EXTRA SERVICES TO IMPROVE THE SYSTEM

There are some relatively simple measures that should be introduced to significantly improve the service delivery to Adelaide.  With some exceptions, Adelaide's public transport services operate predominantly between 6am and Midnight.  By this I mean services arrive in the City after 6am and last services leave the City before Midnight.  

I did say that there are some exceptions to this rule but on the whole this is the norm, something that dates back to when electric trams ruled the streets of Adelaide, some 60-70 years ago.  Back in 1950's for example, the street lights were even turned off in the wee small hours of the morning.  The only people out and about were the local milkies, News Agents doing their deliveries, Emergency service workers and a handful of other workers. Pubs and clubs were not open, there were no 24/7 service stations, many factories did not operate through the night.  People who went out socialising to the local dance, milkbar, pub or the theatre were home and in bed before Midnight.  That was just how our society was and public transport operating times reflected that.

During WWII many Munitions Factories at Finsbury and Penfield operated to Midnight and as a result the SAR and MTT operated 'Special' After Midnight train and tram services to cater for these workers.  Even more recently, the Holden factory at Elizabeth had it's late shift conclude after Midnight and as a result the last train departed GMH Elizabeth at 12.42am.

Our society is much different today than it was back in the 1950's.  We have 24/7 service stations and convenience stores dotted around Adelaide, pubs and clubs are open to the early hours of the morning most nights of the week.  There are many more businesses that operate through the small hours of the morning than there was 60 years ago.  People go out and socialise at restaurants, pubs, clubs, the casino, theatre and cinema's almost on a daily basis.  We even have night schools, TAFESA have night courses that conclude at 9pm.  Many students don't rush home as they often frequent the coffee shop or a restaurant to unwind. Many of these establishments are open until after 1am.  Not forgetting the general public socialising there is also the staff, many of whom are young people finding their way in the workforce.

Sadly, our public transport services do not go anywhere near catering for our altered lifestyle and for the most part, services are stuck in the 1950's.  99% of trains have departed Adelaide by midnight with the exception of the lightly patronised Belair line.  It's last train departs at 12.21am.  The last tram to Glenelg rolls through the City at about 12.40am and then that is it for public transport until 4.50am when the first bus on the O-Bahn arrives and connects with the first bus to Adelaide Airport.  95% of Adelaide's public transport services will not have their first services arrive in the City until after 6am.  Cross suburban and rail feeder services have a later start and earlier finish in the evening yet they cover more of Adelaide suburbs than radial routes from the CBD.

I propose running extra AM & PM services as follows:

• Gawler Central train - First train departs Gawler Central 3.40am, 4.10am, 4.40am
• Gawler Central train - Last trains departs Adelaide 12.20am, 12.50am, 1.30am
• Seaford train - First train departs Seaford 3.50am 4.20am, 4.50am
• Seaford train - Last train departs Adelaide 12.20am 12.50am, 1.30am
• Outer Harbor train - First train departs Outer Harbor 4.20am, 4.50am
• Outer Harbor train - Last train departs Adelaide 1.00am, 1.40am
• Tram should operate 24/7
• Route 864 - First bus departs Mount Barker 4.00am, 4.40am, 5.20am
• Routes 400, 411, 442, 451, 491 connects with first & last train
• Routes 721, 733, 743, 747, 750, 741 connects with first & last train 
• Route 224 - First bus departs Elizabeth 4.00am, 4.30am, 5.00am
• Route 228 - First bus departs Smithfield 4.10am, 4.40am, 5.10am
• Route 157 - First bus departs Largs Bay 4.40am, 5.10am
• Route B10 - First bus departs Magill 4.30am, 5.00am, 5.30am
• Route B10 - First bus departs West Lakes 4.20am, 4.50am, 5.20am
• Route 254 - First bus departs Port Adelaide 4.00am, 4.30am, 5.00am
• Route 271 - First bus departs Tea Tree Plaza 4.30am, 5.00am
• Route M44 - First bus departs Golden Grove 3.50am, 4.20am, 4.50am
• Route M44 - First bus departs Marion Centre 4.00am, 4.30am, 5.00am
• Route G10 - First bus departs Blair Athol 4.20am, 4.50am, 5.20am
• Route G20 - First bus departs Aberfoyle Park 4.00am, 4.30am, 5.00am
• Route 721 - First bus departs Noarlunga Centre 4.00am, 4.30am, 5.00am
• Route H30 - First bus departs West Lakes 4.00am, 4.30am, 5.00am
• Route H30 - First bus departs Rostrevor 4.30am, 5.10am

Last buses on most of these routes should be between 1.00am-1.30am.

Furthermore, some of the After Midnight services should be altered to standard routes with some of them operating 7 days a week.  Bus routes that should operate 24/7 should be M44, 224, 721, 157, 864, H30, G10/G20 as well as the tram.

Well this is my my vision for a better public transport system which would cater for the community and it's ever changing lifestyles.

PROPOSED SERVICES TO VIRGINIA & TWO WELLS

In my previous post I mentioned that there is a serious lack of public transport services to Virginia and Two Wells.  I therefore put forward my proposal for some new services to operate to these growing area's.

NEW Route 410     Mawson Lakes - Virginia - Two Wells

• Commences from University Parade, Mawson Lakes via r Garden Tce, l Metro Pde, Mawson Interchange, Metro Pde, l Central Lnk, l Elder Smith Rd, Hudson Dr, r Belfree Dr, l George St, l Ryans Rd, r Port Wakefield Rd, r Old Port Wakefield Rd, VIRGINIA, Old Port Wakefield Rd, l Angle Vale Rd, r Old Port Wakefield Rd to the terminus adj Two Wells Craft Shop @ TWO WELLS.

Route 410 will operate 7 days a week, primarily to a 60 min frequency.

NEW Route 409     Salisbury - Virginia - Elizabeth

• Commences from Ann Street, Salisbury via r Wiltshire St, r Church St, l James St, Salisbury Interchange, l Gawler St, r Salisbury Hwy, l Commercial Rd, Bagster Rd, r Diment Rd, l Helps Rd, r Waterloo Corner Rd, r Port Wakefield Rd, r Old Port Wakefield Rd, r Brady St, r Phineas St, l Penfield Rd, l Heaslip Rd, r Womma Rd, r Woodford Rd, l Elizabeth Way, r Frobisher Rd, Oxenham Dr, l Elizabeth Way, r Mountbatten Sq to the terminus @ Elizabeth Interchange, ELIZABETH.

Route 409 will operate Monday to Friday only.
Buses will depart Elizabeth @ 6.30am, 7.30amS, 10.30am, 4.00pm, 6.30pmV
Buses will depart Salisbury @ 6.45amV, 7.50amVS, 1.20pm, 4.10pm
V = To or From Virginia - Route 409A.
S = Operates School Days Only.

NEW Route 490     Gawler - Lewiston - Two Wells

• Commences from Stop 101 Cowan St, Gawler via r Murray St, r Adelaide Rd, r 19th St, Gawler Station, 15th St, Overway Bridge Rd, r Ryde St, r Two Wells Rd, l Drew St, r Old Port Wakefield Rd to the terminus adj Two Wells Craft Shop, Two Wells.

Route 490 will operate 7 days a week, primarily to a 2 hourly frequency.
Buses will connect with Route 410 @ Two Wells.

Just my thoughts anyway.

ADELAIDE's NORTHERN SUBURBS POOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Public Transport services in Adelaide's Northern Suburbs has been falling behind the rest of Adelaide for a couple of decades now and it has got to point where enough is enough.

When I talk about the Northern suburbs I am not referring to Medindie, Broadview, Enfield, Sefton Park or Prospect which are to a large extent serviced really well.  I am referring to those suburbs north of Grand Junction Road:
Mawson Lakes, Pooraka, Parafield Gardens, Paralowie, Burton
Para Hills, Ingle Farm, Brahma Lodge, Gulfview Heights
Gulfview Heights
Salisbury, Salisbury East, Salisbury North, Salisbury Park, Salisbury Heights, Hillbank
Virginia
Elizabeth, Elizabeth Park, Elizabeth North, Elizabeth Downs, Elizabeth South
Davoren Park, Craigmore, Blakeview, Andrews Farm, Munno Para, Edinburgh North
Angle Vale, Evanston Gardens, Smithfield
Gawler, Willaston, Gawler East, Hewett

Many of the bus services to these suburbs are sadly lacking and in many cases have gone backwards over the last 30 years despite huge increases in population over this time.  The Northern suburbs are in the main, a low socio-economic area with high unemployment, single parents, substance abuse, crime, domestic violence and truancy.  The vast majority of residents in the North rely very heavily on public transport, more so than those more fortunate in more affluent suburbs, yet the Government see's fit to treat this needy population with the utmost contempt.

Before I point out some of the flaws and then some improvements that I believe should be implemented, I would like to make a comparison with other parts of Adelaide, so I cannot be seen to be biased.

Services within the AdelaideMetro network operate to the South of Adelaide to Sellicks Beach.  The terminus of Route 750 is roughly 55kms from the GPO.  AdelaideMetro services also operate through McLaren Vale, Willunga and the very sparsely populated McLaren Flat, Routes 751 & 752.
Route 750 & 751 operate 7 days a week and roughly hourly, more frequent at peak times.
Route 752 is allocated 8 return trips Monday to Friday.
Both Routes 750 & 751 traverse large area's of rural land in order to reach the next township.

In the Adelaide Hills, AdelaideMetro services operate to Mount Barker & Nairne 35kms from the GPO.  Mount Barker is serviced by numerous routes from the City and surrounds and even enjoys 1/2 hourly Saturday services and Transit Link services on Saturday and Sunday.

For comparison, here are the 2011 census data on populations for each area:

• McLaren Flat    1,310
• Willunga            2,416
• Sellicks Beach  2,339
• Mount Barker    14,452

Now, I turn my attention to the North.  Populations for some area's of concern for me:

• Gawler District     22,219 (Includes Evanston, Willaston, Hewett & Gawler East)
• Virginia                  2,800
• Two Wells              2,500
• Roseworthy           1,216

Route 900 operates from Salisbury out to Virginia then back across to Elizabeth.  The service commenced in 1969 and was provided with two round trips per weekday.  Today, over 47 years later the service still is provided with only two round trips per weekday.  The service is largely useless to the population of Virginia which is only 30kms from the GPO.  The population has grown significantly in the 47 years, Route 900 has been operating and the area continues to expand and there are more people living here than in some southern area's listed above which are afforded much better services.

A little further North of Virginia is the township of Two Wells, again itself has a higher population than some it's more serviced southern counterparts yet receives no services whatsoever.  This is despite it only being 40kms from the GPO.

• Route 900 needs to be replaced by a service that commences from Mawson Lakes (connecting with trains) and runs up Port Wakefield Road through Virginia and onto Two Wells. This service needs to operate at least hourly 7 days per week.

At Elizabeth there is a rather pathetic 'night time' only service, Route 443 which is a throwback to 24 years ago when some night time services were amalgamated in order for the Government of the day to save some money.  It is the sole survivor of this failed regimen.  Route 443 services the huge area of Elizabeth North, Elizabeth Downs, Munno Para, Blakeview, Craigmore & Elizabeth Park.  As a result of service cut backs (in order to provide a benefit elsewhere) the last bus on this route departs Elizabeth Station at 9.27pm.  This means residents must catch the 8.50pm train from Adelaide as their last option.  This renders the service useless to shift workers and night students and also people going out socialising.  In 1983 the last buses to these area's connected with the last train from Adelaide, so you see it's gone backwards.

Gawler and it's immediate surrounding suburbs has a population almost 10,000 higher than that of Mount Barker yet the 4 bus services that operate within the township only operate Monday to Friday.  There is no night or weekend services.  Gawler is only serviced by the train.  On Saturday night, After Midnight Route N224 operates to Gawler also.  This is hardly acceptable when comparing with it's Adelaide Hills counterpart.

There are 22 dedicated rail feeder services in the Northern suburbs.  There is only one service (451) that connects with the first train to Adelaide.  However, quite staggeringly there is not a single feeder bus that connects with the last train from Adelaide.  Some services connect with the 10.50pm train from Adelaide.  For an area with a combined population in excess of 240,000 people, this is beyond unacceptable.

The Minister, Mr Stephen Mullighan needs to stop listening to his Department heads who only tell him what they think he wants to hear and go out and investigate this for himself.  Rather than resorting to attacking myself for pointing out obvious flaws with our system, he needs to listen and act.

The residents of the Northern Suburbs deserve much more from this Government.  If Mr Mullighan and company do not start paying serious attention to the North then their once SAFE political seats might not be so SAFE in the near future.  

We have had enough.  

Attention Minister, Stephen Mullighan, please feel free to jump onto the AdelaideMetro website or stroll into the InfoCentre and check these facts that I have mentioned for yourself.  Your Department heads are seriously letting you down.

ADELAIDE's PUBLIC TRANSPORT DEBACLE

Yesterday morning our new electric trains on the Seaford line ground to halt resulting in chaos across the rail network and on the roads, with trains stranded across some level crossings or midway between stations.  Passengers, left to fend for themselves and make their own way into the City by any means possible.

The problem was caused by failure at the one and only sub-station on the line, located at Lonsdale.  How can this happen on a modern railway in 2016?  It happens purely and simply because of poor management and cost cutting.  The boffins supposedly in control of this system were warned by senior (and experienced) railway staff, that having only one sub-station was setting the system up to fail.  They advised that there needed to be a second sub-station to share the load.  History will show that this expert advice from experienced staff was brushed aside with a breathtaking swiftness.

The railway staff have always said right from day one of the commencement of electric operations that it was only a matter of time before the system fails.  Yesterday was the day, and it was spectacular.  We now have endured a second day with no electric trains and the early prognosis is that they will be out of action for most of the weekend.  What an unmitigated disaster.

Bus companies then had the arduous task of hastily implementing rail replacement bus services and this task has fallen largely with SouthLink who also have to contend with operating their normal services, which due to their close proximity to the Seaford Line are also being swamped.  SouthLink are doing it tough, but as they have 'experienced' staff at the helm, I am sure they have kept passenger inconvenience to an absolute minimum.

I experienced yesterday afternoon a disturbing train ride home on the Gawler line.  In order to provide a service to Brighton some 3000 class units were taken from the Gawler, Outer Harbor and Grange lines to provide these services.  As a result the 4.53pm Gawler train departed Adelaide with a dangerously heavy load.  There was no railway staff on board nor on the platform.  The passengers were left on their own and to their own devices.  One passenger was starting to panic as she suffers from claustrophobia, she alighted at the first stop at Ovingham to make other arrangements.

If there had been an emergency or some other incident on this train it could easily have been catastrophic.  

As we were all crushed in like a sardine can, we all lamented as we passed by the Dry Creek Railcar Depot where we witness a good dozen 2000 class Jumbo's which were retired almost a year ago, sitting their forlornly gathering dust and graffiti.  These perfectly good railcars should have been recommissioned and then they could be used on the Gawler line to provide additional capacity at times of high demand or in an emergency situation as we are experiencing now.  By pressing the Jumbo's back into service yesterday would easily have allowed some 3000 class units to provide almost a full service on the Seaford Line.  But alas, it is not to be.

Football and Soccer patrons must endure this chaos for this weekends games at Adelaide Oval.  What a marvellous advertisement for Adelaide's public transport.

Part of the problems of yesterday were caused by the dysfunctional system the Liberal Government of the mid 90's created and the successive Labor Governments have failed to rectify.  If the entire system was still operated by the State Transport Authority, the rolling effects to passengers and the services could have been greatly reduced.  I am sure that had this event occurred whilst under the control of the STA the very experienced transport staff would have immediately arranged for the Jumbo's to pressed back into service, post haste.  Buses from almost ALL depots would have been deployed to make up any shortfalls.

The STA had within it's ranks many proud and highly skilled and experienced staff that could have problem solved this situation within an hour of the system going down.  We need to return our public transport services back to FULL control of only one Government department.  Experienced operational staff, that work across all three modes and control services as required.  

The sooner the Government re-instates the State Transport Authority the better.  The population of Adelaide and South Australia deserve much better quality of services than those provided these days.  After all, our taxpayers money still fully fund it, albeit via a convoluted path.

That's my opinion.

EXPANDING ADELAIDE METRO COVERAGE

I have been campaigning for a long time now for improved public transport services in Adelaide and South Australia as a whole.  Public transport is a very important and essential service.  Many thousands of people rely solely on public transport as there is no other option available to them.

Improving the services is important and should be a priority of the Weatherill Government however, AdelaideMetro services should be expanded to service area's that are either poorly serviced or in some cases not serviced at all and this is despite their relative close proximity to the Adelaide CBD.

Currently, AdelaideMetro services operate to Gawler in the North which is approximately 40 kms from the CBD, Mount Barker in the East which is 31 kms from the City and then to Sellicks Beach in the South which is almost 60 kms from the City.  You can see that there is a huge discrepancy in service coverage and people in the East and North could feel hard done by.

Using the 60 km Southern distance as a benchmark you would see AdelaideMetro services operating to:

Strathalbyn (currently country fares)

Clarendon

Kangarilla

Mount Compass

Brukunga

Callington

Gumeracha

Birdwood

Kersbrook

One Tree Hill

Mount Pleasant

Williamstown

Freeling

Lyndoch

Roseworthy

Mallala

Two Wells

Dublin

Many of these towns are well within the current boundary but for some inexplicable reason the Government has forgotten them.  The residents who live in these area's pay taxes just like anyone else and are deserving of improved public transport.  Currently, the people in Strathalbyn which is 55 kms from the City have to pay 'Country' fares and only get serviced by a handful of buses on weekdays, yet people in Sellicks Beach which is about the same distance from the CBD have hourly AdelaideMetro services 7 days a week.

The unfairness of our system needs to be rectified and soon.