NewVista - too many people are getting caught under them with normal drivers for that to happen. Same is happening in Sydney and on the Gold Coast. People messing about with their mobile phones as they walk down the footpath instead of paying attention to what is going on in front of them and they end up getting caught between trams and platforms, or in the case of Druitt Street in Sydney, just being squashed by buses weighing up to 17 tonnes.

One has the ultimate choice made for them by the vehicle that's on top of them - permanent injury or death.

It's a long time since I was on a Melbourne tram, but I seem to remember the driver or conductor having to change over points at times. Does this still apply? If so, it would be difficult to automate.

Harold

I asked that question the last time I was in Melbourne (early 80's). It seems if the driver is powering, the points turn to the straight road, but if he approaches in idle, the points switch to the turn.

Last Wednesday 29th, I took a ride on the metro. I stood at the front to get the "driver's" view. Not much to see through the tunnels, but once we surfaced at Bella Vista, the view from the bridge was excellent. Kellyville has changed a lot since the last time I passed through there as a kid. All the trees and farms are totally wiped out, replaced by roads and buildings. Back then, Old Windsor Road was a dirt track, now it's a multi-lane highway. The metro trains have excellent acceleration and ride well. I wasn't quite so impressed with the seating, being only along the sides facing the other side. If you're fat you'll need to use 2 seats at least. They are not the most comfortable either.

After Rouse Hill, the track becomes quite bendy, as it goes over a creek, then downhill, then finally onto firm ground for the last part to Tallawong - which appears to be in the middle of a forest.

Overall though, it does seem to work quite well, despite the absence of any staff in the train. I'd like to see how things go if something goes wrong.

Hmmm, picture driverless trams trundling down pedestrian crowded streets - how does the software determine which "obstacles" will move out of the way? Maybe rely more on cow catchers?? And pedestrians will learn the hard way the tram won't stop for them...

The Inner West Light Rail still has conductors on the trams in daylight hours as far as I know. I think they only scan Opal cards now though but once did sell single journey tickets. I'm not sure how this would work on the South East Light Rail as each service will comprise two trams coupled together like the old O-Class trams were. Will there be two conductors or will they just dispense with them and expect travellers to be trustworthy?

None of these light rail systems require manual point changes. I am thinking that the driver does this from the cabin. Points on light rail are similar to the new metro line - where a signal next to the points shows which way the points are situated. There are also no trolley poles anymore, with pantographs in place to contact the trolley wires.

Amazing that new Sydney train is driverless
Thought of this for trams watching those youtubes of Melbourne routes - very boring job for humans!

Well, today I travelled by three very different eras of trains: 2019 Metro driver-less, 1902 steam and 1967 diesel. The Metro was fast but jerky, the steam loco (3265) was smooth as silk and the diesel (4490) was smoothish but the exhaust fumes were not very pleasant.

The last steam train I rode on was the Zig Zag Railway at Lithgow, which was a few years ago now. As I grew up in the 'red rattler' era I was accustomed to car doors not being automatic and windows that you could push your face through on a stinking hot day for some fresh air, though I found that this was not the best idea when on a steam train - when the wind is blowing a certain way the cinders from the engine get in your face and that hurts. We had to close the windows when the train was going through the tunnels but apart from the experience of getting a slightly burnt face the journey was enjoyable.

It is a shame the do-gooders teamed up with WorkCover to shut that ride down. The fun police sure do now how to mess around with other peoples' enjoyment. The Zig Zag Railway was quite popular.

Somehow, I cannot imagine steam trains being autonomous, even today.

The last steam train I rode on was the Zig Zag Railway at Lithgow

I did that run many years ago when the 3801 was still in service (boiler being rebuilt locally at the moment). I didn't know that the Zig Zag rail had been shut down.

It is closed - much rolling stock and buildings having been damaged or lost in the 2013 bush fires. But it is due to reopen late this year.

https://www.zigzagrailway.com.au/

Was driven down the Zig Zag as a kid in the '60s well before the railway was reinstalled (3' 6" gauge with Queensland rolling stock).

it is due to reopen late this year.

Good to hear.

When it reopens I will be one of the first to ride again.

Major Sydney railway stories in the paper today about the revamped central station and its new north-south underground concourse, and a story entitled "Lines too different to share trains". The second story says that there will in effect be three networks in Sydney- the "heavies", and the metro lines. There will be two metros, one running to the airport which will have wider carriages to accommodate airline passengers and their luggage. None of the three network trains will be able to operate on the others. The gist is that system flexibility is reduced. My feeling is that they are trading flexibility for an overall increase in efficiency.

But a piece of information that hasn't cropped up before with regard to that efficiency is that the metro will run on 25,000VAC instead of the old 1500VDC. Means a lot less steelwork to support the overhead cables and maybe less transformers connected to the grid to feed them.

A summary of the system is as follows:

Metro Northwest/City & Southwest

Power supply: 1500 V DC
Carriages per train: six with ability to increase to eight
Train builder: French company Alstom
Operator: Metro Trains Sydney comprising MTR, John Holland and UGL Rail

Metro Western Sydney Airport

Power supply: 25 kV AC
Carriages per train: three with ability to increase to four
Train builder: German company Siemens
Operator: Parklife Metro comprising Siemens, Plenary, Webuild and RATP Dev

Metro West

Power supply: 25 kV AC
Other details to be decided because contracts yet to be awarded

Brad: When it reopens I will be one of the first to ride again.

It has reopened - did you go yet?