9 Aug 2008: SEQ: Where are our new trains? We have found some!

[ozbob]

Media Release 9 August 2008

SEQ:  Where are our new trains?  We have found some!

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport commuters has called for the immediate introduction of extra early peak rail services on the Caboolture and Ipswich lines.  Where are the new Suburban Multiple Unit (SMU) trains?  Read on ?

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

?We have spotted new SMU trains numbers 261 and 262 doing some test runs in south-east Queensland. We have found some more new SMUs using Google Maps Street view (1).?

?The ability to run Exhibition loop services additional to the normal timetable suggests that there are sufficient resources ? trains and crew to introduce some urgently need extra early peak services on the Caboolture and Ipswich lines ? the ?cattle class? services."

?Often these services are overloaded and present some risks to the well being of passengers.  It is time for action not promises and spin.  Recently a TTA spokesperson suggested that there would be only minor tweaks to the timetables for the rest of 2008 (2). This is contrary to statements from a spokeswoman for the Minister for Transport that suggested that September timetable changes would ?focus on the heavily patronised Ipswich line? (3)."

?Are we going to get some more services in September?  Has anyone seen or heard from the TTA board?  Has a general manager been appointed for the TTA?  Plenty of questions but not much in the way of policy improvement is there? ?

?It seems just more of the economic rationalist approach to public transport which Translink was a master at and ignoring the broader social and environmental benefits of proactive public transport initiatives.  The impost of an additional fare for rail passengers to travel to the Ekka (4), whilst bus passengers are able to use normal tickets without an additional fare is further evidence of the distortions of public transport policy that are being continued with a re-badged Translink ? the TTA. The failure to treat new users of the go card in an equitable manner just confirms the charade (5).?

?We would like our trains please!?

References:

1.   http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=1215.msg5427#msg5427

2.   http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=1184.msg5285#msg5285

3.   http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=1184.msg5288#msg5288

4.   http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=1194.0

5.   http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=1214.0

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[ozbob]

SMU 261 and 262 are running on the Exhibition Loop services today (Monday 11th August 2008).

[ozbob]

Here they are!  Thanks to mufreight for the photographs!











Photographs mufreight 11 August 2008

[ozbob]

From Quest City News click here!

Call to ease cattle classes on trains

Call to ease cattle classes on trains

13 Aug 08 @ 11:50am by Nicole Carrington

BRISBANE: A support group for rail users is calling for the urgent introduction of extra morning peak-hour trains to ease commuters? woes on the ?cattle class? Caboolture and Ipswich lines.

Rail Back On Track spokesman Robert Dow said overcrowded trains made life ?hellish? for long-haul commuters with inner-city loop services the solution.

?By the time trains arrive in the inner-city, they are heavily congested,? Mr Dow said.

?Trains are far too packed at peak times. Trains leave Ipswich at 6.14am and by the time they get to Indooroopilly at 6.50am, they are overcrowded.

?There has been a real lack of transport infrastructure planning and the inner-city community is also affected.?

Mr Dow said the Ekka loop services currently running in addition to the normal train timetable suggested there were sufficient resources for Queensland Rail (QR) to introduce urgently needed extra early peak services.

And Rail Back On Track recently conducted its own passenger survey on the Ipswich line, Mr Dow said.

?The six-car trains that run at peak time comfortably house about 750 passengers but we have counted up to 1300 passengers now that is some serious overloading,? he said.

?Often these services present real risks to the well-being of passengers. It is time for action not promises and spin.?

Rail Back On Track is also outraged over the fact that Ekka buses were free but rail users were slugged with an additional fare.

At the time of going to press, Queensland Rail (QR) had not responded to repeated City News requests for comment.

To contact Rail Back on Track, visit http://www.backontrack.org.

Thanks for highlighting these issues Quest City News!