And the worst rail stop in the west goes to ... Adelaide’s People for Public Transport rate 27 stations
AN Adelaide public transport advocacy group has rated 27 rail stops on routes servicing the western suburbs — some did well, others didn’t. Here are the results.
MANY train stations in the western suburbs have been left behind those on other commuter lines and are in urgent need of an upgrade, a consumer survey has found.
An audit of 27 stations servicing the west by commuter lobby group People for Public Transport found most stops on the Grange and Outer Harbor lines were poorly maintained, isolated, and had only minimal shelters.
In some cases stations were found to be below the standard of a bus stop.
People for Public Transport president Thanasis Avramis said it was concerning there was little improvement — aside from new stations at St Clair and the Adelaide Showgrounds — since the group conducted two similar surveys of western-suburbs train stations last decade.
Stations given the lowest scores out of 50 — based on five categories ranging from appearance to safety and security — in the latest survey were Mile End (11), Taperoo (12), Seaton Park (14.5) and Alberton (15).
The $16.5 million Adelaide Showgrounds Station (41), three-year-old St Clair (37.5) and Woodville (32) were rated the best.
Mr Avramis said many stations were stuck in the ’70s and had fallen behind new stations on the electrified Seaford line.
“There has been definite progress in terms of basics like lighting and disability access, but unfortunately the big money has been going into roads,” Mr Avramis said.
“Railway stations could be a far more important part of the community but essentially have been neglected.
“Some of the stations have been left behind (other lines), and what it shows is years of neglect by governments in terms of supporting the rail network.
“It’s been left like it was back in the 1970s for the most part.”
A Transport Department spokeswoman said there had been “many enhancements and upgrades” of the Grange and Outer Harbor lines in the past five years.
She said the department was spending $4 million across the entire train and tram network to upgrade security, safety and access.
The spokeswoman said the first of these projects was set to start shortly at Albert Park Station.
“A number of other stations on the Outer Harbor line have also been identified for upgrades and further details will be announced in due course,” she said.
“These upgrades are designed to improve the safety and security of public transport passengers and staff, improve the security of public-transport infrastructure and deter crime and anti-social behaviour.”
She said Bowden Station would be upgraded as part of the $896 million Torrens to Torrens project, which will separate the freight and commuter rail corridors.
St Clair commuter Regina Wilson said she used the Outer Harbor line to travel into the city and Bowden for work.
“There’s a few stations like Kilkenny that are really neglected,” she said.
“I get off at Bowden and there is quite a step down from the train which is a bit scary, and the platform is crumbling in places and the underpass is quite steep.
“You can see it’s old and needs the upgrade.”
The Outer Harbor and Grange lines were used by 2,745,618 people last financial year, up from 2,566,294 in 2014/15.
How the stops rated
PEOPLE for Public Transport rated each of the stations in the western suburbs out of a maximum total of 50.
Scores were out of 10 in five categories: appearance and maintenance, security, safety and lighting, car and bike parking, disability access and facilities (toilets, food, seats).
Adelaide Showgrounds — (41) Excellent condition in regard to all items, reflecting the recent construction and good upkeep since. No toilets. There are relatively few seats.
St Clair — (37.5) Very clean, fine paintwork, no graffiti and no smell. Area well landscaped.
Woodville — 32
Bowden — 27
Largs — 25
Outer Harbor — 25
Woodville Park — 24
Osborne — 23
Croydon — 22
Grange — 22.5
Glanville — 21
Largs North — 21
West Croydon — 19
North Haven — 19
Kilkenny — 18
Peterhead — 18
Port Adelaide — 17.5
Ethelton — 17.5
East Grange — 17.5
Cheltenham — 17
Albert Park — 17
Draper — 16
Midlunga — 16
Alberton — 15
Seaton Park — 14.5
Taperoo — 12
Mile End — (11) No toilets or other amenities on platform, or nearby. The shelter on platform four is particularly unworthy of its name.
A touch of green
A SENSE of ownership drove Louise Flaherty and her family to become involved in a group beautifying West Croydon Station.
Rosetta Street Greening — which has more than 60 volunteers — is one of several groups that has been planting and painting in a bid to boost the appearance of train stations on the Outer Harbor and Grange lines.
The group started last October and worked on the station ahead of its 100th birthday in December.
Mrs Flaherty, her husband Alex, and two children Oliver and Roy, have helped plant garden beds.
“It’s lovely to get involved and a wonderful way of meeting your neighbours,” she says.
“It gives you a sense of ownership and it has a real community vibe to it.
“The station was probably a little drab and had a lot of graffiti on the walls so we wanted to work on improving it.”
The group’s next project is creating a tile mural in the station’s underpass.
Mrs Flaherty is co-ordinating the project alongside local artist Sunshine March.
“The design is basically heritage tile patterns,” she said.
“It reflects the area.”
Work on the mural is set to start this month.