Sydney Metro Chatswood to Sydenham line now open

[Lynda2475]

By that logic why build a metro there at all?

To provide a metro to densley populated areas who currently only have buses.

The existing rail line is at capacity already and the population is only going to grow so "they already have rail" line isn't an answer at all, same could have been said for Chatswood, North Sydney, St James, Central and Sydenham.

Well I agree those places shouldn't have been a priority, but was driven by norwest where there was no rail service.

Given how recent Macquarie Park station was converting it to metro was poor planning, should have been metro from the start.

 

[elanshin]

To provide a metro to densley populated areas who currently only have buses.


Well I agree those places shouldn't have been a priority, but was driven by norwest where there was no rail service.

Given how recent Macquarie Park station was converting it to metro was poor planning, should have been metro from the start.

The current situation, the Rosehill station makes a lot of sense from a overall picture perspective. Whether it makes sense to delay the metro is another story.

Right now Rosehill is earmarked to be another residential hub and will very soon also be connected to Parramatta via the light rail project that will take over the old Carlingford line (by the sounds of it you didn't realise the whole line has been decommissioned already). Part two of that line will see it connect to Olympic park.

By having a stop, it allows for another interchange to the lightrail in the middle for local residents. It can be a fairly hefty catchment area for the light rail to metro in the future as well providing an option that doesn't involve taking the LR all the way to Parramatta or Olympic Park.

 

[kamchatsky]

To provide a metro to densley populated areas who currently only have buses.


Well I agree those places shouldn't have been a priority, but was driven by norwest where there was no rail service.

Given how recent Macquarie Park station was converting it to metro was poor planning, should have been metro from the start.

You can blame Labor on Macquarie Park station. It was supposedly to be Chatswood - Epping - Parramatta on Sydney Trains. Then they only built Chatswood - Epping and ran out of money to run it to Parramatta. So it was running as heavy rail. Then the Liberal took over and decided that the future is driverless Metro and converted the Chatswood - Epping to be part of Metro. It was the right move as the whole Sydney Trains network was at capacity.

The Metro West (Hunter St - Westmead) is designed to be eventually extended to WSI from Westmead when there is money in the future. Adding Rosehill is the right call, assuming that they can get racecourse land and convert to 30000+ homes. Sydney needs it.

 

[CaptJCool]

I actually haven’t been on the the existing Metro line. I was going to go just for the ride but a certain pandemic hit and then couldn’t be bothered - it didn’t go any where I wanted to. But the new extension opens all sorts of things for me. Alas, still not direct Airport acccess!

Well having taken the ride to nowhere in particular a couple of times, I like the view out the front window - reminds me of flying - not much to see in the tunnels - but it’s an ever growing residential side of Sydney over in Kellyville





And is this the Westmead white elephant ?





That said I’m partisan
After all this post is from here unique joint of Swayin’ suspension railway

 

[SeatBackForward]

Also from reading on other forums, I'm more surprised at how many Sydneysiders are thinking this is the first of its kind Metro rail in Sydney.

 

[moa999]

Also from reading on other forums, I'm more surprised at how many Sydneysiders are thinking this is the first of its kind Metro rail in Sydney.

Well it's the first time it's accessible to many passing through the CBD. The Chatswood to Tallawong part opened 5yrs ago but really only serves parts of the North and North-West.

And while it might have the 'Metro' name that's really just marketing. It's still just a hybrid commuter rail system like the rest of the Sydney Train system (which was also single deck for most of its life) just a bit more modern and driverless -- some of the station spacing is definitely not metro'/ underground.

Indeed depending on Govt decisions on new fleets in the next few years we might see platform screen doors and partial driverless operations on some of the train network - probably not fully driverless due to the interconnected network with freight and regional/ inter-city trains.

 

[RSVKanga]

Feel like they could have included a station at McMahons Point...

 

[burmans]

There are lots of places they could have included stations but that takes away the value of having fewer stations and hence being faster. McMahon point already has a ferry and is 10 minutes to now two train stations. There are plenty of places with way worse public transport links.

 

[SeatBackForward]

platform screen doors

Retrofitting these onto the current Sydney trains platforms would be a HUGE undertaking. Those things weigh 200kgs per panel and simply unfeasible on the older/cantilevered platform edges.

 

[moa999]

^ Don't think it's feasible at every station, but certainly the majority ones that can get crowded.
But they did it on the Epping to Chatswood sections and are also doing it on Sydneham to Bankstown (with gap fillers).

And also requires a higher level of train control/ automation (humans can't stop accurately enough every time) and common door positions (the K+sets and Tangaras are different)

 

[SeatBackForward]

But they did it on the Epping to Chatswood sections and are also doing it on Sydneham to Bankstown (with gap fillers).

They pretty much rebuilt the platforms for Epping to Chastwood during the 6month closure of the line. (I had some involvement on that project).

And you've rightly pointed out that it requires automation to line up trains, and standardised trainsets, which is a few of the reasons why it wouldn't work on the existing Sydney Trains network.

 

[SYD]

Retrofitting these onto the current Sydney trains platforms would be a HUGE undertaking. Those things weigh 200kgs per panel and simply unfeasible on the older/cantilevered platform edges.

T4 “Eastern Suburbs” is screaming to be a higher frequency “metro” (it’s already every 5mins in peak times) but some pesky designer put curves on Martin Place….! All other stations from Bondi Junction to Redfern are straight…

 

[moa999]

T4 Eastern Suburbs, mostly due to the small number of stations actually has one of the lowest peak utilisations - the high frequency is driven by the southern section.
Now of course that might change if you spent the money extending it to Bondi Beach, or the original 60s plans of Kingsford via Randwick and UNSW

And it's that Southern Section that would be the problem for any conversion as it mixes with South Coast Trains. Ideally you'd need to quad the track between Hurstville and the Cronulla branch (not cheap) and then run Cronulla to Bondi Junction as a dedicated track metro.

Post automatically merged: Aug 21, 2024

requires automation to line up trains, and standardised trainsets, which is a few of the reasons why it wouldn't work on the existing Sydney Trains network.

Won't work today. But in 5-10yrs when you replace the Tangaras you have common door position over the remainder of the fleet, and the required signalling on moat lines, so it does become possible over the near term.

 

[elanshin]

T4 “Eastern Suburbs” is screaming to be a higher frequency “metro” (it’s already every 5mins in peak times) but some pesky designer put curves on Martin Place….! All other stations from Bondi Junction to Redfern are straight…

The T4 has already been majorly revamped (even if it doesn't seem like it) with the quad tracks and express vs local. You can very easily and quickly accidentally zoom to Glenfield as I discovered the other day.

They pretty much rebuilt the platforms for Epping to Chastwood during the 6month closure of the line. (I had some involvement on that project).

And you've rightly pointed out that it requires automation to line up trains, and standardised trainsets, which is a few of the reasons why it wouldn't work on the existing Sydney Trains network.

Sydenham also. Basically if you goto the metro today you'd see that the platforms are an extension of the original old ones so that they can straighten it out.

 

[moa999]

are an extension of the original old ones so that they can straighten it out.

But at the other stations to Bankstown, which will close in weeks to be converted to metro they are using gap fillers. The majority of these have already been built into the platforms over the last couple of years.

 

[elanshin]

But at the other stations to Bankstown, which will close in weeks to be converted to metro they are using gap fillers. The majority of these have already been built into the platforms over the last couple of years.

I think they took a case by case situation with each station for different options.

 

[clifford]

You can very easily and quickly accidentally zoom to Glenfield as I discovered the other day.

Obviously I'm missing something. What's T4 got to do with Glenfield?

 

[elanshin]

Obviously I'm missing something. What's T4 got to do with Glenfield?

Woops wrong line - somehow had T8 in my head

 

[SCM]

It's good, but we need way more - many more lines, and all existing lines modernised to the new standard. 24x7 driverless trains will be cheap to run, and aid the 24x7 economy Sydney has been longing for.

 

[RB]

It's good, but we need way more - many more lines, and all existing lines modernised to the new standard. 24x7 driverless trains will be cheap to run, and aid the 24x7 economy Sydney has been longing for.

Maybe regional NSW will get a look-in at some stage