I used the IWLR to travel from Taverners Hill to Haymarket yesterday, around 1.30pm. I rode the adless 2123, with the novelty feature of clear windows.. I noticed the next outbound tram was 24 minutes away, a time that didn’t reduce in the 7 minutes I waited for the inbound 2123. No outbound car passed till I reached Wentworth park, when the first outbound appeared between the Wentworth Park and Fish Markets stops, followed by three more about 2 minutes apart. I’ve no idea what the delay was.

Outbound, at 2.40 I got on a packed 2118, which despite the usual large number alighting at the Casino, still had standees when I got off at Taverners Hill. A large bunch of high school students got on at Glebe, which contributed to the heavy loading. 2118 had the full AOA wrap covering all side windows.

Some other items of interest I saw were there are 2 more trams, 2116 and 2120, now running without AOA as well as 2123 - how long this remains before the AOA is inflicted on these cars again remains to be seen. At Lilyfield, in what has become the “perway yard”, I noticed a double track, three way junction was being assembled out of the components stored there, presumably for the George and Hay Sts intersection. I try and get a pic of that when I can.

Another interesting development I’ve noted over time is the declining number of tram passengers to the Jubilee Park stop going to the Tramsheds in the old Rozelle depot. When it first opened there large numbers travelling there, but these numbers have dropped off considerably over time, no doubt due to the novelty dropping off, and because of the high prices charged by the vendors.

This weekend, with the inner west all stations train service replaced by buses, due to work on the Lewisham viaduct, loadings on the IWLR will be high..

Tony G