2017 - September Volume 72 Number 9 $10.00 RRP Incl. GST transit australia australia’s urban passenger transportta journal ISSN 0818 5204 Features Announcements on trams Infrastructure Australia corrridor protection The Battle of Brisbane Revised bus services in Drouin and Warragul St Kilda Road tram replacement Plus Regulars 2017 - September Volume 72 Number 9 contents transit Features australia Announcements on trams ____________________ 261 australia’s urban passenger transportta journal Infrastructure Australia corridor protection _______ 263 Managing Editor: Tony Bailey Publisher: Transit Australia Digital The Battle of Brisbane _________________________ 267 PO Box 192, BOTANY NSW 1455 Revised bus services in Drouin and Warragul ____ 269 Australia Ph: (02) 9341 8700 St Kilda Road tram replacement _______________ 271 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.transitaustralia.com.au Transit Newsfile Editorial Advisors: Hugh Ballment, Agnes Boskovitz, International ______________________________273 V M Isaacs, Stuart Keenan, L J Pascoe, National __________________________________273 Jeremy Wainwright, R K Willson Advertising: Tony Bailey Ph: (02) 9341 8700 New South Wales ___________________________273 E-mail: [email protected] Northern Territory __________________________ 277 Website Co-ordinator: John Clifton Layout: The Little Website Company Pty Ltd Queensland _______________________________ 279 www.tlwsc.com.au South Australia ____________________________ 279 Subscriptions: Tasmania ________________________________ 280 Print Subscription 2017: Victoria __________________________________ 280 Australia Overseas Airmail, AUD Western Australia _________________________ 284 (incl. 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Interesting Website ________________________ 269 You can also subscribe securely online by credit or debit card via Industry _________________________________ 285 PayPal even if you do not have a PayPal account. Services Directory _________________________ 286 Digital Subscription 2017: Contributors _____________________________ 286 Latest and recent Back Issues: $7.99 each 12 month subscription: $68.99 AETA Notices _____________________________ 286 6 month subscription: $37.99 Mac and PC iPad and iPhone Go to www.pocketmags.com Visit the app store and search for Transit Australia download the Transit Australia app ISSN 0818 5204 Print Post Publication # 100004921 Transit Australia Digital Edition Published monthly by Transit Australia Digital. Opinions expressed in Transit Australia are not necessarily those of Transit Australia Digital or of the Australian Electric Traction Association or its members. No responsibility is taken for the now available at: return of any unsolicited articles or photographs. The Editor retains the right to edit or reject all contributions. Responsibility for editorial comment is taken by the Publisher. Copyright 2017 Transit Australia Digital and individually named persons. No unauthorised pocketmags.com reproduction permitted in any form. Approval for reproduction must be sought from the Editor. Printed in Australia by Ligare, RIVERWOOD NSW iTunes Store ABN 91 368 242 461 Opposite Page Front Cover John Clifton was at Sydney‘s Central Station on 6 August Perth EMU car BEA 4099 was photographed by David when he took this photograph of the construction of Sydney’s Whiteford on 16 July as it headed an second new tramway as a CAF car on the first line, the IWLR, empty football special away from was approaching the terminus in the Colonnades at Central. West Leederville to the Daglish Note that the new line is adjacent to the station building rather turnback and passed Domain than the middle of Eddy Avenue. This also seems to be the first section of the new line where the poles for the overhead power Stadium, Subiaco, as supporters supply have already been erected, well in advance of the track made their way to the final western construction. derby to be played there between Fremantle Dockers and West Coast Eagles. The next local game should be at the new Perth Stadium with its dedicated rail access. 259 Announcements on trams Ian Manning has commented in the article opposite on announcements on board some public transport vehicles. In many places now passengers make comments about a perceived oversupply of announcements at stations, which often seem to be nonstop. This Bob Wilson photograph at Ashfield in Sydney was taken on 19 February 2015 and an observer can easily spot a large number of PA speakers under the awning. The bus interchange in Christchurch, seen in this Bob Wilson photograph from 15 April 2016, has, because of the way it operates, to tell passengers which door to use for a particular service just before it arrives. Passengers can wait in a comfortable waiting area until the bus is ready to board. 260 TRANSIT AUSTRALIA 9/17 Announcements on trams Ian Manning In line with their peers overseas, and in a bid to improve the passenger minority of passengers (those who are both uncertain about where they experience, Australian public transport operators have lately invested are to alight and cannot see the visual display) must be offset against heavily in automated in-vehicle information systems. These replace the their nuisance value to other passengers, whose reading, conversation former haphazard system of loudspeaker announcements by on-board and snoozing they interrupt. personnel including drivers, guards and conductors. The early automated Victoria has opted for single-line LED displays which display limited systems were easily upset by out-of-course vehicle movements, but information, accompanied by a Voice which reads out, and sometimes the systems are now reasonably reliable and it seems to be taken for adds to, the written message. On suburban trains The Voice is female granted that they should be installed. The systems mainly provide but on trams it is male, perfectly enunciated and loud enough to be information on up-coming stops but may also convey messages about heard in a tram in full flight. This male Voice was first introduced on fares, routing, disruptions and the like. the low-floor trams where, in accord with international practice, it Is this a good investment? To the extent that urban travel is repetitive, contents itself with announcing upcoming stops and junctions. there is little need for vehicle-location information because travellers to Unfortunately the announcements on B class trams, and now also on A work, school and many places besides know where they are, know where class, go beyond international practice. First, the Voice announces each they have to get off and don’t need to be told. Even those who travel stop by number as well as by name. I have no objection to including in unfamiliar territory, tourists, locals venturing to new destinations, stop numbers in the LED display, but announcing them in a Voice too include many who are armed with smartphones which advise them not loud to be ignored has the psychological effect of making a tram-ride only when to get off but where to go after that. The target group for seem slower. I simply do not want be reminded that I have such a lot in-vehicle information on stops and routes would therefore seem to be of stops to go before it is my turn to get off. Second, in addition to new and other irregular passengers who are not smartphone-equipped, announcing each stop in advance, the Voice re-announces the stop after perhaps a significant minority in locations frequented by tourists but the doors have opened. Often these announcements are too late to be vanishingly small elsewhere. The target group for messages about fares, of any use as the doors have closed again before the Voice completes disruptions and the like is, of course, much broader. the stop name. and they are particularly intrusive in that they are The new generation of automated in-vehicle information systems made, at full volume, when the tram is stationary and there is much comprise two elements, visual displays and audible announcements. less background noise. Once again I have no objection to ‘this stop’ Two types of visual display are in use, the plasma screen and the LED being shown on the LED display but submit that the annoyance caused display. Plasma screens can display more information, on trams and by having the Voice read out the current stop is much greater than any buses they generally show the next three stops, not just the next one, help it may be those few passengers who have not heard the next-stop but are not as bright as the LED displays and not quite as easily read announcement and cannot read the LED screen. For this reason, ‘this from distant parts of the vehicle. Though the information they convey stop’ announcements should be eliminated, or at least