Seaford and Tonsley Railway Line Closure

In reply to the Hon. J.A. DARLEY (4 April 2019).

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer): I have been advised the following:

1. Information regarding the line closure has been broadcast to commuters through the following methods since early April:

Displayed on passenger information screens in the Adelaide Railway Station;

The message on hold recording for the InfoLine has included information about the closure;

Flyers have been distributed on the Seaford and Tonsley line services advising passengers of the closure by passenger service assistants and customer service officers;

Customer service officers have been deployed to key stations on the Seaford line to provide to passengers information about the closure;

Information, including timetables, have been included on the Adelaide Metro website;

My Metro SMS and email notifications sent to passengers registered for the Seaford and Tonsley lines;

Regular social media updates regarding the closure were and are sent out;

Timetable signage was installed at railway stations and at sub bus stops;

Voice annunciators at every railway station along the Seaford/Tonsley line have a regular looping message about the closure that repeats every 20 minutes;

Closure announcements have been included in the newspapers and local messengers; and

Schools within close vicinity of the Seaford line that will be impacted by the closure have been contacted and provided information to notify students and parents of the closure.

2. SMS and email notifications about the closure have been sent to passengers registered for the Seaford and Tonsley lines on three separate occasions via the My Metro notification system. Footy Express patrons to affected Adelaide Oval AFL matches have also been notified via the My Metro SMS and email notifications. Notifications are also to be sent for additional Anzac Day substitute services for these lines.

3. To undertake the works within the Seaford electric rail corridor the overhead electric wires must be isolated and to facilitate a partial line closure infrastructure is required to be in place to enable trains to turn back. The isolation points and turn-back infrastructure is located at Lonsdale, Brighton and Oaklands railway stations.

If the isolation points and infrastructure were located at Marion and Warradale, this is not an effective option for passengers, particularly those travelling the full length of the line who would have to transfer between a train, a substitute bus and then another train to complete their journey. For this reason, substitute buses will be used between Adelaide and Brighton.