Tram, light rail articles dicussion etc

[ozbob]

From the Herald Sun click here!

Call for busy Federation Square tram stop expansion

Call for busy Federation Square tram stop expansion

    * Ashley Gardiner
    * From: Herald Sun
    * October 14, 2010 12:00AM

YARRA Trams has begun a safety review into Melbourne's busiest tram stop.

The Public Transport Users Association yesterday said the stop, between Federation Square and Flinders St station, needed to be expanded.

About 48,000 passengers pass through the stop each day, boarding or getting off trams, making it busier than Richmond station.

Yarra Trams spokesman Colin Tyrus said the stop was under review after talks with the Department of Transport last week.

"An external safety audit will look at crowd management. In the meantime, we will continue to staff it," Mr Tyrus said.

Passengers coming out of Flinders St station tended to bunch up at the southern end of the south-bound platform, waiting for trams along St Kilda Rd.

Some commuters also put their own safety at risk by running against red signals.

Yarra Trams was considering installing an information board at Flinders St station, which would advise passengers when the next trams were arriving.

Nine tram routes used the stop, and an information board would mean passengers may not need to rush to catch their desired tram.

PTUA president Daniel Bowen said the sheer number of tram passengers meant they deserved more of the available space.

"These photos clearly show that the stop needs expansion, particularly the southbound platform," Mr Bowen said.

Cars get six lanes of the road, including parking, he said.

"Tram passengers, who far outnumber motorists, are squashed into the tram stop and spill out onto the road, which is potentially quite dangerous."

Trams were also delayed by the traffic lights at the stop, Mr Bowen said.

"Reducing delays along Swanston St and St Kilda Rd would allow a greater throughput of trams, helping to clear crowds more quickly from the stop."

[#Metro]

Melbourne's tram system is a 'streetcar' system and not true light rail (except for some lines such as St Kilda which is LRT).
Running on the surface is constraining- it would be better to put the busy central core section underground. Multiple tracks could be
used just like a railway station uses multiple tracks and platforms for its trains. Much faster...

[ozbob]

From the Herald Sun click here!

Route 86 revamp would eliminate hundreds of car parking spaces

Route 86 revamp would eliminate hundreds of car parking spaces

   * Ashley Gardiner
   * From: Herald Sun
   * October 29, 2010 9:40PM

A PLAN to close a quarter of Melbourne's tram stops has been revealed in confidential bid documents to the Federal Government.

The plan was outlined in a financing submission to Canberra for a trial that would see hundreds of on-street parking spaces taken from High St, Thornbury.

Department of Transport officials have drawn up the plan to introduce "changes to Melbourne's tram system to move it to a modern, accessible light rail service".

The long-term goal is to see more high-density development around Melbourne's tram lines.

Route 86 along High St has been earmarked as a "demonstration project", for which the State Government has applied for cash from Canberra through Infrastructure Australia.

Work on the High St trial is scheduled to begin this year.

Department officials said Melbourne had too many tram stops compared with other systems worldwide.

The average distance between stops in Melbourne is only 270m, which is low by international standards.

"We calculate that 25 per cent of stops could be removed which would result in a 7 per cent increase in average journey speeds," the department said.

"This effectively also increases capacity of the network by 7 per cent.

"Surveys of tram journey times have shown that, along with traffic signals, tram stops are a major contributor to lost journey time."

Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said the mass removal of tram stops would discourage tram use.

"It doesn't make sense to remove large numbers of tram stops, particularly when remaining stops are moved away from intersections, making connections awkward," Mr Bowen said.

"Moving stops from intersections also adds to walking time for passengers from nearby streets, cancelling out any travel time savings on the tram."

On Bourke and Collins streets, trams lose time at tram stops and traffic lights.

A spokesman for Public Transport Minister Martin Pakula said: "The Government has no plans to reduce the number of tram stops by 25 per cent.

"As part of its submission process, Infrastructure Australia requires that states demonstrate how they have considered multiple options in planning for and investing in new infrastructure projects," spokesman Stephen Moynihan said.

[#Metro]

Department of Transport officials have drawn up the plan to introduce "changes to Melbourne's tram system to move it to a modern, accessible light rail service".

The long-term goal is to see more high-density development around Melbourne's tram lines.

Toronto is doing exactly the same thing. They are turning their tram system into LRT slowly. The defining characteristic of LRT is stop spacings that are wide which allow faster services.