New ferry timetables (from 18th April)

[ozbob]

http://translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/bulletin/1302842629

New ferry timetables

From Monday 18 April 2011, all CityCat and CityFerry terminals (with the exception of West End and River Plaza) will be operational.

View the new CityCat pdf timetable and the CityFerry pdf timetables.

The West End ferry terminal will be rebuilt and upgraded in line with detailed designs planned and approved prior to the floods. This is expected to be completed mid-year. Brisbane City Council is also undertaking prelminary investigations to plan for the reconstruction of the River Plaza terminal.

The following terminals remain closed (click for nearby bus services):

    * West End
    * River Plaza

Customers for these terminals should make alternative travel arrangements using buses that connect with river services.

[#Metro]

This is great news!
Looks like 192 will be still operating extra services for now though.

[Golliwog]

This is great news!
Looks like 192 will be still operating extra services for now though.

I wouldn't be surprised if it stays permanently. Theres a lot more people using it now, and I think it would be rash to take it away the same day the West End ferry returns. Keep it and see what happens, would be my vote. Review it after a month or two.

[somebody]

The extra trips?  I wonder about the 192.  If the 196/197 served UQ instead of Fairfield Gardens, is the 192 still needed to UQ?

[Golliwog]

Hmm, but then wouldn't you miss out on servicing Dornoch Tce? I do think something is needed for that area though. Don't really think it needs the city connection though.

[#Metro]

I would agree with Golliwog. 192 does a different catchment area to the West End Ferry. Nobody on Dornoch Tce/Gladstone Rd would catch the ferry, it is simply too far.
That part of West End is also a PT black hole (so close to the city too!).

The extra trips?  I wonder about the 192.  If the 196/197 served UQ instead of Fairfield Gardens, is the 192 still needed to UQ?

196/197 is a high patronage route in the "1 million" club. I think 196 and 197 should be amalgamated into a single route and the routing in New Farm simplified to follow the river and sub-arterial roads (Moray Street and Oxalade drive) just like a car would. Who drives around Brisbane doing loops in their car? Nobody! Routings must be direct, simple, legible and non-timewasting unless there is a very compelling reason not to do so.

I can see that you'd rather have your improved 105 replace 196/197 and send it up Annerly Road and the Busway. Not a bad idea actually.
West End people could change at Cultural Centre. Route 198 is an air parcel service and should be fed to the scrapper so that other, useful services, can be put on.

The 192 does Gladstone Rd and Dornoch Tce, so still useful.

[#Metro]

I will put a copy of the previous message in the Ironing thread...

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Six CityCat terminals back in business

Six CityCat terminals back in business
April 17, 2011 - 1:45PM

Temporary measures at six of Brisbane's CityCat Ferry terminals battered by January's floods will allow them to reopen to commuters tomorrow.

The ferry terminals at University of Queensland St Lucia, Regatta, North Quay, Queensland University of Technology Gardens Point, Holman Street and Sydney Street will all open tomorrow morning through the use of temporary pontoons.

The city's ferry terminals were hit hard by January's floods with estimates of $100 million worth of damage sustained and former lord mayor Campbell Newman predicting it could take more than a year for some terminals to be completely rebuilt.

The only flood-damaged terminal to not reopen tomorrow will be The West End terminal, which will remain closed for a scheduled upgrade that will allow two CityCats to dock at once.

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said council had been working around the clock to restore the ferry services to the city.

"These temporary pontoons mean we can get commuters back on ferries while we get on with rebuilding those terminals that were completely wiped out by the flood,'' he said.

"Getting the network up and running will also ensure we get the most out of our plan to take Brisbane's CityCat ferry fleet to a record 19 vessels by 2012."

Cr Quirk said two new morning express services to the University of Queensland from Riverside and South Bank would also provide faster services to students and university staff.

The new CityCat timetable provides services from downstream terminals to Riverside every six to seven minutes during peak periods.

Off-peak services depart every every 12 to 13 minutes from Apollo Road between 9.30am and 4.30pm and from the University of Queensland between 11am and 6.20pm.

Early morning and evening services are scheduled to depart every 25 minutes.

The West End terminal is expected to open in July.

"We were already planning to close the West End ferry terminal to undertake a multi-million dollar upgrade in a few months time so we decided fast-tracking it would be much better value for Brisbane ratepayers than reopening it, only to close it again," Cr Quirk said.

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/six-citycat-terminals-back-in-business-20110417-1djfl.html#ixzz1Jl1Xjl6N

[ozbob]

Media release 18 April 2011

SEQ: Brisbane river transport ramps up

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport passengers congratulates TransLink and Brisbane City Council on the good news that most Brisbane CityCat terminals are going to be 'purring' along once again (1).

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"RAIL Back on track welcomes all the hard work done to bring back the CityCat and CityFerry services to the people of Brisbane. The river catamarans and ferries fill a valuable cross-river and commuter role that is distinctive, functional and is an icon of Brisbane. A part of our identity as a city and popular with tourists. There are few places in the world which have such an extensive, frequent and well developed river ferry system."

"RAIL Back on Track also welcomes the new timetables for the CityCat and CityFerry with more express CityCat services. The CityCat service frequency overall is very good though we would suggest that future timetable changes consider a more frequent evening service every 15 or 20 minutes, and that future ferry terminals allow the docking of two ferries to permit maximum timetable flexibility, minimum delay and maximum throughput."

Reference:

1. http://translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/bulletin/1302842629

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[ozbob]

From the Courier Mail click here!

All CityCat terminals except West End get back on deck

All CityCat terminals except West End get back on deck

    Sarah Vogler
    From: The Courier-Mail
    April 18, 2011 12:00AM

BRISBANE'S flood recovery has inched further along with the reopening of all but one of the city's CityCat terminals.

From today the West End terminal will be the only CityCat stop still closed.

It has been slightly more than three months since the Brisbane River reached its damaging peak and tore several terminals from their moorings in January.

Many parts of the city have still not recovered.

The West End terminal is due to reopen in July. The River Plaza terminal, from where the older-style ferry ran, will remain closed until further notice.

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said council had installed temporary terminals at six stops North Quay, QUT, Holman Street, Sydney Street, St Lucia and Regatta at a cost of about $1 million each.

"CityCats are an icon of this city. They are not only a great transporter of people, they are also a part of the tourism and character and makeup of Brisbane," Cr Quirk said.

"This is a great milestone to be able to get these six terminals back up and operating in full service."

Permanent facilities for the six terminals, however, are at least 18 months away.

"What we have to do now is look at a full rebuild and that will be at a cost of around $5 million to $7 million per terminal and we will be doing that over a period of time," Cr Quirk said. "The one terminal that we are working on immediately in terms of a fast track is West End.

"It will be a dual berth facility."

The total cost of rebuilding the flood-damaged CityCat and ferry network is expected to come in at about $70 million.

TransdevTSL runs the CityCat and ferry network and operations manager Brett Smith said he hoped the full service would see passengers return in droves.

"As soon as we reopened we had a gradual build-up over the first few weeks but certainly we are seeing the numbers building right up now, back to where we would expect with the terminals closed," Mr Smith said.

"Of course with the rest of the terminals reopening we are confident those numbers will return to normal."

Two new morning express services from the Riverside and South Bank stops to the University of Queensland will also begin today.

[BrizCommuter]

http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com/2011/04/full-citycat-and-cityferry-services.html
Congratulations to BCC on restoring services so quickly!