Articles and discussion: Pressure grows for free Brisbane rail travel

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Pressure grows for free Brisbane rail travel

Pressure grows for free Brisbane rail travel
Tony Moore
April 20, 2009 - 7:26AM

The pressure is on the Queensland Government to introduce free train travel before 7am following a strong response by commuters to a similar trial in Melbourne.

Each day, more than 8600 Melbourne commuters across 15 lines catch the free "Early Bird" trains.

The new services get travellers to work in the city centre before 7am.

Of those 8600, about 2000 commuters (23 per cent) switched from catching the train in the normal morning peak period to take a train that arrives in the heart of Melbourne before 7am.

Queensland Transport estimates it would cost $12 million each year to introduce the program in Brisbane.

However, Brisbane City Council estimates congestion will cost the city a massive $9 billion a year by 2026.

According to the Victorian Department of Transport, 2000 commuters is equivalent to 2.5 trains of passengers across 15 rail lines, or about 32 new passengers on each of the 65 rail services before 7am each day.

Melbourne trialled its free early bird services on two lines in 2007 and then decided to push ahead across its entire rail network in March last year.

Queensland Transport said it would monitor Melbourne's results before committing to a trial.

The Transport Minister, Rachel Nolan, said she would have a "very good look" at the results.

"The question is how much extra capacity has it created and at what cost," Ms Nolan said.

"I am going to seriously look at this but there are two things to bear in mind.

"We have created more capacity than they have by rolling out new trains.

"Lost fare revenue [would] make it harder to roll out new trains and extend the rail line down the Gold Coast."

Since February, 3750 new train places - standing and sitting - had been provided by adding five services on the Ipswich and Caboolture lines.

The Liberal National Party - which at last month's state election pushed for free train travel between 6am and 7am - vowed to keep up the pressure.

The Shadow Transport spokesperson, Fiona Simpson, said the Melbourne results were significant, especially when it included colder months.

"To shift 23 per cent of commuters to an earlier slot is pretty impressive," Ms Simpson said.

"We need to learn from those who are doing it smarter."

She said the scheme gave an incentive for those who would find earlier travel a lifestyle choice.

Tying the scheme to more flexible working hours would make free early morning trains an even better option.

[ozbob]

Blog comment:

Off peak, incentive fares and capping is what is needed on the go card fare structure.  That way all commuters, bus, ferry and rail can benefit and help ease the congestion overload.  Additional incentive fares on the go card if you touch on before 6.30am, after 9am, before 3.30pm and after 7pm off peak discounts.  This will drive change and uptake of the go card.

[ozbob]

Media Release 28 February 2009

SEQ:  Go Card - manage congestion,  add off peak and incentive fares!

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport users has called for all political parties to develop policy to add off peak fares and early and late peak incentive fare discounts to the fare structure for the go card. Off peak and incentive fares will encourage use of public transport when there is plenty of capacity and in turn help ease congestion on struggling peak public transport services.  A high uptake of the go card will generate meaningful real time load data and improve public transport efficiency.

Robert Dow, spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"The present paper ticketing on the TransLink network has an off peak option (1).  This encourages travel at less congested times and is helpful to retired pensioners, parents and others who can take trips during the off peak periods.  It encourages citizens to use public transport and reduce environmental impacts. It encourages people to travel outside peak times."

"Presently, off peak ticketing is available for unlimited travel between 9am and 3.30pm and after 7pm on weekdays, and all day on weekends and gazetted public holidays ."

"The go card provides a simple means of implementing an off peak fare and incentive fare structure. All go card journeys that commence (touch on) before 6.30am , touch on after 9am Monday to Friday  and touch on before 3.30pm and touch on after 7pm could be given a flat off peak discount of 30%."

"It would be a simple matter to give all go card journeys on weekends and gazetted public holidays an off peak discount too.  This is only replicating present ticketing practices."

"The addition of off peak and incentive fares to the go card will go a long way in overcoming public transport commuter resistance to the go card."

"It makes a lot of sense to add off peak and incentive fares to the go card. It would be a big winner!"

Reference:

1.  http://www.transinfo.qld.gov.au/qt/TransLin.nsf/index/ti_main

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Translink should offer cheap off-peak fares on Go Cards: commuter group

Translink should offer cheap off-peak fares on Go Cards: commuter group
Tony Moore
April 20, 2009 - 11:52AM

Translink's failure to offer cheaper off-peak fares on the Go Card is "silly" and must be addressed immediately, according to Queensland's influential public transport lobby group.

The claim follows the offer of "free early morning trains" - before 7am - in Melbourne, the results of which were published by brisbanetimes.com.au.

Twenty-three per cent of Melbourne's 8600 early morning commuters began travelling before 7am to take advantage of the offer.

Rail: Back on Track spokesman Robert Dow said the the shift towards an early morning commute in Melbourne over the last year could be simply replicated across Brisbane's bus and train network if the city's 230,000 Go Cards offered fare discounts to people travelling off-peak.

Mr Dow said Melbourne's experience proved people would change their travelling habits if the correct incentives were offered.

"But we think any initiatives to offer incentives should be addressed to all commuters, not just rail passengers," Mr Dow said.

He said Translink must pressure Go Card operator Cubic to offer commuters a better deal on the Go Card, which is still more expensive than the multiple-trip paper tickets.

"It makes sense, because at the moment we have off-peak fares available on the paper ticketing system and the equivalent is not available on the Go Card, which is just silly," he said.

He said Go Card users bought paper tickets on the weekend because it was cheaper to get an off-peak paper ticket than use the Go Card under its existing fare structure.

"This is really silly," he said. "We have an electronic ticketing system which can greatly improve the efficiency of public transport, particularly the loading time on buses.

"Now if we can encourage people to keep using Go Card 24/7 - seven days a week - that is a win for public transport."

Under Rail: Back on Track's plans, a further 10 per cent discount (making an effective 30 per cent discount) is offered to commuters starting their journey before 6.30am, after 9am, before 3.30pm, or after 7pm.

Translink estimates it would cost $12 million each year to introduce the program in Brisbane.

However, Brisbane City Council estimates congestion will cost the city a massive $9 billion a year by 2026.

Mr Dow said cheaper off-peak fares on buses, trains and ferries made sense to fight congestion.

"We think that would be really smart because they are still protecting fare revenue because you are moving people out of peak capacity anyway to a situation where there is space," Mr Dow said.

"So you are getting more revenue for services that are running partially empty anyway.

Translink is responding to a series of questions.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Cheaper fares proposal by mid-year: Translink

Cheaper fares proposal by mid-year: Translink
Tony Moore
April 21, 2009 - 6:04AM

Proposals for cheaper off-peak fares for trains, buses and ferries using the Go Card will go to Queensland Government by mid-year, a Translink spokesman confirmed last night.

Translink is investigating cheaper off-peak fares for buses, trains and ferries to tackle congestion among a range of incentives for commuters. It must report to government by mid-2009.

Traffic congestion on road, rail, bus and ferry is estimated by Brisbane City Council to cost Brisbane $9 billion each year by 2026.

The government is under pressure to respond to demands to make the Go Card more flexible after a stronger than expected response by Melbourne rail commuters to shift them out of the morning peak hour.

"Off peak fares for Go Cards are one of a range of products being considered by TransLink," the spokesman said.

"TransLink is required to present its preferred options to the State Government for consideration by the middle of the year," he said.

"This will form part of a long-term strategy for fares across South East Queensland."

Public transport lobby group "Rail: Back on Track" has consistently called for cheaper off peak fares on the Go Card to drive changes in commuter behaviour.

There are now 322,300 Go Cards in South East Queensland.

Spokesman Robert Dow last night welcomed Translink's commitment.

"That's good news, that's the first real public announcement we have had," Mr Dow said.

"Rail: Back on Track" has consistently argued that cheaper off-peak fares need to include buses, ferries and trains, rather than simple cut-price rail fares.

"It's a sign they seem to be getting on top of things and we can now look forward to more moves forward, I think."

Last week, Victoria's Transport Department reported on the first 12 months of free early morning train travel to encourage Melbourne's rail commuters to start work before 7am.

It showed the free train travel before 7am was used by 8600 commuters, of which more than 2000 - or 23 per cent - switched from the normal morning peak hour to get to work by 7am.

The Queensland Opposition backs trialling the early morning "free rail" scheme in Brisbane.

However Queensland Transport estimates it would cost $12 million each year.

Transport Minister Rachel Nolan yesterday said she would have "a very good look" at the Melbourne experience, though she said providing more trains into the Citytrain rail network would remain Queensland Rail's main thrust.

Queensland Rail have added 81 new carriages to the Citytrain fleet since February 2008 and recently added a further 3750 "sitting and standing" places on five services on the Ipswich and Caboolture lines.

[ozbob]

From the Queensland Times click here!

Free rides on rails?

Free rides on rails?

Rob Lockyear | 21st April 2009

QUEENSLAND'S new Transport Minister is considering a plan to introduce free rail travel for commuters travelling from Ipswich to Brisbane before 7am.

State Member for Ipswich Rachel Nolan yesterday said she would investigate the possibility of free early fares after a similar initiative was successfully launched in Melbourne.

Commuters and business leaders said the proposal could help beat the daily crawl up the Ipswich Motorway and ease the scrum in peak rail services.

As if to highlight the issue, commuters were delayed for hours yesterday after three rush-hour smashes brought the motorway to a standstill.

Ipswich Chamber of Commerce senior vice president David Greenwood said whether it was couriers sitting in traffic, car users paying extortionate parking fees or people just trying to avoid the congestion - poor transport infrastructure took its toll on business.

He said if free trains before 7am helped people get to work, he was all for it.

?It will be very beneficial because it will take a lot of stress off the densely populated commuter trains,? Mr Greenwood said.

?It is a positive move.?

But it is not just big business urging the government to get the scheme on track.

University of Queensland student Jackson Mathers said the free fares would be enough to get him out of bed early and leave the car behind.

?I drive once a week because I have to be here at 9am and the traffic is just so bad,? Mr Mathers said.

Classmate Adrian Yuen said it was an excellent idea but trains were often standing room only from 6.30am onwards and there would have to be extra services.

?A lot of people think catching the train is more expensive than driving,? Mr Yuen said.

?(Free travel) would just save so much money for us.?

Ms Nolan said she would take a serious look at the proposal and always welcomed new ideas to get more people on public transport.

However, she said every dollar paid by commuters was matched by up to $4 from taxpayers, making public transport ?very affordable?.

?What most commuters want is a fast, frequent and reliable service,? she said.

?That is why our focus is rolling out more trains and expanding the network.?

[ozbob]

From the Courier Mail click here!

Queenslanders may get free commute to work, says minister

Queenslanders may get free commute to work, says minister
Article from: AAP

April 21, 2009 12:28pm

QUEENSLAND will consider giving commuters a free ride to work in a bid to free up packed peak-hour buses, trains and ferries, Transport Minister Rachel Nolan says.

Ms Nolan said she was considering several ideas, including free travel ahead of peak hour and off-peak travel on commuter Go cards.

"I am open to a range of ideas about making public transport work better, but the thing to remember is if we cut back on fare revenue it's harder to keep rolling out new trains, new buses, it's harder to keep making the service better,'' Ms Nolan said.

She said providing free pre-peak hour travel would cost the Government about $12 million.

And there was already a $3 to $4 subsidy provided by the Government in every dollar spent by commuters.

Ms Nolan was coy on when fare changes may happen, if at all.

"The question that I've been asked is 'Is this in or out?' and at this stage this and other ideas are in,'' she said.

"But this is going to be a careful and proper consideration, I'm not going to rush in on this one.''

She declined to answer whether she had already put forward any submissions to Treasurer Andrew Fraser or the budget review committee on the issue.

[ozbob]

Media Release 21 April 2009

SEQ:  Free rides for a few or improved public transport options for all?

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 congratulated TransLink on their commitment to put forward further fare strategies for the Go card (1).

It is essential to add off peak fares, and early and late peak incentive fare discounts to the fare structure for the go card, together with capping options that makes the go card equal or better than any paper ticket.  Off peak and incentive fares will encourage use of public transport when there is plenty of capacity and in turn help ease the congestion on struggling peak public transport services.

A high uptake of the go card will allow the seamless collection of meaningful real time load data with the outcome of better matching of services with demand.  Improvements in public transport efficiency, particularly reduced loading times on buses will also occur.

An option of capped fares to match daily, weekly and monthly ticket options will further encourage Go card uptake amongst those commuters who take more than the standard journeys in their paper ticketing period.

Robert Dow, spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"The present paper ticketing on the TransLink network has an off peak option (2).  This encourages travel at less congested times and is helpful to retired pensioners, parents and others who can take trips during the off peak periods.  It encourages citizens to use public transport and reduce environmental impacts. It encourages people to travel outside peak times."

"Presently, off peak ticketing is available for unlimited travel between 9am and 3.30pm and after 7pm on weekdays, and all day on weekends and gazetted public holidays ."

"The go card provides a simple means of implementing an off peak fare and incentive fare structure. All go card journeys that commence (touch on) before 6.30am , touch on after 9am and touch on before 3.30pm and touch on after 7pm Monday to Friday  could be given a flat off peak discount of 30%."

"Although free early bird travel sounds attractive, it is not sustainable financially and too narrow in its focus.  Far better to drive maximum utilisation of our public transport, and in turn actually increase revenue, whilst giving all commuters; bus, ferry and rail the choice of early, late, and off peak discounts."

"It would be a simple matter to give all go card journeys on weekends and gazetted public holidays an off peak discount too.  This is only replicating present ticketing practices."

"The addition of off peak and incentive fares to the go card, together with a capping option, will go a long way in overcoming the remaining public transport commuter resistance to the go card."

"It is time to GO forwards!  Reduced congestion, improved environmental outcomes, safer commuting and better utilisation of the public transport asset will result."

References:

1.  http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/qld-news/cheaper-fares-proposal-by-midyear-translink-20090420-ackt.html

2.  http://www.transinfo.qld.gov.au/qt/TransLin.nsf/index/ti_main

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[stephenk]

Free rides is just a gimmick I would expect from the LNP, not the ALP. The government needs to spend more on improving peak services when most people actually want to travel. The $12M cost of providing free rides would be better spent on enhancing infrastructure, maintenance, and rolling stock.

[WTN]

Free rides is just a gimmick I would expect from the LNP, not the ALP. The government needs to spend more on improving peak services when most people actually want to travel. The $12M cost of providing free rides would be better spent on enhancing infrastructure, maintenance, and rolling stock.

I totally agree on this.  Cheaper fares, not no fares.

[ozbob]

From the Queensland Times 22nd April 2009 page 2

Free fares welcomed - Lobby group says cheaper transport better solution