Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Sydney / New South Wales Transport Discussion
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boronia
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Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by boronia »

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/syd ... 57mv8.html

Return to normal ‘still a long way off’
PUBLIC TRANSPORT

EXCLUSIVE
Tom Rabe, Pallavi Singhal

Sydney’s public transport will not return to pre-pandemic levels until international borders reopen, according to the network’s chief operations officer, who says light rail patronage has surged more than 600 per cent.

While patronage overall has surpassed 70 per cent of prepandemic levels, some modes are busier than others. The city’s much-maligned CBD light rail is outpacing trains and buses.

Transport for NSW chief operations officer Howard Collins said light rail patronage had increased by 630 per cent from April 2020 to March 2021, compared with trains, which had bounced back by 220 per cent and buses at 159 per cent.

However, the light rail is returning from a much lower base as it was hit the hardest by the pandemic, down close to 90 per cent during April last year. Ferry patronage is also surging back.

‘‘They’ve both come back much more strongly than other modes ... it’s amazing what’s happening with the patronage on light rail,’’ Mr Collins said.

Average weekday patronage for the first two weeks of April increased by almost 25 per cent since March, measured at more than 76,000 people per day.

Mr Collins believes the light rail

– which runs from Circular Quay to Moore Park and onwards to Randwick as well as Kingsford – could be ferrying 100,000 customers per day within a year.

Despite growth, he said Sydney’s public transport was a long way off returning to prepandemic levels, and once it did, the make-up of the network would likely be vastly different.

‘‘We have got to get our systems ready to expect a return to 100 per cent, but it’s what I call a different 100 per cent,’’ Mr Collins said.

‘‘Probably only 80 per cent of the people who travelled before COVID [will return], and then we’ll add on another 20 per cent and growing further additional travellers who didn’t make journeys before because there weren’t jobs or houses. As soon as we see more international movement ... until that comes back I don’t think we’ll see a substantial uplift again.’’

Senior transport management lecturer at Sydney University, Geoffrey Clifton, said the public transport system would likely never return to what it was pre-COVID.

‘‘We’re never going to go back to a situation where almost 100 per cent of office workers were travelling into the office five days a week,’’ he said. ‘‘The pandemic has really transformed that.’’

Opposition transport spokesman Chris Minns said he was pleased to see more patronage on the light rail. ‘‘The good news is you’ll always get a seat, the bad news is it might be quicker to walk,’’ he said.

Mr Collins said thousands of Sydneysiders were now less likely to commute to work during standard peak hour times five days a week.
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by tonyp »

Without moving into captain obvious territory too much, a significant reason that CSELR patronage was hard hit was that its biggest customer, UNSW, was basically closed for much of a year. The bad news for Chris Minns is that people will be less likely to get a seat during peaks, which makes his one valid point more significant - that it should be speeded up even more.
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by booma »

I can do an 891 in 12 minutes. How long does the tram take?
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by grog »

And how long waiting in line for the service? Light rail is 14 minutes to UNSW Anzac Parade and 16 minutes to UNSW High Street.
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by boronia »

Times are irrelevant as long as there is sufficient capacity.
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by Swift »

3 billion is a lot to remove afternoon bus invaders.
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by thunderbird »

boronia wrote: Wed Apr 28, 2021 8:58 am
Opposition transport spokesman Chris Minns said he was pleased to see more patronage on the light rail. ‘‘The good news is you’ll always get a seat, the bad news is it might be quicker to walk,’’ he said.

Mr Collins said thousands of Sydneysiders were now less likely to commute to work during standard peak hour times five days a week.
Is there anybody else on this forum who thinks less of Chris Minns after this stupid comment?
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by swtt »

thunderbird wrote:
boronia wrote: Wed Apr 28, 2021 8:58 am
Opposition transport spokesman Chris Minns said he was pleased to see more patronage on the light rail. ‘‘The good news is you’ll always get a seat, the bad news is it might be quicker to walk,’’ he said.

Mr Collins said thousands of Sydneysiders were now less likely to commute to work during standard peak hour times five days a week.
Is there anybody else on this forum who thinks less of Chris Minns after this stupid comment?
Never thought much of his comments. Almost always made subjectively and with emotive language.

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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by thunderbird »

booma wrote: Wed Apr 28, 2021 9:53 am I can do an 891 in 12 minutes. How long does the tram take?
I remember being on an 891 12 years ago that took 10 mins from Anzac parade to central.

I also remember it often taking closer to half an hour.

I also remember it taking up to 5 minutes to disembark the bus.

I also remember waiting up to 45 minutes for enough capacity to board after seeing 10 services leave full.

If the light rail takes 2-4 minutes longer than the fastest 891 I’d still rather use the light rail.
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by Swift »

It's all about the dwell time, something the brains of some entities can't grasp.
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by moa999 »

It's one of many comments.

Some strategist has told them they need to be negative, so they keep on doing it.
But they've done it so much they are into boy who cried wolf territory.
Last edited by moa999 on Wed Apr 28, 2021 9:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by buzzkill »

swtt wrote: Wed Apr 28, 2021 3:53 pm
thunderbird wrote:
Is there anybody else on this forum who thinks less of Chris Minns after this stupid comment?
Never thought much of his comments. Almost always made subjectively and with emotive language.

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I would love to see him walk from Randwick to Surry Hills in 15 minutes...
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by tonyp »

Swift wrote: Wed Apr 28, 2021 9:26 pm It's all about the dwell time, something the brains of some entities can't grasp.
It's all about capacity:
thunderbird wrote: Wed Apr 28, 2021 9:04 pm I also remember waiting up to 45 minutes for enough capacity to board after seeing 10 services leave full.
Dwell time helps to improve capacity but you need capacity in the first place.
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by Swift »

You mean capacity prevents a backlog of queuing pax?
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by boronia »

Which is more productive: buses 5 minutes apart being 1/3 full or buses 10 minutes apart being 2/3 full?
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by thunderbird »

boronia wrote: Thu Apr 29, 2021 4:41 pm Which is more productive: buses 5 minutes apart being 1/3 full or buses 10 minutes apart being 2/3 full?
A not so simple comparison.

You’re assuming if frequency of a service is halved that all passengers will still travel.

The frequency of every 5 mins might attract more total passengers on that route than if it was every 10 mins.

If you’re comparing two different routes and timetables then obviously the latter is more productive.
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by boronia »

I don't think a 5 minute difference would deter too many passengers, provided there was sufficient capacity. A longer gap might.
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by booma »

Could they put express tram services between UNSW and Central?

Can the trams jump each other?
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by boronia »

No and No
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by simonl »

moa999 wrote: Wed Apr 28, 2021 9:29 pm It's one of many comments.

Some strategist has told them they need to be negative, so they keep on doing it.
But they've done it so much they are into boy who cried wolf territory.
Didn't harm Gladys.
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by boronia »

The GREEN dots are back!
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by Aurora »

Swift wrote: Wed Jun 23, 2021 8:20 pm It's all a conspiracy to get us used to a new level of restrictions by politicians. They are the real virus.
Because the politicians love economic destruction...
boronia wrote: Wed Jun 23, 2021 5:04 pm The GREEN dots are back!
Technically they never left, for this very reason, or laziness, you decide!
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by tonyp »

Aurora wrote: Wed Jun 23, 2021 11:29 pm
Because the politicians love economic destruction...
The NSW approach (thanks to the most capable health administration in Australia) has been specifically to minimise economic destruction. Queensland and Victoria couldn't care less and WA is probably resilient enough to weather it). The way the Labor states have taken the opportunity for political point-scoring had been disgraceful.

The biggest catastrophe has been for small business and their employees. 80% of economic activity in Australia is generated by the private sector and, while big corporations generally have enough fat to weather the situation, for small business as a result of these lockdowns it is a disaster.
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by rogf24 »

Not quite as high as 80%. Combined with other governments, not just federal, private sector contribution to GDP it's closer to 70%. But during COVID, with all the massive spending, the private sector only made up closer to 60% of the GDP.
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Re: Sydney’s public transport growing back differently post-pandemic

Post by Linto63 »

tonyp wrote: The NSW approach (thanks to the most capable health administration in Australia) has been specifically to minimise economic destruction.
And a fair degree of luck.
tonyp wrote: The way the Labor states have taken the opportunity for political point-scoring had been disgraceful.
Yet is is the Liberal governed South Australia and Tasmania that are always first to close their borders. Both Labor governments that have been to the polls in the past 12 months have been returned with increased majorities, evidently voters approve of the steps they have taken.
tonyp wrote: 80% of economic activity in Australia is generated by the private sector
Pre Covid it was about 75%.
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