Norwest Metro New Timetables Impact

Discussion in 'Property Market Economics' started by standtall, 23rd May, 2019.

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  1. standtall

    standtall Well-Known Member

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    Just noticed that Transport NSW has made available new timetables from 26th May on their website.

    https://www.cdcbus.com.au/images/files/maps/hillsbus/Region_4_Network_Map_Sydney_Metro.pdf

    So far very impressed with the new coverage and frequency. There were concerns in the past around buses being cut off but Govt. has kept the promise of cutting very few routes at the start and only removing up to a maximum 1/3rd of existing bus services.
    • Very few existing routes changed. I can't see long running routes like M61 anymore but it has been replaced by other routes.
    • Very few changes in express routes to CBD. They have only removed routes which served direct vicinity of new Metro station such as 642x.
    • They still have maintained popular routes like 607x with same frequency. I think they will drop the frequency once commuter switch to metro.
    • The key transport hub is going to be Norwest/Bella Vista which is being served by 3 stations and they will provide on-demand bus connection to Metro from most parts of Bella Vista, Park Lea and Glenwood.
    • Entire Metro route will be serviced by night buses (every 10 mins) until Metro starts running 24 hours.
    This would really cut the travel time to CBD for most of Nortwest and it not only now has the best public transport connectivity than anywhere else in Sydney but most residents of Northwest will have an easy access to major business hubs (Sydney CBD - North Sydney - Macquarie Park - Norwest) which will now be on the same train line.

    Some areas seem to have also been disadvantaged as a result or not included in the new planning.
    • The Ponds remains disconnected from the network. No feeder bus to the metro stations and it also never had any express city bus.
    • T1 Line (Hornsby, Thornleigh, Pennant Hills, Beecroft) has been renamed as T9 and it will now run via Strathfield to city as New Metro will permanently takeover Epping to Chatswood corridor. This will have an impact on commute times to city from all these suburbs.
    Very interesting to see the impact Northwest will have on the property prices!
     
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  2. wombat777

    wombat777 Well-Known Member

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    I think the Norwest Metro set the floor in prices. People have been anticipating it. The drops haven't been as high in the areas close to the stations. It's onward and upward from here.

    I'll be keenly observing the change in patronage on the Metro over the next few months.

    The convenience of a train very 5 minutes in peak (initially) and then every 4 minutes thereafter is a big factor. Makes public transport so more convenient and reliable. Given the Metro is a dedicated line, it will be less impacted by disruptions on the broader rail network.
     
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  3. standtall

    standtall Well-Known Member

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    Agree - this is a massive boost to frequency compared to other lines where off-peak frequency drops to every 30 minutes. I guess not having to hire any drivers might have helped.
     
  4. Tattler

    Tattler Well-Known Member

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    Wait until second stage is completed by 2023, it could run every 2 minutes id required. They probably cannot do it now due to all the people needing to be transferred at Chatswood. Once second stage is done this problem no longer exist.
     
  5. bumskins

    bumskins Well-Known Member

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    I'd imagine it would get impacted as a flow on affect when any of the North lines do in Stage 1.
     
  6. qak

    qak Well-Known Member

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    And I wonder how long until there's a problem affecting Chatswood?
    Any odds for Week 1?
     
  7. Simon Hampel

    Simon Hampel Founder Staff Member

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    It's not just Chatswood - that's only critical because you are potentially trying to offload large numbers of passengers from an arriving train onto an already crowded platform, which could get dangerous quickly.

    Artarmon is the next station down the line and gets very busy at peak times, with only one narrow entrance on and off the platform.

    If all the trains arriving from Chatswood are already full with Metro line passengers, we could potentially go back to the situation we had a few years ago when they changed the timetable to bypass Artarmon to make more "express" services from Chatswood to the city - it only lasted a couple of weeks before they had to change the timetable back to have all trains stopping at Artarmon because it was getting dangerously crowded on the platform - they had totally failed to take into account the large numbers of passengers getting on at Artarmon!

    Until the Metro line extends to the city in about 5 years time, I potentially see some issues at Artarmon. With nearly 500 new units coming online at the old Channel 9 site in that same timeframe - it's only going to get worse (although hopefully many of those people will use the Willoughby Rd buses).
     
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