Travelling on Sydney’s $2.1 billion, 12km South East Light Rail, which is due to begin operating next year, could take seven to nine minutes longer during morning and afternoon peak hours because of red lights along the tram line between the CBD and Kingsford in the south-east.
A 2016 analysis of travel times concluded that the majority of commuters in Sydney spend 31-90 minutes on a single trip. So spending 9 minutes stopped at red lights means passengers will spend approximately one quarter of their 36-minute trip waiting for lights the change.
The report by independent transport consultants GTA Consultants obtained under Freedom of Information laws found several intersections around Surry Hills, Central Station, and Randwick are the likely areas where passengers will be delayed longest.
The reasons for the delays is that the trams won’t have priority over motorists at traffic lights.
The report also said that a light trail trip on from Circular Quay in the CBD to Randwick in the south-east will take on average 34-38 minutes. Currently, driving that distance takes around 20 minutes, while catching a bus takes about 30 minutes.
The Sydney Morning Herald has more.
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