Days after launch, light rail vehicle 'reboots' on tracks after stalling

One of the many negative texts through to 666 said that the carriages were stiflingly hot – in 24 degree heat! What will travel on the light rail service be like in the summer heat? (Unbearable)

Time to revisit a post a few years ago on RiotACT about a light rail that actually failed!
There are some disturbing parallels.

“The most recent failure of a light rail project was in Spain where Velez-Malaga council, in Spain’s south with a population of 75,000, shut down its light rail line after just six years of operation. Patronage on the line, which cost $60 million to build, fell from a high of 900,000 passengers a year in 2007 to just 700,000 before it was closed. Ironically, 3 of the trams have since been leased to NSW and they are running on the Dulwich Hill line. Notice the population of 75,000, which is about the same that Canberra’s light rail will service, was unable to sustain viability and patronage actually fell after it started.

I’ll bet the CAF Super-Euro-Tram salesmen didn’t tell Mr Barr and Mr Corbell about this.

Unless there are regular, and increasingly serious, incidents like this, it’s marginally relevant – at most – to the wisdom or otherwise of committing to this transport option.

The real issues in that regard are the same, now, as they were prior to the decision to commit – although the recent, and very pertinent, opinion piece by Jon Stanhope on the financial costs of the tram, and the opportunity costs of it (particularly in regard to our stretched health system) puts a sharper focus on what we’ve actually got for our money, and whether further lines should be built.

I’ve always thought a dedicated Bus lane service was the way to go for Canberra, as Light Rail costs too much per user. But I’m with Canberra Transport and posters here that results have to be judged over the next year or two. No need for a knee jerk reaction.

We need to be provided with trustworthy open data that shows the number of commuters for each ride (not just averages), that way proper analysis can be undertaken to see if the outside peak hour trips and opposite direction trips are being properly utilised.

The ACT public transport data and routing information has been hidden and manipulated for too long. We can get a better public transport system, if we are provided with honest data that we can trust.

“There’s always going to be minor issues with new capability.”

Capable of what, exactly?

Launching in a predictably quiet work week was no doubt the idea, given inevitable glitches.
My own experience thus far has been – announcements not working or too quiet; aircon not working at all or blowing furiously without achieving anything; out of action screens; clueless real time systems on platform.
Also experienced one trip where either the driver like to throw everyone around for fun, or the drive system needed some adjustment.

“These trams accelerate insanely quickly though.”

So do the Tesla battery cars. They also catch fire.

I must be related to nostradamus!

Months ago I predicted there would be a breakdown in the first few days of passenger operations and I predicted the negative uninformed comments I am reading now.

I’m just glad the ACT Govt has nothing to do with the running of Canberra Airport. “Teething issues” could be catastrophic.