Watching this 4 years later and can see how much on George Street ( Chinatown / Haymarket) area has changed now no cars at all and all the streetscape has changed, Great to come across video's like this make you appreciate all the work that has happened since. I walk through this part of town to walk to barangaroo and I guess I dont take real notice till I see videos like this. Light rail back in the city has been the best thing and hope they will expand in the future with new routes maybe to Bondi or to newtown and maybe further south or marrickville
It only uses Alstom APS (third rail) within the CBD and uses overhead lines everywhere else. The unsightly criss-cross of overhead lines can be seen at 6:52, for example.
I joined the light rail at Circular Quay yesterday at 3.05pm with the intention of travelling to Randwick. This was a painfully slow journey. 35 minutes to Chalmers street. I abandoned the tram at Chalmers street in frustration. We sat at the intersection of George and Liverpool st and had two T lights before the driver moved across the intersection to the Chinatown stop. There does not seem to be tram priority at any city intersection. I am a supporter of the Light Rail but it seems people are avoiding it in droves. I am not surprised when most people could walk this distance in less time. I can't comment on the journey from Chalmers street to Randwick but I hope it is faster otherwise it could be another Sydney white elephant.
Thanks for that comment. The driver can request priority by the push of the button, so I guess it's like the pedestrian button on a crossing, you still have to wait a bit for your turn. In my eyes, it will never be true light rail priority here in Sydney, but maybe the future will prove me wrong.
The speed seems to have improved a bit...We can see a connection between the 2 lines but I don't see what for because the 2 systems are totally different...
I have no idea. Just guessing here: maybe in the future, they want to upgrade the trams on L1 so they will be able to go on both L1 and L2. You would then be able to go from e.g. The Star directly to Circular Quay.
APS uses a third rail placed between the running rails, divided electrically into ten-metre rail segments with three-metre neutral sections between. Each tram has two power collection shoes, next to which are antennas that send radio signals to energise the power rail segments as the tram passes over them.
@@railfanworld Thanks for your reply, so if by some silly reason someone was touching the 3rd rail and the other conductor when the tram enters the 10 metre section would they receive a shock?
George St is definitely better for it. Spent a few days in the city recently, and the tram is a fantastic way to get around. I rode it when it first opened, and wasn’t impressed with how slow it was, but they seem to have made it way more efficient since.
I went on to that tram a couple of months ago, I was standing looking for a seat, but the tram starting moving that I fell over. Tell me if that happened to you 😂
When they first went into service it was the slowest tram network in the world. Fortunately, it has improved in time for T3 to Juniors Kingsford to come online.
30's technology with cameras attached. Not impressed. Could have been done with batteries, and eliminate the overhead wiring. Simply charge overnight. Skynet is still a few generations away.
Ah yes you're right, because in the 30's they had low floored trams, could carry 230 people in one tram, had multiple units, screens inside, power efficient engines with permanent magnet, electric brake with reinjection, priority at crossing, could go up to 80 km/h, air conditioning, enjoyable rides, LEDs lights, the APS...... Oh and btw, you can't power a tram for an entire day with one charge overnight, battery are not that efficient, and they cost a lot. Think a little bit before typing
@@Sylvere21 idiot. the reason the old trams were a certain height was because, if they ran over a person, that person had a chance to live. Get run over by one of these things, and you have Zero chance to live. Things weren't done for nothing.
@@paulfrancis8836 if the driver hit the emergency brake, a body push guard will get down under the driver seat, and prevent you for going further under the tram and under the bogie. So no it's safe. In France we have almost only this model of tram and it has prevent a lot of death. French engineering, we are good 😄
First off old trams were so high because having the floor be above the wheels was a necessity back then. Nowadays with modern compact equipment the floor can be low even between the wheels. And if you get hit by a modern tram you are pushed up and to the side, which is a lot safer than getting stuck under and potentially crushed by the wheels. That is one reason why the front has the shape it does, the other being having a crumple zone to protect the driver and the passenger in a collision, as well as vital equipment (and the structure itself!) inside the tram.
Such a pessimist and an unnecessary purist. You want better, you pay for it out of pocket. Until then, let the folk who enjoy it live their life. No one likes a miserable lot.
I never understood why they didn't just install overhead wires over the whole route thus avoiding the complexity of "3rd rail" and the change over further towards central. It has caused issues in the past
Melbourne has got such overhead wires just about everywhere its not that bad just part of the streetscape. the modern systems only have one wire on poles for each track. the old systems like Melbourne are a web of wires holding everything else up
Does anyone know why there’s no thoroughfare for cars going southbound on George St from Town Hall to the Chinatown tram stop? I’ve noticed that it’s still blocked off to vehicles.