Didn’t CAF maintenance do the same to Variobahns on the IWLR? (Overcost/Restrict Variobahn parts to make ordering new Urbos’s more attractive). I wouldn’t be surprised if they were also restricting parts for all Urbos systems to encourage just ordering new trams because it would mean higher margins...

It all boils down to TfNSW's longstanding poor capability for procuring the best vehicles/vessels/designs/suppliers for the job. This is but one example.

I'm not personally a big fan of EVs (I much prefer diesels - especially the ones from the late 90s!) but the statistics do show that electric vehicles are less likely to catch fire than conventionally fuelled vehicles. According to this university report, petrol and diesel vehicles are 20 times mor...

Glen wrote: ↑Sat Apr 06, 2024 11:55 am But we do have all door alighting.

I've never noticed any particular effort to drop rear door alightees onto the footpath like I see in Europe. Mostly on to the road.

Glen wrote: ↑Sat Apr 06, 2024 1:32 am Routes also have to be checked for artics, e.g. length of bus zones etc.

That would be about all I think. Even that isn't much of an issue in NSW since we don't have all-door boarding and all that buses have to do is pull in at 45 degrees like a taxi to ensure the front door is at the kerb!

Aurora wrote: ↑Fri Apr 05, 2024 10:30 pm Provided of course they are suitable for such routes (I.e.: height clearances).

I presume that routes have to be engineered and approved for double deckers. They can't just run anywhere like single deckers. If extra capacity is needed at short notice, artics are the answer.

You wouldn't catch it from Castle Hill to the city because it's quicker by metro. Whilst I don't doubt people close to Castle Hill Station will take the Metro, the bus is not as slow as you may think. The off peak 610X running time from Castle Hill Station to Wynyard is 34 minutes. From Baulkham Hi...

Hopefully not the ones that carry standing loads like the 610X, much of which they pick up (inbound) well south of Castle Hill. Presumably these are justified because their catchment is through corridors not covered by the metro. You wouldn't catch it from Castle Hill to the city because it's quick...

There is a proposal for the current route 320 to be modified into a rapid route and operate between Mascot and North Sydney. TfNSW. Have Your Say on the On-street Transit Bus and Light Rail Network. https://hdp-au-prod-app-nsw-haveyoursay-files.s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/5317/0002/5733/97ca188...

Another international brand closes up operations in Australia, EBusco https://www.busnews.com.au/ebusco-announces-closure-of-australian-operations/ Wonder what became of the demonstrator model that was touring the Bus Expo two years back. Inevitable. A small manufacturer can't compete with Chinese ...

It is rather strange to think they need that many buses past the Bankstown line occupation even when they own charter operators around the country. A fleet of 43-44 seat, two door buses aren’t ideal for large scale charter work as they’re too low capacity. Unless they somehow plan to add an extra 1...

I'd assume that Station Link was funded by TfNSW, however, that begs the question of why TfNSW (and the taxpayers of NSW) paid for Station Link but not for the Bankstown contract, considering both the ECRL shutdown and the T3 partial shutdown were for conversion to Metro standard. If the lack of el...

Volgren managed to deliver 120 buses to CDC Hillsbus back in 2018 for Station Link within a timeframe of 5 months, with a bus a day at certain points in the deliver schedule. In this sense, 60 in 6 months wouldn't have been too much of an ask, provided, of course, that adequate notice had been give...

The point is that they're cheaper from China.

Glen wrote: ↑Fri Mar 22, 2024 4:18 pm But I'm sure after it's built, someone will be saying "we just need to build the missing link".

That's be the North Sydney to Seaforth section of course.

Every line in Sydney has been closed regularly on weekends for the last 40 years, more so than any other system I know. They must have been doing something during all of those possessions (I hope). I think both of us recall how many times we were promised over the years that a better service would ...

Linto63 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 20, 2024 11:44 am With the bus service that more or less parallels the railway line operating only hourly, is there really any demand?

Perhaps the patronage is low because the buses are hourly. Jack them up to 15 minutes and see what happens.

Wouldn't leave any room for anything to go wrong with the timetable either. Aerial imagery suggests that the platform on the southern side of Macquarie Street might have enough room to be turned into an island, similar to the arrangement at Chalmers Street Central. I've just come from a discussion ...

Yes, I'm aware that Panel 3 expires on 19 March, that's why I said I'll wait till next week. It just perplexes me to understand why they want a confidentiality deed when there's nothing in a Bus Panel that they have to be secretive about. I'm sure they're not about to open up the market to a lot of ...

I was in a V set the other day helping my mother who struggles to walk these days and I've got to say they are not disabled or cripple friendly. They are looking out of date as a result. Rediculous is taken half a decade to take a passenger of the upcoming NIF sets. Regardless of the lack of Wheelc...

I hope this isn't an ominous development in NSW: https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/system/files/media/documents/2023/Confidentiality-Agreement_bus-panel_all-bus-operators_July-2022.pdf Panel 3 is expiring next week and hitherto all Panel versions have been published on the TfNSW web site. Panel 4 is ...

lunchbox wrote: ↑Thu Mar 14, 2024 6:31 pm I was surprised to find that my new Rosa does not have C.C. No doubt it's an option.....

Possibly because nobody perceives the Rosa as a highway cruiser! Or else the manufacturer's accountants deleted the feature from the design to save costs.

Oh dear you've really fallen for the motorway con "all we need is one more missing link". :lol: There's always one more, they design them that way !! No, it's part of the same scheme and it's currently under construction. It's not an afterthought to try to correct problems from the first ...

Some trams are fitted with cruise control. It helps with retarding as much as moving along.