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Train Talk Tuesday 5

This week on Train Talk Tuesday, we will be looking the the XPT (short for Express Passenger Train) that passengers catch on many of the intercity and interstate rail routes. 

The XPT was introduced to service in 1982 and travels out of Sydney to Melbourne, Brisbane, Dubbo, Grafton and Casino. These services all run at least on a daily basis with some routes having multiple daily services where demand warrants. All services are operated by NSWTrainLink

The XPT power car features a Paxman VP185 12-cylinder, turbo-charged diesel electric engine boasting 1492 kW or 2000 horsepower. There’s a power car at each end of the train, one pulling and the other pushing.

There are 3 traveling classes on XPT trains. Sleeping Class with large seats converting into beds and private toilet and shower facilities, First Class and Economy Class.

The XPT is depoted and maintained at a depot in Sydenham. The entire train is washed with recycled water and then blow dried at least once every 3 weeks.

XPT at Sydney Terminal

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Sydney Buses Route of the Week 5

This week our route of the week is the 333. It runs between Circular Quay and North Bondi via Elizabeth Street, Oxford Street, Bondi Junction and Bondi Beach. Some limited services also continue to Dover Hights

Route 333 began in 2006 as a replacement for the L82 service which was discontinued. Route 333 runs a limited stops service that duplicates and supplements the 24 Hour all stops 380 service. It runs between 6am and Midnight daily with a 10-20 minute frequency. It takes between 38-45 minutes to travel from Circular Quay to North Bondi depending on trafffic conditions.

The route was the first pre-pay only route, wher passengers had to buy a ticket before boarding. This is now commonplace on all Express, Limited Stops and Metrobus routes. In addition the 333 was one of the bus routes involved in the Opal Trial as it uses a dedicated fleet.

The 333 is operated by a dedicated fleet of articulated Volgren buses with a Volvo B12BLEA chassis operating out of Waverley depot.

Pictured: Signage for Opal Customer Trial
Pictured: A Articulated Volgren bodied Volvo B12BLEA operating a 333. It is using the now retired swimmer desto.
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Tram Tracks 1

This month on Tram Tracks, we look at the route and proposed stop names of the two new light rail lines being built in Sydney as part of the CSELR project.

The new new lines, dubbed L2 and L3 will both start at the Circular Quay stop and travel through the CBD via George Street to Central Station, from there both lines will continue together running up Devonshire Street in Surry Hills before running along its own dedicated alignment through More Park alongside Anzac parade.

At the Interesction of Anzac Parade and Alison Road the two lines spilt. L2 runs along Alison Road and Wansey Road past Randwick Racecoure, before going along High Street and terminating at Randwick Junction. L3 continues along Anzac Parade to Kingsford.

Most stops have been named after the locality there are in or a major nearby landmark, There has been some controversy over the proposed names, with multiple petitions started by both Randwick Council and the Royal Randwick Racecourse to have the Centennial Park stop renamed Randwick Racecourse. Some other criticised stop names include Metropolitan and Wansey Collage due to the ambiguity of the names when considering the surrounding areas.

There is also plans to designate the two stops at Central different names to avoid confusion. The current stop used by L1 services will be renamed Central – Grand Concourse whilst the new stop used by L2 and L3 services will be named Central – Chalmers Street.

Light Rail Line Diagram
A Map of the. Light Rail Route with Stop Names

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Ferry Friday 5

One of the most famous ferry services here in Sydney is the Manly Ferry, which is the topic of our Ferry Friday.

The first services between Circular Quay and Manly began in the 1850s. These services were operated by The Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Company. Today the services are operated by Harbour City Ferries on behalf of  Sydney Ferries as the F1 Manly service.

Four Freshwater class ferries bulit in the 1980s operate the service. They are named Freshwater, Queenscliff, Narrabeen and Collaroy. Each ferry can carry up to 1 100 passengers at a time.

The service takes 30 minutes between Circular Quay Wharf 3 and Manly Wharf 1 and operates between 6am and Midnight daily with a frequency varying between 20 and 30 minutes depending on demand.

Collaroy operating a F1 Manly service.
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Premier Apology – Granville Train Disaster

Today Premier Gladys Berejiklian has apologised to the victims of the Granville Train Diaster. Survivors, first responders and relatives of victims sat in the gallery as the Premier made her apology.

She expressed her profound sy,patties o the victims of the tradegdy including families, survivors and the first responders. “I express my genuine heartfelt sorrow for the terrible trauma you suffered at the time and the devastating pain and loss that you’ve had to live with for many years since.” 

She also acknowledged that nothing including her apology could make up for the pain and suffering. ‘There is nothing we can do to take the pain away, but we hope today goes to acknowledging that and supporting you into the future.’

Various other members including Minister for Transport Andrew Constance, Opposition Leader Luke Foley and Member for Granville also spoke.

On the morning of January 18, 1977, 83 people died and over 200 more were injured when the train derailed causing a  bridge to collapse onto the commuter train travelling from the Blue Mountains

Pictured: The aftermath of the Granville Train Disaster
Pictured: Gladys Berejiklian apologises for Granville train disaster

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Moore Park Major Events on Saturday

This saturday it will be very busy at Moore Park with both a AFL game between the Sydney Swans and the Brisbane Lions at the SCG as well as the more important and highly antipacted A-League Grand Final between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory at the neighbouring Allianz Stadium. Over 80000 fans are expected to the two matches and therefore the precinct will be busy. It is estimated that 40000 fans will attend each individual match.

The worst is expected to be around 4pm. This is 15 minutes after the expected finishing time fo the AFL match and 1 hour prior to the start of the A-League grand final. Car parking and traffic will be an absolute nightmare as AFL fans leave and A-League fans arrive.

It is highly recommended to fans to use Pubic Transport. Expresses buses will run from Central from 9:30am until 1pm and again from 2:30pm until 5pm. These services will return to Central between 3:30pm and 5pm and again between 18:45pm until 1 hour after the conclusion of the match. Regular buses also run to and from the City and South East from Anzac Parade

In addition, walking to and from Central particular around 4pm is highly recommmed. Walkers should go via the Tibby Cotter bridge and Devonshire Street.

AFL fans must pay with an Opal Card for all Public Transport use on the day. A-League fans will receive free public transport as part of a deal between FFA and the NSW Governement providing free transport to all A-League matches played in NSW.

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Lane Cove Bus Changes

From last week, our readers may have noticed that there were some extra route 294 services operating between Lane Cove and Wynyard using Bendy Buses. TFNSW has confirmed that these are permenant addditons to the timetable. Some other services have had t]minor time changes to ensure a regular frequency.

From 4 June, a new route 530 will begin operating between Chatswood and Burwood via Lane Cove and Five Dock. The timetable and exact routing will be released closer to the start date. It is understood that services will run every 20-30 minutes between 6am-11pm daily.

In addition, bus marshals are now stationed at Lane Cove interchange in the mornings to provide help and assitance. 

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Train Talk Tuesday 4

This week for Train Talk Tuesday we will be discussing one aspect of the More Trains, More Services program currently being rolled out by the NSW government and Sydney Trains that will make rail services more frequent and reliable.

The centrepiece of the More Trains, More Services isSydney Growth Trains. 24 eight-car trains have been ordered with an expected delivery starting from late 2018.

These new trains are based on the existing Waratah design with a number of key features and modifications including:

  • Improved air-conditioning with advanced temperature control.
  • High definition customer information screens to provide journey and safety information.
  • Internal and external CCTV and customer help points.
Pictured: Mock Interior of New Trains
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Sydney Buses Route of the Week 4

This weeks route of the week is Route 144.

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The 144 was the first bus route to be operated by the NSW government and remains as the longest runnning route in Sydney. It runs from Manly to Chatswood via The Spit, Neutral Bay, Crows Nest and St Leonards.

The route was originally operated between Manly and Cremorne in the late 1920s and early 1930s by White Transit Company. On December 25 1932, the service was taken over by the Government of New South Wales. The following year the service was extended to St Leonards and in 1965 to Chatswood.

The service is currently operated by Buses with Bustech VST bodywork and Scania Chassis from Willoughby depot. The service runs approximately every 30 minutes between 6am and 11pm daily. The services takes between 48 and 62 minute to run from end to end.

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Guest Questions – April 2017

Here at TFNSW blog we love receiving your questions and where possible, we squeeze an answer into one of our regular posts for you. But sometimes those questions, whilst relevant don’t fit into any of the regular posts scaffolds or you may have to wait ages to see a response. So we here at TFNSWBlog have decided to answer the questions we received throughout the month of April. We are hoping that provided we recive more questions, that this will become a regular feature on the last Saturday of the Month.

What are the proposed changes to the bus network between Coogee and the CBD once the light rail starts operation? Will we lose our direct service to Central? – CONCERNED 374 PASSENGERS

The changes to the bus network once the light rail opens are yet to be determined. TFNSW claims a proposed network will be announced sometime in 2018. About 2 years ago a draft of a potential network was leaked and that would suggest that the 374 would be rerouted to Edgecliff and as such you would unfortunately lose your direct bus to Central, but at this time we cannot say for certain if this is actually the case. 

What will happen to the rest of QANTASs A380 flights given they are pulling them from both the routes the fly out of Melbourne and replacing them with 787s? – ANONYMOUS 

This is not enteirly true, whilst they are pulling the a380 from QF9-10 MEL-DXB-LHR, they are not pulling it from QF93/94 MEL-LAX. In the case of the flights on the MEL-LAX route, it is QF95/96 that is getting the 787s. This service is currently operated by 747s and the aircraft used to fly this route are expected to be the next to leave the QANTAS fleet and be retired. 

In regards to what will happen to the other a380 flights, there are likely to be some changes due to the way QANTAS current schedules the a380s. The a380s currently run SYD-DXB-LHR-DXB-MEL and MEL-DXB-LHR-DXB-SYD. This will obviously be changed with the removal of the MEL-DXB-LHR segment of the schedule. This will could possibly see the retiming of QF1/2 between SYD-DXB-LHR to ensure maxiumum utislasation of the planes and also potentially the retiming of other  a380 flights. 

In addition, QANTAS has announced that there I’ll be a more regular return to the a380 on QF127/128 between SYD-HKG. The a380 currently serves this route 3 times a week in January and February but they are hinting at more regular flights throught the year. On top of this, there is also the suggestion that there may even be a380s bound for QF5/6 between SYD-SIN and QF29/30 between MEL-HKG.

Regarding the George St light rail, when will it and its various sections be completed, and how exactly will it affect traffic? – USER4206972042

The expected completion date for all works is April 2018, this includes George St. There is however the possibility that it may be later due to the unexpected finding of unideified utilities under parts of George St.

The main impact on traffic will be the complete pedestrianisation between Bathurst Street at Town Hall and Hunter Street at Wynyard, a 1 kilometre section of George Street. For the rest of George St, a single traffic lane will be maintained in each direction on the outsode of the light rail tracks. All cross traffic will be maintained along the entirety of George St.