Beenleigh to Ipswich

[tramtrain]

Just an idea I had. Why do we have the running patterns we do today? Historical accident? Convenience for the network planners? Some other reason?

There is a lot of traffic that originates on the SE Freeway and uses the Expressway to arc around the river and go to places like Milton, Toowong and Indooroopilly.

One idea would be to have Beenleigh line trains go via the CBD (ICRCS) and then onto Roma St & the Ipswich line to directly compete with the SE Freeway. A direct bus route skipping cultural centre could also be considered.

[somebody]

I have no idea at all why you are proposing this.  Something like Sunnybank-Richlands might make some sense, but Manly-Richlands would be better.  Substitute Corinda for Richlands before Richlands opens.

EDIT: I was think of via Tennyson here.

[stephenk]

Oh dear, daft idea of the week.

The reason that running patterns are as they are:
-Most people travel between the suburbs and the CBD.
-It is operationally simple to run trains through the CBD, North to South and South to North with paired lines.
-The line pairings avoid conflicting moves.

By the way, where in the ICRCS does it suggest that a Beenleigh Line train access the Ipswich Line without having to reverse (and thus block a track for 10mins)?

[mufreight]

Please explain where a Beenleigh line train would have to reverse to access the Ipswich line.

[curator49]

Why is a Beenleigh to Ipswich and a Cleveland to Ipswich (and points in between) service a stupid idea?

There are quite a number of people that do that journey (probably many more than what I am imagining). I am sure that if such a service with a suitable frequency was offering it would be used by more and more people and get more cars off the road.

I think the biggest issue though is a lack of track capacity/capability for the additional train services.

About ten years ago I would catch the first train inbound at Sunnybank at 5:30 am travel to Yeerongpilly then catch the Yeerongpilly/Tennyson/Corinda train to Corinda then an Ipswich train at Corinda.

Getting off at Ipswich I would then walk across the David Trumpy bridge to work. Arrival at work was about 7:10 am. When the bus was substituted for the Corinda shuttle and there was a requirement for me to start work by 6:00 am, I started driving, and have done ever since.

[tramtrain]

I was trying to mirror the large traffic flow that occurs when cars spill out of the SE Freeway, onto the Riverside Expressway, on to Coronation drive to work in Milton, Auchenflower, Toowong, Taringa, UQ and Indooroopilly.

There are 2 ideas:

Option A
Beenleigh line
CBD via ICRCS (modified)
Roma Street
Ipswich Line

Option B
Beenleigh line,
Tennyson
Ipswich Line
CBD


Rather than planning train routes based on constraints in the system, my idea was to make trains match the bulk routes that people travel and modify the network to accomodate that. The network is supposed to be built to serve the people, not the other way around.

[somebody]

Please explain where a Beenleigh line train would have to reverse to access the Ipswich line.

It would if it was Beenleigh to Ipswich via the CBD.

[mufreight]

The preferable options are that one service per hour off the Beenleigh line operate via Tennyson into and out of the CBD, as a link service a similar service be operated Clevland to Ipswich via Tenyson, this would provide a link for commuters from the Clevland line, and the Beenleigh line to the Ipswich line saving the present extended trip times through the CBD and would resolve the problems of the present failure of connections between services from the Gold Coast and Ipswich line services.

[tramtrain]

One could consider running 3 car trains or high floored LRT services- depends on what the demand is like during peak hour.

[somebody]

The preferable options are that one service per hour off the Beenleigh line operate via Tennyson into and out of the CBD,

I don't like this idea particularly.  If you mean 1/hour Beenleigh-city via Tennyson and 1/hour Beenleigh via South Bank, what would service Yeerongpilly-Dutton park, or are they only getting an hourly frequency?

Thinking some more about this, there's nowhere I am aware of between Manly and Park Rd to turn trains around besides Manly, so a Manly-Ipswich line service would involve a lot of low patronage running.  Also, that would not pick up the Coasties unless they returned to stopping at Yeerongpilly off peak, and it's not too bad to change at Roma St for such commutes.  I actually think that a Sunnybank-Richlands service would make some sense, but the lack of wires on the 4th track would be a big problem to do this in peak.  If Richlands receives only 2tph off peak to the city, that could be supplemented by 2tph to Sunnybank with a change at Darra for the city.  It also picks up Coopers plains which makes sense for interchange with the Coasties. 

Of course, I am assuming that a Sunnybank turnback exists!  Altandi would be even better.

[tramtrain]

Just during peak hour for a start to test.
Beenleigh or Kuraby --->Tennyson --->Ipswich Line