Adelaide's Strangest Train Stations

My discord server: / discord
Stations In Order:
Port Adelaide
North Adelaide
Belair
Noarlunga Centre

[@johnlang4198]

Adelaide Parklands Terminal is by far the weirdest station in Adelaide. Having a major long distance terminal outside of walking distance to the City, with absolutely NO local transport links is bloody ridiculous.

[@Flumps-jz7pk]

It is ridiculous on how there is no public transport, but it's built with private travel in mind I mean... have you seen the ticket prices for those trains?!

[@johnlang4198]

Yes, extortionate even for the Overdue these days.

[@darylcheshire1618]

Yes, they got rid of the nearby Keswick station and built the Showgrounds station which has no connection. I wrote to my local member and suggested there be sitting cars attached to The Overland and The Ghan, not sure about the Indian Pacific. They used to have cheap sitting cars but now they are run like cruise ships.

[@johnlang4198]

@@darylcheshire1618, yes the IP used to have sitting cars until roughly 20 years ago.

[@BaileyChap]

@@darylcheshire1618 The Overland is now ALL sitting cars, and it's entire existence is funded by the Victorian Government, on the Victorian side riding it costs no more than a V/Line ticket, words from a Journey Beyond staff member were "The Victorian Government has more control over it than we do!" Ironically despite the ticket prices, Journey Beyond has apparently only barely made a profit on its trains, likely because they have to fund it all themselves, and there are a LOT of staff involved.

[@kirby9131]

I still find it interesting that they technically have diesel comengs and electric vlocitys in their fleet when in Melbourne its the other way around XD

[@martythemartian99]

Most lines will eventually be electrified, its just being worked on gradually and not pushed as a major project. Belair line is not though, due to low tunnels. What the network really needs is to be changed to Standard Gauge. It was planned for last decade, but put off to save money. Pity.

[@Adelaide_Transit]

Noarlunga station is an overbuilt and undermaintained station, it was built in a time when station staff where still a common concept. Furthermore the fare gates where installed in 2014 to combat fare evasion at the station, the same was also done to Salisbury railway station. However by 2019 Salisbury, Mawson Lakes and Noarlunga stations ceased to be staffed and by extension the fare gates where left unlocked due to safety and disability access concerns.

[@hhgttg69]

yeah Adelaide stations are done as cheap as possible. i mean there's no staff at any station other than the main one, there are NO timetables or maps on the platforms.

[@BlackDrac82]

Adelaide PT in general is done as cheap as possible. Once freight operations were no longer done on our lines, any line that didn't have high passenger patronage was closed or curtailed with no thought to future use, and regional train services are non existent.

[@johnhamilton6003]

Olympic Park in Sydney also has two platforms serving one line but given that was specifically built for large crowds, it makes a lot more sense. Gungahlin Place light rail stop in Canberra also has two platforms serving one line (kind of) but given it's light rail, I feel it doesn't really count

[@ziran80]

Good to see you covering my city. Noarlunga Centre has the weird double platform thingy as it used to be the terminus until 2014. So back then, trains could be switched onto the now city bound track to terminate.

[@BushTerrors]

The older buildings at Belair were used when the dual broad gauge services were still in place, and metro trains ran all the way to Bridgewater. They even had a station in the MIDDLE of the national park then too (there were 10 more in all). I can't see them reopening back to Mt Barker on the existing service because it would take forever. At the very least they need to be able to get down the hill from Belair to Mitcham much quicker then they can now.

[@laurafergs88]

I always loved the Outer Harbour line. I grew up in Belair and my primary school oval overlooks the station terminus. The station is maintained by the Friends of Belair Railways Station and they're a very dedicated group. The frequency of services and the fact they nixxed the upper Hills line (Aldgate and Stirling have stations that are no longer in use) really sucks. But lots of kids would use the trains as a handy trip back up the hill when they were mountain biking.

[@morallyconflictedtortoise6494]

Fun fact; the escalators don't just not operate outside of 8:30... they don't operate at all! They've been out of order for YEARS at this point. Good news is Noarlunga Centre is finally getting some renovations done as we speak, with the escalators set to be back in function.

[@gregmichael8473]

Back in 1999 when The Overland was an overnight train, I was with a group that had arranged to board it at Belair to return to Melbourne.

[@nicbenn]

The Noarlunga gates are for when ticket inspectors are on duty, as it makes it harder to avoid the fine if youre being forced to fare evade directly infront the enforcement team.

[@Flumps-jz7pk]

(As an Adelaideian some things I noticed) Noarlunga Centre weirdly enough has a TransAdelaide logo on one of the station signs, alongside the modern Adelaide Metro. There are a few other stations with 2 platforms for 1 tracks (The Spanish solution) These being Glanville, with that track being a bay platform (platforms?) for peak hour trains. Brighton being the other station, having it's platform 2/3 having no regular service at all, but being bi-directional, making it useful for disruptions.

[@Mrmoo6000]

WHY SO LONG

[@Flumps-jz7pk]

If that's long, I wish you good luck in life @@Mrmoo6000

[@BaileyChap]

Outer Harbour also has a TranAdelaide logo at its entrance, with a 2000 class used as a train symbol, too!

[@willyg4917]

8:33 fun fact : the escalator doesn't work at all

[@alan.w]

Very strange indeed! Well researched and well presented. Great video, thank you! 👏🙏

[@Roadrunnerz45]

love visiting adelaide. peaceful and quiet to me. their rail line next to hallett cove down to noarlunga is quite scenic and spectacular.

[@DouglasDC10.30]

I live on the Belair line and I think it’s one of the most scenic public transport routes!

[@dominooo6658]

Hi Qazzy! I really enjoyed watching this video. Keep up the great content! And congrats on getting Taitset and Straya Trains to subscribe!

[@Planetrainguy]

5:38 Correction: All the buildings are in use at Belair, but used by station volunteers as a chillout space and other stuff. i've been inside the signal box many times and it is well maintained :) The Belair volunteers maintain it and have a get together on friday mornings for trainspotting which is fun

[@SormonAusPol]

Nice to see someone covering my home city. BTW I have used all the stations you mentioned althought I've only ever used North Adelaide once and that was becuse my Gawler train was going to depart in 25 minutes so I decided to walk from the city to North Adelaide to kill some time.

[@aghunter831]

That was awesome... as an Adeladian myself, I learned a fair bit. Hope you enjoyed your trip to Adelaide!

[@ulfw]

Nice to see more of Australia through your eyes!

[@GreatAussieDrives]

Very interesting and informative video! The fact that North Adelaide is one of the closest stations to the CBD and yet is the least used is so crazy to me. Another interesting station I remember when I visited is Nurlutta, which has two side platforms bisected by a railway crossing in the middle.

[@scottietheshark]

My cousin lives in North Adelaide, but North Adelaide station would probably be on the moon as far as she's concerned. Lucky the station has old buildings otherwise it would be loooong gone.

[@Lupi33z]

At least we can afford our train network.

[@darylcheshire1618]

Brighton station also has one track with two platforms. Seems to be used in peak times. I noted that the first train leaves at 5:41am which is not enough time to catch the V/line bus due out at 6:35am. The first bus from Brighton leaves at 5:19am and went paat the bus terminal at Franklin St.

[@JoshHolden-Aka-evani]

My wife comes from SA, her grand father was one of the men in who laid the standard gauge tracks from Eastern WA to Geelong

[@trainco1643]

Love your work, keep it up! You should do one for NSW. Since the Sydney metropolitan and intercity (Newcastle, Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Illawarra, South Coast, Southern Highlands) networks are so huge, you should do two separate videos. One for Sydney and one for the Intercity network One you could do for Intercity is Wondabyne. The only station in all of Australia that does not have road access. You can only access it somehow via boat from one of the few houses around the Hawkesbury River, or by the quarry if you’re a worker there.

[@marksc111]

I was literally in stitches watching that last segment featuring that absurd randomly-oddball station. What a strange place Adelaide is 😀

[@HolidayTheLeek]

I watched this video fully expecting to find some stations i've never been to and i was already planning a daytrip but it seems ive already been to all these stations more than once... great video though haha

[@Mrmoo6000]

As a person from Melbourne that’s lived pretty much all my life these look really weird especially the diesel trains

[@Flumps-jz7pk]

If the government liked us we'd have most of our lines electrified, the plan was to have 5/6 lines to be electrified, with the Belair Line being unelectrified, most likely not only to low ridership, but also difficulty electrifying it in some areas.

[@trainco1643]

I’ve lived in Adelaide for 14 years and yes, pretty much everything Adelaide is very weird and shit compared to Melbourne

[@DanielDiaz-um1xd]

I'm convinced Edwardstown has no signs so it's nameless, there was also a station on the Gawler line that had this awhile back but can't recall which one

[@electro_sykes]

Brisbane closed Tennyson back in 2011 due to low ridership

[@darkangel2347]

People do believe that the unused platforms at Belair can be used fot an Adelaide to Mt Barker railway. Change trains at Belair to continue the trip to Mt Barker.

[@tcpnetworks]

We are really needing our A-Game here in Radelaide... I'd like to see regional rail restored, and electrification of everything.

[@RKMa64]

Good to se how trains work in Australia...a lot like in Stockholm 🇸🇪. Good one 😎

[@timrozitis961]

(EDITED) To find the next train they used to have speakers on the Port Adelaide station that would activate at the press of a button (used to have them on most stations, they'd also auto-activate as a train approached) - similar to the one you press on the North Adelaide one. But haven't caught a train in Adelaide for a decade or more.... Wow Bowden looks different! I think extension past Belair is problematic because of a gauge problem. I remember trains going to Bridgewater and maybe Even Mount Barker - but not sure the old track is still there (at least not in the right Gauge).

[@Ritzer168]

Yeah, Bowden got a massive overhaul a few years ago as they were doing the north south corridor section work between Bowden and Croydon so it got upgraded as well to address the bridge got built as well as the grade separation of Gawler and Outer Harbour/Grange lines. The OH and Grange trains used to cross over the Gawler tracks and it would cause delays so they decided to do the two upgrades togetjer. They also moved the station technically a little forward and dug into the ground. The old station buildings still exist on ground level.

[@tabuoey]

no way i just went to adelaide too and i was curious about the trains 😂 thanks for the video!!!

[@BaileyChap]

1:39 this is actually untrue, there is a help-point on both platforms, which will tell you the time of the next train. Also as someone who uses Port Adelaide regularly, I just remember the minutes to departure, note the time, and just countdown. 2:20 The location isn't ideal, however there is a mall within a short walk, and I think it (and Mitham) are the closest Adelaide metro station to a KFC, and it is absolutely the closest to a maccas. 4:10 Bowden gets 15 minute frequencies at all times except late nights, where it gets 15-15-30, due to the Grange line running hourly at these times. 6:05 That honestly sounds like one of the quiet ones, the sharp bends and reasonably high line speeds result in a lot of screeching here. Overall, great video providing an outsider's perspective, I would've recomended covering Gawler Racecourse, a mostly equiped station with no regular service at all and only one platform for two tracks!

[@QazzyTransport]

i remembered the freight train sounded much louder in person, i don't think it came out as well on video

[@onuraycicek9135]

Some of those trains look like vlocity sets from victoria

[@markwng]

very strange indeed.

[@BrizzysTrains]

Hmmmmmm, this is a different state, which means to stay in topic I would have to find a weird station in perth or Sydney but I have never gonna out of QLD so I can’t also I noticed now, I think every train in australia comes from Maryborough because the horns Sounds like the NGR horns and the traction motors sound like the SMU260 IMU160 and the TRANSPERTH b series and also look similar

[@therealsammyvee888]

Interesting to see another city's trains featured on this channel. Will there be any others like Sydney or Perth in the future?

[@QazzyTransport]

potentially if i get a chance to go there

[@therealsammyvee888]

@@QazzyTransport Ok cool.

[@TheUnlabeledXtrapolis]

Nice

[@tdb7992]

I think Adelaide would benefit from copying a few things that Perth did. Perth's trains carry as many people as Adelaide's and Brisbane's do, combined.

[@Aussie_Transport5371]

The blocked off platform at Belair would only be used if the overland started stopping there, it’s the crossing loop for the freight train line (platform 1 [Thats the one with the big shelter]), But I can’t see that happening, the fenced off platform is the passing loop, also yes the Murraylander (when it starts again) should stop at Belair, Also All diesel lines will soon be hybrid train lines, those Green rail cars you saw are hybrid trains

[@user-iq3qb6so3f]

norlunga center is the station that i am most familer with out of thes ones and it defently could use a redo with how much trafik it gets and ther are plans alos to send a line to mout barker but they have bean saying that for the about last 20 years so who knows when it will hapen. also oklands is intresting becuse it is the only trench stop on the seafood line and posibli on the network

[@andrewwarcup684]

Unfortunately Adelaide's rail system has alway been a poor cousin to the bus network. Needs a lot of investment in the none rail infrastructure. Also the Belair line needs to take a new route to Mt Barker and onto Murray Bridge, but that involves money the State Government is unwilling to spend.

[@jpmasters-aus]

Discussion at Belair some context is needed. The local train is still running on broadguage where as the freight lines have been converted to standard guage as part of the national standard guage network for freight. One day ‘The Overland’ may use Belair for passenger pick up (standard guage), but the extention you mentioned, would have to be on the standard guage system, not the broadguage system.

[@QazzyTransport]

I am aware

[@LeonSuperman-vb7ex]

New 3000 hybrid trains in Adelaide

[@andrewwarcup684]

3000 class are not new. All they have done is added some batteries to be charged by Regen electricity to be used to power the lights when the railcar is stopped for any length of time. Otherwise still diesel powered.

[@Melbournian_Tramer]

can you do a video about the trams in Adelaide while your at it? also what happened to the discord, I keep on trying to join but it doesn't let me

[@QazzyTransport]

must be on your end, the discord works fine for everyone else

[@RailRunner76801]

I looked on the map, they need to rename Pinera Station - Belair and Rename Belair Station - Belair East. Or just shorten the line back to Pinera And Call that Belair. You will understand what I am saying if you go on google maps, Pinera Station is near Belair Town Centre 😅. That’s an Adelaide Metro Move 😂

[@CaptainsChannel58]

I don't think I've ever heard anyone pronounce Balair the way you do 😅😅

[@kendawg_mcawesome]

Any ideas why you'd have two platforms serving one line?

[@tonydarcy7475]

I'd assume for quicker loading & unloading of passengers as you've doubled the number of doors people can get on and off at. I wouldn't have thought that would be an issue in Adelaide though.

[@Flumps-jz7pk]

Extra capacity during events, though as previously stated, Adelaide rarely has these issues. It's known as the Spanish solution, in which you board from one side and exit from the other, this allows more people to bored faster.

[@TheNthbeach]

Until the Seaford line extension, Noarlunga Centre was the terminus. Trains would normally pull in on this platform to facilitate faster transfers to the bus interchange.

[@kendawg_mcawesome]

@@TheNthbeach nice, that makes a lot of sense.

[@geoffreyhansen8543]

Adelaide has a few Spanish solution platforms. Why is that?

[@TERENCEFROMANGRYBIRDS]

Do another video on adelaide

[@RegexGreen817]

Noarlunga Centre 1978

[@Lupi33z]

I remember riding the train there when it was brand new and thinking it was better than the Adelaide train station. Actually at the time it likely was. It hasn't had much renovation since.

[@jordandeadley360]

Smithfield is easily one of the worst train stations in Adelaide.

[@dolomccarthy8643]

Mile End station is the worst station ever.

[@QazzyTransport]

true

[@pingpongtrainsmelbourne]

i dare you to jump from platform 2 to 3 cause its only a 2 metre gap at nolonga

[@Rysh2004]

Adelaide has the worst train system in the western world. Its actually embarrassing how much its been neglected.

[@QazzyTransport]

At least it has one! Better than most cities in America...

[@Rysh2004]

@@QazzyTransport yes that's very true. Probably a tad bit of an extreme statement from me. It's definitely needing to catch up on years of neglect

[@user-iq3qb6so3f]

the thing is adelaide can get away with a small system becuse it is les populated and the buses ar the main focus sadly

[@m31tdown]

All Adelaide needs is a bit more patronage and transit oriented development like Melbourne

[@MrGeocidal]

Even some of the cities in America that actually have a train system have an awful one.

[@KanesTrains]

“Strangest” is a great clickbait title. But many of your points were just reflections on Adelaide’s poor planning. I think a lot of your “weird points” could have also been explained through some small bits of research online - mostly Belair. For example: I have seen drivers at Noarlunga only allow entry through platform 3. Furthermore, the useless ticket gates are actually used. When they do a blitz at the station they will close the gates and have everyone enter through the proper means. This requires about 12+ staff and often cops with sniffer dogs, a costly endeavour to have all the time. Felt like a lot of hype for nothing 😅

[@QazzyTransport]

I did research Belair - I am aware of the sungle track conversion. I dont see how that makes it any less strange of a station. Ill admit with Noarlunga I couldve researched a bit more, but info about that sort if thing is not that easy to find. if you disagree with my station choices, feel free to rell me which ones you wouldve chosen instead - Id love to know