Gold Coast Tram Stage 2 Trackside Views, Opening & 2018 Commonwealth Games.

22 Minutes. This video was compiled over 9 months covering test running, opening day and to Commonwealth Games special operations.

[@tramwayjohn]

Very well done, and shared, right away!

[@tressteleg1]

Thanks John.

[@planetX15]

Those tram dings sound similar to those in Melbourne.

[@tressteleg1]

These Gold Coast and Melbourne E class were both built by Bombardier so I expect they use the same equipment, probably an electronic simulation.

[@IainHendry]

These vehicles look fantastic at 70 km/h. Where I live (Waterloo, Ontario) we have Bombardier FLEXITY Freedom LRV's, which are based closely on the FLEXITY 2 design you guys have. Ours are limited to 50 km/h due to problems integrating special ATP equipment... it's a real shame. Ours are supposed to go 70 km/h too.

[@tressteleg1]

Unfortunately there is too much ignorance behind light rail construction and heavy rail standards are often employed when it comes to safe working. Sydney appears saddled with those sorts of problems with it Which is hopelessly slow. Luckily my Gold Coast line has no signal as such and trams are by no more traffic lights to which a T light is added.

[@tressteleg1]

That escaped while I was editing it. It should say that trams are controlled by traffic lights to which a T light has been added for the trams to obey. 70 km/h is used in a number of places but the tram speed limit is never faster than parallel road traffic. I don’t know why your line requires complicated signalling unless there are areas where visibility around curves etc could be a problem.

[@IainHendry]

@@tressteleg1 So well said. Our line was designed by freight-rail contractors and has full railway crossing gates, lights and bells every time it crosses a road. It's ludicrous.

[@tressteleg1]

Iain Hendry Freight rail! That is even worse than passenger rail. Anyway I suppose your city fathers have the same arrogant attitude as Sydney - “We are building Light Rail. There is nothing that Melbourne (Toronto) can show us as they only operate an old fashioned tramway (Streetcar lines).” Whether you suffer blizzards or fog which could hide the vehicle in front is a factor I cannot comment upon. If you do a Google search for Sydney’s slow trams you are sure to see some interesting reading which will make your line look good by comparison. By the way, do you know why Ottawa is having so much trouble with their new line? Typed on board tram 11 😊

[@IainHendry]

@@tressteleg1 If I had to guess, Ottawa's problem stem from their vehicles (untested/untried and designed by a French company), and the fact that the consortium has no experience operating any kind of railway. Alstom's trains are fragile and not built for Canada's harsh climate. At least here in Waterloo our Bombardier vehicles are built like tanks, and can plough through any weather. And our system is operated by Keolis, a worldwide company with lots of experience, especially with LRT/tramways. Ottawa's system is beautiful, though, when it works.

[@michaelparham2495]

We should have tram trains from the ones here in Miami cleans to make note of it and make sure we need some tram trains on every block including the ones in Miami Beach not the ones in Broward just the ones in Miami Florida and Miami Beach

[@pgclift51]

Nice video so thanks for posting. I'm down south and haven't seen it in the flesh. I have a question you might be able to clear up about the track gauge. At 10:32 you say its 1067mm (which would make sense in Qld) but I've seen other references that say it's standard gauge.

[@tressteleg1]

I should have made it clearer. The trains are 1067mm, the trams are Standard gauge.

[@pgclift51]

Thanks for that.

[@yzeandmommyunboxingvideosw1147]

Queensland rail uses narrow gauge tracks

[@tressteleg1]

Yes, but the tram is Standard gauge.

[@brackenboy6321]

Great video, pity about the advertising on the trams, looks hideous!

[@tressteleg1]

See my comments below about advertising over the windows and doors.

[@donthitmeimwoozy]

Gotta get dat revenue

[@tressteleg1]

Sadly yes. It is ridiculous to cover the windows in a tourist area like this. My latest observations are 7 trams without adverts, 3 with centre 3 sections covered and the rest of the 18 all over. 😡

[@Bobrogers99]

It's a shame to see windows obscured by advertising, and it interferes with passengers' view. The unspoiled trams look so classy, and those that are slathered with advertising look cheap.

[@tressteleg1]

Fortunately my local service, Gold Coast tram, has a controlled ratio of 100% all over, 40% only, and none at all. But it is a contemptible world-wide disease.

[@tramwayjohn]

FURTHER. All over advertising has RUINED the view from the trams, and the forward view is difficult due to darker window glass, and frosted lines over the window. . . . as if to stop people taking a video through the tram, looking along the track! Even the TRAINS have stupid all over advertising. . . . and I always get a seat, away from the windows that are covered by advertising. WORSE still almost all of the windows on Brisbane suburban trains are SCRATCHED BY VANDALS,. How long before the NGR. . . . Indian built trainsare attacked by vandals?

[@tressteleg1]

I dislike the covered windows as much as yourself. When the Gold Coast line opened, the ratio was roughly an equal three way split between no advertising, three centre sections only, and all over. Regrettably that has been thrown out the window. I ride nearly the entire line once or twice a week and recent observations are that only trams 16, 17 and 18 are free of official graffiti. Trams 2, 3, 4 and five currently have centre only advertising and all the rest are all over. What is more annoying is that some of this rubbish covering windows is still advertising the long gone Commonwealth games. It is especially graceful disgraceful that this window ventilation is in an area with very many tourists. In fact I suspect that holidaymakers could make up as much as half the ridership of the line. What possibly is surprising is that I can’t say I have noticed any tram window scratching although with that rubbish over them, you would hardly know. Similarly I can’t say I have ever seen any tags or graffiti on trams, cut seats or any other signs of wear and tear except the older trams’ seat fabric could be starting to look a bit faded. Otherwise the trams look like new. When riding the train to get video overtaking the tram recently I’m not sure that there was not a little scratching of the windows of that brand-new NGR train. Incidentally our train windows, from memory, are no worse than the vast majority of Melbourne’s trams’ windows.

[@tramwayjohn]

Well said in general. My observation in Brisbane is, it is very rare to see a suburban train window that is NOT SCRATCHED by vandals. Why does QR allow such vandalism? I say allow, as the trains have CCTV and the guard can and should monitor those! Then call the police to meet the train at the next stop if possible Difficult to do, as the stations are only two minutes apart. But, having a police officer riding the late night trains, and that officer not who is dong the scratching, and arrest them, would help stop the nonsense! Anyhow, keep up the good work, your videos are first rate! I have sent the link to various friends.

[@pwhnckexstflajizdryvombqug9042]

John Coyle: from what I can tell there are technologies in place to stop people from damaging windows, (eg. sacrificial film, vandals scratch the film not the window, then it can be easily replaced.) It appears that the NGR's have this as I am yet to see one with scratched windows. Although the same can't be said about the rest of the trains as it seems the government is too lazy to replace the windows on them.

[@aviationchannel6204]

@@pwhnckexstflajizdryvombqug9042 I was on an NGR and the window was slightly scratched. Actually, I have seen a person scratching a window on an NGR. He was using some sort of blade and I saw him scratching on his window.