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Newcastle Rail Line: Announcements

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      wxtre Chief Train Controller
    Posted: 13 Oct 2014 21:55

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      wxtre Chief Train Controller
    Posted: 13 Oct 2014 21:55
      wxtre Chief Train Controller

    Newcastle, Charlestown byelection 2014: ALP's John Robertson unveils transport strategy

    http://www.theherald.com.au/story/2622124/robertson-unveils-transport-strategy/?cs=305
    Posted: 14 Oct 2014 12:00
      wxtre Chief Train Controller
    Posted: 14 Oct 2014 12:24
      a6et Minister for Railways

    Mixed response to Labor's revitalisation plan for Newcastle

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-14/mixed-response-to-labor27s-revitalisation-plan-for-newcastle/5811224
    wxtre

    I agree with the aspect of the crazy additional rail crossings.  Having the overpass built at Stewart avenue is somthing I have said for sometime now as well.

    Likewise how many pedestrian crossings are needed, another one perhaps at Worth place may help, also the road crossing at Merewether st is it really needed.  Again unless there has been development over the vacant land that was on the western side of the Roundabout, then there would be enough room to put a bridge over the line & connect into Worth Place & close the road crossing at Merewether, but leave it open as a pedestrian access.
    Posted: 14 Oct 2014 13:31
      tezza Chief Commissioner

    Too little too late dont you think? Besides, an extra 3 level crossings and slowing the trains down will create even more gridlock in the city. The only good idea is the Selma Street bridge, the easement already clear.
    The railway will be gone on Boxing day some 3 months before the election and John Robertson will be forgotten in a couple of weeks.
    Posted: 14 Oct 2014 14:43
      wxtre Chief Train Controller

    No the truncation will be stopped by the parliamentary inquiry.
    Posted: 14 Oct 2014 14:48
      tezza Chief Commissioner

    The Parliamentary Inquiry is a review committee with very little powers and has been directed to make a final review in March some 3 months after the railway line truncation. It just gets Fred Nile out of the Governments hair for a little while, it will come to the same conclusion as ICAC in that breaches of election funding rules although deemed illegal under current laws does not equal corruption..
    Posted: 14 Oct 2014 15:19

    Last edited by tezza on 14 Oct 2014 15:24; edited 1 time in total
      JimYarin Chief Commissioner
    Posted: 14 Oct 2014 15:41
      Magic Man Station Master



    *Robert Monteath is a Newcastle surveyor and town planner.*
    tezza

    He is also a property developer, strata manager and his engineering and surveying company will likely stand to make a financial benefit.

    Hardly an unbiased viewpoint.
    Posted: 15 Oct 2014 01:54

    Last edited by Magic Man on 15 Oct 2014 02:00; edited 3 times in total
      tezza Chief Commissioner

    You will need to amend your comment Magic Man as it is a Newcastle Herald quote, not mine as can be seen in the heading and the link.
    Posted: 15 Oct 2014 10:45
      Newcastle Express Chief Commissioner

    Robert Monteath is incorrect (read "misleading") about it a public rally advocating removal of the rail. It was not a rally, it was a meeting that what was the so called "Fix Our City" mob put on. It was not advertised that it was about cutting the rail line, it was advertised that it was about the Newcastle CBD in general. This is the meeting where you had to sign a petition before entry was allowed into the  “public” meeting. This preamble to this petition did not mention the rail line at all, even though I believe that that’s what the petition was about.

    And now it seems we may have a managing director of a real estate agent running as an "independent" candidate for lord mayor.
    Posted: 15 Oct 2014 15:49
      Northern Flyer Train Controller

    Robert Monteath is incorrect (read "misleading") about it a public rally advocating removal of the rail. It was not a rally, it was a meeting that what was the so called "Fix Our City" mob put on. It was not advertised that it was about cutting the rail line, it was advertised that it was about the Newcastle CBD in general. This is the meeting where you had to sign a petition before entry was allowed into the “public” meeting. This preamble to this petition did not mention the rail line at all, even though I believe that that’s what the petition was about.

    And now it seems we may have a managing director of a real estate agent running as an "independent" candidate for lord mayor.
    Newcastle Express

    That is nonsense. It was very clear that cutting the railway was part of the agenda. Fix Our City was widely report in the local media as wanting the railway cut. It was so obvious that there was a Save Our Rally picket happening outside. The difference was there was 700 at the Fix Our City rally and 50 at the Save Our Rail rally outside. No doubt you will claim there were 5000 at the Save Our Rail rally.
    Posted: 15 Oct 2014 20:44
      Northern Flyer Train Controller

    The Parliamentary Inquiry is a review committee with very little powers and has been directed to make a final review in March some 3 months after the railway line truncation. It just gets Fred Nile out of the Governments hair for a little while, it will come to the same conclusion as ICAC in that breaches of election funding rules although deemed illegal under current laws does not equal corruption..
    tezza

    Upper House inquiries are designed to give Upper House Members something to do. There are 50 odd current inquiries. The railway is 20% of this inquiry which is 2% of all inquiries. It means FA to the government and will be filed in the round file.
    Posted: 15 Oct 2014 20:48
      Northern Flyer Train Controller

    No the truncation will be stopped by the parliamentary inquiry.
    wxtre

    Just after the tooth fairy arrives.
    Posted: 15 Oct 2014 21:02
      PKBeam Locomotive Driver

    Location: Somewhere in NSW
    LETTERS: Newcastle rail closure hurts many people
    http://www.lakesmail.com.au/story/2628643/letters-newcastle-rail-closure-hurts-many-people/?cs=12

    Spoiler:
    LAKE Macquarie and Central Coast people should be aware that Newcastle Council have decided to slash the rail line into Newcastle.
    It is a disgrace that nothing is actually put into place as a transport alternative.
    I travel from Fassifern to Newcastle to walk the foreshore.
    You see so many young kids travelling on the train from places such as Gosford and Morisset, with their boogie boards and bikes, headed to Newcastle.
    And then there are the elderly in wheelchairs, and so many other people from various walks of life, who make that train journey.
    I encourage local people who want to have a say on the rail closure to visit the Save Our Rail group's website at saveourrail.org.au.
    Signatures can be added to the website's petition to save the service.
    And a $2 donation would be more than welcome.
    - Jan Clark, Carey Bay
    Posted: 16 Oct 2014 16:35

    Last edited by PKBeam on 16 Oct 2014 16:35; edited 1 time in total
      nswtrains Chief Commissioner

    Planning by NSW Trains for truncation has been completed by now. Most citizens in Newcastle who drive cars don't really mind the line being truncated with most believing it to be a good thing for the rejuvenation of Newcastle. I have no opinion one way or another. Not sure the tram plan will see the light of day.
    Posted: 21 Oct 2014 12:48
      nswtrains Chief Commissioner

    It is a regressive idea that will not fix transport problems in Newcastle. The government believe by removing the rail-line it will be a panacea for Newcastle. It will actually make it worse in my opinion by clogging up streets with buses, it will create traffic and parking problems for the university city campus. The train-line also links with the ferry service. People will now have to change from 'ferry to bus to train'. Newcastle/Maitland is the seventh most populous city in Australia with 419,000 people. Notice how they will have to run buses every 10 minutes to cope with peak hour traffic as the capacity of buses is low. The existing trains can carry more people and they have a dedicated track. It is not thought out. The removal of level crossings would be a better option, by sinking the rail-line underground at Merewether st. and Hannell st. The light-rail will never be built. After the Government spend millions removing the existing track, I doubt they will have the money for a light-rail line or be willing to spend this on Newcastle .The next elected government will change plans and scrap the light-rail.
    wxtre

    Where do all these passengers that use Newcastle Rail Station during business hours originate from? Would the Wickham location cause all that much inconvenience to them? How do the get to Newcastle Station at present? The ferry?
    Posted: 21 Oct 2014 15:54
      Newcastle Express Chief Commissioner

    Just heard on NBN News that the premier CAN NOT guarantee that the rail land will NOT fall into the hands of the developers.

    Even the budget papers show this.
    Posted: 21 Oct 2014 18:29

    Last edited by Newcastle Express on 21 Oct 2014 18:39; edited 2 times in total
      Newcastle Express Chief Commissioner

    And wxtre, and Bunbury is SORRY that they ever removed the rail line, and their was talk of trying to rebuild it back to the CBD.
    Posted: 21 Oct 2014 18:57

    Last edited by Newcastle Express on 21 Oct 2014 18:58; edited 2 times in total
      tezza Chief Commissioner

    Good news in the Newcastle Herald today with the Newcastle Urban Renewal Strategy another step closer..
      Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian has assured passengers buses will be waiting at Hamilton station for each train service and passengers won’t have to pay twice for their trip after Newcastle’s heavy rail is closed on Boxing Day.

    http://lm.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theherald.com.au%2Fstory%2F2637312%2Fbus-service-after-train-line-cut%2F%3Fcs%3D305&h=dAQHPcrJ-&enc=AZOutx-32XgzqnQcRrZG_B3cEGZnCb3kZ6Jn-K7fQRGP7Z_zFuMMneP1RGiGtfmtmpzp1Ii9gtW0hDihnyi6J5kTwe1MYf46LwjcToZWEzimFqEZpyUztvdYL8jwo5B7JQJgNF8Ds7tb7tvQmeZgqJRi&s=1

    Passengers would pay their usual train fare.
    Opal card holders could tap on and off, or paper tickets for the train could be bought.
    ‘‘We have planned the interim arrangements to minimise disruption and make it easy to move between trains and buses,’’ Ms Berejiklian said.
    ‘‘We will also ensure there is plenty of room at Hamilton for taxis and cars to pick up and drop off customers.’’
    After the Wickham interchange is finished in late 2016, buses would run from there instead.
    Extra buses will run for New Year’s Eve and for the Asian Cup.
    Printed timetables for the shuttle, though, are still in the pipeline.  The government said they would be available well before the work starts. An estimated completion date for light rail – and the end of the shuttle bus – also remains elusive, but the government still expects to start work on that part of the project late  2015.
    Posted: 21 Oct 2014 21:11
      wxtre Chief Train Controller

    Premier Mike Baird grilled on future of Newcastle rail line
    By MICHELLE HARRIS and JASON GORDON

    Premier Mike Baird
    PREMIER Mike Baird, when asked in state parliament, has twice refused to rule out selling or leasing land in the Wickham-to-Newcastle rail corridor for property development after the rail line is truncated.
    In response to a question from Labor leader John Robertson, seeking a guarantee that the corridor would be protected, Mr Baird said: ‘‘We promise to do the right thing by the city of Newcastle ... the difference between this side and that side is that we are proud of that urban renewal project, we are proud that we are putting close to $500million into that city and that’s a city that you forgot about.’’
    Labor Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery followed with a similar question: ‘‘Will you give the people of the Hunter a say in their future and hold off any move to terminate the Newcastle rail line until after the March election and guarantee that the corridor won’t be handed over to property developers?’’ ‘‘No,’’ Mr Baird replied.
    However, Mr Baird’s office said later the second part of Ms Hornery’s question was inaudible over noise in the chamber, and that Mr Baird had been responding to the first part only.
    Planning minister Pru Goward has previously said development such as cafes may be allowed on the corridor, but has rubbished suggestions high-rise buildings are in the pipeline.
    But Labor said the lack of a guarantee from the Premier revealed the government’s true intentions.
    “This is a government that has abandoned the Hunter and is not even running candidates at Saturday’s byelection – yet it expects people to have confidence in its decision to cut the rail line and dump them onto buses for more than two years,’’ Mr Robertson said.
    Mr Baird in turn criticised Labor’s plans to retain the rail and build more level crossings as unsafe. His Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian described the plan as like ‘‘putting a zebra crossing on the Pacific Highway’’.
    Ms Berejiklian, who yesterday announced schedules for bus services between Hamilton and the city while the light rail service is built, said Labor’s proposal was ‘‘ridiculous’’ and went against previous recommendations of its own ministers.
    Labor candidate Tim Crakanthorp defended the plan.
    ‘‘They’ve got them in Perth and they seem to work quite well,’’ he said.

    http://www.theherald.com.au/story/2641056/baird-grilled-on-rail-line-future/?cs=12
    Posted: 21 Oct 2014 22:54

    Last edited by wxtre on 21 Oct 2014 22:54; edited 1 time in total
      62440 Chief Commissioner

    And wxtre, and Bunbury is SORRY that they ever removed the rail line, and their was talk of trying to rebuild it back to the CBD.
    Newcastle Express

    The Bunbury study looked at the line via the port where rails were still intact a couple of hundred metres short of the old station. Trains would have turned off at Picton and the Picton to the station section would have closed.
    Another place to look is Auckland to find what it costs to put a railway back into the CBD when you realise you made a mistake and how successful it has proved.
    The NRMA wants to see PT use rise from 5% to 20%, this does not seem the smart way of doing it.
    Posted: 22 Oct 2014 20:50
      tezza Chief Commissioner

    It seems to work very well in Sydney with the Sydney Light Railway plonked out the front of Central station taking passengers 2km down to Darling Harbour and further afield, what makes you think a light railway wont work for 2 km in Newcastle?
    Posted: 22 Oct 2014 21:31
      a6et Minister for Railways

    It seems to work very well in Sydney with the Sydney Light Railway plonked out the front of Central station taking passengers 2km down to Darling Harbour and further afield, what makes you think a light railway wont work for 2 km in Newcastle?
    tezza

    That was a reversal of previous mistakes, when the old tram lines were ripped up all over Sydney.

    The extension of the tram to its now destination of Dulwych Hill could have been easilly done with less cost & inconvenience to the Sydney area by actually fixing up the old goods line from Central through Darling Harbour, Wentworth Park Balmain Road & then connect into the Bankstown line.

    The singling of the Wentworth Park tunnel would have allowed standard emu's to operate on a link system from Bankstown on the lines, the only need was for electrification to be completed between Darling Harbour & Balmain Rd.  Using that set up, meant an intergrated service, & would use the Illawarra dive in both directions to access the line to Sydnenham & Bankstown, thus adding more services but not in the main Redfern Central - City Circe choke points.

    The stupidity of the NCLE truncation still means that the money from the harbour sale or whatever they want to call it, is lost completely in removing a service that actually does work now, with another service that is no better but will add to transit times for all who us the PT into NCLE.  That money could have been spent better elsewhere.

    Given that Baird has not ruled out building on the removed line, that makes a total mockery of the constant statements saying the rail line is a barrier to the Harbour access, if a rail line is a barrier can anyone say that construction of buildings be they low level or what they really want is high level Luxury apartments to provide harbour views etc, likely to foriegn investors, is not a barrier?

    In fact, if the line is built on, then there will be a greater barrier than you could imagine when compared to the narrow corridor that is there now.
    Posted: 22 Oct 2014 22:29

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