Power problems on the UP between Corinda and Darra pm 12th Jan

[ozbob]

A number of conflicting reports.  Power problems around Corinda - Darra. Some delays UP services.  DOWN services still coming through.

About 5 or 6 sets at Corinda.  Latest advice (someone at Corinda) is trains to resume in about ten minutes.

Although this has appeared on TL Site

Ipswich line delays - effective 12 January 2009

Passengers travelling on outbound trains on the Ipswich line are currently experiencing delays due to problems with the overhead power lines at Corinda.

QR advises that buses are operating between Corinda and Wacol stations, stopping all stations, in a bid to minimise disruptions. Passengers can catch connecting trains from Wacol to Ipswich.

This on QR Citytrain

CANCELLED TRAIN ADVICE



Train commencing Ipswich - Corinda, Departing Ipswich at 2:40 pm is CANCELLED, Due to AN EMERGENCY LINE PROBLEM.  The Shorncliffe Service normally departing at 2:55 will depart approx. 5 mins late at 3:00pm.

BUSES have been arranged to replace services.  DELAYS of 15 - 20 minutes are EXPECTED

For further enquiries please call Translink on 13 12 30 or contact QR Passenger Services on 07 3606 5555.

QR apologises for these changes to your normal service and appreciates your patience as we work to minimise these disruptions.

[ozbob]

Passengers at Corinda told at one stage an hour wait for buses. 

If trains are coming through on the DOWN (the line to CBD), why not run UP services on the DOWN, if only to get rid of the hundreds at Corinda?  Been done before between Corinda and Darra.

[ozbob]

Trains on the move again.  First UP service since the disruption is now at Wacol, on UP line.

[glen_2006]

I've been listening to my scanner this afternoon and have been hearing all the train comms about this. Although I'm not allowed to share whats been going on publically (or at least I think i'm not, I know other forums do not allow 'scanner information sharing' because of the legalitys and such)  - I can agree with that Translink post, there has been some major power issues they've had to solve all afternoon along that section of the line.

[ozbob]

Thanks Glen, yes best to do as you have done thanks.

And welcome too!   

Regards
Bob

[glen_2006]

Thanks Bob. I've seen the forum before, after reading various articles - but haven't registered until now.

And QR on their website just confirming everything is back to normal. Lucky this didn't affect peak-hour! The first back-to-work day for a number of people I imagine.

IPSWICH / ROSEWOOD TRAIN SERVICES
PLEASE NOTE:  TRAIN SERVICES ON THE IPSWICH / ROSEWOOD LINE ARE RETURNING TO NORMAL.  THE OVERHEAD PROBLEM BETWEEN CORINDA AND DARRA HAS BEEN REPAIRED

QR apologises for these changes to your normal service and appreciates your patience as we work to minimise these disruptions.

[ozbob]

   thanks.

Coming home this afternoon on the 4.40pm IPS service from Roma St we crossed from the UP suburban to the Up main as we left Indooroopilly, crossed on the river on the main and then went back onto the UP sub before Chelmer.  Noticed some isolation cables on the section bypassed.  Might be just maintenance and probably not related to the earlier issues.

The problems further out which caused the disruptions was a transformer issue and some points that got locked. 

Yes, great that it was resolved reasonably quickly.

[ozbob]

More delays this evening after Corinda.  Noted a stationary up coal train between Oxley and Darra.  Parked for about 10 minutes or so about 6.50pm.  Passenger on the 6.20pm from Central noted delays at Corinda of around ten minutes or so ...

[Mozz]

hmmm makes me wonder about Tuesday morning peak trains, nothing on the QR or Translink Web sites, so things should be A ok.

[ozbob]

Noticed some track maintenance vehicles heading down from Darra to Oxley at about 4.15am. 

Maybe some work overnight, things seem to be ok now.

[ozbob]

Communication to passengers last evening concerning the delays was not good according to a number of passenger reports ...

[ozbob]

Some feedback received, thanks!

The Ipswich bound train I took on the way home tonight (ed. 12th Jan) stopped at Corinda because another train ahead was broken down. All passengers had to get off the train. A noisy and smelly freight train parked on the next track. We waited for 10 minutes for the next train and then another 10 minutes after we boarded the train. 

This is the third time of such experience I had since September 2008. In my over 7 years living in Hong Kong relying daily on Mass Transit Railway (MTR) transport there was never such a thing happened. A slight delay of a few minutes in the MTR service would cause uproar and Legco (Legislative Council of Hong Kong) inquiry. Australians are used to poor service - the third world living!

Many times there was not even an announcement or explanation for the delay. No apology for the inconvenience caused to the passengers.

[mufreight]

There have been many posts critical of the standards of service and communication provided by QR when things go wrong eith equipment and other failures, I would like to present what I consider to be a positive effort by QR staff under difficult conditions relating to the power outage on Monday 12th.
I travelled on the 1.50pm Ipswich service ex Central, on departing Indoorpilly the train crosed over to the main line then crossed back to the suburban after crossing the river at Chelmer, at aproximately Graceville the guard announced that there were overhead problems west of Corinda and the service would terminate there and that buses would be provided for passengers to continue their journeys, this announcement was repeated as the train departed from Sherwood.
On arrival at Corinda the Guard asked that all passengers detrain as the train was terminating at Corinda and the station staff also made an announcement that the train was terminating at Corinda and asked that passengers move to the bus stop adjacent to the station and that buses would arrive shortly and apologised for the delay and inconvenience, a member of the station staff was on hand at the station concourse directing passengers to the bus stop, apologising for the inconvenience and delay.
On proceeding to the bus stop there were some 80 to 100 people there already waiting presumably passengers from the previous service that had also been terminated there, after waiting for half and hour and no buses some passengers were becoming iritated at the delay still no buses and another train had arrived swelling the numbers, again the station staff were courtious and helpfull, there was a QR staffer there who was attempting to speed up the arrival of the buses making a number of calls only to be told that it would be at least another half an hour before buses would arrive.
Of note there were two transit officers also present who were totaly ineffectual on remarhing to a passenger that they were there to catch fare evaders and fine them not as customer service officers.
There were two Caboolture services from Ipswich came through on the down so obviously power was avaliable on the down line.
There was one passenger of Islander descent becoming quite aggressive to staff and other passengers,
seemingly the problem was rectified and passengers were asked to board the next service from Brisbane, this service waited at Corinda for a further 10 minutes or so then departed for Ipswich, again the train crew advised passengers that there would be a short delay and apologised for both the delay and the inconvenience, it was a somewhat quicker than normal trip from Corinda to Ipswich.
The QR staff were most helpful and made an attempt to keep passengers advised.
That is the positives of the situation, a good effort by all the staff involved much in contrast to some of the responses from those passengers who were unfortunate enough to be delayed at Corinda later in the day by a train that failed.
the only critisim that I could make was the delay in the arrival of the replacement buses, seemingly due in a large part to their being arranged by Translink.
I would question as to why services to Ipswich were not operated over the down line to Goodna or Redmank, the delays would have been far shorter and passengers would not have been required to detrain, wait for buses that did not come in the heat then eventualy retrain to complete their journey.

[Mozz]

In some 30 years of commuting on the Ipswich line primarily however also many trips on other lines, I have many times been involved in issues which have caused delays or cancellations at the start or during a rail journey.

Many times there have been announcements or word of mouth from staff of buses coming to transport rail commuters however not once have I actually seen a single bus arrive to transport rail commuters, never.

Buses actually arriving to transport passengers where there are issues on the rail network may happen, but in my experience I haven't seen it.

Advice of buses which aren't likely to appear doesn't really help anyone, honesty regarding delay times and regular updates are vital for commuters to make informed decisions.

With the new medium of the internet, brief posts in hard to find locations on websites advising of "delays of up to 10 minutes" when the real delay may be 20, 30 or 60 minutes are unhelpful and misleading.

Let's get the communication flowing accurately and freely to those commuters involved in delays.