18 Dec 2009: SEQ: Frequency of QR Citytrain services needs improvement

[ozbob]

Media Release 18 December 2009

SEQ:  Frequency of QR Citytrain services needs improvement

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 increased train frequency on all lines.  Ideally 15 minute frequency between 5am and 9pm Monday to Friday, more services at peak times depending on loadings, outside these times 20 minutes.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"South east Queensland has the worst overall train service frequency of all states.  The most important factor for encouraging public transport use is frequency of service.  Other factors of importance are accessibility; the public transport must be there to use, and affordability."

"Bus rail integration becomes seamless when there is a high frequency rail service. If the services are there to use people will choose public transport.  Presently, huge gaps in train and bus timetables act as a major disincentive for public transport use."

"Promises of a further 301,000 weekly seats on public transport in an attempt to appease users for the looming fare increases are not enough (1).  More must be done.  It is time public transport in south-east Queensland moved into the real world."

References:

1.   http://www.translink.com.au/fares2010.php

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[#Metro]

Here, here.
Its time to get out of the 1979 mindset.

[Jon Bryant]

Here here as well This must be a priority. Bus lanes on all major roads must be another 

[somebody]

Here here as well This must be a priority. Bus lanes on all major roads must be another 

Indeed.  The enforcement of transit lanes is problematic.  Bus lanes should also be 24 hour and camera enforced, following the Sydney model.

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

16th January 2010

The next train departs platform one in 15 minutes?

Greetings,

The major issue with public transport in south-east Queensland is the poor frequency of services.  Electrification of the rail network is now 30 years old, but in many cases train frequency, particularly off peak is no better than what it was following the introduction of electrified rail 30 years ago!  What a sad indictment on transport planning.

The government has said that an additional 301,000 public transport seats per week will be added following the hefty fare price rises.  Very welcome but where are the services?

The commitment for rail is around 83,000 seats per week, this equates to around 170 6 car services per week, or round 36 six car trains additional per day.

Now this is a great opportunity to improve frequency overall.  The basic frequency outside of Northgate, Corinda, Park Road inner region is 30 minutes.  In some cases gaps are much greater than that.

What needs to be done is aim for 15 minute frequency between 5am and 9pm with higher frequency in peaks.  Outside those times, on weekends and public holidays generally  20 minutes.   With frequency that encourages public transport utilisation the gains overall to the community will be tremendous.  Problems with bus/rail integration will also be greatly lessened.

The Melbourne Age has published a refreshing article today (See below).  It is all about frequency, and simplicity.  Tier timetables are the way forward.

Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
RAIL Back On Track

http://www.theage.com.au/national/train-timetables-too-complicated-20100115-mck6.html
Train timetables 'too complicated'
CLAY LUCAS
January 16, 2010

MELBOURNE'S timetables are far too complicated and need to be drastically simplified as part of a major two-year regeneration of the rail network, the new head of the city's rail system says.

A ''run-to-failure philosophy'' that had endured under previous train operators was no longer good enough, Metro chief executive Andrew Lezala said yesterday in an interview with The Age.

''It is time for the railways to step up now and play our part in keeping Melbourne moving, because with another 1 million people coming in the next 15 years, the roads simply won't cope,'' he said.

Mr Lezala does not own a car in Melbourne, does not yet have a myki card and rides the tram to work from his inner-city home.

Yesterday, at the end of another torrid week for Melbourne train travellers - with 43-degree heat on Monday resulting in 247 of 2050 scheduled services being cancelled - Mr Lezala said the city deserved better.

Melbourne needed a public transport system as good as that of Hong Kong or Singapore, he said, and the existing system needed upgrading to run reliably in temperatures as hot as 45 degrees.

Mr Lezala said Metro had embarked upon several projects to improve Melbourne's rail system. These would ultimately take two years to work their way through the system. ''But that is too long to wait for an improvement in reliability,'' he said, stressing that Metro was working on a range of immediate fixes to make the system noticeably better.

A simplified timetable was needed so customers could remember it, and so train controllers could recover the system when things went wrong, he said.

''We have some fantastic train controllers and they keep in their heads a timetable that is more complex than many I have seen,'' he said.

Mr Lezala said he deliberately did not own a car in Melbourne. ''I am an advocate of public transport. I like the tram network because the frequency is such that you do not need to understand the timetable.''

The train network needed that frequency, he said. The Public Transport Users Association campaigned in 2008 to get trains, trams and buses running every 10 minutes. He said this was the correct approach.

Mr Lezala said Melbourne's trains, tracks, signalling and overhead power all needed much work. He said the way the last train contracts were structured ''created a bit of tribalism'' that led to a blame game.

The complex contracts that Connex operated under were set up in 2004 by consultants and senior bureaucrats who included the now Secretary of the Department of Transport, Jim Betts.

The contracts established Connex as train operator, another company, Mainco, as track maintainer and a third firm, United - now part of Metro Trains - as train repairer.

The new contracts bring responsibility for all of this into one company, Metro. Mr Lezala - who repeatedly apologised to the public this week for Monday's problems - said people should expect excellent service from Metro. ''If it is not going right, we should apologise and let people know what we are doing about it.''

Overhead power lines on the city's train network are now his biggest concern after wires sagged in this week's heat, causing cancellations.

Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky had been ''very successful at getting finances for this railway'', said Mr Lezala, 54, who has worked on railways in Asia, Europe and Australia.

''I've worked with a lot of politicians ... and the sincerity with which they [the State Government] want to make this system better is fantastic compared to a lot of other places.''

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

22nd January 2010

The next train for Richlands leaves in 15 minutes!

Greetings,

Here is an interesting snapshot analysis of the Ferny Grove line timetables over the last 50 years.  RAIL Back On Track has consistently commented that there is a need to move from 30 year old train frequencies to a minimum of 15 minutes off peak, better at peak. In some respects we have not really significantly improved frequencies for the past 50 years!

As part of the TransLink and Government commitment of 301,000 weekly extra public transport  seats given as part of the recent fare increases, the immediate addition of peak and off peak rail services is needed, particularly to fix the peak PM gap Ipswich to Rosewood and gaps on the Sunshine Coast line, and additional services all lines to boost peak capacity.



From:  http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=3327.0

Best wishes
Robert

=====================================

Media Release 18 December 2009  re-released 22nd January 2010

SEQ:  Frequency of QR Citytrain services needs improvement

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 increased train frequency on all lines.  Ideally 15 minute frequency between 5am and 9pm Monday to Friday, more services at peak times depending on loadings, outside these times 20 minutes.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"South east Queensland has the worst overall train service frequency of all states.  The most important factor for encouraging public transport use is frequency of service.  Other factors of importance are accessibility; the public transport must be there to use, and affordability."

"Bus rail integration becomes seamless when there is a high frequency rail service. If the services are there to use people will choose public transport.  Presently, huge gaps in train and bus timetables act as a major disincentive for public transport use."

"Promises of a further 301,000 weekly seats on public transport in an attempt to appease users for the looming fare increases are not enough (1).  More must be done.  It is time public transport in south-east Queensland moved into the real world."

References:

1.   http://www.translink.com.au/fares2010.php

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org