Mayor4Unley

A high speed train service from Mount Barker to Adelaide is emerging as a strong promise in the campaigns for the SA state Election. And so it should be. It's long overdue. There's no point in building satellite cities without provision of decent public transport. Having a bus service is not adequate; especially through the hills. Experts are forecasting an express service of 20 minutes between Mount Barker and Adelaide. What will be required, and there has been no mention, is huge land acquisition along the Belair line, from Adelaide to Belair and then on to Mount Barker. Currently there is is single track to service the Belair route. Work is expected to commence in mid 2019. Or will it? The only way to avoid the huge land acquisition is to build the detour for the freight trains at Murray Bridge and then use the old freight train rail corridor to build new dual rail lines from Adelaide to Mount Barker (and beyond). A tip to Premier-to-be Jay, Nick and St...

It's more than 3 years ago that I was part of a vocal group campaigning to re-open the Millswood Train Station. The liberals would not get involved; and probably lost Government because of it. Labor embraced it; and probably won Government because of it. I still have emails that I sent to David Pisoni, Steven Marshall, Steph Key and Jay Weatherill. Putting the politics aside, it is pleasing to see a monthly tally of 1,371 commuters boarding the train at Millswood each month in 2016/2017. A great outcome. But why did the locals have to fight for so long?

The pedestrian/cycle path over the train line near Goodwood Station will be built in late 2017. It is scheduled to be complete by February 2018. The project has been given the green light. Survey works will be conducted later this week. This will be a fantastic outcome for the 1,000+ cyclists and the many pedestrians who make the daily trek through the dark and damp subway; and endure the stench of urine and the risk to safety - not a good place to be at night.

Just back from Coonawarra, in SE South Australia. Good country; fabulous red wines. A nice break from life in the city. Coonawarra is a small town and only has one shop. A must do when in Coonawarra is to visit the now defunct train station; a reflection of a bygone era.

Here's a letter to the editor, published on 14 September 2016 ... During last week's Royal Adelaide Show, parking in adjacent Unley suburbs was a total mess. Local traffic was heavy and slow. Why don't more people catch public transport to the Show? The cost of fares for single tickets is a big expense for families. A simple solution would be if the SA Government provided free public transport for people with prepaid tickets to the Show.

The new train station at the edge of the Showgrounds came alive to the sounds of farm animals last week. The temporary ticket validators at the station were programmed to make cow, chicken and sheep noises when passengers validated their Metrocards. The assessment is that the innovation was well received by the passengers – it brought a smile to many faces. I would have added the sounds of dogs and horses. Maybe next year ...

Here’s an update on the new overhead cycle/pedestrian path over Goodwood Road, adjacent to Millswood Railway Station. The path was closed for a few weeks to replace the concrete inserts. The old ones were decaying and dropping bits on the passing traffic. Since re-opening it has regained its popularity. There is a huge amount of people who regularly use this crossing. (How else do you cross Goodwood Road in this vicinity?) Good news for the ratepayers – the actual repair bill (of $74k) was half that expected. As promised, the Department of Transport will fund 50% of the expense. Also, the Department of Transport has accepted responsibility for future maintenance. Now, all we need is for Millswood Station to re-open. This is expected in 2 months. I have been lobbying for the re-opening prior to the last State Election.

I was asked by a resident in Forestville when the diesel trains to Noarlunga would be 100% replaced by electric trains. I contacted Adelaide Metro and their response is as follows: Currently there are 6 three-car sets of electric trains. There will be a further 16 electric trains delivered by July 2015. I've  had feedback from residents living along the rail line that the train noise is slightly reduced. When we have 100% electric it will be a lot quieter, except for residents living on the Belair/freight line. By the way, some of the more modern diesel trains will be converted to electric to extend the life of the carriages. It's also a cheap way to have a few spare trains ... just in case.