Article: Victorians are the grumpiest commuters, Perth trains have most satisfie

[ozbob]

From News.com.au click here!

Victorians are the grumpiest commuters, Perth trains have most satisfied customers

Victorians are the grumpiest commuters, Perth trains have most satisfied customers

    Victoria's commuters are the grumpiest
    SA's trains get top marks for ticket prices
    Overall, Perth has the highest satisfaction

HALF of all Aussie commuters say overcrowding on trains is hurting their quality of life.

And Victorians have the grumpiest commuters, an independent consumer survey of city trains has found.

Fifty-five per cent of Victorian train passengers surveyed said overcrowding was substantially impacting their quality of life.

Cranky Melburnians eager for a seat on a train might consider a move to South Australia, where only 27 per cent of commuters said overcrowding was affecting their quality of life.

And Adelaide trains were also awarded top marks for ticket prices.

But for top rail relaxation, fed-up Victorians might consider a move further west.

Perth residents are the most satisfied Australia-wide with their train network, giving Transperth top marks nation-wide in the categories of overall satisfaction, reliability and performance, comfort on train and its timetable.

Sydney's CityRail received the nation's second worst report, with commuters giving the service just two stars for comfort and a so-so three-star rating for all other criteria.

Queensland commuters felt just as ripped off as their Victorian counterparts. Queensland Rail earned four out of five stars for all criteria except for ticket prices, which collected only two stars.

West Australians were the most passionate about their train network, CANSTAR CANNEX's Head of Research Steven Mickenbecker said.

"A whopping 94 per cent (of West Australians believe) further investment in their local metro rail system should be a key transport priority, compared with 83 per cent of Queenslanders," he said.

Victorian Public Transport Users Association treasurer Kerryn Wilmot said the survey's findings weren't surprising.

She said the state's authorities could look interstate for inspiration to improve customer satisfaction.

"There's such an increase in the use of the system ... the department seems to have been caught napping ... they're behind in provision of services and playing catch-up to some extent," she said.

She noted crowding, reliability, connectivity between transport nodes, car parking at stations and planning among the key issues facing the Victorian system.

"The planning doesn't match the community expectations ... across the network planning is crucial," she said.

The survey, conducted by Colmar Brunton, studied Transperth, Adelaide Metro, Queensland Rail, Sydney's City Rail and Metro Trains in Melbourne.

The research for Canstar Blue involves 2500 Australian consumers giving feedback on a range of categories every few months to measure and track customer satisfaction.

Some common gripes with city trains were:

    Overcrowding
    Reliability of services
    Cleanliness of carriages
    Behaviour of other passengers
    Safety concerns
    Ticketing options are limited and prices are expensive
    Clarity of signage and announcements

The full Canstar Blue results are available at www.canstarblue.com.au.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national/victorians-are-the-grumpiest-commuters-perth-trains-have-most-satisfied-customers/story-e6frfkvr-1226074999905

[ozbob]

Fascinating, the one thing beyond the immediate control of Queensland Rail viz. fares is the only major fail ...

[ozbob]

==> http://www.canstarblue.com.au/travel/city-trains/

[ozbob]

This will make you smile TT ... 

[colinw]

Well there's a surprise.  If you make the service frequent, affordable and reasonably fast, people will use it and like it.

Not exactly rocket science.

[HappyTrainGuy]

What's the big difference in comfort... we built/share Perths rollingstock

[SurfRail]

What's the big difference in comfort... we built/share Perths rollingstock

If anything, theirs are less comfortable than ours.  The B-sets and our 160/260 series sets have the same basic Burteaux seating (albeit configured a bit differently), but theirs has virtually no padding to speak of.

Word to the uninitiated - don't sit down too fast on a train seat in Melbourne or Perth...

[HappyTrainGuy]

Gotta love those QR EMU/SMU200-220/IMU100-120/ICE seats IMU160/SMU260 can sod off

[#Metro]

Adelaide should be at the bottom!

LOL!

[Arnz]

Had a number of off-peak commuters from up the coast having a good ol whine about missing the "ICEs" and the comfy seats, and how "uncomfortable" those 'gold coast style' train seats are (Give me a break!  ).   Whilst other commuters are disagreeing and saying it's "good" to have "new" (SMU260s/IMU160s) and the "Gold Coast style" (older IMUs) trains more frequently for a change and not "old pieces of junk" (EMU/ICEs).  A few prefer the "Gold Coast style" trains over the old "ICEs".

On another note, a few IMUs are out of service for maintenance.  Sighted a 1x 6-car SMU260 head up to Nambour around 11am, and 2x 6-car SMU260 in a row on Airport<>Gold Coast duties this morning.

[ozbob]

Melbourne is a lot better than the ratings would suggest IMHO.  They are getting soft down there on the banks of the Yarra, crikey the myki is good, the fare structure is  10/10, I rarely use a timetable when travelling around such is the general train frequency and then to top it all off it is on 5'3"! Graffiti is bad, peak trains are very 'popular' but no worse than Sydney or Brisbane.  As far as Adelaide goes must have asked the gunzels ...

Haven't been to Sydney for a while (I try to avoid it .. lol) but have always found CityRail more than adequate.

[SurfRail]

Gotta love those QR EMU/SMU200-220/IMU100-120/ICE seats IMU160/SMU260 can sod off

Personally, I love the new seating compared to the old IMU seats.  Much more comfortable generally, better positioned for people with longer legs, and not as squeezy when the train is fully-seated due to the absence of aisle-side handrails.

I always seem to be in the minority when the question is asked though!

[dwb]

Melbourne is a lot better than the ratings would suggest IMHO.  They are getting soft down there on the banks of the Yarra, crikey the myki is good, the fare structure is  10/10, I rarely use a timetable when travelling around such is the general train frequency and then to top it all off it is on 5'3"! Graffiti is bad, peak trains are very 'popular' but no worse than Sydney or Brisbane.  As far as Adelaide goes must have asked the gunzels ...

Haven't been to Sydney for a while (I try to avoid it .. lol) but have always found CityRail more than adequate.

You hit the nail on the head, this research only reveals people's perceptions, not necessarily actual differences in quality.

[ozbob]

LOL  from the Melbourne Age click here!

Metro Trains rated Australia's worst

Metro Trains rated Australia's worst
Ellen Coulter
June 15, 2011

METRO Trains has been voted the worst city rail system in the country, according to a commuter satisfaction survey.

Metro came last in all surveyed categories, which included reliability and performance, comfort of trains, safety, timetables and scheduling, and signage and announcements.

The survey of 2500 Australian commuters, conducted by independent research group Canstar Cannex, compared train passenger satisfaction between Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and Queensland rail systems.

Overcrowding was said to be of particular concern to Melbourne commuters.

''Victorians are the grumpiest commuters, with 55 per cent of those surveyed believing overcrowding was substantially impacting their quality of life, compared with only 27 per cent of South Australians," the survey group's head of research said.

Western Australians were the most satisfied commuters surveyed, with Transperth getting top marks nationwide for overall satisfaction, reliability and performance, comfort on trains and timetables.

ELLEN COULTER

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/metro-trains-rated-australias-worst-20110614-1g27t.html#ixzz1PHmOgLdI

[#Metro]

We should be wary of this.
http://www.humantransit.org/2011/05/top-ten-rankings-the-1-way-to-confuse.html

However, unlike "top ten" rankings this one actually has a transparent method and breaks it down into components.

My personal ranking would be:

1. Perth
2. Sydney
3. Melbourne
4. Brisbane
5. Adelaide <--- THE WORST train system in Australia IMHO

[Cam]

What's the big difference in comfort... we built/share Perths rollingstock

If anything, theirs are less comfortable than ours.  The B-sets and our 160/260 series sets have the same basic Burteaux seating (albeit configured a bit differently), but theirs has virtually no padding to speak of.

Word to the uninitiated - don't sit down too fast on a train seat in Melbourne or Perth...

The train seats in Queensland may not feel as comfortable after up to 29 minutes waiting on a hard seat on a platform beforehand.

I find that the straight seat backing at 90 degrees in the older carriages to be painful - sometimes even after only short periods of time seated. I have a minor back problem & these older seats seem to place pressure in the wrong place.

[colinw]

5. Adelaide <--- THE WORST train system in Australia IMHO

Not for much longer ...

[colinw]

Haven't been to Sydney for a while (I try to avoid it .. lol) but have always found CityRail more than adequate.

We have a lot of relatives in Sydney (mainly north west, Galston, Cherrybrook) and visit 2 or 3 times a year.  When in Sydney, even if we have driven down, if we go anywhere it is automatic to use public transport.  Even with the relatively poor bus service to Galston and near my sister's home in Cherrybrook, it is still more sensible than trying to drive.

So the drill is bus to Pennant Hills, and on to CityRail.  We also use the buses to Castle Hill and then on to Parramatta.

Also, even with the surcharge, we don't give the airport train in Sydney a 2nd thought. It is simply THE way to get to/from the airport.

That is not the case in Brisbane, and I struggle to get my family to use public transport unless going to southbank or the CBD.

Haven't used Melbourne public transport for a few years now, as our office in Melbourne is within walking distance of the hotel I stay in.  But when holidaying down there we have found the public transport to be far more approachable for a casual user than it is in Brisbane.

[somebody]

WTF?  CityRail and QR better than Metro?  I don't think so.  Although I guess the reliability and peak overcrowding are pretty bad down there.

[Cam]

Timetabling/ scheduling:
4 stars for QR
2 stars for Metro Trains (Melbourne)



The only explanation for this is that a 30 minute off peak frequency is considered good by Queenslanders but a 10-20 minute off peak frequency is considered only fair by Victorians.

Perhaps Queenslanders are typically more complacent? Your thoughts?

[colinw]

Public transport is much more embedded in the culture in Melbourne, and thus the locals are more inclined to be critical of the service provided.  Melbournites also seem more inclined to use the system for discretionary travel, not just the daily commute.  I think the reflects the relative sizes of the city, and IMHO greater social/civic maturity of Melbourne vs most of the rest of Australia.

A lot of people in Brisbane couldn't give a fig as long as the single service each day that they ride to/from work runs.

Reminds me of a "discussion" about Adelaide I saw on a certain other site, where someone steadfastly maintained that frequency was irrelevant as long as the demands of peak travel to/from work were met.  I.e. it was irrelevant to him whether trains ran at other times of day, as long as he could get the one he wanted in the morning & back home in the afternoon.

In Brisbane you are far more likely to run into the "as long as I get what I want, everyone else can go and get stuffed" mentality.  Even crops up on here at times.

[#Metro]

Rotten apples? Didn't know fresh apples existed or what they tasted like...

[ozbob]

The results do not tally with my experiences.  If you asked people the same questions who have actually used the different systems I am very certain a very different ranking order would come out.

[colinw]

Oh, and the Perth results reflect having a genuinely good service. (Even if not as good as it could be, and a tad ordinary in the evening).

[somebody]

Perhaps Queenslanders are typically more complacent? Your thoughts?

I think that is a large part of it.  It's not just PT.  If you point out mismanagement of Wivenhoe, apparent corruption or any other criticism people actually get annoyed with you.

[PollyWouldLikeASeat]

The article doesn't give a breakdown of how many people in each state responded,  maybe they polled way more Victorians or maybe only people in the inner suburbs of Brisbane were polled.  It would seem not to represent the opinions/experiences of those of us who choose to live out past whoop-whoop and want to catch the train to Brisbane.

[somebody]

So the drill is bus to Pennant Hills, and on to CityRail.  We also use the buses to Castle Hill and then on to Parramatta.

That's dedication.  I'd drive to the station (probably Cheltenham) if I had access to a car.  You used to be able to park at Epping if you could accept a 1km walk.  Haven't tried that since the M2 went through.