Western Sydney Airport (WSI) Discussion

[jase05]

New terminal but pretty sure the runways and taxiways are largely the same.

Yep and coincidentally today is the 70th anniversary of ADL

 

[serfty]

ADL was a new build - as far as I recall.
Built between the existing domestic terminals and the seperate International shed (that I used once!) ...

The current ADL terminal was built in the area of the old international terminal.

The previous domestic terminals were to the South West of the site and have been demolished.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

New terminal but pretty sure the runways and taxiways are largely the same.

BNE was a brand new airport, so so much so that the previous name Eagle Farm is no longer used (although I always thought Eagle Farm was a great name for an airport).

ADL runway towards the gulf got extended.
Can see the road curve now.
I think the current ADL terminal is exactly where the int terminal used to be.

 

[jase05]

ADL runway towards the gulf got extended.
Can see the road curve now.
I think the current ADL terminal is exactly where the int terminal used to be.

The old international terminal was closer to where the Atura hotel is now. Rex used it after the new terminal was opened and it finally got knocked down in 2018

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

The old international terminal was closer to where the Atura hotel is now. Rex used it after the new terminal was opened and it finally got knocked down in 2018

Point taken.
Used it several times, was 1996 tho.
Thought it was where it is now.

 

[kookaburra75]

Point taken.
Used it several times, was 1996 tho.
Thought it was where it is now.

They should have left some of those different coloured, numbered lines on the tarmac to get to your flight, as heritage features

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

OffT:Think it was an SQ b767.
Maybe the marking stop lines where at the bottom of the guide lines on the tarmac for the b767 are still there.
Will the a220 stop bar be added to WSI/ADL?
Seeing ADL still has the b747 freighters.OnT.

 

[BrianQQ]

Not for this purpose. Metro will take you to St Mary where you can transfer onto the western line if you want to go yo the CBD.

St Marys as the interchange is horrendous imo.

 

[moa999]

St Marys as the interchange is horrendous imo.

What would have you preferred. Werrington Kingswood??.

St.Marys was already a large 4-platform station almost directly north of the airport.
It's also getting a massive upgrade with a new aerial concourse with dual lifts to each platform.
And I believe the Blue Mountains express services will also stop when the metro opens.

Once they basically decided to build the connection to the main T1 line (which is the main western line) and do it as cheaply as possible .. St. Mary's was the obvious choice.

If it ever gets extended Campbeltown/ Macarthur to Tallawong will also form a useful outer orbital line.

 

[BrianQQ]

What would have you preferred. Werrington Kingswood??.

St.Marys was already a large 4-platform station almost directly north of the airport.
It's also getting a massive upgrade with a new aerial concourse with dual lifts to each platform.
And I believe the Blue Mountains express services will also stop when the metro opens.

Once they basically decided to build the connection to the main T1 line (which is the main western line) and do it as cheaply as possible .. St. Mary's was the obvious choice.

If it ever gets extended Campbeltown/ Macarthur to Tallawong will also form a useful outer orbital line.

Could have extended it through to Westmead or Parramatta to allow connections to the Metro West.

In my dreams though. I understand the practicality, but St Marys is blergh.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

If they wanted, it could be an M2 from WSI to anywhere, they decided to put in Sydneham, to Tullawong.
They could have bored from WSI to SYD (Kingsford Smith) and name it M7.

 

[elanshin]

Could have extended it through to Westmead or Parramatta to allow connections to the Metro West.

In my dreams though. I understand the practicality, but St Marys is blergh.

That is on the grand plans and for a separate extension of the metro west line. (Another separate route that will just cut directly across from Westmead).

But it likely wont be built for decades.

 

[kerfuffle]

name it M7

M7 already exists; it's called Westlink

 

[moa999]

They could have bored from WSI to SYD (Kingsford Smith) and name it M7.

I don't get the focus some have on connecting the two airports. It's simply not justified. Transferring pax are relatively low versus other demand sources and generally have the choice to book from via the same airport.
It would be well down the list of locations that WSI wanted to prioritise low travel times from.

Even in Tokyo which for many years (thankfully no longer) had an international/ domestic focus between Narita and Haneda they didn't build a direct train line.

 

[SeatBackForward]

In the leaked grand plans, there are plans to extend (or convert) the leppington heavy rail line to WSI, an extension of the (under construction) western Metro line (the CBD - Parramatta line) to WSI but there are no timelines for any of those. Just identified as future expansions.

The WSI Metro uses different power systems and different trainsets to the other Metro lines in Sydney, making them compatible would be another exercise of itself.. Yes, it's that bad.

 

[moa999]

The WSI Metro uses different power systems and different trainsets to the other Metro lines in Sydney, ...Yes, it's that bad.

More just a function of the time when the systems were constructed and the time and cost it would take to convert.

When the Sydney system was electrified 100yrs ago (1920s and 30s) DC power was cheaper and more reliable ergo 1500V DC on the trains network.

The far more modern under construction WSI Metro and WS Metro use 25,000V AC.
Unfortunately they decided to stick with 1500V DC for the first Metro because they were reusing old sections (Chatswood- Epping and Sydenham-Bamkstown). Ultimately they ended up replacing most of the power infrastructure on the Bankstown section so it probably would have been cheaper to go AC in the first place.

And it doesn't really matter given the Metros by design are completely separate to increase reliability.

 

[SeatBackForward]

FWIW, here's the interior of the WSI metro trains from a mockup last year:

 

[SeatBackForward]

And it doesn't really matter given the Metros by design are completely separate to increase reliability.

Agreed, but they could very well have maintained that separation by simply having multiple platforms at the WSI station to service another line to connect to Westmead. Customers aren't concerned with trainsets and power systems - they just want trains to get them where they want to go.

 

[moa999]

The WSI Airport Master Plan contains space for a future second set of platforms.

Just not justified today, particularly when SYD Airport only has one train line and will probably have 10x the number of pax as WSI. The WSI Airport Metro will have capacity for a long time.

And the current government dropped the business case study for an extension of Metro West, preferring other options such as North and South extensions of the WSI Airport Metro.

 

[SeatBackForward]

The WSI Airport Master Plan contains space for a future second set of platforms.

They're marked as one set for "M" and one set for "T". Although, I'm sure it doesn't make much difference. "T" would only be significant if it were dedicated to HSR - but I'm highly confident our ministers haven't that much foresight.