Article: Pink fans stranded at station

[ozbob]

From the Courier Mail click here!

Pink fans stranded at station

Pink fans stranded at station
Article from: The Courier-Mail

Ursula Heger

August 27, 2009 12:43pm

HUNDREDS of Pink fans, including young teenagers, were "kicked out" on to city streets last night as the concert finished too late for train services.

Yesterday angry Pink fans accused Queensland Rail of putting passengers at risk after they were told to leave Central Station because there were no connecting services to take the commuters home.

A Pink fan told Tthe Courier-Mail today she had been told to leave Central Station because they had arrived too late for final connecting services to Loganlea.

"The Pink concert did not end until about 11:30 and we got to Boondall, paid a full fair to Loganlea station - with 1000 other train commuting passengers that went to pink,'' she said.

"When we got to Central we got off the train to transfer onto a Gold Coast line but instead we were met by QR staff and security requesting us to leave the station as there would not be any other trains until 4am in the morning.''

The fan said a several groups of teenagers had become upset after being told to leave the station.

"There was one group where the girls were bawling there eyes out because they had no one to pick them up because they were heading to the same destination as I was - Loganlea train station,'' she said.

The fan said she had been able to catch a taxi home, but was out of pocket nearly $70 despite paying for a return train ticket.

Timetabling showed passengers travelling services to Ipswich and Caboolture would have been able to catch a connecting train, but no other lines reached the last connecting services.

A TransLink spokesman said both QR and TransLink would fully investigate the matter.

[stephenk]

The event organisers should plan the concert so that it finishes in good time for people to be able to get public transport home. Whilst it wouldn't have helped in this situation, the 30min off-peak frequency should be continued until last train, rather than the hour gap that many lines have between the penultimate and last trains.

[Mozz]

And we should introduce some filler rail services on all lines from the current last train to the current first train. Brisbane is not the place it was 30-40 years ago, much greater population, more reliance on public transport, greater range of night time activities.

[ButFli]

The event organisers should plan the concert so that it finishes in good time for people to be able to get public transport home.

Or, no offence, people could take a bit of personal responsibility and make sure public transport is available to take them home.

Any time I have been at an event at the Entertainment Centre there have been announcements telling people that if they want to travel by train on X & Y lines they need to catch the train at Z time from Boondall because later trains will not make the connection. Now perhaps those announcements aren't made at Pink concerts, I wouldn't know. It just seems to me that these girls are trying to get out of trouble by passing the blame.

[stephenk]

The event organisers should plan the concert so that it finishes in good time for people to be able to get public transport home.

Or, no offence, people could take a bit of personal responsibility and make sure public transport is available to take them home.

Whilst people do need personal responsibility, there is still no excuse for organisers of large events such as this to not plan the events to finish well before public transport closes. The Riverstage (due to a noise curfew) manages to finish well before public transport closes. Concerts I've been to in London and Paris have all finished well before the last trains & connections.

[ButFli]

The event organisers should plan the concert so that it finishes in good time for people to be able to get public transport home.

Or, no offence, people could take a bit of personal responsibility and make sure public transport is available to take them home.

Whilst people do need personal responsibility, there is still no excuse for organisers of large events such as this to not plan the events to finish well before public transport closes. The Riverstage (due to a noise curfew) manages to finish well before public transport closes. Concerts I've been to in London and Paris have all finished well before the last trains & connections.

As I said, announcements are made about the last train to catch from the Entertainment Centre. I'd be interested to know how long after the concert finished these girls hung around for before finally deciding to catch the train. I reckon if they headed for the station as soon as the concert finished they would have been alright.

Let's not forget that punters have to make it to the Entertainment Centre after work and presumably have a meal before the show starts. Events already start at 7:30 or 8:00PM. How much earlier can they be made?

[ozbob]

Updated article at Courier Mail click here!

Pink fans see red over late night rail

Pink fans see red over late night rail
Article from: The Courier-Mail

Ursula Heger

August 28, 2009 12:00am

QUEENSLAND Rail has defended staff after Pink fans claimed they had been "kicked out" on the streets because the concert finished too late for normal train services.

Fans told The Courier-Mail they had been forced to leave Central Station after trains from the Brisbane Entertainment Centre at Boondall on Wednesday night arrived too late to connect with final services.

Caitlyn Cooper, from Boronia Heights, said she was expecting extra services would be put on to cope with the late-night passengers.

"When we arrived at the station, we were told that we had to get out of the platform area and out to the street because there were no more trains," she said. "They didn't really accommodate us at all."

She said a group of teenagers had become upset after being told to leave the station. "There were 16 and 17-year-old girls there who had no way to get home, and they were told that was their problem," she said.

Ms Cooper said she had been able to catch a taxi home, but was out of pocket nearly $70.

Queensland Rail said yesterday the notices for the concert had forewarned commuters they would not be able to catch connecting trains outside of the Caboolture and Ipswich lines.

A spokesman said about 20 commuters had been affected by the problem, but denied they had been forced to leave the station.

"People who missed the last trains for the evening were advised by station staff to catch taxis, or they could remain on the concourse area of Central Station (monitored all night by security officers) ? they were not kicked out into the street," he said.

Yesterday angry Pink fans accused Queensland Rail of putting passengers at risk after they were told to leave Central Station because there were no connecting services to take the commuters home.

A Pink fan told The Courier-Mail today she had been told to leave Central Station because they had arrived too late for final connecting services to Loganlea.

"The Pink concert did not end until about 11:30 and we got to Boondall, paid a full fare to Loganlea station - with 1000 other train commuting passengers that went to Pink,'' she said.

"When we got to Central we got off the train to transfer onto a Gold Coast line but instead we were met by QR staff and security requesting us to leave the station as there would not be any other trains until 4am in the morning.''

The fan said a several groups of teenagers had become upset after being told to leave the station.

"There was one group where the girls were bawling their eyes out because they had no one to pick them up because they were heading to the same destination as I was - Loganlea train station,'' she said.

The fan said she had been able to catch a taxi home, but was out of pocket nearly $70 despite paying for a return train ticket.

Timetabling showed passengers travelling services to Ipswich and Caboolture would have been able to catch a connecting train, but no other lines reached the last connecting services.

[Derwan]

I've had time to digest this and have a think.  Sure there are questions over when the concert finished and how long the kids stayed there afterwards.  But regardless of the circumstances that lead to the passengers being stranded at Central, let's look at the objective facts:

1.  A number of passengers arrived at Central Station after midnight assuming they would be able to catch a train on the Beenleigh/Gold Coast line.
2.  A number of these passengers were teenagers - including teenage girls.
3.  The passengers were informed that there was nothing QR could do about the matter and that they'd have to leave (the ticket-only area of) Central.

QR Passenger has been pushing their top two priorities:

1.  Passenger Safety
2.  Customer Service

As many of these passengers were teenagers - especially teenage girls - they were put at risk by being told to "leave" and catch a taxi if necessary.  If there were a number of them, it is highly likely that they would have had to wait for taxis to become available.  And of course, we all know what Brisbane taxi drivers are like.

Passenger Safety = FAIL

While adults are more resourceful (e.g. finding others to taxi-pool with) and could probably afford a taxi ride home, teenagers are less resourceful and unlikely to have the funds available.  Leaving them stranded overnight is not a nice thing to do - regardless of how they got there in the first place.  Surely QR could have done more to ensure the teenagers arrived home safely - even if it was to "babysit" them and make sure parents were notified and arrived to collect their sons and daughters.

Customer Service = FAIL

Sorry QR Passenger - this is one case where you could have done better.

[stephenk]

Let's not forget that punters have to make it to the Entertainment Centre after work and presumably have a meal before the show starts. Events already start at 7:30 or 8:00PM. How much earlier can they be made?

Food is available at concert venues. People don't need to eat before hand. Concerts at Riverstage and Suncorp stadium manage to finish well before the close of public transport (even on Sundays!), so I'm sure concerts at Brisbane Entertainment Centre can too.

[somebody]

Or, no offence, people could take a bit of personal responsibility and make sure public transport is available to take them home.

Any time I have been at an event at the Entertainment Centre there have been announcements telling people that if they want to travel by train on X & Y lines they need to catch the train at Z time from Boondall because later trains will not make the connection. Now perhaps those announcements aren't made at Pink concerts, I wouldn't know. It just seems to me that these girls are trying to get out of trouble by passing the blame.

The most likely possibility is that the announcements were made but they weren't paying attention.  Teenagers aren't particularly smart, but I do have some sympathy for them being shocked at Brisbane's late night public transport on a Wednesday night.  If no extra services were run, I make it that they needed to be on the 10:50 train to make a connection to anywhere.

Finishing early enough for public transport on a Sunday night is a lot easier as you don't have any pressure on the start time side of the equation.

[ButFli]

Let's not forget that punters have to make it to the Entertainment Centre after work and presumably have a meal before the show starts. Events already start at 7:30 or 8:00PM. How much earlier can they be made?

Food is available at concert venues. People don't need to eat before hand. Concerts at Riverstage and Suncorp stadium manage to finish well before the close of public transport (even on Sundays!), so I'm sure concerts at Brisbane Entertainment Centre can too.

Suncorp Stadium and the Riverstage are both inner-city venues. Events there only have to finish early enough to cop the last PT services leaving the city. Brisbane Entertainment Centre would have to finish so early that patrons can take PT back to the city in time for the last services home. Events at the Entertainment Centre do finish early enough to allow this, it's just that they don't finish early enough to allow teenagers to hang around afterwards. As I say, if people actually bother to check the timetable or listen to announcements they will not be caught out.

[stephenk]

Events at the Entertainment Centre do finish early enough to allow this, it's just that they don't finish early enough to allow teenagers to hang around afterwards.

The concert allegedly finished at 11:30 that evening (Wednesday), and definitely finished at 11:15 the previous night (Tuesday). As it takes 10-15mins to walk from Brisbane Entertainment Centre to Boondall station, there is only one train that the girls could have caught - the 11:50. This train does not appear to connect with any other services (according the Inner City Timetable). If they had "hung around" as you claim they would have missed the 11:50 train as well.

[somebody]

I can't imagine that QR didn't run extra services.  Only a fraction of BEC's capacity crowd of 13500 could fit on a 6 car train.  The question then is: if they were at the station in time, but denied boarding due to a packed service, then they really do have something to complain about.

[O_128]

I think its time we built a more centralised entertainment centre. RNA maybe?

[stephenk]

I can't imagine that QR didn't run extra services.

I think they sometimes do for concerts at BEC, but not later than the current last train.  The issue in this case was the concert finishing too late people to use the train and to get connections.

Only a fraction of BEC's capacity crowd of 13500 could fit on a 6 car train.

I think only a fraction of the BEC's crowd use public transport, thanks to it's non-central location.

The question then is: if they were at the station in time, but denied boarding due to a packed service, then they really do have something to complain about.

But that isn't what happened.

I think its time we built a more centralised entertainment centre. RNA maybe?

Certainly a more central location close to good public transport would be better.

[somebody]

I can't imagine that QR didn't run extra services.

I think they sometimes do for concerts at BEC, but not later than the current last train.  The issue in this case was the concert finishing too late people to use the train and to get connections.

Which would explain how come they could have gotten on an Ipswich train, I guess.

I think only a fraction of the BEC's crowd use public transport, thanks to it's non-central location.

Not only the location, also the PT isn't exactly good on a weeknight.  I was told that the traffic was awful leaving one of the Pink concerts.  Surely the solution is to provide improved PT links.  Most lines have a last service leaving Central before midnight on a weeknight, and hourly after around 10.

[ButFli]

I think its time we built a more centralised entertainment centre. RNA maybe?

I've been stranded at The Tivoli (across the road from the showgrounds) after PT finished loads of times. One time I didn't have any money for a taxi so I walked home. I suppose I should have written a letter to the paper.

Concerts finish late. People need to get over it and organise their own transport.

[O_128]

I think its time we built a more centralised entertainment centre. RNA maybe?

I've been stranded at The Tivoli (across the road from the showgrounds) after PT finished loads of times. One time I didn't have any money for a taxi so I walked home. I suppose I should have written a letter to the paper.

Concerts finish late. People need to get over it and organise their own transport.

but witht te redevelopment at the showgrounds the line will open again.............wont it?

[Derwan]

I think only a fraction of the BEC's crowd use public transport, thanks to it's non-central location.

They usually run one additional service to the city for popular concerts.  (I see the notices posted at Boondall station.)  I went to the Pink concert a couple of years ago.  As I crossed at the station to walk home (the joys of being a local), there was a train at the station and the platform was saturated with people.   As many people as possible were piling into the train.  There was an announcement notifying the crowd on the platform that another service was arriving immediately after the first one left.  (I could see the light of next train at North Boondall.)

Of course - the additional service is timed so that it arrives not too long after the planned finish time.  I don't know if they delay the train if the concert runs late.

Parking is the usual rip-off - but many people just park the opposite side of the railway line for free and cross at the station.

Concerts finish late. People need to get over it and organise their own transport.

It's a shame that we're pushing people into cars on one hand and encouraging people to take public transport on the other.  What about the teenagers?  I'm sure many catch the train to the BEC and then rely on parents to come pick them up because of the lack of PT.  It's a shame it has to be this way.

[somebody]

I've been stranded at The Tivoli (across the road from the showgrounds) after PT finished loads of times. One time I didn't have any money for a taxi so I walked home. I suppose I should have written a letter to the paper.

Concerts finish late. People need to get over it and organise their own transport.

So you live within walking distance of The Tivoli.  How nice for you.  Perhaps it's a long walk and you usually take a short ride in a cab instead.  Are you suggesting that they walk to Loganlea?

I think you have an odd attitude for a member of this site which seeks to advocate better public transport.  These sort of events are one of the things that is much better done by public transport than private cars.  Just getting out of the car park can take the best part of an hour, if you are unlucky.

[ButFli]

So you live within walking distance of The Tivoli.  How nice for you.  Perhaps it's a long walk and you usually take a short ride in a cab instead. 

Yeah, I live within walking distance of The Tivoli. It's a 1.5 to 2 hour walk, but walking distance none the less.

I think you have an odd attitude for a member of this site which seeks to advocate better public transport.

If unreasonable requests for public transport are the norm then perhaps I do have an odd attitude. I just think that given the State Governments finite budget, improvements to public transport should be made where they have the best bang for buck. In my view if extra services are going to be put on they should cater to the morning and afternoon peak. That is where they will do the most good, reducing congestion both on the existing public transport services and on roads.

Extra services should not be put on purely to solve a problem that could have been avoided if people planned ahead.

[stephenk]

If unreasonable requests for public transport are the norm then perhaps I do have an odd attitude.

I think the main request in this thread is for the concert to finish early enough to allow people to use public transport to get home, and train timings to facilitate this, rather than adding extra services.

I just think that given the State Governments finite budget, improvements to public transport should be made where they have the best bang for buck.

So a train carrying up to 1000 people home from a concert isn't good bang for buck?
Is a 4 lane road tunnel for 10,000 road users/hour better bang for buck than a 2 track rail tunnel that can transport 40,000 rail users/hour?

In my view if extra services are going to be put on they should cater to the morning and afternoon peak. That is where they will do the most good, reducing congestion both on the existing public transport services and on roads.

Brisbane needs both peak and off-peak improvements to attract people to public transport and take cars off the road. Cases such as Croydon Tramlink and Stockholm Pendaltag show that improving frequency can attract more people to public transport (or change mode of transport) in massive proportions.

Extra services should not be put on purely to solve a problem that could have been avoided if people planned ahead.

People should not have to plan how to get home from a large concert that shouldn't have run so late in the first place. The fault lies with the lack of planning by the concert organiser to take into account how people can get home. I've never had any issues getting home from large concerts by public transport in London and Paris. There is even a nightclub in London, which as it operates during the tubes nightly closure, runs high speed catamarans to/from Central London. That level of thinking will sadly never happen in Brisbane!

[somebody]

I've had a look at the timetables for Sydney, and the only suburban line (not counting branch lines) which finishes running before midnight is the Bankstown line, which has a last service leaving Museum at 11:46pm.  You could say that Sydney is larger and has more people, but looking at it that way ignores several points: even after the last service there are hourly busses on almost every line in both directions 7 days a week, the Newcastle line runs all night, several bus runs also run all night and Sydney doesn't cut back frequency to hourly before the last service.

It's hard to argue that the organisers should consider public transport (other than announcements of when people need to leave) when so few of their customers actually use it.

[haakon]

Ahh yes, the Nightbuses of Sydney are something you use only when you are truly desperate. If you were doing Sydney CBD to Penrith, it was worth skipping the last couple of buses and waiting for the trains to start again. As that would get you home quicker.....

[somebody]

And yet, they seem to get reasonable loads out of Town Hall at 1am on a weeknight.  At least when I've been on them.  Must be quite busy on a weekend.