Where should the next Depot be?

[Bus 400]

After having a word with the guys out at RATEC, it looks as if Woden Depot is to be re-opened in the next year or so, with some spaces been taken back. But one of them did wonder why doesn't ACTION open a depot out at Gungahlin as it is to be quite extensive. Which I do think sound quite a good idea.

[Buzz Killington]

They picked Woden for a reason, but Mitchell has been raised as a possible depot location a number of times over the years

[Bus 400]

Well if they use the same building that was there in the old depot days with NOTHING of been altered. Then drivers will be queuing for Woden Depot-something that drivers from back then may remember & explain.

[Snorzac]

I am leaning towards TP3000's idea, somewhere Gungahlin area would be great for a depot, it is a major center of Canberra and you can build a depot big enough to hold about as many buses as there are at Belconnen or Tuggeranong.

[Bus 400]

Also when Casey/Taylor Group Centre opens, qute a few North Gungahlin runs may only run between Casey/Taylor & Gungahlin MP. Which will mean a lot of travel from Gungahlin MP & Belconnen. Also northside will need more buses then southside. Although with Molonglo Valley starting up, buses will be need southside. So maybe Gungahlin Depot would be a better idea for the next 5 years with Woden Depot re-opened after that.

Although another point to add is that it looks as if RATEC may have to move & they are looking at room in Woden Depot. Which they might prefer a bit better.

[Sir Pompously]

Why build a brand new depot first when you can re-open a depot in Phillip which is all there and ready to go (With a few minor alterations of course)? Best to use what you have got first.

From memory the reason they are re-opening the depot is so it is a parking area to prevent buses from doing so much dead running, especially at night and after peaks.

[Bus 400]

Although the depot will be considerably smaller then when it closed. As there is that Phillip Health Centre, etc at the northern end. They RATEC guys were saying how ACTION don't have the room for the 100 new buses coming this year.

Anyway depending on how Gungahlin/Molonglo grow, there may be a depot in either area.

[Irisbus Rider]

As a driver and I discusseed once, Mitchell would be ideal, cheap land, close to both Gungahlin City and Belconnen.
Plus if ACTION were to downsize Belconnen Depot, they could sell the commercial land for quite a bit of money, possibly enough to pay for a state of the art in Mitchell!

Or just re-open the Kingston Depot

[Sir Pompously]

Smaller or not, it is still there as viable infrastruture for the futrue needs of ACTION.

Kingston Depot John? Lets not disrupt the greenies in their new, you beut apartments around the foreshore

[Irisbus Rider]

You beaut? I beg your pardon?

Downsize Belconnen Depot to a satellite depot, to hold 50 or so buses, get rid of the workshop, and open a "mega-depot" in Mitchell to hold 250 buses, state of the art workshop, and stretched over a large area with room for expansion. Mitchell has plenty of industrial land thats avaliable for that sort of a development.

[Bus 400]

As a driver and I discusseed once, Mitchell would be ideal, cheap land, close to both Gungahlin City and Belconnen.
Plus if ACTION were to downsize Belconnen Depot, they could sell the commercial land for quite a bit of money, possibly enough to pay for a state of the art in Mitchell!

This could work better especially now that Gungahlin Drive runs all the way to Glenloch Interchange. So this would provide easy access to Belconnen, Gungahlin, Woden, Weston Creek, Molonglo and North & South Canberra.

[Buzz Killington]

perhaps an option for the future but for now its not a viable option if they want to really cut down on dead-running

[Bus 400]

I am leaning towards TP3000's idea, somewhere Gungahlin area would be great for a depot.

Just to set things straight it was one of the RATEC guys who pointed that out & I'm not a retied bus driver just yet.

[Bus 400]

I would wonder if the light rail goes ahead, maybe the depot at Mitchell could be big enough from light rail vechiles.

[Buzz Killington]

light rail? pfffft

but that's a topic for another thread