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Parramatta Stadium Rebuild and other stuff

S

Suitman

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I've caught the metro from Kellyville a couple of times in the past two weeks and wondered when the adjacent vacant land would start to be redeveloped.
Well, it's coming.

Kellyville Metro Station precinct plan now approved.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/n...g/news-story/b71aad176f715027b35de7f7a446035b




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Eelogical

Eelogical

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Things have got by me since I left the big smoke. I had no idea that the Freshwater class of ferries had been replaced with the Emerald class of rerries, of which have now been removed from service entirely due to safety and unreliability concerns. What's up with these dopes? The Freshwater class of ferries are icons to Sydney just like the London taxis are to London. They were also built in OZ, which means a lot to me.
 
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Eelogical said:
Things have got by me since I left the big smoke. I had no idea that the Freshwater class of ferries had been replaced with the Emerald class of rerries, of which have now been removed from service entirely due to safety and unreliability concerns. What's up with these dopes? The Freshwater class of ferries are icons to Sydney just like the London taxis are to London. They were also built in OZ, which means a lot to me.
Click to expand...

Like cars, buses, trains and planes, ferries also have a life span. Do you still drive your car that was built in the 1970's?
Why doesn't the South Steyne do the trip? Do we still fly in Boing 707's? Why aren't the red rattler's still running all the suburban lines?
They were coming to the end of their life cycle and becoming more and more expensive to maintain.
The smaller, similar ferries were phased out years ago as well. Like the Lady Woolcott I think one was called.
Whether the Emerald class were the right choice, I'm not sure. What they do achieve is provide a quicker, more environmentally friendly trip. Isn't that what commuters want these days? The majority of users have it as public transport. They aren't on it for nostalgia or the views, particular those catching it from Manly, which has pretty poor public transport.
And don't believe that everything built in Oz is always better. The Freshwater class, as iconic as they were/are and which I agree with, have been plagued with problems over the years.
Anyway, one of them has been brought back into service and a 2nd does weekend trips for nostalgia purposes.
 
Eelogical

Eelogical

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Suitman said:
Like cars, buses, trains and planes, ferries also have a life span. Do you still drive your car that was built in the 1970's?
Why doesn't the South Steyne do the trip? Do we still fly in Boing 707's? Why aren't the red rattler's still running all the suburban lines?
They were coming to the end of their life cycle and becoming more and more expensive to maintain.
The smaller, similar ferries were phased out years ago as well. Like the Lady Woolcott I think one was called.
Whether the Emerald class were the right choice, I'm not sure. What they do achieve is provide a quicker, more environmentally friendly trip. Isn't that what commuters want these days? The majority of users have it as public transport. They aren't on it for nostalgia or the views, particular those catching it from Manly, which has pretty poor public transport.
And don't believe that everything built in Oz is always better. The Freshwater class, as iconic as they were/are and which I agree with, have been plagued with problems over the years.
Anyway, one of them has been brought back into service and a 2nd does weekend trips for nostalgia purposes.
Click to expand...
A few things :- The Emerald class carries 400 with a crew of 3. Freshwater class carries 1100 with a crew of 6. Theoretically, the Emerald class would have to make more trips to service the same amount of passengers, so that means more ferries (9 Emerald v 4 Freshwater), more overall employees. For Sydney's purposes, the larger Freshwater class is a better fit (Manly run). It can handle the rougher weather of the Sydney Heads easier and being a double ended design they don't have to do a turnaround at either end of the trip. I also believe the Emerald class had/has issues at the Manly wharf at low tide and had to use the eastern pier to terminate.
I'm not suggesting that we keep fleets of anything forever but replacing an icon vessel with something of less quality and character to save a buck isn't a good thing, imo.
As far as the OZ built thing is concerned, I'd rather heap praise on a local company for manufacturing a product that serviced the Sydney community for 40 years over and overseas one one that has had it's entire fleet removed from service within 6.
 
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Are you suggesting that we just should have built new Freshwater class ferries in Australia? The cost would have been exorbitant. Keeping the old ones was currently unsustainable.
And did you not see that I said that I wasn't sure whether the Emerald class was the right choice or not?
I wasn't defending that decision. Just provided some reasons WHY they may have been chosen.

I agree that the Freshwaters are iconic. I've done many trips to Manly over the years on them and loved the nostalgia. I've also done trips to Manly on the Emeralds and they are a far superior experience imo. The facilities on board, the comfort etc.... They go fine but like all new infrastructure, there are teething problems. The NW metro had teething problems. The trains were built in India ffs!!! (sarcasm). Yet, I catch it regularly and it leaves even the most up to date Sydney trains for dead. And, we don't have the RTBU shutting it down every 2nd week because it is driver and guard- less. I could go on about the pro's and con's , but that is another discussion.

There has been plenty of criticism (mostly ill-informed) of the new Parramatta ferries.
I've been reliably informed that it is mostly crap. Why?
Because the big deal was that people were going to be decapitated on the top viewing deck from one bridge crossing under Macarthur st.
The reason why those ferries were chosen was because of the damage the current Rivercats were doing to the river foreshores and mangroves all the way up the harbour and river. The new ferries are more streamlined and produce less wake and shore-side damage.
I've been working off and on at the Sydney Rowing Club at Abbotsford for months now and this is clearly true, and has been confirmed by the club who are constantly repairing their infrastructure yet, a big deal has been made out of the fact that passengers have to leave the top viewing deck for the last 5 minutes into Parramatta wharf. It was an environmental decision to choose those ferries. I've done the trip on them several times and it is no big deal. Ask Twiz.

What I find funny is all the rage regarding all the infrastructure upgrades. It's better than nothing like we would have with an alternative govt.

Cue the left wing wanker poisoning even the World Cup thread with bollocks. Enter stage right.
 
Eelogical

Eelogical

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23,343
Suitman said:
Are you suggesting that we just should have built new Freshwater class ferries in Australia? The cost would have been exorbitant. Keeping the old ones was currently unsustainable.
And did you not see that I said that I wasn't sure whether the Emerald class was the right choice or not?
I wasn't defending that decision. Just provided some reasons WHY they may have been chosen.

I agree that the Freshwaters are iconic. I've done many trips to Manly over the years on them and loved the nostalgia. I've also done trips to Manly on the Emeralds and they are a far superior experience imo. The facilities on board, the comfort etc.... They go fine but like all new infrastructure, there are teething problems. The NW metro had teething problems. The trains were built in India ffs!!! (sarcasm). Yet, I catch it regularly and it leaves even the most up to date Sydney trains for dead. And, we don't have the RTBU shutting it down every 2nd week because it is driver and guard- less. I could go on about the pro's and con's , but that is another discussion.

There has been plenty of criticism (mostly ill-informed) of the new Parramatta ferries.
I've been reliably informed that it is mostly crap. Why?
Because the big deal was that people were going to be decapitated on the top viewing deck from one bridge crossing under Macarthur st.
The reason why those ferries were chosen was because of the damage the current Rivercats were doing to the river foreshores and mangroves all the way up the harbour and river. The new ferries are more streamlined and produce less wake and shore-side damage.
I've been working off and on at the Sydney Rowing Club at Abbotsford for months now and this is clearly true, and has been confirmed by the club who are constantly repairing their infrastructure yet, a big deal has been made out of the fact that passengers have to leave the top viewing deck for the last 5 minutes into Parramatta wharf. It was an environmental decision to choose those ferries. I've done the trip on them several times and it is no big deal. Ask Twiz.

What I find funny is all the rage regarding all the infrastructure upgrades. It's better than nothing like we would have with an alternative govt.

Cue the left wing wanker poisoning even the World Cup thread with bollocks. Enter stage right.
Click to expand...
Sure, why not? Currently we have an entire fleet of ferries that were built overseas within the last 10 years that are doing jack shit. As a nation we've pissed every other manufacturing industry that we once had, royally into the wind. May as well continue doing the same because it seems that's what we do best, follow the rest. Our governments are good at wasting money, they should at least waste it locally rather than overseas.
 
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Eelogical said:
Sure, why not? Currently we have an entire fleet of ferries that were built overseas within the last 10 years that are doing jack shit. As a nation we've pissed every other manufacturing industry that we once had, royally into the wind. May as well continue doing the same because it seems that's what we do best, follow the rest. Our governments are good at wasting money, they should at least waste it locally rather than overseas.
Click to expand...

But, are they wasting money? The new ferries have operated more than not.
They are more comfortable, more environmentally friendly (which should please the left), have better services on board and are faster and more frequent. Exactly what a commuter wants.
Have you even taken a trip on one? Or are you just reading social media?
 
Eelogical

Eelogical

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Suitman said:
But, are they wasting money? The new ferries have operated more than not.
They are more comfortable, more environmentally friendly (which should please the left), have better services on board and are faster and more frequent. Exactly what a commuter wants.
Have you even taken a trip on one? Or are you just reading social media?
Click to expand...
I can't now. The Manly ones all out of service!!! :)
 
Gronk

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The James Hardie site is another impediment to the Eels Light Rail 2.0 viability.

 
the phantom menace

the phantom menace

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^
“We need to keep building homes, we can't have an Australia that can't house its children,” he said.

...says the guy who's ploughed 7 kids into the population. At that rate it's no wonder we can't house them without building on flood plains and toxic graveyards!
 
Gronk

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the phantom menace said:
^
“We need to keep building homes, we can't have an Australia that can't house its children,” he said.

...says the guy who's ploughed 7 kids into the population. At that rate it's no wonder we can't house them without building on flood plains and toxic graveyards!
Click to expand...
My professional pathway wandered into the redevelopment of the Union Carbide site at Rhodes way back (remember the stench that hit you as you crossed Ryde Bridge ?). There are residents who are living on concrete caps over the soil with EPA warnings not to penetrate the slab, grow veggies and let your kids eat the dirt. I assume its the same across the bay in Wentworth Point.

Imagine what’s in the sludge in Homebush Bay.

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the phantom menace

the phantom menace

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Stuff like that likely takes decades to be anywhere near safe. I think it's only recently that fishing in selected places west of the harbour bridge became legal?
 
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