Rapid Transit Metro Rail Is The Odd Man Out

Victor P Taffa

Rapid Transit Metro Rail uses a different technology that has a Third Live Rail which is essentially old technology.

Third Live Rail does not power trains by an overhead wire and as such the system is incompatible with Heavy Rail or Suburban Trains.

Third Live Rail is used in the London Tube that was built in 1890 and went electric in 1890.

To say that Heavy Rail Trains are old or slow just because they are called Heavy Rail is wrong.

Freight Trains can operate on Heavy Rail Tracks whereas Rapid Transit Metro Rail trains cannot.

Rapid Transit Metro Rail trains cannot operate between Sydney and Melbourne.

Rapid Transit Metro Rail is no quicker or better than Heavy Rail.

Rapid Transit Metro Rail operates essentially as a shuttle service.

Once a Rapid Transit Metro Rail line reaches capacity it requires extension. Extending Heavy Rail tracks and connection with other lines is far easier, simpler and cheaper to do than extending a Rapid Transit Metro Rail line.

Sydney needs to go forward with Heavy Rail and High Speed Rail.

 

 

Capital City Heavy Rail Networks

Melbourne, Victoria

Began on 12 September 1854 and went electric on 28 May 1919.

Sydney, New South Wales

Began on 26 September 1855 and went electric on 1 March 1926.

Adelaide, South Australia

Began on 21 April 1856 and went electric on 23 February 2014.

Brisbane, Queensland

Began on 31 July 1865 and went electric on 19 November 1979.

Hobart, Tasmania

Began on 10 February 1871 and goes electric when Rail Ferry and HSR commence operations.

Perth, Western Australia

Began on 1 March 1881 and went electric on 28 September 1991.

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Began on 21 April 1924 and goes electric when HSR commence operations.

Darwin, Northern Territory

Began on 1 October 1889 and goes electric when HSR commence operations.

People who want to give Sydney a backwards, old Third Live Rapid Transit Metro Rail seek to close and ‘Convert’ 2 railway lines for the North West Metro including the Epping-Chatswood and Bankstown Lines.

Closing and ‘Converting’ existing railway lines inconveniences commuters, costs money that could be better spent on building additional Heavy Railway Lines and clogs the roads with Buses which should be moving passengers on Heavy Rail Trains.

There is a plan for a Western Metro between Sydney-Parramatta.

When the Sydney-Parramatta Railway Line in New South Wales opened in 1855 there were 6 railway stations. These being:

• Sydney,
• Newtown,
• Ashfield,
• Burwood,
• Homebush,
• Parramatta.

Again this alleged forward thinking is going to have 6 Metro Stations for the Western Metro line. This means that Sydney will not have advanced any further since 1855.

Car Industry would never close any road for ‘Conversion’ to anything. People are simply being lied to about the need for another rail technology that is old.

Developers simply want to build 20 storey blocks of units along Metro Rail corridors.

Yet developers can make more money by supporting Capital City-Capital City High Speed Rail that enables people to live in regional and rural areas and work in Capital Cities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Croydon Railway Station

• Croydon sits between Ashfield and Burwood on the Western Line.
• Strathfield sits between Burwood and Homebush at the junction to the Northern Line.

Croydon Railway Station opened on 7 January 1875 as Five Dock. In August 1876, it was renamed Croydon. The Main Suburban line through Croydon was expanded to 4 Tracks in 1892, and expanded to 6 Tracks in 1927 in association with electrification works.

• Northern Line serves 2 Tracks
• Southern Line serves 2 Tracks
• Western Line serves 2 Tracks

Side Platform (Originally Platform 1) served the Northern Line and was removed in 1927. Remnants of the Footbridge access were removed in 2017 to make way for pedestrian access to lifts being installed. Currently there are 5 Platforms. These being:

• Island Platforms 1 & 2
• Island Platform 3 & 4
• Side Platform 5

Lifts are being installed for Platforms 3, 4 and 5.

No lifts are being installed to Platforms 1 & 2 for a Western Metro designed to be sold off to a private operator who will build 20 storey blocks of units to recoup costs.

Plans for a Western Metro means that services from all lines will suffer. Commuters will be an afterthought with 70% Standing Capacity for fare paying passengers with people treated no better than cattle.

Western Metro means that Heavy Rail services from 3 lines will be reduced to 4 Tracks and 2 Tracks for a Western Metro.

Western Metro as with the North West Metro is designed to make the life of people in Sydney and State of New South Wales worse.

This is Federal Government thinking designed to make the life of people in Sydney and State of New South Wales worse.

North West Metro stops 3 km short of the Richmond Line that will be at capacity from Day 1 of operations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When double-decked carriages were first introduced in New South Wales?

The first trailer carriage went into service in 1964 and the first power cars in 1968.

Sydney was told in 1964 that it needed double deck carriages and now Sydney in 2017 is being told that it needs Rapid Transit Metro Rail and ‘Conversion’ of railway lines.

What Railway bills were put to Parliament and rejected?

Western Suburbs Railway

• The Western Suburbs Railway, running from Stanmore to Balmain to Wynyard Square including a high level bridge across Darling Harbour. Planned 1905, cost £3 million, put to State Parliament in 1915. Accepted but never acted on.

Northern Suburbs Railway

• The Northern Suburbs Railway running underground from the city to Neutral Bay, Cremorne, Mosman, Balmoral, Seaforth, Manly and Newport. Planned 1906, cost £2.75 million, accepted by Parliament in 1915 with work due to begin at the completion of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The plan was set aside because of lack of funds.

North Western Railway

• The North Western Railway to go as far as South Ryde through Five Dock, Drummoyne and Gladesville. Put to Parliament in 1915 and rejected.

Hills Area Line

• The Hills area line from Westmead to Castle Hill. Proposed 1921 and built in 1923.It was closed in 1932 because of a lack of patronage.
• In 1927, the Railways surveyed a line from Eastwood through Carlingford, Baulkham Hills to Seven Hills. The plan was rejected. Also a line was surveyed from Carlingford through West Pennant Hills to Beecroft. This was also rejected.
• In 1927, a bill to construct a Railway from Eastwood to St. Leonard’s was rejected. The land set aside is now Epping Road.
• In 1928, two branch lines running from Eastwood through the present site of Macquarie University down through North Ryde and then splitting. One section joined the proposed Western Suburbs Railway and the other to join the Northern Suburbs. The plan was put to Parliament and rejected.
• In 1947, plans for seven new lines were put to Parliament including an amended version of the Eastern Suburbs Railway, a South-Eastern Suburbs Railway and a Western Suburbs line. These plans included stations at the Showgrounds, Centennial Park, Randwick, Bondi, the University of NSW and Kingsford. Another line was to run to Mascot Airport.

source: Transport Quiz 1978 Ed.

Over several decades plans to build Heavy Railway Lines have been rejected. Yet in 2008 with the Rozelle Metro and in 2017 Sydney is being told that it needs Rapid Transit Metro Rail and ‘Conversion’ of railway lines.