Add Category
A lack of new public transport routes will threaten Adelaide's quality of life as it becomes more congested into the future, a leading researcher warns.
It comes as the state government confirms new trams are off the agenda.
Monash University professor in transport engineering Graham Currie said as Adelaide grows, traffic congestion would increase.
"We can build new freeways and underpasses, such as the South Road development, but ultimately we can't keep on doing that," he said.
"If Adelaide's going to maintain the standard of living it's got, we're going to need alternatives to the car.
"At the moment the public transport system in Adelaide is quite good for a city of that size, but it's hardly competitive in most parts of the city compared to driving."
An artist's impression of the South Road Tram Overpass required for the north-south corridor. (Supplied: SA Government )
A complicated history
The former Labor government under Jay Weatherill in 2016 announced plans to return the city's tram network, which was mostly ripped up to make way for busses in the mid-20th century.
It laid an East End link and a short spur to the Festival Centre, and promised to extend both — into Norwood and North Adelaide respectively — at a combined cost of $538 million if it won the 2018 state election.
Labor lost that election to the Liberal Party, which oversaw the completion of the East End link but put any future tram investments on hold.
It also stopped the Port Dock project to return passenger trains into the heart of Port Adelaide.
Labor has since completed the Port Dock after reclaiming government in 2022 but has gone quiet on trams, other than announcing plans to widen the relatively new South Road Tram Overpass for the north-south motorway corridor project.
The Port Dock was finally finished in August, at a cost of $51 million. (ABC Radio Adelaide: Malcolm Sutton)
Interstate investments
Professor Currie said major investments in passenger rail had taken place in Sydney, the Gold Coast, Brisbane, and Melbourne.
In Melbourne a massive $125 billion infrastructure project was underway to build the largest "loop railway in the world".
Perth's $10.5 billion Metronet project was laying 72 kilometres of passenger rail and 23 stations.
Sydney's $25 billion Metro project was laying 113km of new passenger rail and 46 stations.
Interstate governments were also looking at "a new player" in battery-powered trackless trams, which were cheaper to build and had the added benefit of not requiring overhead wires.
A battery-powered trackless tram in China. (Supplied: CCRC)
He said Adelaide needed a network where it was quicker to go by public transport than by car and that required investment in new lines and new routes.
"The one busway network [O-Bahn] is pretty good, but other corridors lack that investment and we need that frequency," Professor Currie said.
The Select Committee on Public and Active Transport early last year recommended a trial of passenger train services from Mt Barker to Adelaide, with a view to adopting "similar trials of services Roseworthy to Gawler, Aldinga to Seaford, and Adelaide to Port Augusta".
The previous Labor government released images of a $259m tramline extension to North Adelaide. (Supplied: SA Government)
Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis said the government was focused on returning rail operations to public hands after it was privatised under the former Liberal government.
"We are also conducting a detailed study into potential options for extending metropolitan rail corridors," he said.
"We have a busy transport infrastructure agenda, which was committed to before the 2022 election.
"While we are open-minded to engaging on future transport strategies, there are no current plans to extend light rail."
The party's pre-2022 election policy document acknowledged that trams and trains were among "the most energy efficient modes of transport" and each could "take up to 540 cars off the road".
Population growing rapidly
The government today released its draft 30-year Greater Adelaide Regional Plan for public consultation to identify where an extra 315,000 homes could be located, along with jobs, for an additional 670,000 people by 2050.
RAA chief executive Nick Reade said earlier this year that major housing developments already planned or underway would result in about 100,000 more people living in areas like Dry Creek, Riverlea, Concordia, Sellicks Beach and West Lakes.
With the RAA expecting SA's population to reach 2 million by 2029, the organisation has called for a "massive expansion" of Adelaide's rail network.
"That's a lot of additional people soon to be living in these areas, putting huge pressure on our roads, public transport utilities and services," he said.
"That puts more pressure on our road network, increases congestion and impacts the liveability of Adelaide — something we should never compromise on."
Greens MLC Robert Simms said in parliament that investing in trams cost about $120 million per kilometre, compared to a six-lane highway needed to carry the same number of people at $150 million per kilometre.
Greens MLC Robert Simms says the government has "gone cold" on trams. (ABC News: Che Chorley)
"The route that the Greens have proposed in terms of extending the tram network down to Norwood would cost 3 per cent of the total budget of the [$15.4 billion] north-south corridor project — just 3 per cent — so it is a question of priorities," he said.
"I also think it makes sense to see the tram to O'Connell Street [North Adelaide] back on the agenda again, particularly given we're going to see that major [apartment] development there on 88 O'Connell Street."
The new aquatic centre is also being built adjacent to such a tram route.
Mr Simms said he wanted a feasibility study on the merits of returning an extensive tram network to Adelaide.
"These are some of the things that could be looked at in a feasibility study, so we really want to see that back on the agenda and we're going to keep pushing for that," he said.
"They've gone cold on the idea and I think that's disappointing."