Adelaide City Council to lobby for trackless tram to North Adelaide over new King William Road bridge

Several city councillors have renewed their push for new tram technology to expand Adelaide’s public transport network into North Adelaide.

Trackless trams are being mooted again as a solution of connecting the Adelaide CBD to North Adelaide.

Adelaide City Council will ask Premier Peter Malinauskas to support the replacement of the ageing Adelaide Bridge as part of a tram network extension.

The bridge, opened in 1938, is nearing the end of its operational life and requires replacement within the next six to seven years at an estimated cost of $60m.

Trucks weighing more than 26 tonnes already have been banned from using the bridge, which would not be able to support the weight of trams.

A council meeting has voted for Ms Verschoor to write to Mr Malinauskas as part of a bid to obtain state and federal funding for the project, which is regarded as critical infrastructure.

The Adelaide Bridge on King William Road is nearing the end of its operational life. Picture: Colin James

Ms Verschoor told the meeting the option of using trackless trams, which are powered by electric batteries and guided by magnetic strips, should be examined again.

“They are certainly not a bus,” she said.

“If you put a train together with a bus and they bred, you would get a light-rail trackless tram.

“It is new technology which would have a different impact on the bridge in terms of engineering and weight.”

Ms Verschoor said trackless trams worked on new technology compared to conventional trams which use overhead electric wires.

“They use GPS, they are lighter and they don’t have to stick to one track,” she said.

Ms Verschoor and North Adelaide ward councillor Mary Couros advocated for trackless trams before the last council elections in November 2018.

Cr Couros told the meeting it was the first time she had heard about them.

“It was technology that people could not comprehend at the time,” she said.

“I think we know more information about it now.

“The beauty about it is that you don’t need to dig up major infrastructure to put tracks down.”

Trackless trams are powered by electric batteries and guided by magnetic strips. Picture: Supplied

Cr Couros said she did not know if the new government had an “appetite” for a tram extension to North Adelaide.

“Hence why I am seeking for council to have these conversations,” she said.

Cr Couros said a tram extension to North Adelaide could service the $250m redevelopment of the former Le Cornu site on O’Connell St and a new $80m regional aquatic centre planned for the northern parklands.

Trackless trams gained support from former Liberal transport minister Stephan Knoll, who said they were “an exciting potential solution that could deliver better public transport at lower cost”.

Perth had conducted a trial in its CBD using the technology while another potential route in Adelaide was between the CBD and Adelaide Airport.