Newcastle Light Rail

[achiruel]

I think perhaps part of the issue with passenger loadings is not only the train, but also many buses which formerly went to Newcastle East now terminate at Newcastle Interchange as well, so it must carry those passengers, too. Regarding passenger loadings at Newcastle heavy rail station, not sure what it was liked in the years before closure, but when I lived in Newcastle in the mid-'90s, far more people detrained at Civic.

[verbatim9]

I think perhaps part of the issue with passenger loadings is not only the train, but also many buses which formerly went to Newcastle East now terminate at Newcastle Interchange as well, so it must carry those passengers, too. Regarding passenger loadings at Newcastle heavy rail station, not sure what it was liked in the years before closure, but when I lived in Newcastle in the mid-'90s, far more people detrained at Civic.

When I was visiting a few weeks ago I noticed the interchange only has been designed for train to tram and.vice versa. You need to walk up to the main road for buses. It's not like Helensvale where it's all in one.

[SurfRail]

The bus interchange hasn't been built yet, it's going in from next year.

[verbatim9]

I think perhaps part of the issue with passenger loadings is not only the train, but also many buses which formerly went to Newcastle East now terminate at Newcastle Interchange as well, so it must carry those passengers, too. Regarding passenger loadings at Newcastle heavy rail station, not sure what it was liked in the years before closure, but when I lived in Newcastle in the mid-'90s, far more people detrained at Civic.

I think perhaps part of the issue with passenger loadings is not only the train, but also many buses which formerly went to Newcastle East now terminate at Newcastle Interchange as well, so it must carry those passengers, too. Regarding passenger loadings at Newcastle heavy rail station, not sure what it was liked in the years before closure, but when I lived in Newcastle in the mid-'90s, far more people detrained at Civic.

When I was visiting a few weeks ago I noticed the interchange only has been designed for train to tram and.vice versa. You need to walk up to the main road for buses. It's not like Helensvale where it's all in one.

The bus interchange hasn't been built yet, it's going in from next year.

Currently there are no bus connections at the interchange. I thought there was when I was there. But I was redirected up to the main road by customer service staff. But it will be better once the bus interchange is built.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/RailExpressNews/status/1244513192333606912

[ozbob]

Newcastle Herald --> Light rail still suspended due to concerns about structural integrity of fire-damaged CBD Hotel

Newcastle light rail services remain suspended as City of Newcastle engineers continue to assess the fire-damaged CBD Hotel.

Hunter Street remains closed to westbound traffic and buses are replacing trams via an alternative route on King Street.

It is the fourth consecutive day trams have not been operating.

Temporary fencing erected outside the hotel is blocking the westbound traffic lane and light rail tracks on Hunter Street.


Newcastle City police detectives are understood to have relinquished control of the site on Wednesday.

Police dispelled concerns that people may have been trapped inside the building at the time of the blaze.

Most of the vacant hotel was destroyed in the Sunday evening fire, but the facade of the building remains standing.

However, there are concerns about its structural integrity. Fire and Rescue NSW said on Monday it would likely need to be knocked down.

The council is expected to provide an update on the status of the building later today.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1464313294651486210

Different issue than cracking, although trams are being checked.

[ozbob]

Newcastle Herald --> Pulling out all stops for a long-term tram network $

Five years after the tramline in town was opened, the state government is only now getting serious in designing an eventual extension.

Not far, mind you. Just to Broadmeadow. The state is hardly inclined to plan the entire network that will be needed later this century as Newcastle grows in population and densifies.

So let's start the work for it.

Long-term planning is needed to reserve land for the lines, to adjust zoning to exploit them, and to let property owners know what to build. And because we'll need an interconnecting network, designing one line without also deciding where others will go would be a mistake.

The whole thing should be settled now.

For example, as it plans the extension to Broadmeadow, Transport for NSW needs to consider that the line should eventually be one of two east-west routes that will go through that locality - one on the way to Wallsend and one to John Hunter Hospital. ...

[ozbob]

Newcastle Herald --> Two tiny cracks but light rail track holding up well, report reveals $

After five years of operating daily and millions of passengers, the Newcastle light rail track is holding up well, documents obtained by the Newcastle Herald reveal.

An engineering report acquired through Government Information Public Access (GIPA) shows a pair of very small internal cracks, which rail experts say falls under general wear and tear.

The "two undersized transverse defects" are approximately 6mm and 10mm, located halfway across the Watt Street crossing and were first discovered in 2022.

Keolis Downer, who manages the light rail on behalf of the NSW government, confirmed the cracks have not changed since they were first detected, reiterating the issue was not a safety risk and no action was required. ... [\quote]

[ozbob]

Newcastle Herald --> Dispute with Spanish maker leaves Newcastle tram laid up for two years $

One of the NSW government's Newcastle light rail vehicles has been out of action for almost two years and is being scavenged for parts as doubts emerge over the supply of components from Spain.

The number 2155 tram has been parked outside the Keolis Downer maintenance depot in Newcastle West since June 2022.

The vehicle appears to be missing the rooftop "onboard energy storage system" which helps charge its battery at stops along the Newcastle light rail route.

Multiple sources told the Newcastle Herald that the vehicle was being used for components due to an ongoing dispute between Keolis Downer and Spanish manufacturer CAF over supplying parts.

One source said the trams' battery storage system was "very problematic" and Keolis Downer had encountered difficulty sourcing parts from CAF. ...

https://x.com/ozbob13/status/1778952548902457378

[Gazza]

How much would it cost them to string up wires?