Comments on: Sydney public transport is great! http://tgo.elated.com/2007/07/02/sydney-public-transport-is-great/ Expat adventures Down Under Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:03:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: JD http://tgo.elated.com/2007/07/02/sydney-public-transport-is-great/#comment-1697 JD Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:58:14 +0000 http://tgo.elated.com/2007/07/02/sydney-public-transport-is-great/#comment-1697 UK and Australia are hardly comparable, the only thing they have in common is a language. 60 million to a tiny island is a tad more congestion than 21 million to a huge island. The income and general cost of living is very different. The city design is also very different and will hopefully stay that way. One reason why people drive is the lack of stations, then again Sydney hardly has the population density to justify more stations. Oh, and the congestion charge worked sooooo well in London. I hardly ever drive my car because of the traffic. I live in South Ken and have already prepaid my yearly congestion charging! :) UK and Australia are hardly comparable, the only thing they have in common is a language. 60 million to a tiny island is a tad more congestion than 21 million to a huge island. The income and general cost of living is very different. The city design is also very different and will hopefully stay that way.
One reason why people drive is the lack of stations, then again Sydney hardly has the population density to justify more stations.
Oh, and the congestion charge worked sooooo well in London. I hardly ever drive my car because of the traffic. I live in South Ken and have already prepaid my yearly congestion charging!
:)

]]> By: Scoot http://tgo.elated.com/2007/07/02/sydney-public-transport-is-great/#comment-1398 Scoot Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:40:00 +0000 http://tgo.elated.com/2007/07/02/sydney-public-transport-is-great/#comment-1398 I agree with you, having lived in London (and surrounds including Reading) and travelled to around 35 countries over the years, the Sydney system while not the best, is certainly not the worst. It's best feature is the cost, it's worse is the timetabling during off-peak times. I did a little research in 2007 on ticket prices, track length, frequency and age of rollingstock. Some of this was from my own observations, others were gleamed from websites. However this shouldn't stop any new investment in a Metro style line, or other new "heavy rail" lines as population growth fills in the gaps of land in the Western and South Western and North Western suburbs. System: Sydney System type: interurban and suburban Lines/Stations/Distance: 8/302/2060km Frequency: 3 (inner peak) - 30mins (outer off-peak) Rollingstock age: 1986 - 2007 Pricing: AUD 2.80 (4.78mi/7.67km) System: London System type: metro Lines/Stations/Distance: 12/274/408km Frequency: 2mins (inner peak) - 20mins (outer off-peak) Rollingstock age: 1960 - 1996 Pricing: GBP1.50/GBP4.00 (offpeak/peak) (AUD 3.90/9.00) System: Hamburg S-Bahn System type: suburban Lines/Stations/Distance: 6/59/115km Frequency: 10 - 20mins (5mins during peak hour some lines) Rollingstock age: 1984 - 2005 Pricing: short trip EUR1.50 (AUD 2.30) System: Moscow System type: metro Lines/Stations/Distance: 12/172/278km Frequency: 1.5 - 3mins Rollingstock age: 1950 - 2005 Pricing: 15.00 rouble (AUD 0.73) System: Paris System type: metro Lines/Stations/Distance: 16/380/221km Frequency: 2 - 6mins (on RER around 5 - 15mins) Rollingstock age: 1960 - 1990 Pricing: EUR1.40 (AUD 2.16) System: Tokyo System type: metro, suburban Lines/Stations/Distance: 4/106/109km Frequency: 3 - 4mins Rollingstock age: 1990 - 2006 Pricing: JPY160 (AUD 1.51) System: New York System type: suburban, interurban Lines/Stations/Distance: 26/468/1056km Frequency: 5 - 20mins Rollingstock age: 1961 - 2001 Pricing: USD2.00 (AUD 2.45) System: Berlin U-Bahn System type: metro Lines/Stations/Distance: 9/170/146km Frequency: every 3-5 min (peak), 5-10 min (off-peak) Rollingstock age: 1986 - 2005 Pricing: EUR2.10 (AUD 3.47) System: Washington System type: metro Lines/Stations/Distance: 5/89/169 km Frequency: 3-6 min (peak hour), 6-12 (daytime) and 10-15 (off-peak) Rollingstock age: 1973 (rehabilitated: 1993) - 2005 Pricing: USD1.75 (AUD 2.02) I agree with you, having lived in London (and surrounds including Reading) and travelled to around 35 countries over the years, the Sydney system while not the best, is certainly not the worst. It’s best feature is the cost, it’s worse is the timetabling during off-peak times. I did a little research in 2007 on ticket prices, track length, frequency and age of rollingstock. Some of this was from my own observations, others were gleamed from websites. However this shouldn’t stop any new investment in a Metro style line, or other new “heavy rail” lines as population growth fills in the gaps of land in the Western and South Western and North Western suburbs.

System: Sydney
System type: interurban and suburban
Lines/Stations/Distance: 8/302/2060km
Frequency: 3 (inner peak) - 30mins (outer off-peak)
Rollingstock age: 1986 - 2007
Pricing: AUD 2.80 (4.78mi/7.67km)

System: London
System type: metro
Lines/Stations/Distance: 12/274/408km
Frequency: 2mins (inner peak) - 20mins (outer off-peak)
Rollingstock age: 1960 - 1996
Pricing: GBP1.50/GBP4.00 (offpeak/peak)
(AUD 3.90/9.00)

System: Hamburg S-Bahn
System type: suburban
Lines/Stations/Distance: 6/59/115km
Frequency: 10 - 20mins
(5mins during peak hour some lines)
Rollingstock age: 1984 - 2005
Pricing: short trip EUR1.50 (AUD 2.30)

System: Moscow
System type: metro
Lines/Stations/Distance: 12/172/278km
Frequency: 1.5 - 3mins
Rollingstock age: 1950 - 2005
Pricing: 15.00 rouble (AUD 0.73)

System: Paris
System type: metro
Lines/Stations/Distance: 16/380/221km
Frequency: 2 - 6mins
(on RER around 5 - 15mins)
Rollingstock age: 1960 - 1990
Pricing: EUR1.40 (AUD 2.16)

System: Tokyo
System type: metro, suburban
Lines/Stations/Distance: 4/106/109km
Frequency: 3 - 4mins
Rollingstock age: 1990 - 2006
Pricing: JPY160 (AUD 1.51)

System: New York
System type: suburban, interurban
Lines/Stations/Distance: 26/468/1056km
Frequency: 5 - 20mins
Rollingstock age: 1961 - 2001
Pricing: USD2.00 (AUD 2.45)

System: Berlin U-Bahn
System type: metro
Lines/Stations/Distance: 9/170/146km
Frequency: every 3-5 min (peak), 5-10 min (off-peak)
Rollingstock age: 1986 - 2005
Pricing: EUR2.10 (AUD 3.47)

System: Washington
System type: metro
Lines/Stations/Distance: 5/89/169 km
Frequency: 3-6 min (peak hour), 6-12 (daytime) and 10-15 (off-peak)
Rollingstock age: 1973 (rehabilitated: 1993) - 2005
Pricing: USD1.75 (AUD 2.02)

]]> By: Visas Australia http://tgo.elated.com/2007/07/02/sydney-public-transport-is-great/#comment-1312 Visas Australia Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:52:21 +0000 http://tgo.elated.com/2007/07/02/sydney-public-transport-is-great/#comment-1312 The London Tube is a wonderful example, however it really needs alot of money spending on it to thoroughly modernise it. The London Tube is a wonderful example, however it really needs alot of money spending on it to thoroughly modernise it.

]]> By: Simon http://tgo.elated.com/2007/07/02/sydney-public-transport-is-great/#comment-27 Simon Sun, 22 Jul 2007 23:31:48 +0000 http://tgo.elated.com/2007/07/02/sydney-public-transport-is-great/#comment-27 Hey There I have to disagree about your take on Sydney's public transport. Try getting a bus into town on a Sunday from somewhere like Clovelly!! In addition, try queueing for a bus on a weekday morning at a stop that is five or six stops from a beach side suburb - you're stuffed. Weekdays, I usually watch at least five go past (packed) before one comes past that I can squeeze on to. I'm so used to this scenario that I add an extra half an hour to my journey time, if travelling to work by bus. They also stock pile buses at the terminus so that five will come at once, with the last one empty - thus allowing controllers to assume there is spare capacity on that route and therefore no need to add extra buses to the schedule. Try getting a bus back home from town after midnight!! Not possible. When you look at how many people London underground moves around compared to Sydney (with a tube train stopping every three to five minutes in rush hour) London is streets ahead. Ditto with regard to late night buses. Having said all this I'm happy to sacrifice efficient transport for the beachside life I now enjoy. Cheers Super_Si Hey There

I have to disagree about your take on Sydney’s public transport. Try getting a bus into town on a Sunday from somewhere like Clovelly!! In addition, try queueing for a bus on a weekday morning at a stop that is five or six stops from a beach side suburb - you’re stuffed. Weekdays, I usually watch at least five go past (packed) before one comes past that I can squeeze on to. I’m so used to this scenario that I add an extra half an hour to my journey time, if travelling to work by bus. They also stock pile buses at the terminus so that five will come at once, with the last one empty - thus allowing controllers to assume there is spare capacity on that route and therefore no need to add extra buses to the schedule.

Try getting a bus back home from town after midnight!! Not possible.

When you look at how many people London underground moves around compared to Sydney (with a tube train stopping every three to five minutes in rush hour) London is streets ahead. Ditto with regard to late night buses.

Having said all this I’m happy to sacrifice efficient transport for the beachside life I now enjoy.

Cheers

Super_Si

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