Re: [NSW] Sydney Airport railway (with rave)

[Richard <richard_snook@primus.com.au>]

What impact or effect (use even!!) will the speedrail service from the Airport to Central provide?
Isnt this part of the equation yes/no?

cheers >:~)) Richard

Bill McNiven wrote:
> 
> torpanint wrote in message (to misc.trainsport.rail.australia-nz) ...
> >Could someone please tell me when the airort rail link will be
> >operational.Secondly, i had an unfortunate disagreement wiyh someone over
> >the fact that this will terminate at Central.I remember readig that this
> >line will go around the city circle..please advise.
> >The follow up is line coming out on the eastern side of sydney yard ...how
> >is it planned to get the city circle connected ...cross existing traffic?
> >--
> >Erika<torpan@yahoo.com>
> >See the home page at<www.torpan.com>
> >Manly.Sydney,Australia
> 
> Operational around April 2000.
> 
> The junctions that have been constructed on the site of the former Prince
> Alfred Sidings are
> DOWN -- the Illawarra line no longer exists through Flying Junctions;  the
> Airport line branches from the down Illawarra Local and climbs into the
> tunnel portal in the park, then heads south under George Street, Redfern.
> 
> UP -- the Illawarra line no longer exists through Flying Junctions; the
> Airport line climbs from the portal to join the former Illawarra line
> alignment on top of Flying Junctions (with a new Up Airport to Up Illawarra
> Local crossover so Airport trains have a choice of platforms 20 and 21).
> 
> The only reasonable destination for a train from the Airport is Circular
> Quay via St. James, continuing back to Central and then on to any
> destination other than the Airport.  Similarly, a train to the airport has
> to originate anywhere but the Airport so as to traverse the City Outer to
> reach platforms 22/23.
> 
> The crossover on the Museum side of platforms 20-23 appears to have been
> converted to operation from Sydney Box (there's a brand-new shunting signal
> labelled SY359).  I *guess* this is for emergency working only.
> 
> The tunnel to platform 15 in Sydney Yard is part of the Sydney / Canberra
> Speedrail proposal ... nothing has been built yet.
> 
> <rave>
> 
> In another place, a writer asked why the junction arrangements did not use
> the partly constructed "dives" from the Illawarra Line at Wells Street to
> the disused platform space between Redfern platforms 10 and 11, and then
> head south under Wyndham Street.  The only explanation I have heard is the
> one given my mother at a PR display for the new railway:  "We didn't want to
> go through Redfern Station because there are always train delays there!".
> (I wonder whether "train delays" was code for "indigenous citizens"?)
> 
> There are two interesting consequences of the junction arrangements as they
> have been built:
> 
> First, when RSA/CityRail decide to run trains one-way around the City Circle
> (which currently seems to be four nights a week and every second weekend),
> Airport trains will have to terminate at Platforms 20/21 or start at
> Platforms 22/23.  Look forward to a Jumbo-load of non-English-speaking (and
> non-CityRail-speaking) backpackers happily and obligingly trooping from one
> platform to the other at Central every quarter hour!
> 
> Second, it is difficult to have dedicated rolling stock for a Circular
> Quay - Airport - Turrella service.  At the very least, a train from the
> Airport has to run Central - Quay - Illawarra Junction (reverse) - Quay -
> Central to get back to the Airport.  More likely, they will run to Liverpool
> or Campbelltown or Bankstown and back as part of integration into the
> existing timetable.
> 
> "Standard" Sydney double-deckers are not really designed for trainloads of
> people with luggage.  Indeed, any double-decker spells troubles for people
> with the usual international airline luggage.  The "G" sets have token
> luggage racks, but don't really resemble the dedicated rolling stock
> provided on the Heathrow Express.
> 
> The track design rules out a dedicated fleet, so what we'll get in terms of
> Airport rapid transit is something as tacky and aged as the Boston Blue
> Line, as cramped as the Baltimore LRVs, with the unique complication of
> being double-decked with narrow stairways!
> 
> </rave>
> Rgds
> 
> Bill