Wednesday essay- Light rail in Sydney

Randwick council has recently decided to get behind light rail between the city and it's council area. There's no such thing as a new idea, here's an article I dug up from 1991 which has some historical interest as it predates the airport line and other misadventures.....

In the last issue of UNIKEN it was reported that the University, in a bid to alleviate the student accommodation crisis, intended to press ahead with plans to build units on two vacant sites at Mulwarree and Prince Streets, near the Kensington campus. These sites are part of the old tramway route to Randwick and Coogee and supporters of light rail want to retain them as a corridor for their proposed scheme.

UNSW is planning to build on a section of the old tramway corridor, which it owns (Prince and Mulwarree Streets). This development will provide needed accommodation for University students; however, due to lack of foresight in the design of the buildings, the development is currently irreconcilable with a plan for a light rail system which could use the old tram reservations to reach Randwick and Coogee.

Building on the transport corridor may prove to be the single most important factor that will condemn UNSW students and staff to reliance on rubber tubes and the internal combustion engine for their commuting needs to the University. The main campus of the University of NSW is located on the eastern seaboard of Sydney, away from the population and growth centres of Sydney.

It is possible that the lack of easy accessibility of this campus by public transport will adversely affect our competitiveness for both students and staff. The University will be the .principal beneficiary of a light rail development in the Eastern Suburbs (served by the Anzac Parade and Coogee lines) and therefore it should look at its long term interests and should not rush to build an uncompromising structure that block the corridor. The University can build accommodation for 230 students on the Mulwarree site without affecting the light rail route, by simple rearranging the wings of the proposed buildings. The proposed development for 90 beds on Prince Street can only be reconciled with light rail if it allows the ground floor to be converted to light rail corridor. If this proves too expensive, the University could delay the Prince Street development until the prospects of light rail for Sydney are clarified over the next few years.

The Property and Works Department currently gives as an excuse for their uncompromising stand the possibility of light rail following the Alison Road route. Unfortunately, on Alison Road light rail will have to phase in with cars (one of the reasons for removing the trams in the first place was that they interfered with cars) and will no longer travel through a dense residential development.

Here I wish to describe a proposal for light rail in the South-Eastern suburbs of Sydney and then a mirror image of this system for the Northern and North-Westem suburbs. The multiple interfaces between the light rail and heavy rail systems displayed in the accompanying map indicate that our University will be significantly better accessible by public transport from nearly all areas of Sydney and surrounding towns. The present proposal shows how this system will service the airport better than the expensive ($200 million) dedicated heavy rail line from Central Station to the airport. Finally, it shows how this North to South axis will relieve pressure at Wynyard and Town Hall and will thus diminish the need for the expensive $350 million "Metro West proposal." While only the South-Eastern suburbs proposal has been costed at some detail ($100 million, including the airport link), it is expected that the whole of the proposed scheme for Sydney will cost less than $550 million (the aggregate cost of the heavy rail link to the airport and the Metro West project).

Light rail is enjoying expansion around the world at an unprecedented rate. According to the International Union of Public Transport it is now the fastest growing form of tracked transport in the world. In the UK 48 cities are considering the introduction or have already introduced light rail. In California, light rail systems have been introduced in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose and Sacramento. Here in Australia, Adelaide has had one light rail line to Glenelg for decades and more recently Melbourne has converted two lightly patronised rail services from St Kilda and South Melbourne to light rail. However, it is here in Sydney where light rail has its greatest potential. This is because Sydney has the rights of way and the potential passenger volumes for a highly successful light rail system. As all transport operators know only too well, it is volume that counts when it comes to providing public transport. Higher density of development and the concentration of high traffic generating establishments, especially offices, shops, universities and hospitals enable better public transport to be provided

and the better it is, the more people will find it an acceptable alternative to driving a car.

Potential for Light Rail in Sydney

Sydney is in a unique position to introduce light rail now. In the South Eastern suburbs there are some 15 kilometres of former tramway reservations which serve some of the most densely populated suburbs in Sydney as well as the airport, University of NSW, hospitals, racecourse and southern beaches. In addition, there is an unused tunnel almost a kilometre long that runs north/south through the city under Macquarie Street and Hyde Park. This tunnel includes the unused station platforms at St James. And there is the former Randwick tramway workshops site ideally placed as a workshop and running shed for a 25km light rail system in Sydney's south-eastern suburbs. As can be seen from the accompanying map, the opening of the Harbour Tunnel next year presents a one-off opportunity to regain the former tramway across the Harbour Bridge and link this to the south-eastern suburbs network. This route, connecting as it would the CBD with North Sydney, would become the nucleus of two major light rail corridors north of the harbour. These are: the corridor to the northern beaches via Mosman and The Spit and the corridor to Western Sydney (North Sydney, Gore Hill, Ryde, Epping, Carlingford, Parramatta) via the Epping Highway.

Opening of the Harbour Tunnel and the Gore Hill Freeway

The opening of the Harbour tunnel provides a convenient goal for decision making on the first stage of the light rail system. In conjunction with the tunnel, a new freeway will be opened to Gore Hill where it will link with the Pacific Highway and the Epping Road corridor. In doing so, it will relieve the Pacific Highway from Gore Hill to North Sydney thereby enabling the provision of an on-street light rail line to serve this major strip of office employment. Thus, the first stage of a light rail system in Sydney should capitalise on the current road and tunnel works to get a line from Gore Hill via Crows Nest, North Sydney and the Harbour Bridge, then across to the Conservatorium and a short underground link to the St James tunnels. From here it will proceed to Randwick, where the depot and workshops would be sited, the UNSW and the rest of the South Eastern suburbs.

Servicing the airport and obviating the need for the Metro West (City) proposal

The light rail system will service the airport with a direct connection to Sydenham Station and an indirect connection through Anzac Parade and UNSW to the city and then North Shore. Additional benefits of this north/south link include the improved access to the eastern side of the city (viz Martin Place, St James and Museum) from the North Shore, which is currently only conveniently connected to Town Hall and Wynyard. The converse movement from Museum, St James and Martin Place to the North Shore employment areas is even more important because it removes the congestion currently caused by interchanging passengers at Town Hall and Wynyard stations by transferring these movements to St James (where the interchange from the Bankstown, East Hills and Campbelltown lines would be cross platform) and Martin Place. This objective could defer the need for the very expensive ($350 million) Metro West proposal of the SRA which offers little in the way of transport improvements to the suburbs.

Other opportunities for light rail in Sydney

A number of politicians and prominent people in the community have asked why not promote light rail in the Western suburbs where the need for improved public transport is perceived to be the greatest. The answer to that is twofold: 1) Light rail transit's viability depends on passenger volume which in turn depends on relatively high density development; 2) it must be possible to obtain corridors, where they are needed, cheaply. Unfortunately there is nowhere in Sydney's West where either, let alone both, of these criteria are met. The Department of Planning has done some excellent work in preserving the opportunity for a major transport corridor from Hoxton Park to Parramatta and on up to the Hills district. This is a very far sighted plan and as Parramatta develops into a major employment area (like the lower North Shore now) light rail will become a very real possibility. However, much of the corridor has yet to be acquired and on the Baulkham Hills leg which is the most heavily trafficked route at present, leading as it does to the rapidly developing North West sector, land acquisition costs could be as high as $30 million per kilometre. Current bus passenger volumes are of the order of 1,000 per hour compared with 5,000 in the south-eastern suburbs where virtually no property has to be acquired. Further, the civil engineering formations and drainage patterns for the former tramway system in the southeast are still intact.

LA versus Sydney

It is coincidental that the last electric line in what was at one stage a huge rail network in LA was closed down in 1961,the last year trams ran in Sydney. The last line to close was to Long. Beach. Last August, the Long Beach-Los Angeles line was re-opened at a cost of $900 million (US) for an expected 15/20,000 passengers per day. We estimate our South-eastern system here in Sydney would carry at least 4 times this number of passengers at a cost of around $100 million for construction and another $100 million or so for rolling stock (which would probably be leased). John Dunn, an international authority on rail car designs, has reported that his overseas colleagues are surprised to learn that Sydney has unused potential public transport corridors and is not establishing a light rail system. Cities overseas use their corridors and attempt to procure more; the irony and anachronism of the situation in Sydney is that the State Transit Authority is now selling both tramway reservations and tram workshops in Randwick. Greenpeace (who has written to UNSW opposing the planned unit development) consider transport the area where saving in greenhouse gas emissions will cause the least dislocation. Planning for transport is planning for the future of Sydney and assisting in the construction of a sustainable society on the planet. I am not expecting that the University will concern itself with the habitability of the planet. I am suggesting that the self-interest of the University will be incomparably better served by the light rail system than by taking full advantage of a segment of the corridor as a building site at this time.

UNIKEN, 22 March 1991-11

1988 Rosebery District UTA timetable

The Urban Transit Authority was created in 1980 when the Wran Government split the all encompassing Public Transport Commission (PTC) into the State Rail Authority (SRA) for trains and the UTA for buses and ferries. In 1989, the Greiner Government renamed the UTA the State Transit Authtority (STA) to which it remains today.

This is the last UTA timetable for the Roseberry District, encompassing routes 343, 345 and 351.  343 and 345 soldier on pretty much as they did. 351 was a peak hours only 'industrial' route between Kingsford and Redfern, now no longer.

Note the bicentennial logo bottom right of the cover.

The East Hills line timetables- Part 2, 1987- (Part 1!)

This timetable, dated 31st May 1987, is the last timetable prior to the opening of the extension to Glenfield. It's also in a new style. I must admit that of all the timetables published before and after, this style is my favourite. There is something about the snaky coloured line on the front with the major station names, and the 'East Hills Line' title in the format of the station signs of the time that screams 1980s. Perhaps its also that I was 14 at the time and it's probably my earliest real memory of carrying one of these things around.

The map is also my favourite of all the styles of State Rail/ CityRail maps published before and after. I've pointed out it's flaws on my website before, especially the ambiguous junctions at Blacktown and Cabramatta, but despite this it remains simple, clear and kinda funky. I also have fond memories of the perspex maps on the carriage walls above the side windows in the S and R sets (and can recall ripping a few off in a miss-spent youth).

Anyway, into the timetable we go, and its basically the 1985 timetable  tweaked a bit, with a few curiosities. The basic 15 minute clock face timetable remains, along with the few weekday peak hour limited stops runs, most of which have had their stopping patterns slightly adjusted. There are also a few services that terminate at Central with an asterix beside the time but no explanation of what that means. Presumably it refers to the fact that they terminate in the country platform but we are left to speculate and the 'Explanation of Symbols' is of no assistance.  There is also a 'Days' column across the top, despite it remaining quite blank all through the timetable.

And what do I see at 6:53pm on weekday nights? A St James terminator!

The rear cover has lost the fares and phone number information, too bad if you need help. But here we see the start of political spin, a list of looming new trains and improvements- the XPT is coming, so are 520 (yet to be named) Tangaras. Not sure about the 140 luxury air-conditioned interurban carriages, maybe the once proposed Inter-Urban Goninan Tangara variant that never came off (more on this in another post). $2,500 million in upgrades etc, in 1987 dollars (whew!). $2,500 million sounds like so much more than $2.5 billion. It was of course the last days of Barry Unsworth.

Next.... the opening of the Glenfield extension.

How's this for professional?

Was digging around in my box of tricks and came up with this undated timetable, probably early 1990s, of the western NSW country rail and bus services. What sort of professional corporate image does it promote? Any ideas on the date?

The East Hills line timetables, part 1- 1985

The East Hills line has perhaps seen the most changes over the last 30 years of any Sydney suburban railway line. As a humble backwater between its opening in 1931 until its first major extension in 1987, the line is now a fairly major trunk route and the quickest of the 4 ways to get from Campbelltown to the city.

In 1985, the line was double track between Tempe and Riverwood, and single track to the terminus at East Hills, with a passing loop at Revesby. It was electrified throughout, although initially so only to Kingsgrove on opening, extending to East Hills in 1939.

In 1985, the line was served mostly by local all stations services generally on a 15 minute headway.  A perusal of the timetable reflects this, with a mostly 15 minutely service between 530am and 9pm, dropping to half hourly thereafter. The last outbound departure was 1241am from Town Hall to East Hills and 1246am from East Hills to the city, 7 days a week. There were, however,  also early morning departures from Town Hall at 221am (except Sundays) and 331am from East Hills.  These were the days before NightRide.

During the weekday morning peak, there were 4 'express ' type services each with slightly different stopping patterns, the first stopped at all the stations between East Hills and Kingsgrove then express to Sydenham, the second ran all stations from East Hills to Narwee then express to Sydenham; the other two ran all from East Hills to Riverwood, then Kingsgrove, then express to Sydenham. These were supplemented by 3 services starting from Riverwood (where the double track needed) and 3 from Padstow.

Of note also is that all trains except a few of the peak hours services stopped at Erskineville and St Peters, now the domain of the Bankstown Line only.

The evening peak also saw a mixed bunch of limited stopping services generally skipping the more lightly patronised stations between Tempe and Kingsgrove, supplemented by Padstow and Riverwood terminators in a similar manner to the morning peak, and one that terminated at Kingsgrove.

Saturdays and Sundays were a generally a clock face 1/2 hourly service, except for a couple of bonus services thrown in on Saturdays at what perhaps were thought to be busier times (e.g. an extra departure at 747am from Kingsgrove and extra departures from Riverwood at 940am and 451pm giving 15 minutely intervals at these times). All weekend services stopped at all stations.

Stylistically, the timetable was branded as a product of "State Rail" (CityRail was yet to come into being), and the timetable was the last to feature the rather groovy angular 'The Sydney System' map. Timetables were also numbered, the East Hills line was 'Pocket train timetable no. 3"

The only information provided, apart from the actual train times themselves, was what is shown on the rear cover (below): an explanation of (2) symbols, a list of commuter car parks, some basic fare information and some phone numbers. Note the 5 digit rail enquires number.

How does it compare to today? Well obviously service patterns are now completely different with the Glenfield extension and connection to the Airport line. The only useful running time comparison that can be made is for all-stations services between Revesby and Turrella, and its exactly the same- 19 minutes in 1995 and 19 minutes in 2011. 

Next.... the 1987 timetables. 

Metroline 400

Today, the 400 bus is a pretty popular and intensive route by Sydney standards, especially between Eastgardens and Bondi Junction where it can run up to every 4-5 minutes. Back in 1990 however, it was a bit more low-key. Marketed as the 'Metroline', it generally operated every half an hour.

The station of the future is here!

Watch out Star Wars fans! The Greiner government was in and we were all to have a 'world class railway' by 1995. As part of this, the all-fancy automatic fare collection system was to be brought in, replacing the old cardboard Edmondson type tickets with space age new magnetic strip tickets. Not so hard to change the world in the early 1990's, a bit harder 20 years later.

Kiama goes Electric! (10 years ago)

November 2011 (the 17th to be exact) marks the 10th anniversary of the extension of Illawarra (South Coast) line electrification from Dapto to Kiama. It also was the introduction of the new InterCity blue and yellow livery, and a souvenir timetable was published. The timetable has a brief potted history of the Illawarra line on it's rear cover. It was also at this time that the 'fuzzy' CityRail logo came in.

Bankstown- Blacktown direct services

With all the talk of rail- clearways, I thought I'd upload a timetable page from 2002 showing the direct services operating between the Bankstown and Western lines.