Food, Drink & Dining Out The Perth Thread - Part 3

[Chief]

Part 4 is here:

The Perth Thread - Part 4

Did you see that article in the local paper (not The West Aus) about a forum on the 15th to discuss ways to make crossing Charles st safer/better? I personally don't and have never (even as a child) had an issue with crossing it. Don’t even get me started. Yes it’s difficult to cross and I’m...

www.bigfooty.com

 

[Scotland]

The borders are only 'open' to states with just as much COVID as we have.

 

[ioppolo]

The borders are only 'open' to states with just as much COVID as we have.

Oh yes. Just relaying the reply I got today at work when I mentioned my concerns

 

[Spitty_the_alpaca]

Cause the borders are open.

McGowan has no plan other than close the borders because it's popular, emperor with no clothes.

 

[Spitty_the_alpaca]

15,000,000,000,000,000 days to flatten the curve.

 

[JackOutback]

There is, but it is not high speed. It goes about the same speed as the suburban trains, I think somewhere around 120 km/h top speed; the trains on the Mandurah line roll along at 130 on the longer sections south of Cockburn Central. Plus the train itself is old, built in the 1980s and due for a replacement. The service has become more and more plagued with breakdowns and cancellations in recent times.

It’s also out of service until Feb because it’s past it’s useful life and needs to be constantly repaired. I was stunned to read the trip from Bunbury to Perth takes two-and-a-half hours and that the bus replacement service will actually be quicker.

 

[Admiral Byng]

It’s also out of service until Feb because it’s past it’s useful life and needs to be constantly repaired. I was stunned to read the trip from Bunbury to Perth takes two-and-a-half hours and that the bus replacement service will actually be quicker.

Is that right? It doesn't surprise me.

 

[JackOutback]

Is that right? It doesn't surprise me.

The bus runs Bunbury to Mandurah, which is about 1 hour 10 or 15, at which point you can get on the Mandurah line, 50 more mins and you’re in Perth.

 

[Jimmy_the_Gent]

Are we in crisis? The QR code thing seems like a bit of a waste of time.

As someone who has done the right thing and worked from home, socially distanced, stayed away from at risk relatives etc. even though the measures were overkill for the level of community transmission we had, I question why this is suddenly necessary now.

I heard McGowan on the radio the other day saying it's about being ready to scale up if needed. Makes good sense since WAs complacency and all.

 

[Admiral Byng]

The bus runs Bunbury to Mandurah, which is about 1 hour 10 or 15, at which point you can get on the Mandurah line, 50 more mins and you’re in Perth.

It is the most direct route rather than through Harvey, Waroona, Serpentine etc, thence on to Armadale, and then the long way into Perth slotting in with the regular metro services on the Armadale and Thornlie lines.

A redirection of the train along the most direct route down the Mandurah line seems sensible. But it does mean that the other small centres lose their train stop. Trouble is where the line goes once it gets into Mandurah, how it gets back out again on the other side. Going to be expensive and will probably require tunnels and an underground station in Mandurah.

 

[JackOutback]

It is the most direct route rather than through Harvey, Waroona, Serpentine etc, thence on to Armadale, and then the long way into Perth slotting in with the regular metro services on the Armadale and Thornlie lines.

A redirection of the train along the most direct route down the Mandurah line seems sensible. But it does mean that the other small centres lose their train stop. Trouble is where the line goes once it gets into Mandurah, how it gets back out again on the other side. Going to be expensive and will probably require tunnels and an underground station in Mandurah.

It would be nice if WA thought more than a few years ahead. Every new train line we’ve built has been wide enough for just two lines, with the freeway regularly being widened to encroach on any space that may be available. We should be looking at room for overtaking tracks do we can run more expressed past the regular service. And the Bunbury service could use it every day as well.

 

[Scotland]

High speed rail between Perth and Bunbury and the SW doesn't seem like it would ever stack up, IMO.

Who goes to the Bunbury, Busselton, Margaret River etc. and then doesn't use their car?

If it was Perth to Albany and the population of Albany was 100-200k+ maybe it would have some merit, but it's just way easier to just drive to the SW now and then have your own car to make your way around. Sure if you are visiting WA then you might look at it, but the Australind and TransWA bus services don't get a lot of patronage.

A 45 minute train ride to Bunbury sounds great, but given it takes 50 minutes to get to Mandurah how exactly is that going to work?

 

[Admiral Byng]

It would be nice if WA thought more than a few years ahead. Every new train line we’ve built has been wide enough for just two lines, with the freeway regularly being widened to encroach on any space that may be available. We should be looking at room for overtaking tracks do we can run more expressed past the regular service. And the Bunbury service could use it every day as well.

To make it work it would need 4 rail lines from Perth to Mandurah along that corridor, with 2 lines continuing on down to Bunbury. Then you could have the long distance trains by-passing suburban stations without slowing down. Maybe stopping at only 1 or 2 intermediate stops along the way. They could roll on at 200 km/h plus for most of the way.

But, like you say, the rail corridors are all built for 2 lines only. So just about every station will need to have platforms rebuilt. It gets prohibitively expense. I understand this is what they do in Europe - run 4 railway lines, suburban rail trains and platforms use the outer two, and the high speed intercity trains use the pair in the middle and zoom through the minor stations without slowing down.

 

[Admiral Byng]

High speed rail between Perth and Bunbury and the SW doesn't seem like it would ever stack up, IMO.

Who goes to the Bunbury, Busselton, Margaret River etc. and then doesn't use their car?

If it was Perth to Albany and the population of Albany was 100-200k+ maybe it would have some merit, but it's just way easier to just drive to the SW now and then have your own car to make your way around. Sure if you are visiting WA then you might look at it, but the Australind and TransWA bus services don't get a lot of patronage.

A 45 minute train ride to Bunbury sounds great, but given it takes 50 minutes to get to Mandurah how exactly is that going to work?

Agree... sort of.

it is one of those things that you either need to spend the money and go the whole hog or not bother at all. Any attempt to do something in between cheaply will be a waste of money because it wont deliver any huge benefit.

Thing is that the full price version will be transformational but unpredictable. you can't model it and do a proper cost-benefit analysis and all that. it will take a leap of vision and courage, but in the meantime you will be pilloried in the press and by the opposition for spending so much money based on hope. It would extend the effective reach of the metro area to wherever the rail line goes. You'll also get NIMBYs who don't like new things.

 

[Smeg Head]

That said its a good time to plan and build things for the future when borrowing rates an tiny.

 

[Scotland]

To do it properly I reckon it would cost billions. As in $5b, $10b+. The payback just wouldn't be there.

High speed rail works between large population centres separated by medium distances. It's a cool idea but it solves a problem that isn't critical. There are only 200,000 people in the entire SW.

 

[ep2018]

There must be an election soon if the high speed train to [insert country town here] is being pushed.

 

[Scotland]

There is an election coming, in March.

Marko could propose spending the state budget on a second hand monorail from North Haverbrook and he'd still win in a landslide.

 

[ep2018]

There is an election coming, in March.

Marko could propose spending the state budget on a second hand monorail from North Haverbrook and he'd still win in a landslide.

He'll win but seems like people are starting to turn on him, going by social media. Might not be as big as you think.

 

[ioppolo]

He'll win but seems like people are starting to turn on him, going by social media. Might not be as big as you think.

In a big way too. Back in August he would've won an election with 99% of the vote. Now I'm not so sure

 

[bok_party]

This is what we need

 

[Admiral Byng]

To do it properly I reckon it would cost billions. As in $5b, $10b+. The payback just wouldn't be there.

High speed rail works between large population centres separated by medium distances. It's a cool idea but it solves a problem that isn't critical. There are only 200,000 people in the entire SW.

This is pretty much it. I don't see it happening in my lifetime.

Mind you, I don't see it being anything like a real "high speed train" that will be considered. Certainly nothing like your Japanese Shinkansen or European TGV types that do over 300 km/h. I think they'll be looking at 200 max which will be far cheaper.

My understanding is that the suburban trains that run the Mandurah to Butler services (the B models) have a top speed of 160 km/h from a design point of view but only run at a max of 130 on the network. So we would be looking at something that was a bit of a beefed up suburban train and should be more or less off-the-shelf from train builders in Japan or the EU. The real issue is going to be where to run the lines for it, and the issue of how to mix it in with suburban rail traffic so it doesn't get too slowed down. That is probably going to be the most expensive part of the project.

 

[Off The Couch]

I would actually like to see some money spent on going east and north rather than the ongoing obsession with the south

 

[quotemokc]

I would actually like to see some money spent on going east and north rather than the ongoing obsession with the south

Thats because the south west isn't desert

 

[Admiral Byng]

I would actually like to see some money spent on going east and north rather than the ongoing obsession with the south

like the Ellenbrook line?

(edit for spelling)

 

[Off The Couch]

lime the Ellenbrook line?

yes because that’s the furtherest north you can go