Replace GCL between Brookside and Indroopilly

[#Metro]

Time to break up the GCL.

Every 20 minutes off peak
Every 10 minutes peak
seems reasonable- ideally every 15 minutes 7am - 7 pm all day like Perth and Melbourne.

- Steam ironed route
- Cut out Botanic Gardens / la la
- Mt Coo-tha and Botanic gardens could be handled by a Toowong-Mt Cootha shuttle.
- Route 471 / Birdwood Tce services could be bent back to terminate at Toowong Shopping Centre to make it useful.

Route 591 Indooroopilly to Brookside via Toowong

Indooroopilly Interchange
Moggill Road
Toowong
Sherwood Road
Miskin Street
Frederick Street (Metroad 5)
Boundary Road
Bardon
Jubilee Tce
Waterworks Road-Ashgrove Shops
Stewart Road
Wardell Street
Samford Road
Mitchelton Bus/Rail interchange
(Co-ordinate with rail so that IB FG train meets bus and takes pax to Toowong)
Brookside Shopping Centre

[Gazza]

I think the GC replacement should Terminate at Toowong. Those heading for Indro should use a 444, 88 or rail.

In fact, if we are following this process of shattering the GCL, then I reckon the Ipswich Line - Garden City leg could be done better. I'm thinking Sherwood Station, Sherwood Rd, Beadesert Rd, Boundary Rd, Coopers Plains Station, McCullogh St, Mains Rd, Kessels Rd, Garden City. Buses would be based out of Sherwood and Garden City Depots, no no real dead running.

[aldonius]

Pickering West is useful during school PM, but Wardell St (assuming the Enoggera flyover) should still be close enough.

[Golliwog]

I'd add in that it should service the Enoggera interchange as well. Give it some buses.

Also, specifying route numbers at this stage is silly. Given Translink is already breaking up the GCL (see route 590) I'd be surprised if they didn't already have route numbers assigned to the different section, but to me numbering them in order around Brisbane would make sense (ie: 591 should share a terminus with the 590).

I do see the point about terminating at Toowong and transfering Gazza, but not sure how popular that would be. The Indro shopping center is a pretty major shopping center so I think it does need to be serviced by this route.

[#Metro]

Thanks for the feedback. Some points:

1. Toowong termination

I thought about this, however Indooroopilly is a major hub and it is likely that people using this cross-town route would be doing
interchange already. 594 needs to connect to there so it can keep the circle closed so to speak.

2. Enoggera

Enoggera bus-rail interchange isn't great. To serve that interchange would require a less direct route and be a pain. Mitchelton has recently got a nice new interchange built and this is much closer to Brookside. This can shuttle pax from FG line to Brookside for work at the shopping centre.

3. Agree with your point Gazza re: Indro-Garden City. I'll let you work up a thread for the honours.

[aldonius]

If it services Enoggera interchange then it doesn't need to stop on the flyover (which isn't particularly pedestrian friendly). Having said that, if it does stop at the interchange there will be confusion as to whether it is timetabled to link with Enoggera or Mitchelton rail.

[SurfRail]

Support this one.

Only issue is - would a direct route to UQ be a better outcome?  Indooroopilly is much easier to get to with rail and existing buses from Toowong, UQ could probably do with the extra capacity.

[#Metro]

Only issue is - would a direct route to UQ be a better outcome?  Indooroopilly is much easier to get to with rail and existing buses from Toowong, UQ could probably do with the extra capacity.

In most cases I would usually say no, however UQ is the second largest destination outside the Brisbane CBD, and therefore I will suggest that it be considered. There already is 412 and 402, personally I think 402 is slow and should get rid of the all stops section on Schonell Drv (nobody uses those intermediate stops!).

[somebody]

Support this one.

Only issue is - would a direct route to UQ be a better outcome?  Indooroopilly is much easier to get to with rail and existing buses from Toowong, UQ could probably do with the extra capacity.

I think so.  Current arrangements do not make interchange easy for UQ.

I'd also think there should be a connection to Everton Park, which is just up the road.

[#Metro]

I'd also think there should be a connection to Everton Park, which is just up the road.
   

I think a 358 (?) from Great Western Shops/Brookside/Stafford Rd/Toombul would serve that purpose. GCL 503

[somebody]

Hmm, I guess it is.

This is going to result in a less easy to negotiate network than what the GCL provided, but maybe it will make up for it if the frequency and operating hours is increased.

[#Metro]

http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=5018.0

358 Cross Town (Re-brand as GCL 503 593)

http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af104/tramtrain/stafford_crosstown-1.png

[somebody]

Support the 358 extension to DFO also.

I'd also extend the 308 to PCH, if that link is no longer going to be provided by the GCL.

[Golliwog]

My logic about using the Enoggera interchange though is that if you're going to be picking up people along Wardell St who may be trying to get to the CBD, they're not going to be a fan of back tracking to Mitchelton. You could then serve a little of Everton Park, and run to Brookside via Griffith St.

[Cam]

In fact, if we are following this process of shattering the GCL, then I reckon the Ipswich Line - Garden City leg could be done better. I'm thinking Sherwood Station, Sherwood Rd, Beadesert Rd, Boundary Rd, Coopers Plains Station, McCullogh St, Mains Rd, Kessels Rd, Garden City.

This idea would fit in well with a possible future small bus interchange & commercial precinct between Salisbury Railway Station & Beaudesert Rd. Once the Flagstone Line has opened, Salisbury will probably become an interchange between the Gold Coast, Beenleigh & Flagstone lines.  Several existing bus routes in the area could be modified to utilise the interchange as well as creating new bus routes. e.g. Darra to Garden City via Ipswich Motorway & Salisbury as well as Gazza's proposed service from Sherwood - although that could me made much faster using Riawena Rd rather than Boundary Rd.

A Darra to Garden City service could have several proper bus stops on both sides of the Ipswich Motorway with pedestrian overbridges incorporated in the design for the proposed upgrade. E.g. Oxley/Blunder Roads to service the adjacent commercial precinct & Douglas St to service the proposed housing development to be built on the Queensland Police Academy site once it has been relocated to Wacol.

[somebody]

Do we really need 3 daytime routes which provide connection between the Beenleigh & Ipswich lines, at low frequency?  104, 105 and GCL all do it badly.

[Cam]

Do we really need 3 daytime routes which provide connection between the Beenleigh & Ipswich lines, at low frequency?  104, 105 and GCL all do it badly.

Although a proper interchange at Salisbury may be a decade or more away, a service from Darra via Salisbury to Garden City should be implemented as soon as possible. Cross town bus services need significant improvement in this area.

[Gazza]

^So if there are existing routes that do it badly, at low frequency, why aren't they being modified too?
We're always being told how 'flexible' buses are, aren't we?

Also, the reason for the Boundary Rd routing was for GC line connections, and to hit Sunnybank Plaza.
In a decade, when CRR is open, then the bus route can be tweaked again.

I think the GCL is more symbolic than anything. If the shattered routes, plus additional cross town replacements, are better, then the original GCL can go away for all I care....

[somebody]

^So if there are existing routes that do it badly, at low frequency, why aren't they being modified too?

Culture?

But it seems that private operator routes can be changed sometimes.  Just not BT ones.  Seems to imply where the problem might be, doesn't it?

a service from Darra via Salisbury to Garden City should be implemented as soon as possible.

I'd be inclined to to extend this to the 590.  Needs to serve Sunnybank shops.  This makes the most sense assuming that there will be an express train service on the Ipswich line, full time.  But let's not call for things which would be an obstacle to achieving that.  I think it would be better to connect to Coopers Plains than Salisbury.  Road layout doesn't allow Salisbury easily and you also have the Gold Coast trains serving Coopers Plains.

I think these 4 routes:
358 - to DFO,
590 DFO-Garden City-Darra,
Brookside-UQ
308 extended to PCH.

are a substantial upgrade to the GCL and basically replace all its functions, upgraded.

[#Metro]

I took a ride on 590 yesterday, it took about 20 minutes or so to get from Carindale to Garden City.
I don't like the idea of it being extended further though because then you get reliability issues and so forth.
I'd rather see a new route to do any further linking.

[Cam]

a service from Darra via Salisbury to Garden City should be implemented as soon as possible.

I think it would be better to connect to Coopers Plains than Salisbury.  Road layout doesn't allow Salisbury easily and you also have the Gold Coast trains serving Coopers Plains.

It does make sense to connect with Gold Coast rail services. I guess whilst they stop at Coopers Plains then there should be a connection there. However, I think that the QEII Hospital needs to have a better connection from the Ipswich Line & preferably from Darra.

[SurfRail]

358 Cross Town (Re-brand as GCL 503)

593?  In which case yes.  (I don't think we need to resume route numbers from other portions of the network, which is why the Ekka "500" and "600" peeve me a little, as did BCC's whinge about not being able to keep its "district" route numbering because it interferes with outer suburban allocations.)

[Cam]

I think that there needs to be a better connection to Griffith University – Nathan Campus from the Ipswich Line. The TransLink  Journey Planner comes up with multiple options when travelling from, say, Darra Railway Station & they take from 55 to 75 minutes. The trip by private vehicle would take between 12 & 20 minutes - depending on traffic. The TransLink Journey Planner options for this journey include 3 bus services from Darra or train then 2 bus services from Sherwood, Toowong or Chelmer.

The lack of bus priority along bus routes needs to be addressed to speed up travel times. Outside the busways, bus priority is virtually non-existent across much of SE Queensland.

[somebody]

I took a ride on 590 yesterday, it took about 20 minutes or so to get from Carindale to Garden City.
I don't like the idea of it being extended further though because then you get reliability issues and so forth.
I'd rather see a new route to do any further linking.

I think there needs to be a connection between Sunnybank Plaza and Garden City via Kessels Rd & Mains Rd.  Possibly, terminating at Garden City would be OK.  I can't think of too many opportunities that are lost by doing that, I guess.

Salisbury Station has merit for the from Darra route Cam suggested.  That would allow connection to the Beenleigh Line, QEII Hospital and pick up the 120 & 135 routes for connection to Nathan Campus.  Accessing the east side of Salisbury station seems to be too hard to me.  Could you use Dollis St?  If you are going this way, then I think the 590 should extend to Sunnybank Plaza.

[Gazza]

I think these 4 routes:
358 - to Toombul
590 Toombul-Garden City-Darra,
Brookside-UQ
308 extended to PCH.

are a substantial upgrade to the GCL and basically replace all its functions, upgraded.

Fixed

[somebody]

I think these 4 routes:
358 - to Toombul
590 Toombul-Garden City-Darra,
Brookside-UQ
308 extended to PCH.

are a substantial upgrade to the GCL and basically replace all its functions, upgraded.

Fixed

You might be right at that.

[ozbob]

Media release 12th November 2011

SEQ: Core Frequent Network: 'Steam Iron' GCL between Indooroopilly and Brookside

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 has suggested that the current Great Circle Line (GCL) bus between Indooroopilly and Brookside be straightened (1).

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Public transport must be fast, direct and frequent. The introduction of the route 590 bus - Garden City to Airport 1 DFO, is the first stage of fixing up the cross-town network for non-CBD trips."

"The suggested route could service Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, Toowong, Bardon, Ashgrove, Wardell Street, Samford Rd, Mitchelton Rail and Brookside Shopping Centre. Alternatively, the route could begin at UQ Chancellors Place in recognition of the fact that UQ is a large study and employment centre."

"Importantly, services should run 7 days, including the weekend and be frequent enough in the off peak (every 30 minutes or better) and more frequent during peak hours (10-15 minutes) and have a decent scope of hours from 6 am to 9 pm."

"Services in the area could also be reviewed with a Mt Coot-tha shuttle service leaving Toowong half-hourly or better, and the existing 471 (Mt Coot-tha) altered to terminate at Toowong."

Reference:

1. http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=7041.0

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

[#Metro]

Oh what a co-incidence

This bus is proposed to run right through the middle of ASHGROVE

Election anyone?

[Fares_Fair]

Oh what a co-incidence

This bus is proposed to run right through the middle of ASHGROVE

Election anyone?

Yes please...