LOTS HAPPENING

Tonsley Railway Station will close Friday 28 June 2019 after the last service departing Tonsley at 7:08 p.m.

Local residents are planning to gather at the station that evening to be a part of history. Please give us a show of strength by joining us. Wear red if you can because we have been seeing red about losing our access to rail.

The 'alternative transport' for the neighbourhood is the existing W90 bus (which is unreliable and impracticable).  Buses are unsafe and inaccessible for many people with disabilities and frailties. Taxis are expensive but also reluctant to pick up 'last mile' journeys and I have been left stranded on numerous occasions where taxis just did not turn up. People with disabilities have battled with discrimination from ride share drivers. No extra alternatives have been offered the community at time of writing.

The State Government has commissioned independent community engagement company Gould Thorpe Planning (GTP) asking "What do YOU want to see on the Tonsley Rail line?" One would expect the answer to be obvious - a railway station within reach! It all seems rather back-to-front to be asking residents what they want after the decision to demolish our station has already been made, as observed by a prominent journalist on ABC Radio Adelaide on 3 June 2019.

More information about this engagement by Gould Thorpe Planning is online at http://tonsleylinereview.com.au

GTP will be using the information gathered to provide an independent report to the Minister for Transport Stephan Knoll.

THIS IS THE COMMUNITY'S CHANCE ...
to influence the location of any proposed new railway stations along the Tonsley line. This link explains: http://tonsleylinereview.com.au/community-priorities-report/

Please attend GTP's evening workshops on Thursdays 13 June and 20 June 2019 at the Mitchell Park Sports & Community Centre to set 'Key Issues for the Tonsley Line' and 'Setting Community Priorities' respectively. More details about the workshops are online:
http://tonsleylinereview.com.au/tonsley-line-review-community-workshops-june-2019/

Alternatively contact the GTP team on 1300 582 071 or email: info@tonsleylinereview.com.au to give your feedback.

-------19 June 2019 Edited to add: -------
Find out what happened at the first workshop at this update: https://www.change.org/p/sa-minister-for-transport-save-tonsley-station-save-our-access-to-public-transport/u/24720904

-------22 July 2019 Edited to add: -------
Find out what happened at the second workshop at this update: https://www.change.org/p/sa-minister-for-transport-save-tonsley-station-save-our-access-to-public-transport/u/24851721
----------------------------------------------------------------------

To service the southern parts of Mitchell Park and Tonsley (formerly known as Tonsley Park), we need a railway station with pedestrian access along the line south of Handley Avenue Mitchell Park. The most recent proposal for an upgraded Clovelly Park station (to be renamed Tonsley) is a location across the road from its current site on Alawoona Avenue. Sadly this location is still too far north for current Tonsley Railway Station Users. There are also pressing problems with pedestrian access to that location in our suburb.

Tonsley residents south of the TAFE will have no pedestrian or road access to the Clovelly Park station on the eastern side of the line because the TAFE precinct's southern boundary and rail corridor is fenced off.

Flinders Link construction will block off our pedestrian rail crossover, effectively segregating the neighbourhood and cutting Tonsley residents off from access to the W90 bus service on Bradley Grove and the local playground, kindergarten and neighbourhood centres. The walking route down to Sturt Rd and then back up Bradley Grove again adds too much distance for the journey to be manageable for the many older pedestrians in our suburb.

One resident's adaptation of lyrics to a popular & controversial Australian song seems fitting as a theme song:

"Well the last train out of Tonsley's almost gone
You know the last train out of Tonsley's almost gone
And it's really got us worried
We're going nowhere & we're in a hurry
You know the last train out of Tonsley's almost gone"

Residents in the southern part of Mitchell Park will now be living in a rail 'black spot' outside of a 'walkable catchment' for the rail service. For many people, buses are not a safe or accessible option such as for wheelchair users (high risk of tipping), frail people, users of mobility trikes and scooters or cyclists (one cannot take a bicycle or trike on a bus as they do on a train).

MEANWHILE ...

The DPTI are doing their own separate community engagement having delivered newsletters to local residents. A link to the first newsletter is available online with details of 'street corner listening posts' on Tuesday 18 June and Thursday 27 June: https://www.dpti.sa.gov.au/infrastructure/major_projects/flinders_link/publications

This is the forum for discussing issues around the construction of the rail extension and Flinders Railway station.

To be kept informed by the DPTI one needs to register to be added to the project mailing list. This can be done by phoning 1300 928 345 or online on the Flinders Link Community Engagement page: https://www.dpti.sa.gov.au/infrastructure/major_projects/flinders_link/community_engagement

REGARDING A NEW TONSLEY STATION

The Tonsley Line Review by Gould Thorpe Planning is the place to discuss the future of all the railway stations along the Tonsley branch line.

Please give your feedback to the Tonsley Line Review http://tonsleylinereview.com.au

Email the Save Tonsley Station campaign at savetonsleystation@gmail.com or join the discussion in the Facebook group 'Tonsley Station Friends': https://www.facebook.com/groups/438999896555463/about/

THANK YOU for your continuing support.
NOW is the critical time to find an effective solution for a new Tonsley station.
PLEASE participate and spread the word in your networks.

IMPORTANT LINKS

Save Tonsley Station campaign email: savetonsleystation@gmail.com

Tonsley Station Friends Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/438999896555463/about/

Tonsley Line Review (Gould Thorpe Planning - GTP): http://tonsleylinereview.com.au

DPTI Flinders Link Community Engagement: https://www.dpti.sa.gov.au/infrastructure/major_projects/flinders_link/community_engagement

DPTI Flinders Link Newsletters: https://www.dpti.sa.gov.au/infrastructure/major_projects/flinders_link/publications

City of Marion: https://www.marion.sa.gov.au/