Sydney Airport, and the death of rail & road infrastructure

[thewinchester]

I couldn't agree more with Ben's article on SYD, having just experienced the horror of road and rail access there - so much so I couldn't help commenting on it.

Sydney Airport, and the death of rail & road infrastructure
Crikey Blogs - Plane Talking
February 22, 2010 – 5:33 pm, by Ben Sandilands

NSW Premier Kristina Keneally didn’t just kill the metro, but is a person of interest in the case of the disappearing road map for an M5 East duplication and extension that cuts right through Tempe in her electorate of Heffron.
...
Sydney Airport suffers from inadequate surface access by all modes, as well as from the challenges of handling a forecast doubling of air travel demand by not later than 2030.

The road access is diabolical, and the rail link very costly and for many trips, inefficient.

What was once a set of reasonable bus routes to the airport were killed off no doubt to encourage people to use the costly rail link or astronomically expensive on-site car parks, with the train trip all but guaranteed to discourage repeat usage.

 

[estate]

The problems of having any one political party in power for too long. The likes of Obeid and Tripodi end up with all the real power, and talent is prevented from rising to the top. And you end with utter morons like Costa in positions of power.

Areas not politically friendly get ignored. Take a look at a rail map of Sydney and there is only one big white space - the north-west, ignored for a decade and a half by a government who knows there's no votes for them there. And so the residents drive, and pay something like $16 round-trip in tolls. Do that length drive from Labor heartland and you pay $4.50 with a $3 rebate.

If the political parties were reversed I'm sure the geographic areas would be too - I'm not having a go at Labor specifically here, although everyone knows they deserve it.

 

[markis10]

Ben needs to fly a bit more often and get out of town to be frank, sure Sydney is not perfect but it does have a rail link, something only one other major airport has in Australia (well ok, lets say Brisbane has half a line since it closes down early at night), various bus services and quite a few arterial roads leading to it.

By comparison Perth is a dog, you have the longest walk to the hire cars out of all the majors, no rail and restricted road access from the city and cough parking, Adelaide could have similar complaints while Melbourne benefits from its remoteness. Luckily Brisbane has got out of the doghouse with its new roads and rail links , I would have put it up as the worst airport out of the majors 5 years ago.

 

[kamchatsky]

Well Sydney airport is not that bad. At least there are trains and it is close to the city, rather than miles away. Try to get a train line to Sydney Northwest for that last 20 years (well promised for 20 years) and you know how well served Sydney airport is compared with rest of Sydney.

 

[JohnK]

Sydney is not as bad as is portrayed in the article. Train and bus services to/from the airport are quite good and it is not that bad by car either. Sure something may need to be done about the traffic to/from the domestic terminals but that is not going to be easy no matter which way you look at it.

I agree that Sydney in general does have traffic issues but which city that size (or even smaller) does not have them and one disadvantage is that the airport is close to the city which makes it harder for people from the outer suburbs to get to the airport.

 

[anat0l]

There are many things wrong with SYD as it is.

• Overcrowding and no plan to deal with the increased demand
• High airport charges (passed onto our tickets!) plus noise tax.
• Curfew - enough said!
• It is quite close to the city, yet the train costs the same if not more than BNE Airtrain, plus as alluded the rolling stock used is not air traveller friendly.
• I've been lucky to not experience any road traffic snarls near SYD (Dom or Int) except for one incident at Dom, which was absolutely horrendous.
• Gutless government who doesn't give the attention or imperative of the problems facing SYD

SYD does have a bus service to/from it - the 400 - but that requires you to transfer at Mascot markets to get to the city. Better than nothing - I agree, as long as you have time and patience on your hands, it's a mere $3 to get to the city. Not ideal if you have early morning starts, however.

I still fail to see how a train to a distance equivalent from the city to the airport can cost a few dollars yet the airport train levies a fee increasing that fare to 3-7 times that. Yes BNE Airtrain are worse, but who is to say that they are a model system anyway! Of course it's part extortion because for those that don't know better (i.e. mostly tourists), a decent dollar is made off them. Well, so be it.....

Adelaide could have similar complaints

Actually ADL is quite good except that it also has a curfew. Airport is close to the city, but at least the taxi fare isn't blindingly bad, especially when you split the cost on a full taxi. Jetbus is also quite cheap to get to the airport, albeit the bus (like the 400 in SYD) is not suited for travellers (it's just the regular buses), but it is direct. No train, but there are adequate connections (at least until ADL becomes another SYD or MEL, then we have a problem).

All in all, it's no good comparing one airport to another - all of them are doing poorly in more than one way, but when contextualised within their role and/or the purpose they serve, some airports are well below par (or are at least precluding themselves from doing better).

• We all know PER is a dog of an airport. Great...and so white met bread. Big deal, what else is new?
• MEL is probably not too bad if only Tulla wasn't so far from MEL (but at least Skybus is a good connector) and if the bird brains in the powers that be would actually stop residential developments near and in Tullamarine then it will stay as a not too bad airport for years to come!
• BNE has had and continues to have traffic and accessibility problems. Very embarrassing and a stupid move to delay the upgrade of the terminals plans by at least five years. Even more crazy is the prospect of a curfew for BNE brought about by some bird brained politicians (who shall remain anonymous) as well as some old crackpots who have nothing better to do than to waste a tree's worth of paper writing frivolous complaints about aircraft noise every single day. This will probably curb the growth of BNE as a decent hub.
• CBR? Geeze, enough said about having no teeth. Why couldn't the capital just be left in MEL....
• OOL sprung up rather fast, and unfortunately isn't developing fast enough. It has the natural disadvantage that the traffic and transport system in the Gold Coast is worse than a dog's breakfast with three drunks worth of vomit mixed in, so unfortunately until the GC actually does something drastic about the traffic system then that's not going to change

Finally, SYD is the Australian premier international gateway - it handles the most commercial passenger air traffic of any airport in Australia, yet it is run like it is barely on the skin of its teeth. This is not any airlines' fault at all, they are having to work within the confines of an idiotic airport management company and a gutless government.

Of course, we could defray some of the problems of the beleaguered SYD by insisting new traffic to consider BNE or MEL as Australian hubs. But all the new traffic always likes to invest first in SYD.

 

[Cyclogenesis]

My 2c:
The airtrain into Sydney is excellent with one major flaw: Stupidly expensive for any more than 1pax.. after 1 pax a taxi becomes a very viable options (along with the associated road congestion)

I like the skybus in Melbourne, but would love to see a rail link built... a rail link will safeguard airport access from traffic snarls.

I like the Brisbane Skytrain, great intro to the city... and a train clearly designed with travelers in mind..

CBR: Nuff said! But then it is really just a regional airport..

Cant really comment on the rest as I have either not been in ages or always just rented a car...

 

[harvyk]

I personally don't find SYD all that bad, I've used the rail link several times, and found it somewhat ok (but very expensive).

The thing that I found really ammusing is that I used to take the east hills line (which depending on the route the train takes runs straight past the airport) for only a couple of dollars, but had I actually got off the train at the airport the price to go past the gates skyrocketed.

I've personally only driven to SYD once (and that was to drop my sister off for a flight at T2) and whilst the route from the City to the airport is not well marked, I at least knew where I was going...

As for CBR, well they are trying to do something about that (there is a serious amount of work going on at the moment), however I really don't think they have thought about anything to do with traffic or ground access, at least not short term. The carpark is right now a nightmare to find, we have no real link outside a token bus service (not even run by an ACT bus company) or taxi. The ACTION bus service (our local bus company) seems to go everywhere out there but the terminal building itself which is very weird.

 

[munitalP]

The fact that the desk jockey Ben Sandilands wrote this article lends little credence in my books...

Mr!

 

[medhead]

I gotta say that the train link at SYD is golden. I've been using it twice a week. As a single traveller with carryon only. I can land at 8:25 and get to work in Darlinghurst by 9:15 on a good day. It is cheaper than a taxi (single traveller).

But so what if the price is high, how much do yuo think it cost to dig that special tunnel just for the airport. Someone has to pay for it. In any case there are plenty of ways to get out cheaper. First all you need to pay for is to get onto the platform, the cheapest way onto the platform is to buy a ticket to international for $5. The next huddle is that you need a valid ticket to ride the train and get out at the other end. Say if someone had a weekly, or otherwise, ticket for Wolli creek to City. With a bit of carefully planning there is no reason for anyone who is a sydney regular to have to pay the full fare.

Another cheap option is actually up in big letters on a sign near the ticket machines. It says $7.00 to Mascot station.

The trains aren't that bad for getting on and off, it is just a single step to lift up the case. There are lifts or escalators at the main city stations, Museum being probably the only exception. finally, yes it is cheaper with 2 or more people to get a taxi, and they really should do something about that, if i was running airport link I would try to offer a family ticket but they are probably limited by the city rail ticketing system.

With respect to ADL, Being as Colonel Light laid out Adelaide of a grid pattern all those years ago (Some of my adelaide friends constantly remind me that it is Australia's only planned city - I don't dare mention Canberra), there is actually about 2 or 3 ways to the airport from the city, depending on which part of the square mile you start. These are all pretty much the same. Most taxis only follow one of these routes, Don Bradman drive, which is a single road that resolves down to the single airport entry. But don't be confused by the route from CBD to airport. from greater adelaide there are actually a number of routes which don't use Don Bradman drive at all. From the North and North East I only have to encounter that road when I cross it on entering the airport road system. Same from the west, north and south, south, hills, south east. About the only problem people are those in the east. Yep sure Don Bradman drive gets congested, but if you know what you're doing you can avoid it and due to the grid system all the routes are about the same distance.

 

[davidj]

Just came back from a trip to Sydney.

Train is a great connection to the city, and quite quick. The only issue I had was the usual train issues - it was dirty & intimidating (dark & space limited because of dual deck). Not sure if i'd use it late at night either. I kept looking over my sholder seeing who was [coming] behind me. How about Australia learn something from Europern/Asian operators when it comes to a real professional and tidy service.

Otherwise it was good. I can see where the article is coming from - if roads are congested already, and general traffic to the city will be increasing because of increased air traffic, infrastructure will need to increase.

Make the train line better? Add more services? Add another line? Not sure if much can be done above with roads?

The domestic airport was congested yesterday. If we are expecting increased air traffic, I can see the airport itself requiring an upgrade, both terminals, general area and possible runways? Is there much room left around the airport for expansion?

 

[markis10]

If you want to get the value out of your WP status, you can always get a $16.60 weekly gate pass to go with your weekly rail ticket and enjoy the odd free ale

Now you cannot do that at other locations

 

[Blackadder]

Fortunatly in a position where the train to either the Dom or Intl airport @ SYD is free, comes in very handy.

 

[odysseus]

I can see where the value went into Airportlink - their stations were models compared to the Cityrail equivalent. There was some good modelling that went into them too such as camera positioning and even door stop locations, as they were showpieces for Olympic visitors. Unfortunately, many Sydney train drivers didn't have a clue and that plan was lost.

Equally, you can see the cheap approach taken by Cityrail with the design and positioning of Wolli Creek station; a mess in more ways then one. The dodginess even went to the extent that they only built a station for half of the Illawarra line. The result is that whenever there is the all-too-frequent trackwork (or even just irregular all stops trains that stop at all stations except Wolli Creek when they're on the other line), people from or to the south have to go all the way past Wolli Creek on to Central, then come all the way back, because there's no platform for them to stop at Wolli Creek.

It wouldn't have taken that many more dollars to design it properly and integrate it with Tempe that would alleviate the mess and also improve line efficiency.

 

[Alanslegal]

My only gripe is the 'costly on-site parking'. The roads work well for what I need it for and I try to avoid driving during peak hours. The trains again works well, esp if I travel solo and need to get from airport into the CBD. Bus? Well never used them but a friend of mine, caught it from Burwood straight to SYD T1 and loved it. She said it beat changing the trains at Central (and the $$).

 

[Mrmaxwell]

The real problem with Sydney Airport is that it is a patchwork quilt of add-ons and quick fixes, refurbs, redesigns, new coat of paint, etc.

Build first terminal....build international terminal, build new terminal for Qantas, build new carpark, add train service, renovate international terminal, etc etc.

The latest example is the new pickup area for DOM arrivals...truly horrific. PAX need to cross the main airport road via zebra crossing thus blocking all cars/taxis/buses/rental returns/etc trying to enter the airport, while every car trying to enter the pickup area needs to take a ticket to open a boom gate further banking up traffic as the entrance is a direct right hand turn off the main road...wonderful planning and forethought.

The truly amazing airports of the world are designed and built from scratch and perfectly integrated with the cities they serve (Singapore/Bangkok/Hong Kong)

 

[chrisb]

Isn't it impossible to pick someone up from the SYD T1 without paying? That strikes me as a completely stupid money raising idea.

Also, it amazes me that the SYD Airport line can almost guarantee a non air-conditioned service every time.

 

[drron]

The real problem with Sydney Airport is that it is a patchwork quilt of add-ons and quick fixes, refurbs, redesigns, new coat of paint, etc.

Build first terminal....build international terminal, build new terminal for Qantas, build new carpark, add train service, renovate international terminal, etc etc.

The latest example is the new pickup area for DOM arrivals...truly horrific. PAX need to cross the main airport road via zebra crossing thus blocking all cars/taxis/buses/rental returns/etc trying to enter the airport, while every car trying to enter the pickup area needs to take a ticket to open a boom gate further banking up traffic as the entrance is a direct right hand turn off the main road...wonderful planning and forethought.

The truly amazing airports of the world are designed and built from scratch and perfectly integrated with the cities they serve (Singapore/Bangkok/Hong Kong)

And that means it is never going to happen in SYD.Those governments just have a little bit more room to ignore popular opinion than any government in Australia.

 

[odysseus]

The latest example is the new pickup area for DOM arrivals...truly horrific. PAX need to cross the main airport road via zebra crossing thus blocking all cars/taxis/buses/rental returns/etc trying to enter the airport, while every car trying to enter the pickup area needs to take a ticket to open a boom gate further banking up traffic as the entrance is a direct right hand turn off the main road...wonderful planning and forethought.

The same thing with the traffic path on Int after they built the new car park. Instead of having a number of paths through (aside from departures/arrivals), now all other traffic is funnelled through a long, circuitous, narrow path that merges further back. Any peak time it's just a long conga line, and buses in particular are slowed down from timetable.

However, none of that affects their revenue KPI, even though it impacts non-existent pollution, congestion and time KPIs; hence notch another point to MacAirports.

 

[Warks]

I use all the mainland capital city domestic airports and as I always hire a car I can't comment on the public transport options to any airport bar SYD. PER is a mess though with car hire a very long walk from QF and no signs to indicate where it is. They seem to have been working on that airport forecourt for years and it's still a mess.

Driving to SYD from my location in northern/NW Sydney is okay except that it costs over $23 in tolls for a round trip. That is truly extortionate compared with anywhere else in Australia. The problem is that I just suck it up and pay it through the e-Tag and don't notice. Good when the company is paying. It does mean I can get there in less than 40 minutes when it would take over an hour in the old days but in peak times it still takes over an hour anyway.

Parking in short term (T2-3) is the biggest rip-off. $48 per day is a scam. In 1995 it was $20 which was a bit of a gouge then. As all the spots closest to the terminal are permanently taken (it seems) you end up parking a very long way away. In the time it takes to walk up I could have parked at Park & Fly and grabbed the bus in. Nearly anyway.

The rail is good but overpriced of course, they just need to knock it back a little to get real. The walk from Mascot (to save a few bucks) is horrible, not worth it in my book. Dedicated single deck trains with luggage space that just run back and forth to the city would be a better proposition but that's not going to happen. Changing trains to go on other lines is a lottery when your line has a cough service. You are almost guaranteed (under Murphy's Law) to miss your connection at Central and suffer a 29 minute wait. My line has recently improved to a 15 minute service no now it's not so bad and I may give it another go.

ADL is a nice quick trip to the city. BNE has good access to the Gateway Motorway north and south, I hope the new bridge solves the gawd-awful traffic in the mornings! MEL has good access to other parts of Melbourne via the freeways but some horribly confusing roads - glad I've got a GPS now. Melbourne has the best freeways - very wide but the thought police are watching to see if you go 3 kph over the speed limit so they are a bit wasted. Also the Western Ring Road ending in the middle of nowhere does suck.
CBR is a nice big version of Tamworth airport.:mrgreen: