Sydney Metro - Tallawong to Bankstown

[mandonov]

These changes will be achieved by reallocating services from late nights and early morning services where existing customer levels are very low. This also allows more time for important overnight maintenance works to maintain reliability of the network.

On Friday and Saturday evenings there will be no changes to current services.

Another example of service delivery outcomes being strictly shaped by the terms of a contract. It shouldn't require the reallocation of exisiting services to provide an adequate peak period.

[BroadGauge]

Is this an error, am I reading this wrong, or does the Sydney Metro seriously operate a 4 minute peak frequency on public holidays!?

https://transportnsw.info/documents/tim ... 200105.pdf

If that timetable is to be believed, I'll be able to turn up at Tallawong at 5:55am on the Queen's Birthday Monday in two weeks time, and find trains departing every 4 minutes. But for the two weekend days of the long weekend, only a 10 minute frequency will be operating.

[Merc1107]

Is this an error, am I reading this wrong, or does the Sydney Metro seriously operate a 4 minute peak frequency on public holidays!?

https://transportnsw.info/documents/tim ... 200105.pdf

I seem to recall this was previously discussed, with the explanation being this was to cater for University students, given Universities typically do not observe state or territory public holidays... Would search to double-check my claims but that doesn't seem to be working quite right at the moment.

[BroadGauge]

I seem to recall this was previously discussed, with the explanation being this was to cater for University students, given Universities typically do not observe state or territory public holidays... Would search to double-check my claims but that doesn't seem to be working quite right at the moment.

There's a couple of public holidays a year that universities don't observe. That doesn't justify running such a weekday peak frequency on days like Christmas Day, Good Friday or New Years Day that are among the quietest of the year.

I also doubt there would be that much demand from Macquarie University students along the line west of Epping, as I doubt the Hills District would have a high concentration of students at all.

[tonyp]

The metro is very busy in weekends. I recall a news item from some months ago saying that it carries about 50% more people in weekends than the average suburban service.

[jaseee]

The off-peak frequency should ideally be 8 mins. 10 mins is a tad bit long to wait sometimes...I had tried it and it felt a bit too long for a metro.

[tonyp]

The off-peak frequency should ideally be 8 mins. 10 mins is a tad bit long to wait sometimes...I had tried it and it felt a bit too long for a metro.

Unfortunately TfNSW has locked itself into a contract where the contractor is obliged to only provide a finite number of services per day. So the only way they can increase services at certain times of day is to take services away from other times of the day, which is what they've done with the current timetable. It seems a bizarre idea that robs the agency of the ability to increase services as demand rises. Normally you'd think the reason was to constrain costs, the largest cost typically being staff - but there are no drivers.

[grog]

The contract is online and allows increases in frequency, but it would be at a standard pre-agreed cost.

Presumably reallocating services when demand is low and money is tight is just the way they decided to go this time.

[tonyp]

Wednesday nights on SBS, 8.30 pm, a series on the construction of the M1 line. A preview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAxflzP ... e=youtu.be

[tonyp]

Wednesday nights on SBS, 8.30 pm, a series on the construction of the M1 line. A preview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAxflzP ... e=youtu.be

If you miss the episodes of this program Wednesday nights, they are streamed on SBS On Demand from the next day:

Episode 1:
https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1 ... n-stations

Episode 2:
https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1 ... es-beneath

Very well worth watching.

[boronia]

Interesting to watch. A good insight into the complexity of designing and building a rail line.

And of course, plenty of the usual "dramatics" that seem to creep into these shows to keep us on the edge of our seats. "Job completed with just minutes to spare", '"working just a couple of metres away from high voltage powerlines" "got under the bridge with just millimetres of clearance", etc

[tonyp]

Interesting to watch. A good insight into the complexity of designing and building a rail line.

And of course, plenty of the usual "dramatics" that seem to creep into these shows to keep us on the edge of our seats. "Job completed with just minutes to spare", '"working just a couple of metres away from high voltage powerlines" "got under the bridge with just millimetres of clearance", etc

That's from a formula for these documentaries that could as well be titled "In the Nick of Time". I find it quite amusing. Like, the cat is stuck down the drain and there are 13 minutes before the tide comes in and will they rescue the cat in time, pan to lapping water then a commercial break at 12.5 minutes just to keep you wound up. Now substitute the word metro for cat and you get the idea! Apart from that, it's pretty impressive what they are doing though.

[lunchbox]

At last, we now know why the front of the Metro cars is so UGLY!

[tonyp]

At last, we now know why the front of the Metro cars is so UGLY!

I was never a great fan of Moreton Bay Figs. Anyway, I thought the fairing was just to stop kids riding on the buffers. The rest is probably bs.

[Transport Buff]

Has anyone noticed that the possible/future Pyrmont station seems to have been eliminated/disappeared from the Metro West route?
Here's the link to the Sydney Metro map, if anyone wants more info: https://www.sydneymetro.info/map/sydney ... -train-map

[boronia]

This is not part of the Tallawong-Bankstown line.

[Transtopic]

Has anyone noticed that the possible/future Pyrmont station seems to have been eliminated/disappeared from the Metro West route?
Here's the link to the Sydney Metro map, if anyone wants more info: https://www.sydneymetro.info/map/sydney ... -train-map

It's probably because its final location hasn't been decided yet. Similarly, there's no CBD station/s shown for Metro West. I've got no doubt that there will be a station at Pyrmont, as the Government has proposed major changes to the planning controls and a new station would be linked to that.

[boronia]

The Barangaroo casino is getting a metro station. It would be unfair for the Pyrmont casino not to have one, too.

[Swift]

Pyrmont has the lr stop in the casino's doorstep under cover.

[boxythingy]

New professionally recorded announcements on board the high tech driverless trains after more than a year's operation. Another sign that it was prematurely opened- so for a year it like an unwashed person wearing a nice suit

Click for full playlist, termination, doors closure and special message announcements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEv1m1N ... d9epeTGQCG

[Linto63]

The 2 escalators and staircase between the country and suburban platforms at Central station have closed with 3 new escalators immediately to the south opened this week.

[boronia]

I haven't seen much in the media lately about problems with the metro. Has it sorted itself out and become reliable, or is it just no longer newsworthy?

[Linto63]

Nothing horendos, just the usual operational problems from time to time that any line will suffer from.

[jaseee]

New professionally recorded announcements on board the high tech driverless trains after more than a year's operation. Another sign that it was prematurely opened- so for a year it like an unwashed person wearing a nice suit

I would rather they open rather than waiting a year for them to update the annoucements (and other non-critical items). These items can be fixed as time goes on, the metro had relevant annoucements from Day 1 even if they weren't great.

[boxythingy]

There was a service interruption due to a power failure on Monday meaning social distancing was impossible: