The Good. A short while ago we (my wife & I) happened by chance to witness the trialing along our stretch of the line the new electric trains.
The Bad. Our neighbourhood suffered a black out at the precise moment it went past.
It is great news that the electric trains are being trialed along the full length of the Seaford Line. It means they can’t be too far away from carrying passengers. This adds to the news that the Wayville Station will be open on the 17th, maybe a precursor to the electric trains commencing even though there is no word on this yet.
As I said we happened on this event. The trains ARE so silent you don’t know they are coming. It was a fluke in other words I got to see them.
I did manage to get footage of one passing our door.
But my wife and neighbours were worried about a black out we experienced at precisely the time the train passed our door. Co-incidence or a fault that impacts on the power grid. I hope it is the former because (if not) there is going to be further outrage.
All the power for the electric trains comes from a substation up at Lonsdale, from the same sources as the desal plant. The train in terms of load wouldn’t affect the Goodwood area. Possibly (very unlikely) a transient voltage induction or earthing issue but the outage should be momentary as the train passes and I would expect far more wide spread problems if it was the case. In any case you would quickly know for sure as you woild notice the lights flicker as every train goes by!
thank you for that insight anonymous. I trust you are on the money. Certainly it was a once off and the trains have been passed a few times now. I also have not heard of any other occurrence elsewhere.
I can also confirm that it would have been an unlucky coincidence.
The Seaford line is fed from Lonsdale (look up the project’s Public Works Committee papers to see the contract details) and when the Gawler line work starts it will be fed from a SA Power Networks substation in the Islington area with the section between Islington and Ascot Park able to be fed from either end.
The voltage of the rail electrification is 25 kV, which is completely different to any line voltage used by SAPN for any local supplies (look it up to verify this) and therefore must be kept completely separate. Do you remember the works during 2012 where SAPN started putting power lines which crossed the rail route underground? It was for exactly this reason.
Any possible transient induction at a house near the corridor would be so negligible that it would be impossible to measure, and far less than the effect of using certain household appliances like a microwave or vacuum cleaner!