Photo 1 Looking south from the same bridge as in following photos which looked north. If there was any doubt as to how fast trams would go on this extension, the answer is below. This thus leaves the Sydney IWLR trams as Australia’s fastest-capable trams. I wonder what else besides trams is likely to be doing such speeding along here.

2 is a general view of the terminus.

3 shows the short siding. While it could be used to store a defective, I think it more likely to be used to store what Melbourne calls a Block Car, one ready to jump into service to fill a gap, quite a possibility during the Commonwealth Games. There would have to be a massive rethink to design that siding to take the tram-carrying trailer which all up must be near 50 metres long, not real suited to sharp turns.

4 It looks like some branch of the Sydney LR builders has scored a contract here. This is where the bus stops were on the north side of Helensvale station exit. It has taken this mob around a month to take away a narrow roof and dig up the bus bays. You can see how busy they were around 9am. But rather than finish that then rip out the south side, they have got stuck into that as well.

5 Presumably it is the same mob who is taking a few months to fiddle with the elevator. Nevertheless the hoardings preventing a view of the bridge to the tram terminus were briefly removed, giving some idea of its appearance from inside. It is not clear yet as to whether this bridge and especially the ‘paid’ area of the existing part of the bridge will have to be modified to allow people parking on the east side of the railway to access the west side without having to hold a Gocard.

Regards,