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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-02-14 Daily Xml
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TONSLEY AND GRANGE RAILWAY LINES

Mrs GERAGHTY (Torrens) (14:58): My question is to the Minister for Transport Services. Can the minister inform the house about services available to commuters on the Grange and Tonsley lines during the Convention Centre redevelopment?

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for Transport Services.

The Hon. C.C. FOX (Bright—Minister for Transport Services) (14:59): Thank you to the member for Torrens; I appreciate the question. As members may be aware, we are expanding the Adelaide Convention Centre as part of the government's revitalisation of this city—this vibrant city, if I may say so. The nature of this development means that, at any one time, two of those platforms have to be shut down—

The Hon. M.J. Atkinson: During the daytime.

The Hon. C.C. FOX: During the daytime, indeed; and so, as a result, the Grange and the Tonsley lines will be shut down, and they will shut down for 12 months, approximately. What we initially offered to people was a bus shuttle service, which, of course, will be in place. And, on top of that, as a bonus, if you like, we are offering commuters on the Grange line a chance to shuttle up and down on the train—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.C. FOX: I think it is worth noting that the member for Bragg's electorate is some 12, possibly 13, kilometres away from Woodville, so it is understandable that she does not understand this. Following public feedback and further consultation with the department, we will now run the shuttle trains, and we also have extra rail safety personnel to ensure passengers using the shuttle will have safe access to the Woodville station. The Tonsley line will be fully substituted by buses, as a shuttle train service on the Tonsley line is not logistically possible.

Ms Chapman: Rubbish.

The Hon. C.C. FOX: Ah! I was hoping you would say rubbish.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Bragg, you are warned for the third time!

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. C.C. FOX: The member for Bragg has pre-empted me. I would like to give the following explanation as to why we cannot do that which she has discussed over there. The track layout at Woodville—

Mr PISONI: Point of order.

The Hon. C.C. FOX: But she wanted to know!

Mr PISONI: Members will address other members in this place by their electorate, madam.

The Hon. C.C. FOX: Thank you, and I would like to apologise.

The SPEAKER: Members are also not supposed to interject and interrupt the minister while they are talking, but I do uphold that point of order. Refer to her as the member for Bragg, minister.

The Hon. C.C. FOX: It was, and I apologise to the member for Bragg. The track layout for Woodville—and this is advice from the department—allows a train to come into the Woodville station from the Grange line and return along the Grange line under full signal control, i.e., it is a move which is built into the Woodville track and station layout—

The Hon. M.J. Atkinson interjecting:

The Hon. C.C. FOX: —as you know, member for Croydon. There are three tracks at Woodville station and the separate Grange line next to Woodville station has bidirectional (two way) signalling, allowing shuttle trains to go back and forwards on the same line from Grange into Woodville station without cutting across the Outer Harbour trains travelling in both directions. At Tonsley there is no bidirectional signalling on the Noarlunga main line, nor a separate platform for it to pull into, nor track turnouts (also known as 'switches'), which allow it to safely come out and return under a single indication on the single track it would have to use.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. C.C. FOX: Madam Speaker, I note that there is talking opposite, which is really very sad because the member for Bragg did ask me to elucidate on this question, and I did.

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