Skytrain with speedometer and doors closing | Bella Vista - Tallawong | Sydney Metro Northwest

Experience a 4K drivers point of view cab ride together with a GPS speed meter and a picture-in-picture view of doors opening and closing. This skytrain from Bella Vista to Tallawong is part of Sydney Metro Northwest. It has the following stops:
00:03 - Bella Vista
02:11 - Kellyville
05:00 - Rouse Hill
07:50 - Tallawong (arrival)
08:09 - Tallawong (departure)
10:06 - Rouse Hill
12:52 - Kellyville
15:16 - Bella Vista

[@railfanworld]

For photos, please visit railfanworld.com/photos/australia/2019/sydney-metro-opening

[@MoreLocations]

Captured beautifully 👍🏻. I enjoyed the ride. Love your video.

[@railfanworld]

Thank you so much!

[@neilcox7879]

I love the way Sydney gets all the goodies like this nifty train, whereas we on the south coast NSW get ride in quaint cattle carts on rickety tracks. That’s of corse when they are running.

[@k.h.4698]

There are perks living in the crowded cities.

[@LIG87]

these trains seem like they ride so smooth...

[@railfanworld]

They sure do!

[@yggdrasil9039]

4:00 lol cars look like they're doing about 30km/hr on Windsor Rd.

[@railfanworld]

Yes, they do. I think 100 km/h is already pretty fast for rail transport here in NSW :)

[@otherbomb1707]

ygg drasil i live near widndsor I live on Caroline Chisholm

[@johnsergei]

@@railfanworld Some of the modern double deck stock in Sydney & some DMU trains are permitted 130 km/H, even in the Sydney metropolitan aria. These have blue speed boards, that usually read the same as XPT speedboards, up to 130 km/h. Coming South, over the Parrmatta River, on an a modern EMU from the Central Coast, we can get caution signals & the train slows to about 40 -50 km/h or so. Once we get the green, onto the quad track (& therfore out of the congestion) the train can literally take off. look down to read my last line, look up & were doing freeway speeds. No DMU can accelerate like that & no loco, with any sort of load will even come close. Even a V/line Vilocity (which would cane an Xplorer/Endevour) appear to be going in the other direction. Yes, a few minutes of hoot, before slowing for Strathfield, but not on every trip. I don't like the crampactdness of the modern trains (over V sets) but my god they can move & if a Sydney twin deck can, any modern EMU can. time for NSW slow, noisy DMUs to go. Going south from Macauther, is a dead slow gettaway in these vibrating stinkers & the grade isn't even that steep

[@railfanworld]

@@johnsergei Thanks for the detailed info about the 130kph section. I will pay attention to it next time. Is it in both directions?

[@johnsergei]

@@railfanworld Not sure what the speed had been, may not be 130, might only be 100, but 40 to 100 + for a train, in 30 or so seconds is doing pretty nicelly. You feel like you've taken off. The modern EMUs & trams (especially the latter) have acelleration that 20 years ago, I just couldn't imagine rail vehicles to have. Even powerful DMUs like V/Locity or Prospector = ollder EMU sets for get up & go (or close). As it's a spark & holds the Australian record, the fastest Australian train has to be the Electric Tilt train, 2nd is the Diesel Tilter, its considerably more powerful than the XPT.

[@Steven_Rowe]

The metro is world class, we just need it rolling out all over Sydney. I think the only mistake they made was using a legacy 1500 DC system. Seeing as this system is separate they could have used 25KV AC There would have been much smaller catenary and masts. Clearance would not be an issue in tunnels. Still it is a lovely system and once it goes through to the city it will be a game changer

[@railfanworld]

Good point, but is there any metro/tube/subway system in the world that runs on 25kV AC? Off the top of my head I would think not

[@Steven_Rowe]

@@railfanworld probably not Most run on third rail anyway due to very tight tunnel clearances. The fact that non do run on 25kv doesnt mean that non should. Actually dont know of any 1500Dc metros either. The fact is 1500 is ok for the metro as far as power requirements are concerned. Note how the contact wire is doubled because of high current demand. 25KV only requires 1/16 of the current to supply the same amount of power than 1500DC does. Must admit the very heavy catenary over the bridge over Windsor Road spoils the look. Regardless the metro is really good but sadly doesn't reach the city till 2024. Have no idea why the line doesnt go to Schofields though.

[@railfanworld]

@@Steven_Rowe Don't forget about the possible disadvantages when using AC for metro: e.g. interference with urban environment due to magnetic fields and heavier train sets due to the bigger transformers on-board. FYI: there is a 25kV AC metro apparently: the Delhi Metro !

[@Steven_Rowe]

@@railfanworld Crossrail in London whilst strictly not a metro does tunnel deep below London and have deep level stations and is 25kv. What is good about 25kv is the masters are much much lighter, often using wire spans across multiple tracks and much less copper wiring for both contact wire and the catenary.

[@prittbalagopal1105]

@@railfanworld You're right about magnetic interference for sure. I'm from Chennai, a city in India, whose metro uses 25 kVAC, just like Syndey's (we even use the same train set manufacturer Alstom), and there were some issues regarding interference near the airport. They solved it by adding some roofing canopy over the viaducts, in addition to realigning it underground for a small bit where it's closest to the airport.

[@yggdrasil9039]

Nice. Metro needs to be rolled out all over Sydney in an interconnecting network. It is by far the most efficient method of urban transportation by a factor of around 40x.

[@railfanworld]

Thanks mate!

[@rodericksmith8218]

It certainly isn't. Unless everyone is standing, and stations are close together, this style of operation is less efficient. It works well in cities where everything is high rise, but Australian urban geography is quite different.

[@yggdrasil9039]

Roderick, metro is used in cities without much high rise too. Paris has very little high rise to speak of (although that is changing) except in the banlieu on the outskirts, but metro works great. There's no reason that metro can't work here in Sydney. It does work! But it can work as a true congestion buster if it's configured in a network. I don't see the problem with standing or sitting. It takes only a few seconds to get up from your seat and walk to the doors, and the whole train is deliberately open plan, so I don't see any problem there. However, high frequency service is essential for it to work. Which is not an issue when there's no train driver or guard to pay for every service!

[@lawrencewei3583]

you need to catch up, they announced all the stuff ages ago

[@joshturner8322]

@@yggdrasil9039how is the northwest metro entirely different from rail services already running in Sydney currently

[@victorhoe2321]

Vancouver's Skytrain uses linear induction motors while Sydney's Skytrain uses overhead DC (or AC) power

[@trainspottingdownunder]

Nice it’s my birthday today

[@railfanworld]

Congrats!

[@t.michaeloriain3459]

i call that the new monorail.

[@jmstransit]

How do you get the spedometer overlay on the screen? Was it an overlay used during filming?

[@johnlatham7092]

I had the same question ... pity you didn't get a response

[@johnlatham7092]

It's probably computer generated, that is, made up !

[@shaungordon9737]

Soooo many announcements, a bit overkill Ride quality seems very smooth though

[@ThomasNing]

why does it announce the destination when slowing down on approach to a station? seems counter intuitive - shouldn't it announce the current stop, then announce the destination when departing? (likey sydney trains). It only announces the next stop once, and that's almost a minute before the train actually stops.

[@Nick-kz6dg]

Thomas Ning If they announce the station before arriving then people will be waiting at the doors ready to get off as soon as the train stops. Faster unloading.

[@ThomasNing]

Nick Mitchell yeah I get that, but sydney trains does that too. But why announce the destination as the train's stopping, and not when it's leaving?

[@coolcat-nq4mj]

120 kmh should be the top speed, why do they always decrease it and the braking should be harder

[@jonc7538]

11:44 extra station Aidan Clarke .

[@k.h.4698]

This video should be called Sydney Metro as the title name. I am not sure what Skytrain is, but it is confusing, being the main subject.

[@westcoasttommy4327]

We have a remotely operated skytrain here in Vancouver BC. Is this train also driverless?

[@localcarthief]

Yes

[@maa1649]

That sound when the doors closing are probably going to get annoying if you use this metro a lot. I understand it’s for safety but to be brutally real if one dont register that the doors close when the lady say it loud and clearly and step away i think one is asking to get squeezed, and the door will probably stop if anything comes in contact with it. So the sound is just an amazing annoying addition.

[@ziggybadans]

It's almost exactly the same as the Tangara's closing door sound though, so I don't really see a problem here.

[@somegameplayvids1720]

Why didn't you do the new tunnel and the skytrain (Epping to Tallawong) with the speedometer. I've heard the metro does 110kph in the tunnels and would be good to see if the train actually reaches this speed.

[@railfanworld]

The max speed of the metro is 100kph. They've only tested once at 110kph to test its ability to stop in a safe distance.

[@vanessab6612]

The GPS system , which the speedo is using , wouldn’t work in the tunnels would it?

[@railfanworld]

@@vanessab6612 That is correct!

[@veganandlovingit]

Rouse or Rose?

[@PhilipVels]

It could go so much faster

[@lawrencewei3583]

this is a metro,you know, not intercity train

[@Gonzarelli]

So why doesnt it?

[@PhilipVels]

@@Gonzarelli I'd love to know. The track looks like it's graded for being capable of going a lot faster.

[@steeltrap3800]

Which simply draws more power and then it dumps it all for the next stop. Without running express services, which this isn't designed to do, there are diminishing returns in going beyond a certain speed due to running costs plus wear and tear increasing while operational efficiency does not. You're limited as much by the designed service frequency which itself also is a function of intended hourly capacity plus dwell time considerations. Getting to the next station ASAP is not of itself a virtue.

[@JayJayGamerOfficial]

Ironic, what about the suburban trains in Sydney, they go so slow in most urban areas compared to this even when the stations have some distance between them

[@colinwilkie2279]

For a metro there's a long way between stations. People have to standup for a long time.

[@ThomasNing]

Colin Wilkie it's a long line, for servicing commuters from north-eastern suburbs at higher capacity, frequency and lower cost than commuter trains. Only one stop per suburb. much more when entering the city, at least.

[@johnsergei]

@@ThomasNing I can hire myself as a pusher & help squeeze em in. I'm not big but I could do it Tokyo style. Anyhow, Australia's 300 zillion governments love the 50% fuel tax on motor vehicles, so "BE THANKFUL WHAT WHAT LITTLE TRAINS WE GIVE YA!" (in rural arias & interstate rail lines, most trains have been axed).

[@ThomasNing]

John Sergei Most trains have been axed? I thought in the past decade a lot of the explorers and endeavours have been reintroduced into service for express services to Lithgow, Bathurst, Newcastle, NWNSW and South Coast. Am I wrong? Also, a new fleet of what, 400 trains or something? Is planned to replace 100% of the v-sets starting mid next year (so probably in a few years or so).

[@johnsergei]

@@ThomasNing 45 years ago there were many more country passenger trains in every state, yet Australias population was little more than 1/2 of what it is now. I've picked that time because that's when the Indian Pacific/Trains Australian had the highest patronage. Evey night the Overland ran between Adelaide & Melbourne. Usually 14-17 cars, sometime more & sometimes a second devision. Sydney - Melb. 14 car Southern Aurora, 10 -11 car Spirit Of Progress & the Intercapital Daylight train. After those 3 long intersters had left Spencer St station, the much loved (& much missed) Vinlander was the next (& last) of the sleeping car trains to head out into the darkness. Nice as these trains were, they looked low rent compared to the fleet of Comrail cars. Every day, a set of 13 set out, in both directions to cross the Nullaboar & 4 days a week, the Indian Pacific ran, this was basicly the same train & same high service as the daily Trains Australian. On those days it was a double consist from Port Pirie to Perth. 26 cars, 2 dining cars, 4 club/lounge/bar cars. However, this lasted only for a few years (till early 1977) from then on the Trans only ran on days the IP did not & over the years, both were reduced & Trans dropped. With the low frequency & economy fares gone, the Indian Pacific can now be considered a hotel on wheels & not really a mode of transport. The Overland probably won't run beyond this year & can scacelly be called transport & Sydney - Melbourne? Well, I think thay should call the XPT the T, because it's essentially a British HST, without the HS (more like bs?) Not only can it not even achieve 200 KM/H ( running speed of HST) in test & miles of straight, level track, it is only allowed 130 KM/H in Victoria. An HST on quality track (same alignment) would manage 200km/h most of the way from Albury to Melbourne. Then we have the modern trains in the UK, stuff like the 800 class, Eurostars, Javalin. a NSW Xplorer/Endevour is like a slow, noisy, stinkey bus in traffic, compared with them. & when these awful DMUs & the XPT are replaced, it will be with more DMUs. Probably something like Victorias V/locity? These go a little better, but ther's no escaping the fact that you have engines under the floor of the vehicle & they still can't mach an EMU for performance. That said, NSW tracks are so slow that even the low (ish) performence of these diesels, can't fully be used.

[@ThomasNing]

John Sergei I absolutely understand where you're coming from, but I think rail culture has drastically changed over that time (though I haven't been alive to witness it admittedly), because of planes. It just makes more sense to fly now a days - similar cost, wayyyy faster (even if less comfortable compared to a potentially nicer train). Although I do agree that HSR along the east coast would be awesome and I would guess it'd be highly utilised (melbourne doesn't have an airport train :o ), it has been considered multiple times before as far as I remember and the fact that it hasn't happened probably means something. (I'm not necessarily saying the decision makers made the correct decision, but oh well.) That being said, I do plan on taking overnight xpt to Melbourne and back for a day trip coming up, because it goes straight into the cbd and I don't have to faff about with airports, hotels and the sky bus, so of course there is still a place for them. Makes it a good thing that they're being replaced. But yeah, having so many regional services didn't make sense anymore because flying has become so economical. Hence the lack of investment. Those kinds of journeys are purely for rail fans now, like the cross continent sydney to perth train.