Why this Parramatta Light Rail tram was trashed with sandbags
It may seem like this Sydney train car full of sandbags was destroyed before it even had a chance to enter service, but there is a very innocent explanation.
The 1,500 sandbags packed into a light rail tram in Parramatta in the city’s west were used to simulate the equivalent weight of 400 passengers: a full tram.
The sandbags covered almost every inch of the floor and seats of the tram.
It’s all part of an extensive testing regime to get Parramatta Light Rail ready to welcome passengers on board within months.
“It helps our drivers test how these trams perform when they are full – rain, hail or shine,” NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen explained.
She shared another photo of the sandbags ready to be loaded onto the tram one by one and later assured that the sand will be used further along the track.
“Once testing is complete, this sand will not be lost. We will use it to replenish the tram’s sand reserves, which it then uses to grip the tracks when it rains,” Ms Haylen said.
But not everyone agreed that this was a good way to see how a tram full of passengers would work.
It may seem like a sandbag-laden train carriage in Sydney (pictured) was destroyed before it even had a chance to enter service – but there’s a very innocent explanation
About 1,500 sandbags (photo) are used to simulate the weight of 400 passengers – a full tram
“This would not test the full dynamics of what I think is called ‘a live load,'” one person commented.
‘People move as if water is sloshing around in a large aquarium in the same carriage.
“I would suggest something like a large drum that is not completely filled (to the same weight as a person) so that you can slosh and move, at least as if someone were standing and holding onto a rail.”
Another was of the opinion that the center of gravity of the sandbags was too low.
‘It’s like comparing this on an electric car and implementing it on a petrol car of a similar weight. They’re just not the same,” she added.
The sandbags will help “drivers test how these trams perform when full – rain, hail or shine,” said NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen (pictured)
A third rejected the idea of such a test, suggesting it was a waste of taxpayers’ money.
“Whoever came up with that idea could only work for the government,” they wrote.
Others saw the funny side
“You’ve heard of snakes on a plane and now on the beach on a train,” someone joked.
Another joked: ‘Take your plastic bucket and spade and make some sand castles.’