The Newcastle Light Rail is an under-construction Australian light rail line in Newcastle, New South Wales, running from Newcastle Interchange through the central business district to Pacific Park in Newcastle East. Construction is scheduled to commence in 2017 with the line to open in 2019. It will be operated by Newcastle Transport under contract to Transport for New South Wales
Video Newcastle Light Rail
Development
For decades the Newcastle railway line had been seen by some as an impediment to the redevelopment of Newcastle's central business district with many proposals for its closure.
In December 2012, the Government of New South Wales announced its intention to close the line east of Wickham with the closure of Wickham, Civic and Newcastle stations. The line closed between Hamilton and Newcastle stations on 25 December 2014. A permanent terminus, Newcastle Interchange, was constructed adjacent to ther former Wickham station, opening on 15 October 2017.
Two options were put forward for the light rail route - reusing the heavy rail corridor or using an on-street route. In May 2014, it was announced a light rail line would be built using a predominately on-street route. About 500 m (1,640 ft) of the existing rail corridor east of Wickham station will be reused, before the light rail proceeds along Scott and Hunter Streets to terminate at Pacific Park in Newcastle East.
The decision to use a predominately on-street route drew mixed reactions and led to speculation that the railway corridor could be sold to property developers. It also went against the advice of Transport for NSW, which supported reusing the heavy rail corridor and advised the government that an on-street route could cost almost $100 million extra and deliver a slower service. In December 2014, the Government announced that Newcastle City Council would have the final say in determining any future development in the former rail corridor.
The replacement of the heavy rail line with light rail has also been controversial. Several newspapers in the Hunter region led a campaign to retain the heavy rail link. Newcastle City Council was initially supportive of the light rail project, but following a mayoral by-election in November 2014 the council advocated retaining the heavy rail line instead.
In August 2015 Transport for NSW put out a tender for a technical advisor to assist in the development of this project. Registrations of interest for companies to design and construct the Newcastle Light Rail were called in January 2016.
In December 2014 it was estimated that construction would commence in late 2015 but by January 2016 the date has slipped to the second half of 2016. In April 2016 it was stated that major construction would start in 2017 and be complete in 2019. Establishment of a site office commenced in February 2017. Major construction is expected to start around the middle of the year.
A list of stops along the route was released in April 2016. Stops proposed are: Newcastle Interchange, Honeysuckle, Civic, Crown Street, Market Street and Pacific Park. Each light rail vehicle will carry at least 100 passengers.
In April 2016 CPB Contractors, Downer Group, John Holland, Laing O'Rourke and McConnell Dowell were shortlisted to bid for the contract to build the infrastructure. Downer was awarded the contract in August.
The government announced in April 2017 that the trams would use on board energy storage technology to allow the majority of the line to operate without overhead wires. This differs from the approach used in the wire-free section of Sydney's CBD and South East Light Rail, which powers the trams via a proprietary ground-level power supply technology.
Maps Newcastle Light Rail
Operation
The line will be operated by Newcastle Transport with frequencies of 7.5 minutes.
Potential extensions
Several options to extend the network were released in April 2016. The options were:
- Newcastle Interchange to Broadmeadow station
- Broadmeadow station to Hunter Stadium
- Broadmeadow station to Adamstown
- Newcastle Interchange to Mayfield
Other proposals made by the community include extensions to John Hunter Hospital, University of Newcastle at Callaghan, Newcastle Airport, Glendale, Merewether and a CBD loop. Transport for NSW stated that these routes suffered from high costs and engineering challenges.
Rolling stock
A fleet of six Urbos 3 trams will operate the service. The trams will consist of five modules and will be 33 metres long.
Depot
A depot will be built on the site of the former Wickham railway station.
See also
- Light rail in Sydney - the other light rail system in New South Wales
- Trams in Newcastle, New South Wales - the former tram network
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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