Re: [NSW] Airport line at Flying Junctions

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

The Airport Line doesn't work???

Last Monday I caught the 0424 from Hazelbrook to Central.  I waited 5
minutes at Central and caught a train straight to Domestic - no hassles!  My
flight to Armidale was on time too!

On Friday am I returned.  The flight from Armidale was about 10 minutes late
due to foggy conditions in Tamworth.  I caught a train from Domestic to
Turrella and then the following Turrella to Kingsgrove train (which was
several minutes late) but again no hassles.  Subsequently I travelled from
Kingsgrove to Central (via the Airport Line) and once again no hassles!  The
only drama was from Central to Penrith where the suburban lines were closed
between Homebush and Rookwood for track inspections.  This cost 10 minutes
(and requires a permanent and safe solution such as nigh time inspections
with powerful lights, specialised track recording vehicles that run at line
speeds?).

>From my experience (actually using the line for one of its intended
purposes) it does work now.  Of course it will work even better once:
1) This timetable beds down (East Hills line timetable fragility is an
issue);
2) CityRail has additional rolling stock;
3) Airport Line services consist only of East Hills and Turrella services
providing a 6/9 minute headway (Turrella services after the 9 minute gap of
course);
4) The number of scheduled services between sectors is brutally minimised;
5) There are 4 tracks between Turrella and the up side of Beverly Hills;
6) All Illawarra trains stop at Wolli Creek.  CityRail is moving beyond a
'burbs to city suburban railway.  An East Hills line to Bankstown line
transfer is less a drama with a 5 minute Illawarra line headway in peak hour
(as opposed to 15 minutes at present);
7) And perhaps a realisation that with double deck stock the City Circle
inner in the am and the City Circle Outer in the pm can support 22
trains/hour (4 Bankstown, 2 Bankstown express, 4 Turrella via Airport, 4
East Hills via Airport and 8 Campbelltown/Macarthur via Sydenham) rather
than just 20 trains/hour.

It was interesting reading the complaints in letters to the editor in both
the SMH and DT this week - they fitted into two categories, substantial
complaints and whingers.

Substantial complaints involved significant delays due to points failures
etc., the lack of Illawarra and South Coast trains stopping at Wolli Creek
in peak hours, Turrella's butchered peak frequencies, Tempe's halved off
peak frequencies and reduced train lengths.

Trivial complaints were Kingsgrove lost a couple of fast trains, it now
takes me 3 minutes longer to get to town and why should I travel via the
Airport?, Tempe only gets 4 trains/hour in the peak now instead of 8 (where
does Tempe fit it the passenger generator list?) and only a dozen or so
people got on at the airport stations - why should I be inconvenienced?

CityRail has other issues to resolve, but once this service is bedded down,
people (especially out of towners) will realise how valuable the service is.

That's my two bob's worth after a week away.

Chris


Hubert Lam <hubert@imap4.com> wrote in message
99vpisomu17llco1nimggmejfenrpi0ud2@4ax.com">news:99vpisomu17llco1nimggmejfenrpi0ud2@4ax.com...
> Quoted from "Australian Transport Discussion Board":
>
> copperluvva wrote:
>
> As I predicted years ago, this whole airport thing has totally stuffed up.
The major problem with it
> is, the junction at Central. The engineers who get payed alot of money to
design this railway
> stuffed up in one HUGE way. Where the airport line comes into the junction
at Central, it is in a
> VERY limited position in case of problems like points failure, fatality
etc. If they had directed
> the airport line into the flying junctions just 50 metres closer to
Redfern, they could have
> utilised alot more of the junction than they did.
> By having the line join the junction 50 metres closer to Redfern, trains
can come from the airport
> and arrive on either 16, 17, 20 or 21. Using 16 + 17 they can either go up
the Nth Shore, or around
> the City Outer. Also, trains can depart Central form 18+19 platforms,
which means they can come from
> the City Inner or the Nth Shore and go to the airport.
> Just 50 metres is the difference between totally stuffed and totally
usable.
> The way it is now, trains CAN ONLY come from the airport and arrive on
20+21 ONLY, and can only
> depart Central from 22+23.
> That means if there is a fatality at Circular Quay for instance, on the
outer line, NO TRAINS can go
> to the airport. Trains cannot be diverted. No room for flexibility. If a
fatality occurs on the
> Inner line at Circular Quay, NO TRAINS can come from the Airport Line and
proceed around the inner.
> Theyll soon start banking up behind each other and total chaos will occur.
> Anyhow, the airport line DOES NOT work, WILL NOT work, and I hope some
highly paid engineers get a
> kick up the ass and get the sack.
> Until my next gripe, See yas later!!
>
>
>
> ----
>
> could somebody verify this?