117-402: The Inner West Light Rail is a 12.8-kilometre (8.0 mi) light rail line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, running from Central railway station through the Inner West to Dulwich Hill and serving 23 stops. It was the original line of the Sydney light rail network . Services on the line are branded as the L1 Dulwich Hill Line since 2014. Most of the Inner West Light Rail
234-463: A level junction at the intersection. A connection between the two lines was built to enable trams used on the new line to access a maintenance facility at Lilyfield . The Paddy's Markets stop (formerly Haymarket ) is located outside the flea market type Paddy's Markets in Haymarket . The name also belonged to a stop on the former Sydney Monorail . The monorail stop was located to the west of
351-526: A pony truck , it was driven under its own power to the depot. It would later be deemed damaged beyond repair and scrapped . Following the incident temporary speed restrictions of 25 km/h (16 mph) were imposed at all crossovers (that allow vehicles to change between the two tracks) along the line. In July 2020, in response to a question about improving capacity on the line, the New South Wales Minister for Transport and Roads said
468-724: A "light rail" vehicle (it is a heavy rail vehicle), and is only included for comparison purposes. Low-floor LRVs have the advantage of a low-floor design, allowing them to load passengers directly from low-rise platforms that can be little more than raised curbs. High-floor light rail systems also exist, featuring larger stations. Historically, the track gauge has had considerable variations, with narrow gauge common in many early systems. However, most light rail systems are now standard gauge . Older standard-gauge vehicles could not negotiate sharp turns as easily as narrow-gauge ones, but modern light rail systems achieve tighter turning radii by using articulated cars . An important advantage of
585-458: A bus, there will be even more capacity when there is a combination of cars and light rail. Table 3 shows an example of peak passenger capacity. The cost of light rail construction varies widely, largely depending on the amount of tunneling and elevated structures required. A survey of North American light rail projects shows that costs of most LRT systems range from $ 15 million to over $ 100 million per mile. Seattle's new light rail system
702-403: A chaotic breakdown inflow and a dramatic drop in speed (a traffic jam ) if they exceed about 2,000 vehicles per hour per lane (each car roughly two seconds behind another). Since most people who drive to work or on business trips do so alone, studies show that the average car occupancy on many roads carrying commuters is only about 1.5 people per car during the high-demand rush hour periods of
819-1142: A common right-of-way (however, Link converted to full separation in 2019). Some systems, such as the AirTrain JFK in New York City, the DLR in London, and Kelana Jaya Line in Kuala Lumpur , have dispensed with the need for an operator. The Vancouver SkyTrain was an early adopter of driverless vehicles, while the Toronto Scarborough rapid transit operated the same trains as Vancouver, but used drivers. In most discussions and comparisons, these specialized systems are generally not considered light rail but as light metro systems. Around Karlsruhe , Kassel , and Saarbrücken in Germany, dual-voltage light rail trains partly use mainline railroad tracks, sharing these tracks with heavy rail trains. In
936-416: A light rail train may have three to four cars of much larger capacity in one train under the control of one driver, or no driver at all in fully automated systems, increasing the labor costs of BRT systems compared to LRT systems. BRT systems are also usually less fuel-efficient as they use non-electrified vehicles. The peak passenger capacity per lane per hour depends on which types of vehicles are allowed on
1053-435: A live rail. In outer areas, the trams switch to conventional overhead wires . The Bordeaux power system costs about three times as much as a conventional overhead wire system and took 24 months to achieve acceptable levels of reliability, requiring the replacement of all the main cables and power supplies. Operating and maintenance costs of the innovative power system still remain high. However, despite numerous service outages,
1170-543: A longer distance. Light rail cars are often coupled into multiple units of two to four cars. Light rail systems may also exhibit attributes of heavy rail systems, including having downtown subways, as in San Francisco and Seattle . Light rail is designed to address a gap in interurban transportation between heavy rail and bus services, carrying high passenger numbers more quickly than local buses and more cheaply than heavy rail. It serves corridors in which heavy rail
1287-642: A more diverse range of design characteristics than LRT, depending on the demand and constraints that exist, and BRT using dedicated lanes can have a theoretical capacity of over 30,000 passengers per hour per direction (for example, the Guangzhou Bus Rapid Transit system operates up to 350 buses per hour per direction). For the effective operation of a bus or BRT system, buses must have priority at traffic lights and have their dedicated lanes, especially as bus frequencies exceed 30 buses per hour per direction. The higher theoretical of BRT relates to
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#17327762737941404-437: A new section of track built along Hay Street to connect the two. The original route opened for public operation with a limited 09:00 to 17:00 service on 11 August 1997 with three weeks of testing. The official public opening was conducted by State Premier Bob Carr on 31 August 1997. Buoyed by the success of the original line, a 3.6-kilometre (2.2 mi), four stop extension of the route opened on 13 August 2000. This saw
1521-612: A pedestrian mall. Being a major street through central Sydney, George Street is often seen in terms of a number of distinct sections or precincts. From north to south, they include: On 8 December 1899, an electric tramway was opened along George Street to Harris Street . This reduced the traditional dependence on horses and human feet. In 1959 the trams were replaced by diesel buses. Bus lanes were introduced from Bridge Street to Broadway southbound and Broadway to Jamiestown Street northbound in July 1997. Until October 2015, George Street
1638-407: A result, has many of the operating characteristics of a metro system rather than a light rail system. A capacity of 1,350 passengers per train is more similar to the heavy rail than light rail. Bus rapid transit (BRT) is an alternative to LRT and many planning studies undertake a comparison of each mode when considering appropriate investments in transit corridor development. BRT systems can exhibit
1755-534: A top speed of 55–71.5 miles per hour (88.51–115.1 km/h) depending on the system, while the trains on the all-underground Montreal Metro can only reach a top speed of 72 kilometres per hour (44.74 mph). LACMTA light rail vehicles have higher top and average speeds than Montreal Metro or New York City Subway trains. Many light rail systems—even fairly old ones—have a combination of both on- and off-road sections. In some countries (especially in Europe), only
1872-481: A tramway, a light metro, and, in a narrow sense, rapid transit. This is especially common in the United States, where there is not a popularly perceived distinction between these different types of urban rail systems. The development of technology for low-floor and catenary-free trams facilitates the construction of such mixed systems with only short and shallow underground sections below critical intersections as
1989-470: Is a generic international English phrase for types of rail systems using modern streetcars/trams, which means more or less the same thing throughout the English-speaking world . Light rail systems can range from trams runnig in streets along with other traffic, to semi-metro systems having portions of grade separated track. People movers are even "lighter", in terms of capacity. Monorail
2106-575: Is a separate technology that has been more successful in specialized services than in a commuter transit role. The use of the generic term light rail avoids some serious incompatibilities between British and American English . The word tram , for instance, is generally used in the UK and many former British colonies to refer to what is known in North America as a streetcar , but in North America tram can instead refer to an aerial tramway , or, in
2223-602: Is a significant amount of overlap between the technologies; similar rolling stock may be used for either, and it is common to classify streetcars or trams as a subcategory of light rail rather than as a distinct type of transportation. However, some distinctions can be made, though systems may combine elements of both. Low-floor light rail lines tend to follow a reserved right-of-way and with trains receiving priority at intersections, and tend not to operate in mixed traffic, enabling higher operating speeds. Light rail lines tend to have less frequent stops than tramways, and operate over
2340-579: Is built on the path of a former goods railway line. The first section of light rail opened in 1997, and the line was extended in 2000 and 2014 along the former goods corridor. Operation and maintenance of the line is contracted to the ALTRAC Light Rail consortium by the New South Wales Government's transport authority, Transport for NSW . Services are operated by Transdev Sydney as a member of ALTRAC Light Rail. Most of
2457-563: Is by far the most expensive in the US, at $ 179 million per mile, since it includes extensive tunneling in poor soil conditions, elevated sections, and stations as deep as 180 feet (55 m) below ground level. This results in costs more typical of subways or rapid transit systems than light rail. At the other end of the scale, four systems (Baltimore, Maryland; Camden, New Jersey; Sacramento, California; and Salt Lake City, Utah) incurred construction costs of less than $ 20 million per mile. Over
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#17327762737942574-509: Is close to the Australian National Maritime Museum and the now-defunct Harbourside Shopping Centre . The nearby Pyrmont Bridge provides access to the city. Light rail Light rail (or light rail transit , abbreviated to LRT ) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology while also having some features from heavy rapid transit . The term
2691-426: Is especially important for wheelchair access, as narrower gauges (e.g. metre gauge) can make it challenging or impossible to pass the tram's wheels. Furthermore, standard-gauge rolling stock can be switched between networks either temporarily or permanently, and both newly built and used standard-gauge rolling stock tends to be cheaper to buy, as more companies offer such vehicles. Overhead lines supply electricity to
2808-409: Is expected to rise further with 4,700 new dwellings either recently completed or under construction along the line. A few stops with difficult access (such as Leichhardt North, Taverners Hill, Dulwich Hill) have longer platforms, indicating that some allowance was made for operating longer vehicles in the future. On 28 October 2021, service was suspended after cracking in welds was discovered in some of
2925-502: Is expensive. Similarly, the most expensive US highway expansion project was the " Big Dig " in Boston, Massachusetts, which cost $ 200 million per lane mile for a total cost of $ 14.6 billion. A light rail track can carry up to 20,000 people per hour as compared with 2,000–2,200 vehicles per hour for one freeway lane. For example, in Boston and San Francisco, light rail lines carry 9,600 and 13,100 passengers per hour, respectively, in
3042-575: Is hard to distinguish between what is called light rail, and other forms of urban and commuter rail. A system described as a light rail in one city may be considered to be a streetcar or tram system in another. Conversely, some lines that are called "light rail" are very similar to rapid transit ; in recent years, new terms such as light metro have been used to describe these medium-capacity systems. Some "light rail" systems, such as Sprinter , bear little similarity to urban rail, and could alternatively be classified as commuter rail or even inter-city rail. In
3159-559: Is impractical. Light metro systems are essentially hybrids of light rail and rapid transit. Metro trains are larger and faster than light rail trains, with stops being further apart. Many systems have mixed characteristics. Indeed, with proper engineering, a rail line could run along a street, then go underground, and then run along an elevated viaduct. For example, the Los Angeles Metro Rail 's A Line "light rail" has sections that could alternatively be described as
3276-512: Is located on the opposite side of Pyrmont Street. The Powerhouse Museum is also nearby. The former Sydney Monorail ran parallel to the light rail next to the stop. While the monorail ran until June 2013, there was a monorail stop that served the Sydney Exhibition Centre in the 1990s and early 2000s right next to and in parallel with the light rail stop. It closed some time in the mid-2000s. The purpose of this monorail stop
3393-484: Is one of the highest capacity ones, having been upgraded in a series of expansions to handle 40,000 passengers per hour per direction, and having carried as many as 582,989 passengers in a single day on its Line 1 . It achieves this volume by running four-car trains with a capacity of up to 1,350 passengers each at a frequency of up to 30 trains per hour. However, the Manila light rail system has full grade separation and as
3510-548: Is one of the two original thoroughfares, along with the track that became Bridge Street . It is possible that George Street was the first street in Australia. Until 1810 George Street was generally referred to as High Street in the English custom, although the northern part of the thoroughfare was also sometimes referred to as "Sergeant Major's Row" and, earlier, as "Spring Row" (since water carriers had originally established
3627-407: Is similar to that of a traditional tram, while operating at a higher capacity and speed, often on an exclusive right-of-way. In broader use, it includes tram-like operations mostly on streets. A few light rail networks have characteristics closer to rapid transit or even commuter rail , yet only when these systems are fully grade-separated are they referred to as light metros . The term light rail
Inner West Light Rail - Misplaced Pages Continue
3744-430: Is thought the new track damaged the wheels of the vehicles. All services were suspended and replaced by buses. Services resumed between The Star and Lilyfield on 18 October, and along the full length of the line on 30 October. These incidents occurred in close proximity to Glebe , and 2106 was the only tram to be reported. The front car of it had come off the tracks, and its bogie was destroyed. After loading it onto
3861-603: The CBD and South East Light Rail . The contract also included the right to the operate the Dulwich Hill Line. The three short listed operators were Keolis (iLinQ consortium), Serco (SydneyConnect consortium) and Transdev (Connecting Sydney consortium). In December 2014, the Connecting Sydney consortium (which was renamed ALTRAC Light Rail) was awarded the contract, meaning Transdev retains the right to operate
3978-542: The Cádiz TramBahia , where trams share track with commuter and long-distance trains from the main terminus in the city and curve off to serve cities without a railway connection. Some of the issues involved in such schemes are: There is a history of what would now be considered light rail vehicles operating on heavy rail rapid transit tracks in the US, especially in the case of interurban streetcars . Notable examples are Lehigh Valley Transit trains running on
4095-638: The Darling Harbour precinct. Prior to redevelopment, a public square existed between the stop and the Sydney Entertainment Centre – a former multi-purpose events venue. The redevelopment plans included the demolition of the Entertainment Centre, car park and monorail stop, and the creation of a 'creative quarter' named Darling Square featuring retail outlets, offices and apartments. The public square adjacent to
4212-758: The London Underground and the New York City Subway . Conventional rail technologies including high-speed , freight, commuter , and rapid transit urban transit systems are considered "heavy rail". The main difference between light rail and heavy rail rapid transit is the ability for a light rail vehicle to operate in mixed traffic if the routing requires it. The world's first electric tram operated in Sestroretsk near Saint Petersburg , Russia , invented and operated on an experimental basis by Fyodor Pirotsky in 1880. The first tramway
4329-637: The Netherlands , this concept was first applied on the RijnGouweLijn . This allows commuters to ride directly into the city center, rather than taking a mainline train only as far as a central station and then having to change to a tram. In France, similar tram-trains are planned for Paris, Mulhouse , and Strasbourg ; further projects exist. In some cases, tram trains use previously abandoned or lightly used heavy rail lines in addition to or instead of still in use mainline tracks. In 2022, Spain opened
4446-874: The O-Train Trillium Line in Ottawa, Ontario , Canada, the River Line in New Jersey , United States, and the Sprinter in California , United States, which use diesel multiple unit (DMU) cars. Light rail is different from the British English term light railway , long-used to distinguish railway operations carried out under a less rigorous set of regulations using lighter equipment at lower speeds from mainline railways. Light rail
4563-703: The Philadelphia and Western Railroad high-speed third rail line (now the Norristown High-Speed Line ). Such arrangements are almost impossible now, due to the Federal Railroad Administration refusing (for crash safety reasons) to allow non-FRA compliant railcars (i.e., subway and light rail vehicles) to run on the same tracks at the same times as compliant railcars, which includes locomotives and standard railroad passenger and freight equipment. Notable exceptions in
4680-423: The convicts and marines on the rocky western slopes of the bay. A track leading from the convicts' encampment in the area of The Rocks, past the marine barracks and alongside the banks of a stream to a brick pit, located near to the present location of Central station with some arguing that it follows paths and tracks already created by the local Aboriginal people. This track that eventually became George Street
4797-530: The medians of roads . If run in streets , trains are usually limited by city block lengths to about four 180-passenger vehicles (720 passengers). Operating on two-minute headways using traffic signal progression, a well-designed two-track system can handle up to 30 trains per hour per track, achieving peak rates of over 20,000 passengers per hour in each direction. More advanced systems with separate rights-of-way using moving block signaling can exceed 25,000 passengers per hour per track. Most light rail systems in
Inner West Light Rail - Misplaced Pages Continue
4914-624: The 1970s was proven to have been a technical failure by the following decade. After World War II, the Germans retained many of their streetcar networks and evolved them into model light rail systems ( Stadtbahnen ). With the exception of Hamburg , all large and most medium-sized German cities maintain light rail networks. The concept of a "limited tramway" was proposed by American transport planner H. Dean Quinby in 1962. Quinby distinguished this new concept in rail transportation from historic streetcar or tram systems as: The term light rail transit
5031-540: The Dulwich Hill Line lacked special branding and was simply known as the Sydney Light Rail – and later Metro Light Rail after the system was re-branded. Following the purchase of Metro Transport Sydney by the New South Wales Government and the announcement of the CBD and South East Light Rail, the line was named Inner West Light Rail. Since the opening of the 2014 extension to Dulwich Hill, passenger-facing branding of
5148-464: The Dulwich Hill Line. The new contract began in July 2015 and runs until 2034. When it first opened, the line used its own paper-based ticketing system that was separate from the semi-integrated ticketing systems used by the government owned operators. The light rail operated on a proof-of-payment system, with ticket vending machines provided at all stops. By the time the Lilyfield extension opened,
5265-494: The Exhibition Centre stop. To the west of the stop, the light rail crosses Darling Drive and joins the former freight railway corridor. The section of the corridor not being used by the light rail has been converted to a pedestrian pathway, dubbed The Goods Line . The Exhibition Centre stop serves the suburb of Ultimo and the Darling Harbour precinct. The stop is located between two streets – Darling Drive to
5382-495: The French city of Bordeaux , the tramway network is powered by a third rail in the city center, where the tracks are not always segregated from pedestrians and cars. The third rail (actually two closely spaced rails) is placed in the middle of the track and divided into eight-metre sections, each of which is powered only while it is completely covered by a tram. This minimizes the risk of a person or animal coming into contact with
5499-520: The Star and ferries between Blackwattle Bay and Barangaroo . Customers on the light rail and replacement bus services received a 30 percent fare discount while the Urbos 3 vehicles were repaired. The line is currently operated by CAF Urbos 3 & Urbos 100, and Alstom Citadis 305 vehicles. The first Urbos 3s entered service in July 2014, with the final vehicle delivered by the end of June 2015. When
5616-662: The US are the NJ Transit River Line from Camden to Trenton and Austin's Capital MetroRail , which have received exemptions to the provision that light rail operations occur only during daytime hours and Conrail freight service only at night, with several hours separating one operation from the other. The O-Train Trillium Line in Ottawa also has freight service at certain hours. With its mix of right-of-way types and train control technologies, LRT offers
5733-455: The US as a whole, excluding Seattle, new light rail construction costs average about $ 35 million per mile. By comparison, a freeway lane expansion typically costs $ 1.0 million to $ 8.5 million per lane mile for two directions, with an average of $ 2.3 million. However, freeways are frequently built in suburbs or rural areas, whereas light rail tends to be concentrated in urban areas, where right of way and property acquisition
5850-666: The United States and in North America . In Britain, modern light rail systems began to appear in the 1980s, starting with the Tyne and Wear Metro from 1980 and followed by the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) in London in 1987, continuing into the 1990s including the establishment of the Manchester Metrolink in 1992 and the Sheffield Supertram from 1994. Due to varying definitions, it
5967-590: The United States are limited by demand rather than capacity (by and large, most American LRT systems carry fewer than 4,000 persons per hour per direction), but Boston's and San Francisco's light rail lines carry 9,600 and 13,100 passengers per hour per track during rush hour. Elsewhere in North America, the Calgary C-Train and Monterrey Metro have higher light rail ridership than Boston or San Francisco. Systems outside North America often have much higher passenger volumes. The Manila Light Rail Transit System
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#17327762737946084-472: The United States, "light rail" has become a catch-all term to describe a wide variety of passenger rail systems. Light rail corridors may constitute a fully segregated corridor, a dedicated right-of-way on a street, an on-street corridor shared with other traffic, a corridor shared with other public transport, or a corridor shared with pedestrians. The most difficult distinction to draw is that between low-floor light rail and streetcar or tram systems. There
6201-408: The Urbos 3 vehicles during routine inspections. On 2 November, it was revealed that cracks had been found in the entire Urbos 3 fleet of 12 vehicles. On 5 November, it was announced the line would be closed for up to 18 months to allow the fleet to be withdrawn for repairs. These cracks were discovered to be "more significant than first thought". The government announced that there was a "design flaw" in
6318-415: The ability of buses to travel closer to each other than rail vehicles and their ability to overtake each other at designated locations allowing express services to bypass those that have stopped at stations. However, to achieve capacities this high, BRT station footprints need to be significantly larger than a typical LRT station. In terms of cost of operation, each bus vehicle requires a single driver, whereas
6435-651: The alignment of the Dulwich Hill Line had its origins as the Rozelle–Darling Harbour Goods Line . From the time when the Sydney Railway Company was formed in 1848, it had been the intention of the company to build a freight terminal at Darling Harbour . To this end, a railway line was constructed between the Sydney railway station (the predecessor to Central railway station) and Darling Harbour, which opened on 26 September 1855. This line
6552-866: The case of the Disney amusement parks , even a land train . (The usual British term for an aerial tramway is cable car , which in the US usually refers to a ground-level car pulled along by subterranean cables .) The word trolley is often used as a synonym for streetcar in the United States but is usually taken to mean a cart, particularly a shopping cart, in the UK and elsewhere. Many North American transportation planners reserve streetcar for traditional vehicles that operate exclusively in mixed traffic on city streets, while they use light rail to refer to more modern vehicles operating mostly in exclusive rights of way, since they may operate both side-by-side targeted at different passenger groups. The difference between British English and American English terminology arose in
6669-569: The casino every 30 minutes after the end of full-line service, were suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and have not since resumed. [REDACTED] The Central Grand Concourse stop (formerly Central ) is the eastern terminus of the line. It serves Central railway station and is located on the first floor, parallel to, but above, Eddy Avenue . The stop connects to the Grand Concourse, Central station's main waiting area and
6786-421: The closure of Glasgow Corporation Tramways (one of the largest in Europe) in 1962. Although some traditional trolley or tram systems continued to exist in San Francisco and elsewhere, the term "light rail" has come to mean a different type of rail system as modern light rail technology has primarily post-WWII West German origins. An attempt by Boeing Vertol to introduce a new American light rail vehicle in
6903-481: The day, reducing to every 15 minutes in mornings (before 09:00) and evenings. Prior to April 2024, light rail operated between Central and Dulwich Hill from 06:00 to 23:00, extending to 00:00 on Friday; the current operating hours aligned inner west services with the L2 Randwick and L3 Kingsford lines of the CBD and South East Light Rail . Additional services between Central Grand Concourse and The Star, servicing
7020-415: The day. This combination of factors limits roads carrying only automobile commuters to a maximum observed capacity of about 3,000 passengers per hour per lane. The problem can be mitigated by introducing high-occupancy vehicle ( HOV ) lanes and ride-sharing programs, but in most cases, policymakers have chosen to add more lanes to the roads, despite a small risk that in unfavorable situations an extension of
7137-402: The departure hall for medium and long-distance train services. The stop is located at the midpoint of a single track unidirectional turning loop around Belmore Park . The stop consists of two platforms. Trams stop at the first platform to allow passengers to alight, then pull up to the second platform to allow boarding. The use of the loop avoids having to terminate the vehicles and thus removes
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#17327762737947254-514: The design and construction of the nine stops, bridge works, signalling and power supply. The extension opened on 27 March 2014. The line was closed between Central and Convention in January 2017 to allow for construction work at the George and Hay Street intersection as part of the CBD and South East Light Rail project. A further closure was required in January 2018 to install a junction between
7371-755: The direct translation, which is city rail (the Norwegian term, by bane , means the same). However, UMTA finally adopted the term light rail instead. Light in this context is used in the sense of "intended for light loads and fast movement", rather than referring to physical weight. The infrastructure investment is also usually lighter than would be found for a heavy rail system. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA), in its Glossary of Transit Terminology, defines light rail as: ...a mode of transit service (also called streetcar, tramway, or trolley) operating passenger rail cars singly (or in short, usually two-car or three-car, trains) on fixed rails in
7488-658: The east and Pyrmont Street to the west. It is named after the former Sydney Exhibition Centre – a complex for holding expositions and trade fairs that was located on the opposite side of Darling Drive. A replacement facility on the same site – the International Convention Centre Sydney – was completed in 2016. The stop is now adjacent to the ICC's exhibition precinct and the ICC Sydney Theatre. The Ian Thorpe Aquatic and Fitness Centre
7605-539: The lack of an active transport masterplan for the deferral of the Greenway. The Greenway was revived in 2016 under the Baird Government with Federal funding support. A Masterplan was developed and at the end of 2023 construction was continuing, with a major link under Parramatta Rd commencing. John Holland Group was announced as the successful tenderer for the infrastructure works on 31 May 2012, covering
7722-458: The late 19th century when Americans adopted the term "street railway", rather than "tramway", with the vehicles being called "streetcars" rather than "trams". Some have suggested that the Americans' preference for the term "street railway" at that time was influenced by German emigrants to the United States (who were more numerous than British immigrants in the industrialized Northeast), as it is
7839-524: The latter is described as light rail. In those places, trams running on mixed rights-of-way are not regarded as a light rail but considered distinctly as streetcars or trams. However, the requirement for saying that a rail line is "separated" can be quite low—sometimes just with concrete "buttons" to discourage automobile drivers from getting onto the tracks. Some systems such as Seattle's Link had on-road mixed sections but were closed to regular road traffic, with light rail vehicles and buses both operating along
7956-462: The light rail concept was the "Shaker Heights Rapid Transit" which started in the 1920s, was renovated in 1980-81 and is now part of RTA Rapid Transit . Many original tram and streetcar systems in the United Kingdom , United States , and elsewhere were decommissioned starting in the 1950s as subsidies for the car increased. Britain abandoned its tram systems, except for Blackpool , with
8073-517: The light rail network. Connex eventually came to be known as Veolia Transport globally in 2005, then became part of Veolia Transdev in 2011. Metro Transport Sydney was purchased by the Government of New South Wales in March 2012. Veolia Transdev (later just Transdev ) remained the operator, operating as Transdev Sydney . In February 2014, three consortia were short listed to build and operate
8190-653: The light rail reach Lilyfield, which was then the limit of the closed section of the goods line. In 2009, goods traffic on the line between Rozelle and Dulwich Hill ceased and in February 2010, the Keneally Government announced a 5.6-kilometre (3.5 mi) extension of the light rail from Lilyfield to Dulwich Hill. Work to upgrade the track and remove the overhead wiring began in August 2010. The project received planning approval in February 2011. The extension
8307-468: The light rail stop and was originally called Powerhouse Museum . It was connected to a multi-storey car park, with a footbridge across Darling Drive and the light rail providing access to the Powerhouse Museum and the suburb of Ultimo . In 2005, both stops were renamed Paddy's Markets in a naming rights deal. The area to the north of the light rail stop forms part of a major redevelopment of
8424-598: The light rail stop will be replaced with a new square further to the north. A pedestrian boulevard was constructed through the site of the Entertainment Centre, providing improved access from the stop to Darling Harbour. To prepare for the redevelopment, the monorail closed in June 2013 and demolition of the site commenced in December 2014. The Entertainment Centre was replaced by the ICC Sydney Theatre , located near
8541-545: The light rail was available from railway stations. From 27 June 2011, all MyMultis , the Pensioner Excursion Ticket and Family Funday Sunday were also recognised. This improved integration with the broader Sydney ticketing system led to a 30% to 40% increase in patronage on the line in the first months after introduction. In 2012–13 these products comprised just over half of all tickets used on light rail services. The smartcard-based Opal ticketing system
8658-551: The light rail works, the City of Sydney pedestrianised sections of George Street between Hunter and Bathurst Streets, with the intention of making George Street "Sydney's premier retail and pedestrian street". The state government announced it would support the plan. Light rail construction commenced in October 2015 resulting in the closure of George Street. The light rail through George Street opened on 14 December 2019. However,
8775-638: The line first opened, a fleet of seven German-designed Variotrams were built in Dandenong by Adtranz to operate the services. The last Variotram was withdrawn in May 2015, with all put up for sale by tender. Between the opening of the Dulwich Hill extension in March 2014 and the introduction of the first Urbos 3s, the Variotrams were supplemented by four leased Urbos 2 vehicles. In November 2020, it
8892-432: The line has referred to it as the Dulwich Hill Line. The line was given the number L1 as part of a broader program to also number all Sydney Trains and Sydney Ferries routes. A transport plan released by the New South Wales Government in 1998 reported that the line carried an average of 5,000 passengers on weekdays. 2.8 million journeys were made in 2009–10, increasing to 4.2 million in 2012–13. The partial integration of
9009-456: The line into the broader Sydney ticketing system was a major driver of the increase. In the 12 months to June 2015, the line carried 6.1 million passengers, compared to 3.9 million passengers in the prior year. The increase in the 2014–15 figure was influenced by the opening of the extension to Dulwich Hill in March 2014, while the 2013–14 figure was affected by the suspension of services for much of October 2013 and closures for maintenance works. In
9126-463: The machines had been switched off and replaced with onboard conductors. Paper tickets were available in single or return with fares based on two zones. Other products available included flat fare day and weekly tickets, some of which also included travel on the monorail prior to that system's closure. Several tickets were recognised on the light rail but were not sold on board. A "TramLink" ticket which allowed travel on Greater Sydney train services and
9243-537: The nearby Central Chalmers Street light rail stop. Sydney Metro trains will also serve Central from August 2024. Map of Central station The Capitol Square stop is opposite the Capitol Theatre , a large theatre for long-stay, popular shows such as The Lion King . The stop is located on Hay Street , near the intersection with George Street . Hay Street is closed to all other traffic. The CBD and South East Light Rail run along George Street, creating
9360-467: The need for the driver to change ends. This loop was not new; it had been used until 1957 as a route on the former Sydney tramway system , but in the opposite direction. The covered area in which the light rail stop is located was previously used as a staff carpark and bus interchange. Passengers can change at Central for Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink services. Also, the L2 and L3 lines can be accessed at
9477-683: The north end of Sydney in The Rocks , near the Sydney Harbour Bridge , and extends to the southern end of the city, near Central Station and Ultimo , where it leads into Railway Square . From here Broadway is the continuation of George Street turning westwards, leading to the western suburbs as Parramatta Road . The origins of George Street lie in the layout of the Sydney Cove colony. Captain Arthur Phillip placed
9594-465: The old and new systems. Since the 1980s, Portland, Oregon , has built all three types of system: a high-capacity light rail system in dedicated lanes and rights-of-way, a low-capacity streetcar system integrated with street traffic, and an aerial tram system . The opposite phrase heavy rail , used for higher-capacity, higher-speed systems, also avoids some incompatibilities in terminology between British and American English, for instance in comparing
9711-582: The peak direction during rush hour. George Street, Sydney George Street is a street in the central business district of Sydney . It was Sydney's original high street , and remains one of the busiest streets in the city centre. It connects a number of the city's most important buildings and precincts. There are more high rise buildings here than on any other street in Australia . Amongst Australia's 100 largest listed companies , more are located here than on any other street. The street begins in
9828-492: The period from 2015 to 2016, 9.7 million journeys were made, followed by 9.1 million in 2016–2017. The 2016–2017 statistic was affected by a partial closure of the line in December 2016/January 2017 for construction works on the CBD and South East Light Rail. The line operated without serious incident until 7 October 2013, when two trams derailed within the space of 20 minutes. Sections of track were replaced in September and it
9945-451: The removal of eighteen crossings would "permit the removal of temporary speed restrictions associated with these crossings and improve journey time performance." The government was also investigating the purchase of four new vehicles to permit service at six minute frequencies, increasing capacity by 1,000 passengers per hour. In August 2017, a government report, obtained by the media under freedom of information provisions, revealed patronage
10062-556: The required clearance height can be reduced significantly compared to conventional light rail vehicles. Reference speed from major light rail systems, including station stop time, is shown below. However, low top speed is not always a differentiating characteristic between light rail and other systems. For example, the Siemens S70 LRVs used in the Houston METRORail and other North American LRT systems have
10179-432: The right-of-way that is often separated from other traffic for part or much of the way. Light rail vehicles are typically driven electrically with power being drawn from an overhead electric line via a trolley [pole] or a pantograph ; driven by an operator onboard the vehicle; and may have either high platform loading or low-level boarding using steps." However, some diesel-powered transit is designated light rail, such as
10296-415: The road network might lead to increased travel times ( Downs–Thomson paradox , Braess's paradox ). By contrast, light rail vehicles can travel in multi-car trains carrying a theoretical ridership up to 20,000 passengers per hour in much narrower rights-of-way , not much more than two car lanes wide for a double track system. They can often be run through existing city streets and parks , or placed in
10413-401: The roads. Typically roadways have 1,900 passenger cars per lane per hour (pcplph). If only cars are allowed, the capacity will be less and will not increase when the traffic volume increases. When there is a bus driving on this route, the capacity of the lane will be higher and will increase when the traffic level increases. And because the capacity of a light rail system is higher than that of
10530-803: The route as a link between the Tank Stream, the Military encampment and the hospital). The Street was formally named for King George III by Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1810. On 8 August 1907 at Bateman's Crystal Hotel on George Street, a meeting resolved to form the New South Wales Rugby Football League , Australia's first professional rugby football association and predecessor to the modern-day National Rugby League . In 1937, Frank Jenner committed to telling ten different people on George Street about Christianity every day thenceforward. Until 2016, George Street
10647-538: The route of the former railway line (although buildings have been constructed above and around the line in places). Since 29 April 2024, services on the L1 Dulwich Hill Line run from 05:00 until 01:00 the following day; approximate weekday frequencies are every 6 minutes during peak hours, every 10 minutes between the peaks and shouldering the peak period, and every 15 minutes at other times. Weekend and public holiday frequencies are every 10 minutes most of
10764-671: The same as the German term for the mode, Straßenbahn (meaning "street railway"). A further difference arose because, while Britain abandoned all of its trams after World War II except in Blackpool , eight major North American cities ( Toronto , Boston , Philadelphia , San Francisco , Pittsburgh , Newark , Cleveland , and New Orleans ) continued to operate large streetcar systems. When these cities upgraded to new technology, they called it light rail to differentiate it from their existing streetcars since some continued to operate both
10881-674: The same period at a location adjacent to George Street, with a major entrance to George Street near Hunter Street . Next south is Town Hall station is located under George Street near the Sydney Town Hall and at the southern end is Sydney Central station . In response to increasing bus congestion in the CBD, on 13 December 2012, the NSW Government announced a commitment to build a light rail from Circular Quay down George Street to Central station before continuing east to Kensington and Randwick . In conjunction with
10998-407: The southbound lane between Bathurst Street and Campbell Street was never reopened and remained closed to traffic. In May 2020, City of Sydney proposed to convert the southern section of George Street to a pedestrian-only boulevard, extending southwards the existing boulevard that was constructed under the light rail project. In July 2020, the northbound lane from Ultimo Street to Bathurst Street and
11115-408: The standard gauge is that standard railway maintenance equipment can be used on it, rather than custom-built machinery. Using standard gauges also allows light rail vehicles to be conveniently moved around using the same tracks as freight railways. Additionally, wider gauges (e.g. standard gauge) provide more floor clearance on low-floor trams that have constricted pedestrian areas at the wheels, which
11232-565: The stop. The convention precinct of the ICC complex and the Harbourside Shopping Centre are also located adjacent to the stop. A Sydney Monorail stop with the same name was located a few metres down Darling Drive towards Central. The monorail closed in June 2013. The Pyrmont Bay stop is located underneath an apartment building in Pyrmont . The stop services the north western side of the Darling Harbour precinct. It
11349-551: The system was a success with the public, gaining up to 190,000 passengers per day. Automatic train operation is employed on light rail networks, tracking the position and speed of a train and hence adjusting its movement for safety and efficiency. One line of light rail (requires 7.6 m, 25' right of way) has a theoretical capacity of up to 8 times more than one 3.7 m (12 foot) lane on a freeway, excluding busses, during peak times. Roads have ultimate capacity limits that can be determined by traffic engineering , and usually experience
11466-503: The trams, making it safe on city streets. Several systems in Europe and a few recently opened systems in North America use diesel -powered trains. When electric streetcars were introduced in the late 19th century, conduit current collection was one of the first ways of supplying power, but it proved to be much more expensive, complicated, and trouble-prone than overhead wires . When electric street railways became ubiquitous, conduit power
11583-487: The two lines. The connection is used by trams of the CBD and South East line to access the maintenance facility at Lilyfield. The line was owned by the Sydney Light Rail Company (SLRC) when it opened in 1997. The company was formed in March 1994 was awarded a 30-year concession to operate the light rail system until February 2028 when ownership would pass to the New South Wales Government. The service
11700-460: The vast majority of light rail systems. This avoids the danger potentially presented by an electrified third rail . The Docklands Light Railway uses an inverted third rail for its electrical power, which allows the electrified rail to be covered and the power drawn from the underside. Trams in Bordeaux , France, use a special third-rail configuration where the power is only switched on beneath
11817-506: The vehicles and they would be consulting other operators. A replacement bus service was put into operation to run the entire length of the line. To allow the line to reopen sooner, trams were borrowed from the CBD and South East Light Rail and tested on the Inner West Light Rail from December 2021. L1 services resumed with the borrowed trams on 12 February 2022, but continued to be supplemented by buses between Central &
11934-434: The widest range of latitude of any rail system in the design, engineering, and operating practices. The challenge in designing light rail systems is to realize the potential of LRT to provide fast, comfortable service while avoiding the tendency to overdesign that results in excessive capital costs beyond what is necessary to meet the public's needs. The BART railcar in the following chart is not generally considered to be
12051-603: Was "exceeding all expectations" of transport planners. However it was impossible to introduce more peak hour services, which run every eight minutes. This is because of constraints associated with the single track near Dulwich Hill, stabling capacity, power, signalling, maintenance facilities and fleet size. The power supply limits frequency to six minutes, while the single track terminus at Dulwich Hill and fleet size limit frequency to eight minutes. The report suggested it would be possible to have more services per hour if shuttle services were to run between Central and Lilyfield. Patronage
12168-543: Was announced that four new vehicles would be purchased for delivery within two years. In June 2021, a contract with CAF for four Urbos 100 (the variant on the existing Urbos 3) five-module unit was reported. The new vehicles were delivered in August 2023, testing commenced from late August until they entered service December 2023. The 23-stop route extends for 12.8 kilometres (8.0 mi), including 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) of on-street operation . Apart from Central, Capitol Square and Paddy's Markets, all stops are located on
12285-543: Was coined in 1972 by the U.S. Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA; the precursor to the Federal Transit Administration ) to describe new streetcar transformations that were taking place in Europe and the United States. In Germany, the term Stadtbahn (to be distinguished from S-Bahn , which stands for Stadtschnellbahn ) was used to describe the concept, and many in UMTA wanted to adopt
12402-502: Was coined in 1972 in the United States as an English equivalent for the German word Stadtbahn , meaning "city railway". Different definitions exist in some countries, but in the United States, light rail operates primarily along exclusive rights-of-way and uses either individual tramcars or multiple units coupled together, with a lower capacity and speed than a long heavy rail passenger train or rapid transit system. Narrowly defined, light rail transit uses rolling stock that
12519-516: Was extended to Dulwich Hill via the John Street tunnel, the Glebe tunnel , and Lilyfield in 1922. A short branch from Lilyfield to Rozelle served another freight terminal. With widespread use as a freight line throughout the early 20th century, the use of containers and the decentralisation of freight terminals in Sydney to places such as Port Botany and Chullora , Darling Harbour traffic
12636-691: Was initially operated by TNT Transit Systems. In August 1998, SLRC formed a joint venture with CGEA Transport named CGEA Transport Sydney to purchase TNT Transit Systems, who also owned the Sydney Monorail . This resulted in CGEA Transport taking charge of light rail operations. SLRC later combined with CGEA Transport Sydney to become Metro Transport Sydney in 2001, after Connex (renamed from CGEA Transport) sold its share in CGEA Transport Sydney. Connex continued to operate
12753-677: Was introduced in North America in 1972 to describe this new concept of rail transportation. Prior to that time the abbreviation "LRT" was used for " Light Rapid Transit " and " Light Rail Rapid Transit ". The first of the new light rail systems in North America began operation in 1978 when the Canadian city of Edmonton, Alberta , adopted the German Siemens-Duewag U2 system, followed three years later by Calgary, Alberta , and San Diego, California . The concept proved popular, with there now being numerous light rail systems in
12870-437: Was introduced to the line on 1 December 2014. Patronage increased in the months following the introduction of Opal. Most paper tickets sold or recognised on light rail services were discontinued on 1 January 2016. The only tickets still available were single and return tickets. These last remaining tickets were replaced by Opal-based single trip tickets on 1 August of that year. As the original line of Sydney's light rail network,
12987-412: Was originally scheduled to open in 2012, but in September 2011 the newly elected O'Farrell Government announced that it would not open until 2014, and that the cost had risen from $ 120 million to $ 176 million. The Greenway walking and cycling path which was to run alongside much of the route was deferred. The new government blamed hasty planning by their predecessor for the delay and cost overruns, and
13104-428: Was reduced considerably. The port closed and the area was redeveloped in the 1980s. Construction and conversion of the first section of line from Central station to Wentworth Park started on 25 January 1996 and took 16 months to complete. The 3.6-kilometre (2.2 mi) line reused the former Darling Harbour goods railway line and the tram loop at Central station originally built for Sydney's former tram network , with
13221-574: Was taken over by the Convention monorail/light rail stop, which required day-to-day interchanging between modes to get to this stop. The Convention stop is located adjacent to Darling Drive, at the western edge of the Darling Harbour precinct. The stop is named after the former Sydney Convention Centre and its replacement, the International Convention Centre Sydney. There are hotels located on both sides of
13338-632: Was the Gross-Lichterfelde tramway in Lichterfelde near Berlin in Germany, which opened in 1881. It was built by Werner von Siemens who contacted Pirotsky. It initially drew current from the rails, with overhead wire being installed in 1883. The first interurban to emerge in the United States was the Newark and Granville Street Railway in Ohio, which opened in 1889. An early example of
13455-404: Was the busiest street in Sydney in terms of number of buses per hour; most bus services to the inner western and north-western suburbs traveled along part of or most of George Street. Many of the principal railway stations in the Sydney city centre are located on or near George Street. At the northern end of George Street, is Circular Quay station . Wynyard underground station was constructed in
13572-401: Was the route for Sydney's Anzac Day parade until made unavailable by CBD and South East Light Rail construction work. It now proceeds via Elizabeth Street . The Light Rail line through George Street began services in December 2019. From 2019 to 2022, the majority of George Street between Bridge St (near Circular Quay) and Rawson Place (near Central Station) was progressively converted into
13689-527: Was used in those cities that did not permit overhead wires. In Europe, it was used in London, Paris, Berlin, Marseille, Budapest, and Prague. In the United States, it was used in parts of New York City and Washington, D.C. Third rail technology was investigated for use on the Gold Coast of Australia for the G:link light rail, though power from overhead lines was ultimately utilized for that system. In
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