenues to branch off into the eastern suburbs/major shopping centres etc

If Adelaide does not "think big", we'll be forever stuck in the malaise of being the "half-assed" city- Port Rd canal anyone???

Very good points Punk.

Adelaide's problem is the lack of going forwards Great idea punky but no CUNextTuesday in government has the Testicular Fortitude to get something like this off the ground.

Falcon Chick wrote:Monorail, Monorail, Monorail!

You're welcome to that piece of crap up here in Sydney...

The blunt facts of the matter is that any major improvement to public transport that requires an significant investment of state government funds is never going to happen, there will never be any subway, monorail, new rail lines etc etc.

Look at the existing Gawler train line which passenger trains terminate at Gawler Central and have done so for the past 30 years, the suburb of Gawler has grown and new suburbs next to it have opened up, suburbs that are now on the rail line which takes goods trains, how hard would it be to extend the Gawler line one or two stations so that people can walk to the trains rather than having to have a second car just to get to the station, considering also that no buses service the area. How hard can it be to put a new station on an existing track and send the train there?

The same could be said for Bridgewater and Mt Barker, both areas on existing train lines that are burgeoning with new populations. How hard could it be to have peak hour express trains from Mt Barker to the city stopping at Bridgewater? Doing that alone is going to cut many cars off Glen Osmond rd.

If the State Government cant get basic stuff like the above right, what hope of improving the public transport network is there?

If we are going to have the major part of the network being buses, wouldent it make sense to go and make bus lanes and bus lights at intersections to speed up bus trips and make it viable?

Bring back the Red Hens, at least they were reliable unlike the current crappy trains that we have now!

The problem for the trains to Mount Barker is simple the line to Melbourne is Standard Gauge whilst the lines in adelaide are board Gauge.

The government has to make a decision, add a third rail, or get some standard gauge trains. Ultimatley it would be a better solution to move the suburban rails inwards and make the switch from broad gauge to standard gauge, it would certainley then make country rail services to Murray Bridge, Pt Pirie and Angaston a lot easier to make happen.