Re: [Sydney] Light Rail into the CBD?

["Ted Gay" <tedgay@bigpond.com>]

"Garry Hoddinett" <hoddos@netspace.net.au> wrote in message
TjGO6.2675$Ld4.120477@ozemail.com.au">news:TjGO6.2675$Ld4.120477@ozemail.com.au...
> The Sydney Light Rail network could be extended into the city CBD area
> without causing construction chaos, largely on it's own right of way
> separate from road user and pedestrian traffic and I believe comparatively
> inexpensively .
>
> The existing line in Hay Street could be extended under the City Railway,
> across Elizabeth Street and into Blackburn Street.

Sorry but extremely short and narrow Blackburn Street does not line up with
Hay Street, while waiting for the 'white T' at Castlereagh Street corner I
watch the reflection of the east facing traffic lights in the windows of
Sharpies golf shop.

> The line could then dive

At what grade ?  1:1 or perhaps a 30 metre long lift?

> into a new tunnel before swinging north to meet up with the abandoned
> eastern railway tunnels at the south eastern end of Hyde Park.  A new
> station could be constructed at the SE corner of the park (Whitlam
Square?).
> The light rail line would then travel along the old eastern railway
tunnels
> under Park Street where their could be another new station (Park Street?)
> and upto St James Station where the disused middle platform area could be
> again used as a station.  St James would serve as convient interchange
with
> the Sydney Rail System and the Eastern Suburbs bus network.  The light
rail
> lines would then continue to use the disused railway tunnels going north
> with perhaps another station at the eastern end of Hunter Street (State
> Library?).  I beleive the disused tunnels run down to near Macquarie Place
> where the light rail line could terminate.  If funds permit the line could
> continue further north in a new tunnel rising to the surface in Reiby
Place
> before turning briefly into Pitt Street and crossing Alfred Street to
> terminate in First Fleet Park right next to Circular Quay.
>
> The use of disused railway tunnels for most of its length should save a
lot
> of money, construction chaos, expensive services relocation,

The plan is to build the new tracks in the positions of the old in Pitt and
Castlereagh Streets, therefore there should not be any services to be moved.
Trams will run in the 3rd lane and use the right hand doors at stops.

>pedestrian conflicts and car conflicts.  It may even be possible to build
the small
> light rail platforms in the large bore of the rail tunnels without an
> expensive widening exercise.  Any new tunnels only have to be of a bore
> sufficient to take the comparatively low profile of a light rail vehicle.
> It most be remebered that light rail "Stations" are nowhere near as
> expensive as "railway" stations.
>
> I daresay some of the "experts" in this newsgroups could see problems with
> the above proposal but I think the proposal could warrant a more detailed
> investigation.
>
In Europe and North America new services are being built at street level,
the fad to place trams and light rail below in subways has passed.
Manchester deemed long held plans to cross the city in subway as being far
to expensive.

Ted