Re: [NSW]Wondabyne Olympic Services

[matthew@mail.usyd.edu.au (Matthew Geier)]

In article <2wag5.50525$N4.1725625@ozemail.com.au>,
Chris Downs <cvdowns@ozemail.com.au> wrote:
>Again last Tuesday night was an interesting night for another reason.  On
>the issue of no trains to certain stations during the Olympics Macdonaldtown
>(& Homebush) are both located adjacent to very busy crossovers.
>
>The City (via City Circle Outer) to Penrith train I caught on Tuesday
>evening left platform 6 at Redfern and travelled the down local to the last
>signal prior to the Illawarra Junction crossovers.  We were held for about
>90 seconds.  We then started and crossed to the down suburban and continued
>on our merry way.  The sole reason for our delay appears to have been that
>we were held clear of the junction whilst an all stations train on the up
>local was allowed to enter Macdonaldtown station.

 I noticed this a couple of years back when I had cause to every now and
then travel from Newtown to the city in the mornings. The Ill fated 'new'
timetable was running at the time.


>It would be better if up local trains could enter Macdonaldtown and stop
>while conflicting movements occur ahead.  This would require a series of
>intermediate train stops adjacent to Macdownaldtown's up platform and
>perhaps two low speed indications on approach rather than just the usual
>one.  Or is there an absolute limit on overlap that Macdonaldtown breaches?

 What happens(ed, they might have more space between trains now) was the
train on the Suburban (the stopping service I got at Newtown) would end
up stoped at the signal just west of Macdonaldtown station, and we would
wait, often for a few minutes, while a train passed on the local and used
the crossover near Illawara Junction. With out fail we stopped short, only
the time we waited varied.

 It would appear Macdonaldtown platform is within the overlap of that
crossover, so trains cannot enter the platform while a conflicting move
is set ahead. I always wondered how much it would cost to alter that
layout so the citybound train could wait at the platform instead of 20
meters behind it.