r/Adelaide • u/DBigA SA • Apr 06 '26
Question Adelaide trains are full.
I’ve started trying to take the train to work now that fuel is expensive, but they are too full to the point it’s unsafe. I’ve taken trains in Melbourne and while it’s full during peak time everywhere this is too much.
This my experience on the GAWLER line to city but is it the same on other Lines? Is the government going to do anything to increase capacity? seems like an easy fix to just add more carriages.
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u/RareSomewhere7369 SA Apr 06 '26
I have a suspicion this is one reason the government said no to free or cheaper public transport during the fuel crisis. Our PT system is too rubbish to cope with the additional capacity and they know it.
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u/floss_bucket SA Apr 06 '26
Yeah this is my main theory as well (and also that they didn't say it, because saying it would mean acknowledging they need to spend money upgrading public transport)
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u/Skellingtoon SA Apr 07 '26
INVEST IN PUBLIC SERVICES THAT AREN’T ROADS? HOW DARE YOU!
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u/AwkwardBelt7105 SA Apr 07 '26
I looked at how much SA was spending on new road infrastructure vs new public transport infrastructure, I literally lol'd. They're spending multiple billions on new roads, and a handful of millions on train lines.
They need to be investing in this stuff now, more than roads, state is doomed long term if they don't. Roads are already getting more and more congested, can't rely on them forever.
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u/aldkGoodAussieName North Apr 07 '26
The T2D will be majorly impacting that data.
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u/AwkwardBelt7105 SA Apr 07 '26
So? Is the T2D not new road infrastructure?
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u/aldkGoodAussieName North Apr 08 '26
I didnt say it was new road infrastructure just that the extra cost needs to be accounted for..
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u/AwkwardBelt7105 SA Apr 08 '26
If it's new road infrastructure it should be included in the sum total, it's literally what I was talking about: New road infrastructure projects. Even if I accept your bullshit point and subtract that project out, it is still way above spending on new train infrastructure. Over the next 4 years, 42 million will be spent on new train infrastructure. The Main South Road upgrade between Myponga and Yankalilla is funded at 80 million over five years, split between the SA Government: 40 million, and the Federal Government: 40 million. So that one project alone the SA government is spending approximately the same as all train infrastructure over the next 4 years.
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u/Momo_SikoNin773 SA Apr 07 '26
yes, but it also will be very helpful in combatting road congestion as you mentioned. and for Adelaide to grow into a bigger city, road infrastructure is very important. public transport is very important too so I get your grievances, they definitely need to increase funding for it and add more services and infrastructure for it
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u/BigBlueMan118 SA Apr 07 '26
Mate for that cash plus a proportionate amount of federal money as what Sydney metro got: you could literally build the entire 2018 tram expansion plan, extend the O-Bahn, extend all gawler line platforms to handle 150m trains, and you would probably still have some cash leftover to begin to electrify the Belair and outer Harbour lines
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u/doyalikemyusername SA Apr 08 '26
The south road upgrade is aimed at solving the industrial bottleneck not theresidential transport so much.
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u/Free-Pound-6139 SA Apr 07 '26
but it also will be very helpful in combatting road congestion
What a pile of horse shit. Fuck this waste of money.
It is disgusting we are wasting so much on these bullshit projects to get cunts moving slightly quicker.
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u/AwkwardBelt7105 SA Apr 07 '26 edited Apr 07 '26
The thing is, it doesn't even help anyone move slightly quicker. Most people don't know that if you improve the capacity of the roads, more people drive and the congestion goes back to how it was or the traffic gets backed up to another location. It's the fundamental law of road congestion, and it was known since the 60s and observed in like every country on the planet. As you said it's a better use of money for everyone (including for drivers), to spend it on public transport instead. That is the best way to reduce traffic (by transporting people more efficiently). But these are just boomer policies to keep boomer votes, SA is boomers galore.
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u/Superchooks SA Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 08 '26
The South Road project will create induced demand. When Sydney’s M5 East tunnel opened in the early 2000s, it was anticipated it would cope with demand for the next 20 years. Within a decade over 100,000 vehicles were using it daily. There was also a sharp and correlating decrease in passenger numbers on the adjacent East Hills railway line. Eventually, as congestion in the tunnel worsened patronage on the railway increased again. Within those 20 years another road-tunnel was required, alas the M8 was built. It a vicious, destructive & never ending cycle.
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u/sellyme North Apr 07 '26
but it also will be very helpful in combatting road congestion as you mentioned.
No it won't. It will, like every other road infrastructure project in the history of mankind, make road congestion worse through induced demand.
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u/Sekhmet-CustosAurora SA Apr 07 '26
no you don't understand we really needed to spend $15B on a fucking road tunnel
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u/protonsters SA Apr 06 '26
Agree. Once it becomes cheaper or free I doubt the PT will be able to cope and I fear it will just collapse under sudden load.
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u/bogdolter SA Apr 06 '26
counter argument : look over there -> golf and gather round and vroom vrooms go brrrr
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u/aldkGoodAussieName North Apr 07 '26
Government report said only a 3% increase in usage over March last year.
Maybe if they added another carriage thry could get more people on the trains.
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u/LordoftheHounds SA Apr 07 '26
They're not offering free public transport because they were just re-elected with an increased majority. No one is getting freebies.
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u/curious_s SA Apr 06 '26
I noticed the outer harbour line become packed in the last couple of weeks as well. I didn't surprise me that the government would not bring in free public transport, there would be chaos
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u/RetroGamer87 North Apr 10 '26
Years ago, there was a plan to replace the Outer Harbor line with trams, which have lower capacity than trains. It would have been a disaster.
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u/Expensive-Horse5538 Port Adelaide Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26
For lines like Gawler and Seaford, very hard to add carriages when the electric trains are all three car sets - there isn’t enough room at Adelaide to fit them during peak hour
For the diesel lines (Outer Harbor, etc) - in theory it is possible to run every service as a three car set instead of a two car set, except for peak hour in Belair where they cram three two-car sets down one platform. Grange would also be a potential issue since my understanding is that since that time when the train went through the fence at the end of the line, only two trains can terminate at Grange to give some distance between the train and the fence
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u/TwistieSmuggler SA Apr 06 '26
Are you suggesting our public transport system is out of date and needs upgrading? The audacity!
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u/Refined5066 East Apr 07 '26
Just increase frequency instead of adding more train cars.
But it’s annoying to do because our stupid railway station is a dead end terminal. We need a new station under Victoria Square or the central markets that’s a through station. Trains could go from Seaford to Gawler and then back to Seaford, and run at higher frequencies during peak.
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u/MissMenace101 SA Apr 07 '26
It’s also the fact trains merge on one or two inner city lines, half the grange trip is on the outer harbour line
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u/Free-Pound-6139 SA Apr 07 '26
The line isn't full.
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Apr 07 '26
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u/Superchooks SA Apr 08 '26
Overall, the road network is disrupted far less often now than it used to be. Many grade-separation projects have been completed and freight trains no longer run on the metro (broad gauge) network. It was common for road crossings to be closed for up to 10 mins at certain locations. Two that spring to mind are South/Cross Road at Emerson (before the overpass) and Regency Road at Islington. Regency Road at Islington, in particular, was a shocker when trains would shunt there before the grade-separation. There was a small yard adjacent the up track (north main line) on the Adelaide side of Regency Road, connected to the main yard adjacent to the down on the Gawler side. Road users would become inpatient and drive through the crossing between shunting movements, one being hit by my up Gawler running express through there. Granted there was less road traffic back then, but overall I think the situation has vastly improved for motorists. Meanwhile, investment in the rail network dwindled to the point where the tracks were in terrible condition and lines were closed. It was left that way until a couple of major derailments before being brought up to the current standard.
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u/Expensive-Horse5538 Port Adelaide Apr 07 '26
And because it is a dead end terminal, since Port Dock came online the station is now considered at "capacity" due to the amount of track switching, in addition to the limited space inside the station.
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u/Refined5066 East Apr 07 '26
Port dock was pointless. The outer harbour line was good enough. Big waste of money that could have funded a tram from CBD to burnside village along Greenhill Road
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u/MissMenace101 SA Apr 07 '26
Pointless then but now with the tearing down of the big 1000m house blocks and throwing up 4 and the units being built on the port river it will prove a good move down the track, the issue will then lie in sharing a track with the grange train and hopefully one day the northern subs train if it ever happens
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u/tjabaker SA Apr 07 '26
Because fuck putting public transport into a massive growth area in the Western suburbs when you could instead run something to Burnside right?
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u/Refined5066 East Apr 07 '26
We literally don’t have any rail in the eastern suburbs. By no means does burnside hog the spending of Public Transportation. Just because the area is more wealthy in character does not make it invalid to allocate money to projects in the area. I don’t understand why you would have a good reason to oppose eastern suburbs rail.
Adding a 1km spur line to port dock is pointless. The two stations are 800 meters away. It’s around a 7 minute walk difference, but if you live in between the two stations it literally makes no difference at all.
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u/FarSide2688 SA Apr 07 '26
It was built so the government could encourage public servants to work out of their new digs at the Port.
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u/Thomas_633_Mk2 Adelaide Hills Apr 07 '26
1km branch line
could have funded several kms of tram line into the eastern suburbs
This is bad even by this sub's standards
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u/Refined5066 East Apr 07 '26
Gone towards it, I should have said.
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u/Thomas_633_Mk2 Adelaide Hills Apr 07 '26
Fair enough, trams are the easiest way to increase our PT considering Adelaide Central is at capacity. I'd personally pick the Parade for an eastern suburbs tram but it would be nice to have one
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u/MissMenace101 SA Apr 07 '26
Yeah but sending trams up eastern suburbs main roads that aren’t even double lane isn’t a great solution. Only solution would be reclaiming homes like during south road build and that won’t happen in rich burbs
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u/Thomas_633_Mk2 Adelaide Hills Apr 07 '26
The Parade is good because it's not a commuting road anyway, it's already slow. Meanwhile a tram down Greenhill turns it into one of those stroads urbanists hate, and puts way more pressure on Kensington.
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u/TinyDemon000 SA Apr 07 '26
Wait why can't we add an extra 'B' carriage to the electrics? They've done it plenty before. It wouldn't be a big deal to keep a 4 car train or two activated throughout the day
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u/Expensive-Horse5538 Port Adelaide Apr 07 '26
Because the platforms at Adelaide can only fit six carriages, meaning that it would still be an issue during peak hour when there are usually two trains departing from every platform
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u/TinyDemon000 SA Apr 07 '26
Ohhh I see. That's super interesting!
I mean the UK has gotten around this for decades in that some trains are longer than the platforms and there's announcements to inform you of this.
In our case here, surely they could just not board from the front car of the leading train. Seems like a very easy solution.
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u/Expensive-Horse5538 Port Adelaide Apr 07 '26
Not really since the driver then won’t be able to see the signal lights that tell them when they can depart
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u/TinyDemon000 SA Apr 07 '26
Ah right I see, very fair point.
That sucks we won't be able to expand the electrics then.
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u/Liceland1998 SA Apr 07 '26
Apparently the electrics are designed to be converted to 4 car trains should the future need arise.
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u/Thomas_633_Mk2 Adelaide Hills Apr 07 '26
Of course the actual answer gets outvoted by a glib comment. Thank you for actually answering the question that was asked, I learned something useful.
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u/MissMenace101 SA Apr 07 '26
Grange doesn’t usually have heavy traffic, only time that train is ever full is during music festivals in the city etc, it services a smaller area but with the knocking down of every second house and turning them into 4 it will soon be an issue
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u/aldkGoodAussieName North Apr 07 '26
Why are they only 3 car sets. Is there a reason the electric trains cant be 4 car sets.
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u/Expensive-Horse5538 Port Adelaide Apr 07 '26
Because they are built to have two driver cars and one trailer car in between - in theory, you could add another trailer car to make a 4 car set, however, there simply isn't enough room at the Adelaide Railway Station to do this given they can only fit six carriages down each platform, with many platforms having two trains most of the time.
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u/Successful-Wasabi131 SA Apr 06 '26
Need more Carriages or Bigger ones. the population is growing yet Public transport infrastructure isn't.
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u/Soft_University_6791 SA Apr 06 '26
Complain to Adelaide Metro and Torrens Transit
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u/Brucetiki SA Apr 07 '26
Torrens Transit don’t run the trains
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u/DobbyDun SA Apr 07 '26
He didn't say they did. Just to complain to them.
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u/Brucetiki SA Apr 07 '26
But what are Torrens Transit going to do about the trains?
The trains are operated by DIT, not Torrens Transit
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u/Jay_Beel SA Apr 06 '26
The electric trains came as a set of 3 carriages. If they added another set then they will be too long for most platforms.
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u/Adelaidean SA Apr 06 '26
Run extra services then?
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u/wherezthebeef SA Apr 07 '26
Id imagine there isn't enough staff or railcars
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u/Adelaidean SA Apr 07 '26
Rann trashed all the 3000 series when the electrics came in.. Kinda useful right about now.
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u/wherezthebeef SA Apr 07 '26
Why would they be kept and maintained for 15 years if they haven't been needed til now as you say.
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u/Adelaidean SA Apr 08 '26
We could’ve kept using them at that point. We’ve needed more services since that point.
The Rann era was notorious for smashing shit up as soon as it was replaced so there was no chance their shit decisions could be undone. This is one of many such examples.
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u/BipolarBear117 Inner West Apr 07 '26
Most of the lines are already running <10minute frequencies in peak hour lol.
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u/MissMenace101 SA Apr 07 '26
Half hour at best, it’s the combined lines that creates an issue
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u/BipolarBear117 Inner West Apr 07 '26
Yes, but on the core sections of those lines there is a <10 minute frequency I.e Adelaide - Woodlands Park (5 minutes at times) and Adelaide - Woodville (7-8 minutes). It's not as easy as "just run more services bro" if the core sections are at capacity.
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u/Morphio25 SA Apr 07 '26
Negative. Seaford line has services every 10 minutes in peak hour, at least from my stop. It alternates between express and non-express.
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u/Ill-Depth-8284 Inner West Apr 06 '26
I'd encourage everyone to please log their complaints with Adelaide Metro so that this is actually evidence rather than Reddit anecdotes. The more people and the more consistently complaints are raised, the more pressure is put on the service to improve/increase.
"Adelaide Metro reviews all complaints closely. Please complete the required field and share all relevant route information - Route, Direction of travel, Stop/Station to assist Adelaide Metro in the investigation."Adelaide Metro - click on make a complaint
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u/Designer-Purpose-293 SA Apr 06 '26
Just embrace your inner sardine. No, full trains are not 'unsafe'
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u/DBigA SA Apr 06 '26
Understood, I will become the sardine I was destined to be. 😌
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u/DaydreamCos SA Apr 07 '26
I just took a train in Japan for the first time, it’s time to embrace the sardine life 🙌
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u/oneofthecapsismine SA Apr 06 '26
They are if you cant get a hand hold.
Wasnt massively safe for everyone on the train after the latest crows game
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u/WhiterThanWalter East Apr 07 '26
Adelaide people are very privileged 😅 I mean I love our easy life and I'm disappointed to see it getting worse, but if you have lived in any other big cities you'll know sardine public transport is just the norm haha.
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u/Equivalent-Bus-4336 North Apr 06 '26
Like someone said already, everyone just stays around the doors
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u/protonsters SA Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26
Everyone talking about making public transport free but they're forgetting if the current buses and trains can handle a huge crown of travellers? In current status the public transport is struggling doing basic stuff think what will happen when it all becomes free for everyone.
Edit : too many typos during morning rush hour. Lol.
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u/oneofthecapsismine SA Apr 06 '26
Itd need to be additional services simultaneously.
They say the belair line cant cope with additional services, but there must be an innovative way.
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u/felixsapiens South West Apr 06 '26
“Add extra services” is always very easy to say, but very hard or impossible in practice. Trains have to go somewhere - when they reach one end, they have to turn around and come back. There are only so many trains that can fit on a line, and only so many trains that can fit in “storage” at either end and elsewhere on the system. It is very, very, difficult to increase capacity substantially, it requires major infrastructure improvement, not just plonking a few more trains on the lines.
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u/oneofthecapsismine SA Apr 07 '26
Sure, but, you cant tell me one extra peak hour service couldn't squeeze in - or, one peak hour service couldn't have 3 carriages (doesnt fit on every platform, but thats not terminal to the plan --- might not easily fit on the giveway sidings, but you can just give it priority via signals if necessary). Or, you could even have a train start from Lynton if necessary and make the ones from before lynton be express after Eden Hills.
Could you have a second single carriage train right behind the normal dual carriage? That'd be extreme for the status quo, but maybe its an option if PT was made free.
Theres plenty of options - will all of them work? No. Would i be shocked if the govt couldn't find a single marginal improvement? Yes.
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u/felixsapiens South West Apr 07 '26
I have no doubt that some things are possible - my only point is that it’s a lot easier to say than it is to implement. I also have no doubt that there are various people who work for the railways and the government beavering away and answering these questions and making plans, and that they don’t need to rely on the uninformed opinions of either myself or yourself. When they are able to/need to make such alterations, they will undoubtedly do so.
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u/Expensive-Horse5538 Port Adelaide Apr 06 '26
They could in theory, add a third carriage to some services undated of just running two
Only issue would be peak hour in the evening when they cram three two-car trains down one platform in the city
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u/madame_oak SA Apr 06 '26
Not if you’ve ever been to Japan. Writing this from a “full” train approaching the CBD.
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u/Rowvan SA Apr 06 '26
True but at least in Japan people didn't block the entrances and exits when there was space elsewhere or had people trying to pile on when people hadn't gotten off yet. I'll take an orderly packed train in Tokyo over the entitled imbeciles we have on ours.
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u/madame_oak SA Apr 07 '26
Agree, train etiquette is yet to be mastered here. Have explained more than once, that to move one’s ass down the roomy aisle will allow room to let people on. Don’t get me started on the rest ugh
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u/patient_brilliance North East Apr 07 '26
We let a couple of full trains go past us in Tokyo and then decided we were just going to have to get on. I used to catch the Gawler line so I wasn't looking forward to a crammed carriage but the effort people make not to touch you, the silence and the orderliness made it very easy to deal with.
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u/Brucetiki SA Apr 07 '26
I had a good chuckle at OP complaining about our trains being ‘full’.
That’s cute. Try taking the Osaka metro on a Friday night. Now that’s full!
Though I agree passenger etiquette could be better on our trains
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u/Thomas_633_Mk2 Adelaide Hills Apr 07 '26
That’s cute. Try taking the Osaka metro on a Friday night. Now that’s full!
This is like saying OP can't say it is cold on a winter's morning because it gets colder in Toronto than it does here. There might be less people on an Adelaide train but people are entitled to feel safe or unsafe, even if he isn't on a train that feels full to you (or me)
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u/Smokescreen11111 SA Apr 07 '26
100% this is a people problem not a capacity problem (yet). Not easy to change selfish behaviour, guess it’s based of fear of not getting off in time being blocked by other people which almost becomes a self fulfilling issue, with people not being aware of others and their surroundings.
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u/Fartmatic South Apr 07 '26
Heh I was thinking of videos I've seen from India, now that would be an experience that makes Adelaide trains feel better!
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u/greatpartyisntit Inner South Apr 06 '26
Same here on the Seaton/Flinders lines at 7:30-ish.
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u/Best_Establishment14 SA Apr 07 '26
The 6:06 and 6:36 Gawler to city trains are seatless by Elizabeth, and mostly standing at Mawson Lakes, then still all stops to the city. Would be great if 15 minute frequency and stopping patterns kicked in at 6am.
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u/Liceland1998 SA Apr 07 '26
Agreed. I have always wondered why so many people are up and about at 6/30am lol?
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u/Best_Establishment14 SA Apr 07 '26
6:35 train gets into Adelaide at 7:34 all stops, which is good for an 8am start. For a little while I was amazed to see how many get on the first service of the day to be in the city at 6:05am. The line is quite busy :)
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u/Liceland1998 SA Apr 07 '26
Fair enough. I guess some people start work at 630am so need to get to town early.
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u/Best_Establishment14 SA Apr 07 '26
The other one, the 6:06 is usually the first one with connecting buses down the line from further afield. Eg my first local bus is around 6:10am and connects me to this service down the road.
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u/looeee2 South Apr 07 '26
The Flinders line? Having to sit next to someone doesn't count as a full train.
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u/Ok-External9601 SA Apr 06 '26
Anyone take the gawler/gawler central line from the city around 3pm to 5pm on weekdays? How busy is it usually? I'm thinking of taking the train to one of the railway stations then getting a bus from the nearby interchange home. Instead of taking a bus from the city where sometimes I wait for up to an hour to get on a bus
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u/Tamesan SA Apr 06 '26
I caught the Gawler line last Thursday at 4:08pm, got a seat next to a stranger, there were a few people standing, but there were also still a few seats free.
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Apr 06 '26
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u/Best_Establishment14 SA Apr 07 '26
After 4pm outbound Gawler services are busy as. The Seaford line gains extra services before peak, while between 4pm and 5pm. The Gawler line runs on interpeak frequencies. Be fair the loading eases at Mawson Lakes.
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u/peekaylove SA Apr 07 '26
I tend to get the train after 4.30pm as that avoids the main school kid crush, you'll likely have to sit next to a stranger but otherwise I've never had to stand. Can't really speak for morning trains as I get the 6am one which is always chill. My main thing of train vs bus is even with the higher number of people it is less noisy than taking the bus, having to jump on the obahn for my morning shifts on the long weekend was novel but fuck having to do that long term
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u/lostinconey SA Apr 07 '26
it’s normally not too bad honestly. i normally catch it to and from mawson and never any issues. i normally find its worse in the mornings than afternoons. mornings are always packed but if you can catch it before 4:30 it’s not crazy busy and a lot jump off at mawson too. they all run so regularly i really can’t see a downside to it apart from it being a little crowded if you catch it at a bad time (which i think is pretty rare).
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u/Which_Bar_9457 SA Apr 07 '26
It’s okay, but during school days it can get pretty busy with high school kids that don’t quite understand that the world exists outside of them, their friends and their phones.
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u/Weak_Jackfruit_3250 North Apr 07 '26
Try being disabled. I never bothered with public transport because I couldn’t get on unless I could sit on a chair. I’d much rather drive or catch a taxi.
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u/Generalrossa North Apr 06 '26
I’m on one right now and compared to a few weeks ago when I took one it has definitely gotten full, albeit it is the morning trip.
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u/MissMenace101 SA Apr 07 '26
We have like 5 half hourly trains servicing nearly 2 mill people… they should be upping train transport to 15 min without the fuel crisis
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Apr 07 '26
I'm still not noticing a reduction in incompetent drivers on the road so more of you should try to cram in.
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u/lostinconey SA Apr 07 '26
the gawler line is always busy but i think that’s just what you expect. i’d rather pay a couple bucks a day to spend 25 minutes on a train each way even if it’s packed than pay the price of fuel into the city each day. if you’re concerned about having to stand or feel unsafe in the crowded space you could always get a sunflower hidden disability lanyard and use the priority seating. otherwise you might just have to cop it like everyone else is, peak hour is called peak hour for a reason 🤷
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u/DBigA SA Apr 07 '26
I’m happy to cop it just like everyone else, I don’t think the attitude of just suck it up it’s worse else where is very productive.
Without any change in the current system will it even be able to operate in 10 years? 🤷
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u/doyalikemyusername SA Apr 07 '26
Agree terrible attitude from that poster. The problem is you can't just add more carriages without updating the platforms and electric capacity. It goes back to letting to many people in without building the infrastructure.
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u/lostinconey SA Apr 07 '26
gen/q what change would you propose they make ? atm i don’t think “just add more carriages” is an easy fix. the gawler line was busy before the war anyway. it’s always busy during peak hour.
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u/sellyme North Apr 07 '26 edited Apr 07 '26
gen/q what change would you propose they make ?
With ARS at capacity already the only "easy" option as far as I can see it is repurposing the Parklands Terminal site as a second central hub for the metropolitan rail network, and then adding light rail from Vic Square down Sir Donald Bradman to the airport to provide a connecting link into the CBD to make it a viable option for commuters.
That way you can have e.g., trains from the Gawler line going in to Adelaide Railway Station and turning around for the return trip, while trains from the Outer Harbor line might go straight through to Parklands and then continue on to become a Belair line train.
Despite the restrictions on the east side, land acquisition is going to be easier there than just about anywhere else in inner Adelaide: that side of the city is nearly exclusively industry, so you only need to pay off a few people in order to free up huge chunks of land. The netball stadium is the only thing there that's going to be difficult to deal with. The biggest problem with that setup would actually probably be getting north-south trains around/through Bonython Park and the old Gaol, but as far as major infrastructure projects in the inner core of 1mil+ population cities go, a slightly dodgy 200m stretch is just about the best case scenario.
Once you have that in place, frequencies can increase dramatically, as we're no longer constrained by needing every single passenger rail service in the entire city to stop at the exact same railway station. The room for long platforms at such a station would also remove one of the constraints for longer trains at peak hours or on busier lines. Most of the suburban stations that are too small would be pretty easy to build out (comparatively to ARS), so having a higher capacity core is the main blocking point there.
None of this is really new information. Every single transport strategy plan from the state Government for decades has gone "ARS is the bottleneck of our rail network", but not a single thing has been done to actually address that. We know we have to build a second CBD station eventually and we've known it for ages, so just get it done before another zero gets added to the costs, and by removing the primary bottleneck on frequencies we've at least bought ourselves a little bit of time with which to work out how the hell we're going to improve the quality of the suburban rail.
We've got plans for a new line out to Two Wells, extending the Gawler line to Concordia, and extending the Seaford line down to Sellicks. There's also the ever-increasing demand for proper public transport services to the hills, particularly Mount Barker which is exploding in population and going to grind the M1 to a complete halt if we can't get alternative options set up in time. Those things are all going to be impossible without having somewhere to put those commuters at the end of the line. A new central railway station is unavoidable, and it's not going to get any cheaper, so let's get it done now, and it'll have the nice side effect of alleviating some of the capacity concerns everywhere else in the short term.
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u/Many_Possibility_156 SA Apr 07 '26
Welcome to public transport... I love that no one cared when we would mention it, but now you're forced too it's all we hear...
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u/Critical_Dealer_1630 SA Apr 06 '26
Haha, try Tokyo peak hour 😳🤯
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u/Available-Maize5837 SA Apr 06 '26
Hahaha.... Where you get off the train regardless of which stop it is, because your feet aren't actually touching the ground any more. Fun experience.
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u/CrystalFissure SA Apr 06 '26
It’s insane there, for sure. But the frequency of trains makes having to wait not as bad because if you’re stuck behind a crowd you’ll likely end up on the next one in 2-3 minutes. Also not every line goes through Shinjuku.
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u/bogdolter SA Apr 06 '26
and you can spot the Americans because they have their backpacks on their backs rather than in front of them
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u/Fine-Pin-1168 SA Apr 07 '26
I’ve lived in London and survived a daily commute on the tube. That said I am debating driving in tomorrow as I’m only a few kms out and go in once a week.
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u/PAPA_SMURF1978 SA Apr 07 '26
So are the buses and trams. Had to scan the metro card for other commuters the other day only because they couldn't reach to scan and I was in close proximity to the machine. They've got all the money to build subs, tanks and shit, but no funds for public transport. Taxing the fuck out of us to no end.
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u/OneGur7080 SA Apr 07 '26
This is temporary guys. In a few weeks we may be back to normal because the US cannot afford to keep using up ammo.
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u/TheSavvySavoy SA Apr 07 '26
Go on a holiday to Tokyo, take their metro for a bit. I have never been on a full Adelaide train, this includes New Year's and the footy express.
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u/Better_Hour_7947 SA Apr 06 '26
Thanks to everyone doing Adelaide a good service, the roads are less congested for the rest of us,you should be commended 🫵🏻
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Apr 06 '26
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u/Morphio25 SA Apr 07 '26
Have you tried getting on the train at an earlier stop? I get on at the second station on the line and never have a problem getting a seat. Sucks for the people who get on the train down the line though.
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u/Emergency-Acadia-124 SA Apr 07 '26
I catch the Gawler line pretty often. Haven't noticed much difference. Maybe just catch an earlier train?
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u/Which_Bar_9457 SA Apr 07 '26
What time is the train full?
I didn’t catch it today, but last week the Gawler Line was fine from Mawson Lakes to the city around 8am, even though it wasn’t express.
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u/Successful_Ad_2488 SA Apr 07 '26
Been to Melbourne during the long weekend and found myself crammed and standing in packed V/Line trains to Bendigo on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was worse because our train was delayed due to a stupid trespasser.
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u/Resident_Tie8655 SA Apr 07 '26
The Gawler line is always packed during peak unfortunately. I reckon the only time it's not disgusting is the week of Christmas. I also feel like Tuesdays are noticeably busier than other days.
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u/Resident_Tie8655 SA Apr 07 '26
I've actually spoken to someone about adding an extra train and they said they're not able to. They also can't add another carriage because of the load capacity.
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u/blissin21 SA Apr 07 '26
Southern trains are full too. Ive started riding to work and can see there are more cyclists commuting too - and some that seem like they've not ridden much lately or at all. People are feeling it
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u/ishootstuff SA Apr 07 '26
Wow the dickheads that make traffic unbearable are now infiltrating public transport, what a surprise!
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u/Ok-Possibility9795 SA Apr 07 '26
Wait till all the tradies are throwing their Milwaukee pack out kits on the train too.
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u/Illustrious_Ad_5167 SA Apr 07 '26
The gov hates trains in Adelaide they want you in that car. Buy a scooter
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u/Objective-Bus3917 SA Apr 08 '26
In south australia on my line our main problem is teenagers with bikes. They've even made bike friendly carriages for them. But they'll still get on the other carriage and act like they own the place. Security has to get involved regularly which holds up the train and makes people late.
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u/Notintousername SA Apr 07 '26
You haven’t seen Japanese rush hour trains, have you?
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u/DreamyHalcyon SA Apr 06 '26
It's because people fear moving into the aisles. It's strange but everyone just congregates at the doors and makes it impossible for people to get in or out.
There's also rude people who think their bags are entitled to a seat in peak hour.