RAIL - Back On Track Forum

Yes, rail planners have access to the software and systems that allow proper train path service modelling.

Duplication needs to occur from Birkdale to Cleveland as the necessary first step to allow 8 trains / hour (4 UP and 4 DOWN).

I will be advocating for that. Accepting half baked outcomes is no longer acceptable.

====

https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?msg=262451

* The longest single track sections are Cleveland-Wellington Point, and Wellington Point- Thorneside. They are more than double the transit time of the other single track sections when the dwell times at the stations (Birkdale and Ormiston) are taken into account.

* Duplicating Birkdale-Cleveland would allow an increase in capacity to 8 trains per hour (8tph) reliably, would be relatively straightforward in terms of construction (low numbers of bridges, few sensitive areas, wide corridor), and greatly enhance reliability and flexibility by removing the terminal constraints and all single platform stations.

* From a delivery perspective, duplicating Birkdale-Cleveland would still allow full service to be run from Thorneside to the city while the duplication was occurring. Indeed, it is probably possible to run 8tph Thorneside-City during construction, which would help QR bed in the higher level of frequency, while bringing forward passenger benefits.

* A train turn-back facility could be built at Manly or Lota station to help improve reliability for additional infill services as well. This should ideally be constructed on the future duplication alignment to avoid redundant infrastructure.

I think that the first and most important step is to make sure the outer section of the line can reliably run 15 minute service. Right now it's barely managing it and we all know how much it's an issue for everything else.

Luckily, incremental improvements are possible. Every duplicated station is another passing loop; another point where a delayed train and an on-time train can pass where they previously couldn't. Of course, the difference in cost between full duplication outward of Birkdale and anything less that gets Birkdale and Ormiston to two platforms is probably pretty small.

Just a point of interest.  Cleveland has a very interesting history.



These tweets summarise it.

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1205009349707358209

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1205010631021084672

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1205014689698193408

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1205023283210383361

Facebook ...

^ This has been a very popular FB post ...  quite the story is Cleveland railway station over the years.

Cleveland Railway Estate 1886

SLQ https://collections.slq.qld.gov.au/viewer/IE2897684

Anything less than full duplication in the next decade is another half baked Queensland project.

I do agree it can however be broken into two stages to provide additional capacity as soon as possible. This will also help on the budget front.

The other thing about the Cleveland line is that there was an intention to extend the line from Cleveland to Redland Bay but the depression in the 1930s I think stopped it from happening in that era. There are a lot of references to the extension in the newspapers of the day at Trove. My understanding is that there was another commitment to consider the extension when the line was reopened to Cleveland in 1987. Again it didn't happen. Will not happen now as I don't think there is a corridor reserved.

For interest:
Trove The Daily Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1903; 1916 - 1926) Fri 29 Sep 1922
Page 6
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/213217971

The Cleveland  line has a somewhat chequered history. Some might say 'shafted', time and time again ..

It was only the actions of the local Redland Shire Council that preserved the rail corridor from Lota to Cleveland when the line was closed in 1960.

In SEQ Rail Connect there is this present committment:

CLEVELAND LINE
$1.7 million in planning to
improve reliability on the
Cleveland Line

https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/-/media/aboutus/corpinfo/Publications/SEQ-Rail-Connect/SEQ-Rail-Connect-1-page-view.pdf
Page 4. 

Planning and studies have been done again, and again. 

What is needed is action! Works on the ground!!

Sent to all outlets:

Update on on-time running performance for Queensland Rail Citytrain Month of February 2023

13th April 2023

Greetings,

Overall (aggregate) On-Time Running (OTR) results for February 2023 for 24/7 and CP FMA measurements were below the target of 95% for Citytrain. 
OTR dropped off once again.



image: https://backontrack.org/docs/qr/monthly_otr/2023/feb/qrtotalfeb23.jpg

Reference at the RAIL Back On Track forum >  https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=15134.0 where detailed analyses of all individual lines are available.

But what is of great concern is the continuing poor OTR of the Cleveland line. What an embarrassment and a testament to the failure to upgrade the line!
How is this line going to cope when paired with Ferny Grove when the new network post Cross River Rail is introduced?

The State Government and Translink/TMR have ' rail failed ' on a grand scale.  The Sunshine Coast line and the metropolitan Citytrain network,  years behind necessary infrastructure upgrades.  Facts speak, spin is pointless.



image: https://backontrack.org/docs/qr/monthly_otr/2023/feb/clevelandfeb23.jpg

Urgent action is needed to address the single line section between Manly and Cleveland. 
Cross River Rail is not going to deliver much in terms of improved network performance unless actions are taken now to upgrade network infrastructure.

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1646259268100972544

Sent to all outlets:

Cleveland line - essential infrastructure upgrades required

14th April 2023

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) has called for urgent track amplification and additional platforms on the Cleveland line.

The opening of Cross River Rail in 2025 will see train services reorganised across SEQ. As announced in the SEQ Rail Connect plan, the Ferny Grove Line will be paired with the Cleveland Line. The Ferny Grove line is fully duplicated.

The Cleveland line is a single track after Manly station. This restricts frequency of services, and the line is notoriously unreliable in OTR.
In line with the 2017 study ' Park Road to Cleveland Rail Upgrade Planning Project ' (1) we call for an immediate upgrade of the section Birkdale through to Cleveland.

* The longest single-track sections are Cleveland-Wellington Point, and Wellington Point-Thorneside. They are more than double the transit time of the other single-track sections when the dwell times at the stations (Birkdale and Ormiston) are taken into account.

* Duplicating Birkdale-Cleveland would allow an increase in capacity to 8 trains per hour (8tph) reliably, would be relatively straightforward in terms of construction (low numbers of bridges, few sensitive areas, wide corridor), and greatly enhance reliability and flexibility by removing the terminal constraints and all single platform stations.

* From a delivery perspective, duplicating Birkdale-Cleveland would still allow full service to be run from Thorneside to the city while the duplication was occurring. Indeed, it is probably possible to run 8tph Thorneside-City during construction, which would help QR bed in the higher level of frequency, while bringing forward passenger benefits.

* A train turn-back facility could be built at Manly or Lota station to help improve reliability for additional infill services as well. This should ideally be constructed on the future duplication alignment to avoid redundant infrastructure.

Just as we don't have single lane bridges on motorways in South East Queensland, we should also not have single-track sections on the Brisbane suburban rail network. The Queensland Rail network must be modernised to meet modern expectations for basic average train speed, frequency, and reliability. Our rail network is lagging behind other peer cities with lower population and lower density, such as Perth.

When Cross River Rail opens there will be plenty of capacity for trains to and from Cleveland through Roma St, South Brisbane, South Bank, Park Road.  It will be important to ensure that there are sufficient trains to service that corridor which is why it is important to have the Cleveland line upgraded NOW, so that there is time to get it ready for 2025.  For the Government to keep spinning that there isn't any capacity to increase services on the Cleveland line until Cross River Rail is complete is treating us as fools. Works need to begin now to ensure the line is able to deliver more trains, more often, reliably, when Cross River Rail is commissioned.  Cleveland line passengers also deserve to have a frequent reliable rail service.

Our recommendations are in alignment with those of the 2017 report (1).
The issue has been analysed already, and the solution is clear and unambiguous.
There is no need for further study, just a requirement to progress to design and delivery.

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org


Reference:

1. RTI 955/2020: A copy of the Park Road to Cleveland Rail Upgrade Planning Project (PDF, 65.43 MB), Stage 1 Duplication – Technical Assessment Report (July 2017).
https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/_/media/aboutus/rti/disclog/2020/rti-955-released-documents.pdf

Quote from: ozbob on April 13, 2023, 05:03:22 AMSent to all outlets:

Update on on-time running performance for Queensland Rail Citytrain Month of February 2023

13th April 2023

Greetings,

Overall (aggregate) On-Time Running (OTR) results for February 2023 for 24/7 and CP FMA measurements were below the target of 95% for Citytrain. 
OTR dropped off once again.



image: https://backontrack.org/docs/qr/monthly_otr/2023/feb/qrtotalfeb23.jpg

Reference at the RAIL Back On Track forum >  https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=15134.0 where detailed analyses of all individual lines are available.

But what is of great concern is the continuing poor OTR of the Cleveland line. What an embarrassment and a testament to the failure to upgrade the line!
How is this line going to cope when paired with Ferny Grove when the new network post Cross River Rail is introduced?

The State Government and Translink/TMR have ' rail failed ' on a grand scale.  The Sunshine Coast line and the metropolitan Citytrain network,  years behind necessary infrastructure upgrades.  Facts speak, spin is pointless.



image: https://backontrack.org/docs/qr/monthly_otr/2023/feb/clevelandfeb23.jpg

Urgent action is needed to address the single line section between Manly and Cleveland. 
Cross River Rail is not going to deliver much in terms of improved network performance unless actions are taken now to upgrade network infrastructure.

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

Facebook ...

Map of the Cleveland railway line, Brisbane.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_railway_line

Sorry if I've missed a lot of discussion, but why is the recommendation to duplicate from Birkdale rather than Thorneside? I thought I remembered discussion to the effect that duplication from Thorneside to Wellington Point (including a second platform at Birkdale obviously) while leaving Manly-Thorneside and Wellington Point-Cleveland as single track sections would still enable reliable operation of 4tph in both directions. Would this not be a cheaper option and therefore more likely to get up?

Crossing Tingalpa Creek would clearly be a big task, but a handful of extra rail-over-road bridges between Thorneside and Birkdale can't be that difficult.

Birkdale to Cleveland is straightforward and will allow for the increase in frequency.  Reasons as stated.  Eventually we would hope that the entire section Manly to Cleveland will be duplicated.
Think of this as the first stage.

Sent to all outlets:

Congestion on the Cleveland line

19th April 2023

Greetings,

The Cleveland line continues to be ' mentioned in dispatches ' as to disruptions on the Citytrain network.
The cause of many delays, altered running patterns and service cancellations is described as ' Congestion on the Cleveland line '.
Again this highlights why the Cleveland line needs to be upgraded.

For interest we monitor the ' Congestion on the Cleveland line ' service disruptions here > https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?msg=261843
This is a live widget that shows the last 6 reported disruptions due to ' Congestion on the Cleveland line '

For a longer list (Twitter) see > https://twitter.com/search?q=%40Translink_QLD%20congestion%20on%20the%20Cleveland%20line&src=typed_query&f=live

The Cleveland line needs sorting out now.  Not when the network melts down when Cross River Rail opens, that would be truly ' awesome ' hey Minister Bailey?

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

Quote from: ozbob on April 14, 2023, 03:55:50 AMSent to all outlets:

Cleveland line - essential infrastructure upgrades required

14th April 2023

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) has called for urgent track amplification and additional platforms on the Cleveland line.

The opening of Cross River Rail in 2025 will see train services reorganised across SEQ. As announced in the SEQ Rail Connect plan, the Ferny Grove Line will be paired with the Cleveland Line. The Ferny Grove line is fully duplicated.

The Cleveland line is a single track after Manly station. This restricts frequency of services, and the line is notoriously unreliable in OTR.
In line with the 2017 study ' Park Road to Cleveland Rail Upgrade Planning Project ' (1) we call for an immediate upgrade of the section Birkdale through to Cleveland.

* The longest single-track sections are Cleveland-Wellington Point, and Wellington Point-Thorneside. They are more than double the transit time of the other single-track sections when the dwell times at the stations (Birkdale and Ormiston) are taken into account.

* Duplicating Birkdale-Cleveland would allow an increase in capacity to 8 trains per hour (8tph) reliably, would be relatively straightforward in terms of construction (low numbers of bridges, few sensitive areas, wide corridor), and greatly enhance reliability and flexibility by removing the terminal constraints and all single platform stations.

* From a delivery perspective, duplicating Birkdale-Cleveland would still allow full service to be run from Thorneside to the city while the duplication was occurring. Indeed, it is probably possible to run 8tph Thorneside-City during construction, which would help QR bed in the higher level of frequency, while bringing forward passenger benefits.

* A train turn-back facility could be built at Manly or Lota station to help improve reliability for additional infill services as well. This should ideally be constructed on the future duplication alignment to avoid redundant infrastructure.

Just as we don't have single lane bridges on motorways in South East Queensland, we should also not have single-track sections on the Brisbane suburban rail network. The Queensland Rail network must be modernised to meet modern expectations for basic average train speed, frequency, and reliability. Our rail network is lagging behind other peer cities with lower population and lower density, such as Perth.

When Cross River Rail opens there will be plenty of capacity for trains to and from Cleveland through Roma St, South Brisbane, South Bank, Park Road.  It will be important to ensure that there are sufficient trains to service that corridor which is why it is important to have the Cleveland line upgraded NOW, so that there is time to get it ready for 2025.  For the Government to keep spinning that there isn't any capacity to increase services on the Cleveland line until Cross River Rail is complete is treating us as fools. Works need to begin now to ensure the line is able to deliver more trains, more often, reliably, when Cross River Rail is commissioned.  Cleveland line passengers also deserve to have a frequent reliable rail service.

Our recommendations are in alignment with those of the 2017 report (1).
The issue has been analysed already, and the solution is clear and unambiguous.
There is no need for further study, just a requirement to progress to design and delivery.

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org


Reference:

1. RTI 955/2020: A copy of the Park Road to Cleveland Rail Upgrade Planning Project (PDF, 65.43 MB), Stage 1 Duplication – Technical Assessment Report (July 2017).
https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/_/media/aboutus/rti/disclog/2020/rti-955-released-documents.pdf

Quote from: ozbob on April 13, 2023, 05:03:22 AMSent to all outlets:

Update on on-time running performance for Queensland Rail Citytrain Month of February 2023

13th April 2023

Greetings,

Overall (aggregate) On-Time Running (OTR) results for February 2023 for 24/7 and CP FMA measurements were below the target of 95% for Citytrain. 
OTR dropped off once again.



image: https://backontrack.org/docs/qr/monthly_otr/2023/feb/qrtotalfeb23.jpg

Reference at the RAIL Back On Track forum >  https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=15134.0 where detailed analyses of all individual lines are available.

But what is of great concern is the continuing poor OTR of the Cleveland line. What an embarrassment and a testament to the failure to upgrade the line!
How is this line going to cope when paired with Ferny Grove when the new network post Cross River Rail is introduced?

The State Government and Translink/TMR have ' rail failed ' on a grand scale.  The Sunshine Coast line and the metropolitan Citytrain network,  years behind necessary infrastructure upgrades.  Facts speak, spin is pointless.



image: https://backontrack.org/docs/qr/monthly_otr/2023/feb/clevelandfeb23.jpg

Urgent action is needed to address the single line section between Manly and Cleveland. 
Cross River Rail is not going to deliver much in terms of improved network performance unless actions are taken now to upgrade network infrastructure.

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

Facebook ...

Utter shambles ...

Like clockwork unfortunately ... here is another service alteration due to ' congestion on the Cleveland line ' this morning peak!

https://twitter.com/Translink_QLD/status/1648433254561894402

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1651339607592808448

Quite a number of Cleveland and Gold Coast/Roma Street services have been running express Eagle Junction-Bowen Hills. Or in terms of Airport-City services express International to Bowen Hills.

Crikey ... 

Latest OTR for the Cleveland line, yet another new 'subterranean' lowlight!

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1656374717157359616

Sent to all outlets:

Cleveland line essential infrastructure upgrades required

14th May 2023

Greetings,

On-time running (OTR) data for Queensland Rail Citytrain is now available for March 2023.
( https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=15176.0 )

The Cleveland line OTR goes from terrible to a real shocker!  The years of neglect coming home to roost now!


https://backontrack.org/docs/qr/monthly_otr/2023/mar/clevelandmar23.jpg

This OTR profile is not acceptable.  The opening of CRR with the proposed network changes is going to be an OTR basket case!

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

Quote from: ozbob on April 14, 2023, 03:55:50 AMSent to all outlets:

Cleveland line - essential infrastructure upgrades required

14th April 2023

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) has called for urgent track amplification and additional platforms on the Cleveland line.

The opening of Cross River Rail in 2025 will see train services reorganised across SEQ. As announced in the SEQ Rail Connect plan, the Ferny Grove Line will be paired with the Cleveland Line. The Ferny Grove line is fully duplicated.

The Cleveland line is a single track after Manly station. This restricts frequency of services, and the line is notoriously unreliable in OTR.
In line with the 2017 study ' Park Road to Cleveland Rail Upgrade Planning Project ' (1) we call for an immediate upgrade of the section Birkdale through to Cleveland.

* The longest single-track sections are Cleveland-Wellington Point, and Wellington Point-Thorneside. They are more than double the transit time of the other single-track sections when the dwell times at the stations (Birkdale and Ormiston) are taken into account.

* Duplicating Birkdale-Cleveland would allow an increase in capacity to 8 trains per hour (8tph) reliably, would be relatively straightforward in terms of construction (low numbers of bridges, few sensitive areas, wide corridor), and greatly enhance reliability and flexibility by removing the terminal constraints and all single platform stations.

* From a delivery perspective, duplicating Birkdale-Cleveland would still allow full service to be run from Thorneside to the city while the duplication was occurring. Indeed, it is probably possible to run 8tph Thorneside-City during construction, which would help QR bed in the higher level of frequency, while bringing forward passenger benefits.

* A train turn-back facility could be built at Manly or Lota station to help improve reliability for additional infill services as well. This should ideally be constructed on the future duplication alignment to avoid redundant infrastructure.

Just as we don't have single lane bridges on motorways in South East Queensland, we should also not have single-track sections on the Brisbane suburban rail network. The Queensland Rail network must be modernised to meet modern expectations for basic average train speed, frequency, and reliability. Our rail network is lagging behind other peer cities with lower population and lower density, such as Perth.

When Cross River Rail opens there will be plenty of capacity for trains to and from Cleveland through Roma St, South Brisbane, South Bank, Park Road.  It will be important to ensure that there are sufficient trains to service that corridor which is why it is important to have the Cleveland line upgraded NOW, so that there is time to get it ready for 2025.  For the Government to keep spinning that there isn't any capacity to increase services on the Cleveland line until Cross River Rail is complete is treating us as fools. Works need to begin now to ensure the line is able to deliver more trains, more often, reliably, when Cross River Rail is commissioned.  Cleveland line passengers also deserve to have a frequent reliable rail service.

Our recommendations are in alignment with those of the 2017 report (1).
The issue has been analysed already, and the solution is clear and unambiguous.
There is no need for further study, just a requirement to progress to design and delivery.

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org


Reference:

1. RTI 955/2020: A copy of the Park Road to Cleveland Rail Upgrade Planning Project (PDF, 65.43 MB), Stage 1 Duplication – Technical Assessment Report (July 2017).
https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/_/media/aboutus/rti/disclog/2020/rti-955-released-documents.pdf

Quote from: ozbob on April 13, 2023, 05:03:22 AMSent to all outlets:

Update on on-time running performance for Queensland Rail Citytrain Month of February 2023

13th April 2023

Greetings,

Overall (aggregate) On-Time Running (OTR) results for February 2023 for 24/7 and CP FMA measurements were below the target of 95% for Citytrain. 
OTR dropped off once again.



image: https://backontrack.org/docs/qr/monthly_otr/2023/feb/qrtotalfeb23.jpg

Reference at the RAIL Back On Track forum >  https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=15134.0 where detailed analyses of all individual lines are available.

But what is of great concern is the continuing poor OTR of the Cleveland line. What an embarrassment and a testament to the failure to upgrade the line!
How is this line going to cope when paired with Ferny Grove when the new network post Cross River Rail is introduced?

The State Government and Translink/TMR have ' rail failed ' on a grand scale.  The Sunshine Coast line and the metropolitan Citytrain network,  years behind necessary infrastructure upgrades.  Facts speak, spin is pointless.



image: https://backontrack.org/docs/qr/monthly_otr/2023/feb/clevelandfeb23.jpg

Urgent action is needed to address the single line section between Manly and Cleveland. 
Cross River Rail is not going to deliver much in terms of improved network performance unless actions are taken now to upgrade network infrastructure.

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

And it continues ...

e.g.

https://twitter.com/Translink_QLD/status/1660410326905507843

IIRC DP19 from Varsity Lakes which has a cross with the above train at the international terminal was also cut at Central this morning due to Cleveland congestion. The delays on the Cleveland line were causing 5-8 minute delays on the Airport line and both ncl subs. Some Shorncliffe/Cleveland services ran all stopping on the mains to bypass delays.

Sent to all outlets:

Cleveland line OTR continues to disappoint

15th June 2023

Greetings,

On-time running (OTR) data for Queensland Rail Citytrain is now available for April 2023

See https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?msg=271960

The Cleveland line unacceptable OTR continues.  This line MUST be upgraded before the commissioning of CRR.  Otherwise failure awaits.
This upgrade should have been in the 2023-24 budget!


image: https://backontrack.org/docs/qr/monthly_otr/2023/apr/clevelandapr23.jpg

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

Quote from: ozbob on May 14, 2023, 04:05:02 AMSent to all outlets:

Cleveland line essential infrastructure upgrades required

14th May 2023

Greetings,

On-time running (OTR) data for Queensland Rail Citytrain is now available for March 2023.
( https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=15176.0 )

The Cleveland line OTR goes from terrible to a real shocker!  The years of neglect coming home to roost now!


https://backontrack.org/docs/qr/monthly_otr/2023/mar/clevelandmar23.jpg

This OTR profile is not acceptable.  The opening of CRR with the proposed network changes is going to be an OTR basket case!

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

Quote from: ozbob on April 14, 2023, 03:55:50 AMSent to all outlets:

Cleveland line - essential infrastructure upgrades required

14th April 2023

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) has called for urgent track amplification and additional platforms on the Cleveland line.

The opening of Cross River Rail in 2025 will see train services reorganised across SEQ. As announced in the SEQ Rail Connect plan, the Ferny Grove Line will be paired with the Cleveland Line. The Ferny Grove line is fully duplicated.

The Cleveland line is a single track after Manly station. This restricts frequency of services, and the line is notoriously unreliable in OTR.
In line with the 2017 study ' Park Road to Cleveland Rail Upgrade Planning Project ' (1) we call for an immediate upgrade of the section Birkdale through to Cleveland.

* The longest single-track sections are Cleveland-Wellington Point, and Wellington Point-Thorneside. They are more than double the transit time of the other single-track sections when the dwell times at the stations (Birkdale and Ormiston) are taken into account.

* Duplicating Birkdale-Cleveland would allow an increase in capacity to 8 trains per hour (8tph) reliably, would be relatively straightforward in terms of construction (low numbers of bridges, few sensitive areas, wide corridor), and greatly enhance reliability and flexibility by removing the terminal constraints and all single platform stations.

* From a delivery perspective, duplicating Birkdale-Cleveland would still allow full service to be run from Thorneside to the city while the duplication was occurring. Indeed, it is probably possible to run 8tph Thorneside-City during construction, which would help QR bed in the higher level of frequency, while bringing forward passenger benefits.

* A train turn-back facility could be built at Manly or Lota station to help improve reliability for additional infill services as well. This should ideally be constructed on the future duplication alignment to avoid redundant infrastructure.

Just as we don't have single lane bridges on motorways in South East Queensland, we should also not have single-track sections on the Brisbane suburban rail network. The Queensland Rail network must be modernised to meet modern expectations for basic average train speed, frequency, and reliability. Our rail network is lagging behind other peer cities with lower population and lower density, such as Perth.

When Cross River Rail opens there will be plenty of capacity for trains to and from Cleveland through Roma St, South Brisbane, South Bank, Park Road.  It will be important to ensure that there are sufficient trains to service that corridor which is why it is important to have the Cleveland line upgraded NOW, so that there is time to get it ready for 2025.  For the Government to keep spinning that there isn't any capacity to increase services on the Cleveland line until Cross River Rail is complete is treating us as fools. Works need to begin now to ensure the line is able to deliver more trains, more often, reliably, when Cross River Rail is commissioned.  Cleveland line passengers also deserve to have a frequent reliable rail service.

Our recommendations are in alignment with those of the 2017 report (1).
The issue has been analysed already, and the solution is clear and unambiguous.
There is no need for further study, just a requirement to progress to design and delivery.

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org


Reference:

1. RTI 955/2020: A copy of the Park Road to Cleveland Rail Upgrade Planning Project (PDF, 65.43 MB), Stage 1 Duplication – Technical Assessment Report (July 2017).
https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/_/media/aboutus/rti/disclog/2020/rti-955-released-documents.pdf

Quote from: ozbob on April 13, 2023, 05:03:22 AMSent to all outlets:

Update on on-time running performance for Queensland Rail Citytrain Month of February 2023

13th April 2023

Greetings,

Overall (aggregate) On-Time Running (OTR) results for February 2023 for 24/7 and CP FMA measurements were below the target of 95% for Citytrain. 
OTR dropped off once again.



image: https://backontrack.org/docs/qr/monthly_otr/2023/feb/qrtotalfeb23.jpg

Reference at the RAIL Back On Track forum >  https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=15134.0 where detailed analyses of all individual lines are available.

But what is of great concern is the continuing poor OTR of the Cleveland line. What an embarrassment and a testament to the failure to upgrade the line!
How is this line going to cope when paired with Ferny Grove when the new network post Cross River Rail is introduced?

The State Government and Translink/TMR have ' rail failed ' on a grand scale.  The Sunshine Coast line and the metropolitan Citytrain network,  years behind necessary infrastructure upgrades.  Facts speak, spin is pointless.



image: https://backontrack.org/docs/qr/monthly_otr/2023/feb/clevelandfeb23.jpg

Urgent action is needed to address the single line section between Manly and Cleveland. 
Cross River Rail is not going to deliver much in terms of improved network performance unless actions are taken now to upgrade network infrastructure.

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

There were 4 service disruptions due to ' congestion on the Cleveland line ' yesterday morning peak ...

 

Can't they just use the Gympie Road Tunnel?

Quote from: Jonno on June 15, 2023, 09:29:00 AMCan't they just use the Gympie Road Tunnel?

Nah QR can't afford the toll when they can't even afford a second track to Cleveland.

Quote from: RowBro on June 15, 2023, 10:01:50 AM

Quote from: Jonno on June 15, 2023, 09:29:00 AMCan't they just use the Gympie Road Tunnel?

Nah QR can't afford the toll when they can't even afford a second track to Cleveland.

GOLD!!!!!!

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1680446871767232514