Re: [VIC? NSW?] An idea of mine - express trams

["Hubert Lam" <hubert@imap4.com>]

"Bradley Torr" <truenorth@one.net.au.SPAMTRAP> wrote in message
01c0d179$b71182c0$bf5e65cb@default">news:01c0d179$b71182c0$bf5e65cb@default...
>
>
> Hubert Lam <hubert@imap4.com> wrote in article
> <9ch6bo$sim$1@tomahawk.unsw.edu.au>...
> > STA should start using double deckers. Instantly double capacity per
bus.
>
> Not quite.
>
> The old Public Transport Commission's Leyland Atlantean double-deckers had
> a seating capacity of 55, only 12 more than the standard STA Mercedes-Benz
> O305 which makes up a large bulk of the current fleet.

The newer 12m ones (Volvo SuperOlympians, Dennis Tridents, Neoplan
Centroliners, MAN 24.310, Scania L94UB) all carry at least 126 passengers
(total capacity), in addition they all have one wheelchair space.

The best a 14.5m Scania could do is 95, at the expense of the extra 2.5 m at
the end. Currently STA buses only permit 15 standing, which reduces it to
around 60 total capacity (excluding 14.5m Scanias and articulated MB O305s)

> A small anecdote about trams vs. double-deck buses - when the isolated
> Enfield system in Sydney was closed in the late 1940's (what was the
> Enfield system is now worked by STA bus routes 462, 464, 465 and 466) the
> trams were replaced by double deckers. However, a small problem - the
> Burwood Road railway underpass was too low for the deckers. So the new bus
> routes had to take a rather circuitous and inconvenient route down
> neighbouring streets, away from the busy Burwood railway station and shops
> along Burwood Road.
>

Burwood is a problem for double deckers...shame the Sydney tram system was
ripped out though.

> I am led to believe that patronage suffered.
>
> Also, I think double-deckers, by virtue of being heavier and taller, tend
> to have slower acceleration, are harder to turn corners and harder to
> brake. In Sydney's stop-start traffic, this is a definite disadvantage.
>

The 14.5m Scania and articulated MB O305 buses are also very hard to turn...
even some of the newer O405NH (12.5m) buses are quite difficult.

However acceleration wise, it probably suffers a little more. However if
they're used on fast routes (say 400, 288, L/E/X routes) I think that'll be
fine.

> Regards
> BT
>