TransAdelaide

TransAdelaide
Company type	State-owned enterprise
Industry	Public transport
Founded	July 1994; 32 years ago
Defunct	August 2010
Fate	Disbanded and integrated into the Office of the Rail Commissioner
Headquarters	Adelaide, Australia
Area served	Adelaide metropolitan area
Products	Suburban rail, tram, and bus services

TransAdelaide was a state-owned enterprise based in Adelaide, South Australia, responsible for managing the city's suburban rail, tram, and bus networks. It took over these operations from the State Transport Authority in July 1994.

History

The dissolution of the State Transport Authority occurred in June 1994 as a consequence of the Passenger Transport Act 1994, which divided the STA into two entities: the Passenger Transport Board, tasked with overseeing and financing public transportation, and TransAdelaide, charged with operating metropolitan buses, trains, and trams. This organizational change was designed to facilitate competitive tendering and encourage private sector participation within Adelaide’s public transit system.

By April 2000, management of all metropolitan bus routes had been transferred from TransAdelaide to private operators such as Serco, SouthLink, Torrens Transit, and a joint venture between TransAdelaide and SouthLink known as Transitplus. TransAdelaide continued to run rail services under the Adelaide Metro brand until August 2010, when it was disbanded and its personnel and responsibilities were integrated into the newly formed Office of the Rail Commissioner.

Operations

TransAdelaide managed suburban rail lines including the Noarlunga, Gawler, Outer Harbor, Belair, Tonsley, and Grange routes, along with maintenance of stations on these corridors. Its rolling stock comprised 70 units of 3000 class diesel railcars and 30 units of 2000 class railcars. The corporation also inherited several Redhen railcars from the former State Transport Authority, retiring the last of these vehicles in October 1996. Additionally, TransAdelaide operated Adelaide’s final tram service—the Glenelg Light Rail—which connected Victoria Square to the coastal suburb of Glenelg.

Tram revival

For nearly eight decades, the Glenelg tram line was predominantly served by Type H trams following its transformation from a steam railway to an electrified tramway in 1929. In the early 2000s, substantial investment was directed towards modernizing and extending this line. In May 2003, the South Australian Government announced plans for infrastructure improvements alongside procurement of new trams.

Between June and August 2005, extensive upgrades were implemented, including replacement of sleepers with concrete ones, track refurbishment, reconstruction of most of the 21 stops featuring raised platforms to enable level boarding on new low-floor trams, enhancements to overhead electrical systems, and modifications to the depot facilities. Tram services were temporarily substituted with buses during this upgrade phase. The Moseley Square terminus underwent redesign in September 2005 as part of a larger urban renewal initiative. An extension reaching City West was inaugurated on 14 October 2007.

The 2007 budget included funding for a South Road overpass project constructed alongside the Anzac Highway Underpass by McConnell Dowell beginning in July 2009. This overpass opened on 8 December 2009 to facilitate uninterrupted tram movement; however, the South Road stop itself commenced operation on 15 March 2010. Another extension leading to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre was opened on 11 May 2009, with testing starting in February 2010 and full passenger services beginning on 22 March 2010.

Rail fleet

From 1994 through 2010, TransAdelaide managed the following classes of rail vehicles:

Class	Image	Type	Maximum speed				Quantity	Routes served	Year built
Class	Image	Type	mph	km/h	Limit mph/h	Limit km/h	Quantity	Routes served	Year built
2000 Jumbos		Diesel multiple unit	87	140	56	90	11	Gawler, Grange, Noarlunga Centre, Outer Harbor, Tonsley	1980
2100 Jumbos		Control car	87	140	56	90	18	Identical routes to the 2000 class	1980
3000		Diesel-electric multiple unit	87	140	56	90	30	All routes except tram lines	1987–
3100		Diesel-electric multiple unit	87	140	56	90	40	All routes except tram lines	1988–96
Bombardier Flexity Classic		Tram		50	80	15	Glenelg–City–Hindmarsh	2006
Alstom Citadis		Tram				9 units total (6 delivered in 2009, 3 added in 2017)	Glenelg–City–Hindmarsh