Byron Bay TramLink

21/04/2024

Hello, now it may look a little quiet here but the research work has garnered a lot of interest from regions lying across disused railway lines. These studies are not confined to NSW but several Australian states are involved.

Thanks to those wonderful souls who have put in the time doing face to face and online data gathering, you shall be rewarded at our May gathering at "the pub" where this work will be available for perusal, scrutineering and general discussion. I'm sure you will be well-satisfied with the findings.

Best wishes

Pete Finch

28/05/2023

On the way from Mullumbimby to Ocean Shores/Brunswick Heads and Billinudgel.

22/01/2023

21/12/2022

This year's Christmas tram is from Bellevue, in Zurich, Switzerland.

Happy Christmas to all our Tram Link supporters, and have an amazingly astonishing 2023. (Image - Wiki Commons royalty free)

09/08/2022

So much happening on the far north coast of NSW. The logistics of getting punters to and from events at North Byron was highlighted after a repeat of the atrocious weather that has hit the region this year.

The railway lines passing this area can be a solution to this huge problem which could impact on upcoming and planned major events in the region.

There are several rail organisations looking at using the railway infrastructure for moving people around the shire, and no doubt we'll see activity which may bring about a change in thinking about our lack of tourist transport services.

Towards the end of 2022 we should have a pretty good idea of how some of the rail transport concepts will resolve some of issues involved in getting around Byron.

10/04/2022

News? Of course! Lots of things happening behind the scenes (paperwork!) but we are waiting on engineers to access the tracks to check soil stability and drainage, among many other things they need to do. Operational lines have preference.

13/03/2022

Bred has made contact asking if we intend to acknowledge Auckland, as that city, plus the capital, Wellington, also had a tram system.

Why not Bred (I'm sure he means Brad, it's the accent) Auckland is actually a leader in transport innovation in that country. Four lines served the population with a reliable and efficient tram service until electric trolleybuses than/then diesel buses took over. This is one of the newer Auckland trams. (Image stuff.co.nz)

The tourist tram runs a loop around the Auckland dock area (Wynyard Quarter) and has been great for tourism. However the area is growing, apartments are going up and restaurants and commercial areas are being created, so residents, workers and visitors need a frequent and faster service around Auckland. The heritage trams are being phased out and a light rail system will take its place.

Trams also operated in Dunedin, Napier, Gisborne, Invercargill, New Plymouth, West Coast and Whanganui.

06/03/2022

Many thanks to the visitors to this page in 2022. Hopefully you will get some idea of what TramLink is planning to do in Byron Bay in the coming months by checking our older posts.

There are many aspiring groups thinking about running some sort of transport service on the disused railway infrastructure within the Byron Shire but it's not just about wishing and hoping to do something, it's meticulous planning, fulfilling all the regulatory requirements including safety, engineering, cultural, environment and conservation, securing finance, and working with local and international organisations in extraordinary and difficult times.

TramLink has been around for several years and the people involved are well qualified and experienced. This is a critical stage of development now so specific details of our business will not be posted here, but things are moving, keep an eye out, tell your friends and ask questions. The email address is on this page.

05/03/2022

New Zealand has tourist trams in Auckland and Christchurch. This marvellous looking tram ran the streets of Sydney from 1938 until 1959 before crossing the Tasman to become part of the Christchurch city loop tourist service. (Pic thanks to Bernard Spragg - Creative Commons)

17/02/2022

Thanks to all those who have dropped in to check this page since January, welcome. There is lots going on and new news and information will be shared here. If you have any questions please ask, either thru Msngr on this page or via email.

14/02/2022

Trams and light rail, or old and new. An Adelaide light rail vehicle and a traditional Adelaide tram set - two coupled heritage trams. The older trams ran for 86 years with the final service in 2015.
Considering the Sydney light rail, an entire fleet was withdrawn from service after a little over six years of service due to major mechanical problems.
Pic by Henk Graalman, Wikimedia Creative Commons

31/01/2022

Tourist trams are absolutely everywhere, moving visitors quietly and efficiently from town to town, and even towns to cities, right around the world.

The Louisiana city of New Orleans boasts five services and use a variety of heritage trams, such as this well restored model built in around 1920. (Image - Wikimedia Creative Commons.)

17/01/2022

Tourist trams are everywhere! Apart from their intrinsic tourism value they are light and easy to operate and maintain. This tram is running on the Great Orme Tramway in Wales, UK.
http://www.greatormetramway.co.uk/en/visitor-information

12/01/2022

Our purpose and operation is tourist transport, using trams. You could say it's tramsport. Or, "it's trams, sport!" January is the start of a very busy period for us so keep an eye out for developments.

And welcome to our new followers too, thanks for dropping by.

Here's a tourist tram service at Port de Sóller in Spain
Creative Commons image by Alain Gavilletin.

07/12/2021

Anna from Brunswick Heads has noticed that the Christmas tram isn't here yet. It's still travelling Anna, and should land by the weekend.

Meanwhile a lot of people are anxiously awaiting the outcome of local government elections, in Byron Shire and many other areas.

05/11/2021

At last! the Octvember News!

Many things are happening and the engineering workshops in Melbourne are now expected to reopen in the next few weeks. No doubt they have much work to catch-up on and many clients will be pleased to hear the news.

The batteries initially selected for use on the Byron Tram Link vehicles were also the batteries chosen by the Elements train in 2015. We examined numerous batteries to decide on that type of hybrid lithium power unit, and now in late 2021 there is new technology.

The battery pack required to power our trams weighs about 800 kilograms, and that's quite a load for a tram. In early October a lighter battery was announced, and it has additional power and a slightly longer life. The cells are marginally less expensive too, but there is no release date.

Meanwhile, the core of our research is hydrogen and has been since 2018. In early November 2021, a central Queensland bus company announced that they will be converting their entire fleet to hydrogen fuel cell operation. This is excellent news for Australian researchers and Australia because this bus company will have their entire operation powered by 100% sustainable power.

The hydrogen gas is derived from rainwater collected from the depot roof and the electrolysis and bottling processes are solar powered. In operation, the buses will not be spewing out diesel fumes because the by-products of hydrogen fuel are water and oxygen.

Byron Bay Tram Link will initially use hybrid lithium batteries and as hydrogen fuel cells become less expensive and more widely available we'll do the switch over and do our bit for keeping Byron as green as we can.

07/10/2021

October Update ... coming soon!