Re: [COTU] Airport Line - first impressions

["Chris Downs" <cvdowns@ozemail.com.au>]

Firstly, for those of you visiting Sydney soon, Wolli Creek's Illawarra
platforms (up stairs) look like a great place to watch peak hour activity.
With all Illawarra and East Hills line activity visible there's plenty of
suburban traffic, South Coast V-sets and G-sets, Main South Endeavours
(depending upon timing) and of course South Coast freights outside the peak.
(and there's no station surcharge!)

One thing I forgot to mention in an earlier post on this subject - the more
intensive service today raised some ballast dust.  Barely visible but
noticeable nonetheless.  Perhaps the Weedex train can be run through with
water to "hose down" the ballast dust.  I imagine the problem will be more
pronounced tomorrow with a service around twice as intensive.

An impressive sight today was one 8 car S set on the down entering Green
Square at speed.  The driver went full emergency about 30m before entering
the platform and must have overshot by 5-7m (hard to tell from the other end
of the station - and good judgement on going the whole hog on the driver's
behalf).  It will be interesting to observe drivers and their learning
curves over the next few weeks.  Wolli Creek on the up (esp. in the wet)
will be another interesting spot.

On the technical side, can anyone provide gradient details for the line?  I
hadn't noticed the grade that Wolli Creek was on when visiting the station
previously.  This grade then steepens again heading towards International.
It's also quite a climb to the Central portal.

Chris

Dave Proctor <daproc@spambait.ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
erOV4.1723$wT1.696961@news0.optus.net.au">news:erOV4.1723$wT1.696961@news0.optus.net.au...
> Stopped off at all five new stations today, and had a good look around.
Time
> to give you some fuel so you can start flaming.
>
> Wolli Creek: Layout appeared very functional and easy to navigate,
platforms
> were close together (1&2 close to 3&4) that transferring will not be a
> problem - they are certainly closer together than Blacktown 1&2 are to the
> rest of the platforms.
>
> International: Platforms appear very narrow, and all you will need is a
> reasonably large group, all with baggage (0730 any morning, after the
> morning peak hour of arriving aircraft, springs to mind) and there will
not
> be a lot of room. Very little seating as well. The station appears to have
> been designed with commercial considerations rather than customer
> convenience being foremost. The escalators from the concourse to the
> terminal are in two flights, with what I presume will be a retail
concourse
> on the first landing. Apart from this, the layout appears very easy to
> navigate, and is well sign-posted (particularly within the terminal, but
the
> arrivals level is better than the departures level WRT signposting).
>
> Domestic: Same comments regarding platform width and seating as above WRT
> International. Navigation is also rather easy here, with the directions to
> the Ansett and QANTAS terminals being well signposted. In the actual
> terminals, I only saw one sign on the QF arrivals level directing to
trains,
> and in the AN terminal, I only saw one sign, and it was a pictogram. Both
> terminals seem to have ignored that there is now a train service.
>
> The access to the new Domestic Express terminal (which will serve Virgin
> Blue and Impulse) is rather woeful. Stair access only (and the echo as you
> walk up them, they appear to be very lightly built), no lifts or
escalators,
> then out into the open and a walk for about 300 metres (okay on a fine
day,
> but when it is raining?)
>
> Mascot/Green Square: Both stations appear to be well laid out, although
they
> suffer from the normal CityRail mindset that stairs are ok, and let the
> cripples use the lifts (NOT my opinion). Escalators at all of the stations
> would have been much better.
>
> Dave
>
>