Is seems construction will commence in January 1999. As no commitment has been made on extending the line, I suspect the bus management have plans to run express buses from Bondi to the city on every possible occasion. These would use Sid Einfeld Drive, ie the Bondi Junction bypass, and would hope that conditions around Taylor Square had improved.
This might increase total patronage slightly, so long as services between the Junction and Bondi are not downgraded. At other locations where the same operator has had both the direct and interchange services, the latter have been allocated noisy and dirty buses.
5 June 1997
Ms Penny Carl
General Manager
Woollahra Municipal Council
Dear Ms Carl
At the public exhibition of plans for the new Bondi Junction Interchange on May 28, you suggested I send my 'thoughts' document to the Council. After considering the plans I feel that no sensible planning can be done until a decision is made on extending the railway.
The single island bus platform we were shown would suffice if many commuters were diverted to a Bondi Beach station. However we could expect many more shoppers and club & cinema goers using rail. They should not be expected to traverse two levels between the mezzanine and the rail concourse in order to avoid conflict with buses and taxis.
The half completed tunnel from the concourse to David Jones would need to be opened as early as the rail extension. To avoid steering shoppers away from the Oxford Street Mall, there would need to be an equivalent link to there, perhaps in conjunction with the redevelopment of one of the properties backing onto Grosvenor Lane.
If there is to be no rail extension in the next few years, provision should be made for an increasing number of terminating buses. The whole Grafton Street frontage needs an awning as the number of people alighting for rail from cars and taxis increases in heavy rain, but even the full length would not leave sufficient room for peak hour buses.
A wider site with two island platforms seems the best solution with no rail extension.
Yours faithfully
E B Tierney
2. The number of people transferring at BJ will drop greatly if the line is extended to Bondi Beach. Perhaps design should be delayed till a decision is made on that project.
3. The existing interchange was built on a site that was slightly too narrow and in consequence there were insufficient escalators and no taxi rank. Grafton Street was left too wide and encouraged speedsters. I presume the new development will use a wider site.
4. There is great demand for people of limited mobility to use this facility. If there are to be two island platforms for buses and taxis, both should have lift or moving belt access from above and below.
5. Bus drivers need to know how many seconds to the arrival of a flood of passengers so that they do not pull out empty just after a train has arrived. Having a signalman start buses would be one way. Another would be to give drivers a video view of the railway turnstiles.
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"Amendment of Condition 41 to enable applicant to amend design and defer construction of awning above access way along Rowe Street for a period of up to five years" This is the ramp I had already suggested was a too roundabout way for rail patrons using the Oxford Street pedestrian mall. To deprive them of cover from the rain seems another lack of concern for public transport.
There might be a good reason for this, but counter staff at the municipal office were unable to give one. They gave me a phone number for Anthony Rowan which connects to a message machine.
I sent an email making three points-
The Editor The Wentworth Courier
Sir
The Member for Vaucluse is opposed to any fare surcharge on a possible Bondi railway, yet he desires an expensive two station extension which would need to be partly double track to maintain reasonable headways.
A way round this conundrum would be to have a Bondi Railway Company running its own trains which would use the reversing facility at Central. The Company would pay for its use of CityRail facilities by providing half the seats between Central and Bondi Junction. To travel any further you would need a BRC ticket or a joint ticket.
An advantage of this scheme is it would discipline CityRail's erratic headways on the eleven minute run between Bondi Junction and Central. If a train from the Illawarra line was late, it would lose its slot and have to wait in the tunnel outside Central until the next Company train had departed.
The BRC trains could have some single deck cars with three doorways. This would speed loading and cater for the surfboards, prams and wheelchairs.
Yours faithfully
E B Tierney
13 January 1997
The Editor
Sydney Morning Herald
Sir
Bondi interests are agitating for a two-station version of the mooted rail extension. This would need to be partly double track to maintain reasonable headways. The whole project would thus cost at least double a single station stay-in-the-sandstone version, yet they are adamant there should be no surcharge to pay the private interests who initiated the idea.
One way round this potential hole in the State budget would be to have a Bondi Railway Company running its own trains and using the reversing facility at Central. The Company would pay for its use of CityRail facilities by providing half the seats between Central and Bondi Junction. Beyond there you would need a BRC ticket or a joint ticket.
One advantage of this scheme is it would discipline the erratic headways CityRail "maintains" on the eleven minute run from central to Bondi Junction. If a train from the Illawarra line was late, it would lose its slot and have to wait in the tunnel outside Central for the next Company train to depart.
The BRC trains could have some single deck cars with three doorways each side. This would speed loading and cater for the surfboards, prams and wheelchairs.
The service on the ESR was best in its first year of operation when it ran as an isolated line. Once CityRail began using it as the termination of the Illawarra line, long waits became common. An area of such high density population deserves a metro style service and I hope the Herald will campaign to bring that about without the taxpayer being fleeced.
Yours faithfully
E B Tierney
The New 353 Bus
This service will link the coast to the new rail stations. It would be good if you could probe State Transit as to their planned alterations for the opening of the airport line.
Gardeners Road needs a full time and frequent service to either Mascot station or the airport stations. The 343 could then take a more direct route to the city, as it would no longer need to provide interchange with Botany Road buses. Go to top Go to top
Email me at ebtierney@hotmail.com
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