cross-posted from: https://aussie.zone/post/36550420
Crazy take by ABC news’ Alan Kohler “Why Melbourne’s trams were a big mistake”
Cross posted to c/Melbourne
I think the metro tunnel was rather over engineered. The new Town Hall station has 2 platforms, and sits right next to Flinders Street station, which has 15 platforms. Despite that, Town Hall station is about the same size.
Elon’s tunnel network looks like an ant farm in comparison.
As someone who does Melbourne rail on the daily, trams are fine. They are way more loved than the buses.
the whole metro tunnel concept is at once too small and too big and it makes me sad that it’s not as revolutionary as it could be.
Like you’d think it would unlock a ton of capacity in the city loop but apparently not, and there are other things in the system preventing significant frequency improvements… Not to mention the people who lost a direct link to the sportsball grounds…Imagine if they could have gotten some more lines through the metro tunnel such that the city loop can be fully bidirectional or something
Wow… I’ve been away from Australia for a while, never thought I’d see pro musk propaganda on the ABC.
He is right in the sense that building the tram lines was lack of vision for the future. After a certain size, cities need public transportation in a dedicated lane. But a metro line doesn’t replace a tram line. They complement each other. Trains, trams, brt, bus and micro-mobility complement each other in commuting.
The best time to build the metro was 100 years ago. The second best time is now. If musk’s boring company can build metro lines, so be it. Shit like las vega’s loop isn’t an alternative to anything.
Very much agree with you. Trams and metros fulfill different functions.
The “crazy” take in my opinion was equating keeping the tram system with not building metros, that trams “clog up the road”, and the dubious claims Musk could actually provide boring at ludicrously low cost.
Don’t get me wrong, the costs involved with building metros in the anglosphere are not in step with the rest of the world, but colour me sceptical about anything to do with musk, given all the quality issues with Tesla.
How is this crazy? He has statistics and graphs and you have?
He presents no reliable argument for why “trams […] clog up the roads”, nor why trams are a mistake to have kept.
He conflates the fact Melbourne didn’t build more metro lines (which we absolutely should have, and should do now) with keeping the tram network.
It’s pro-car nonsense.
Cars clog up the roads and slow down trams, not the other way around.
Thankfully Melbourne kept its tram network, sadly, it did not build enough trains.
I don’t think he really talked about cars at all, he mostly compared subways to trams
He presents no reliable argument for why “trams […] clog up the roads”, nor why trams are a mistake to have kept.
Well actually he said their average speed is 11km/h which is absolutely pathetic and a huge argument to why they clog up the road…
Then he went on to say how insane the costs are for building these trams and how hiring an entrepreneur like Elon musk would save the people of Melbourne 90% of cost of building tunnels
The average speed is from being slowed down due to traffic and non-priority signalling.
You, and Alan, clearly have no idea what the tram system in Melbourne is like.
Well no, but the newsman would just lie? We need better rebuttals because this is what the average residence hears from the news!
entrepreneur
Weird way to spell conman.
Elon musk would save the people of Melbourne 90% of cost of building tunnels
Do you really believe that?
Then he went on to say how insane the costs are for building these trams and how hiring an entrepreneur like Elon musk would save the people of Melbourne 90% of cost of building tunnels
I’m starting to understand why your accounts don’t last long. See ya next time.
What did I say offended you? Is that not what the reporter said?
That alone disqualifies the reporter, hiring Musk for tunnels, like seriously? This would be the stupidity of the decade level stupidity.
