Sunshine Coast Daily do live tweeting inbound/outbound on the commute ..

[ozbob]

From the Sunshine Coast Daily click here!

What the pollies learnt on the train

What the pollies learnt on the train

    Kathy Sundstrom
    24th Jan 2013 5:45 AM

A STATE minister and three Sunshine Coast candidates rode the rails yesterday to taste what public transport was like.

This is what they thought.

ANDREW POWELL, Member for Glass House and Environment Minister:

Mr Powell said he would be phoning Transport Minister Scott Emerson on arriving in Brisbane to discuss lack of communication on the train and issues around timetables.

"It won't be easy, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be looked at," he said.

He also said, for the first time, the duplication of the railway line between Beerburrum and Nambour was the State Government's second most important rail project, behind the cross-river rail.

TED O'BRIEN, LNP candidate for Fairfax:

"These discussions reinforced my views that improved infrastructure - road, rail and air - is key to our

future as a region. We need a co-operative approach to get it right."

JIM McDONALD, Greens candidate for Fairfax:

"QR needs to improve its internal communications when passengers with smartphones have better technology than the train crew. Timely and improved information flow for all passengers is a matter of simple courtesy, good public relations, and necessary for people relying on rail to get them to work on time.

"What was also clear on the return trip, as the train backed up at Eudlo after the southbound train picked up passengers at the station, was the need for a second line. Three freight trains passed southward during the two-and-a-half-hour trip from Central Station."

MAL BROUGH, LNP candidate for Fisher:

"What people are after is very achievable. The number one issue is communications from QR about what's happening.

"Tied up is inconsistency what QR providing with tweets and

online often inconsistent what here with platform announcements."

WYATT ROY, Member for Longman:

He sent an email, apologising he could not travel yesterday, but said it was an issue for Caboolture rail travellers too, who "experienced some of the peak hour problems of Sunshine Coast commuters, including overcrowding".

"I'm firmly behind any campaign that strives to make improvements."

[colinw]

Good, the SCL duplication case is starting to get some traction. Keep the blowtorch applied and something will give sooner or later.

[Fares_Fair]

From the Sunshine Coast Daily click here!

What the pollies learnt on the train

What the pollies learnt on the train

    Kathy Sundstrom
    24th Jan 2013 5:45 AM

A STATE minister and three Sunshine Coast candidates rode the rails yesterday to taste what public transport was like.

This is what they thought.

ANDREW POWELL, Member for Glass House and Environment Minister:

Mr Powell said he would be phoning Transport Minister Scott Emerson on arriving in Brisbane to discuss lack of communication on the train and issues around timetables.

"It won't be easy, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be looked at," he said.

He also said, for the first time, the duplication of the railway line between Beerburrum and Nambour was the State Government's second most important rail project, behind the cross-river rail.

TED O'BRIEN, LNP candidate for Fairfax:

"These discussions reinforced my views that improved infrastructure - road, rail and air - is key to our

future as a region. We need a co-operative approach to get it right."

JIM McDONALD, Greens candidate for Fairfax:

"QR needs to improve its internal communications when passengers with smartphones have better technology than the train crew. Timely and improved information flow for all passengers is a matter of simple courtesy, good public relations, and necessary for people relying on rail to get them to work on time.

"What was also clear on the return trip, as the train backed up at Eudlo after the southbound train picked up passengers at the station, was the need for a second line. Three freight trains passed southward during the two-and-a-half-hour trip from Central Station."

MAL BROUGH, LNP candidate for Fisher:

"What people are after is very achievable. The number one issue is communications from QR about what's happening.

"Tied up is inconsistency what QR providing with tweets and

online often inconsistent what here with platform announcements."

WYATT ROY, Member for Longman:

He sent an email, apologising he could not travel yesterday, but said it was an issue for Caboolture rail travellers too, who "experienced some of the peak hour problems of Sunshine Coast commuters, including overcrowding".

"I'm firmly behind any campaign that strives to make improvements."

Great news!
A great start anyway, and to Nambour where it WILL provide $4.57 billion in output generation to the SEQ economy.

[somebody]

No reason timetable cannot be simple clock work hrly, BH, EJ, NG, Petri, Cab all to Landsbourgh. Two hrly to Nambour and Gympie trains use same stopping pattern. In peak you can add a couple of 30min service

I'm sorry but there is.  Care to provide a timetable including CAB, 4tph Kippa-Ring, and hourly Landsborough + 2hrly NBR trains?

[somebody]

Talkiing Off-peak

As was I.

There won't be 4t/hr to Kippa

I can't support a move which would block it.  I honestly don't know why it's being built to have such a crap low intensity working.

[HappyTrainGuy]

There won't be 4t/hr to Kippa

I wouldn't cast judgment just yet considering the line isn't even finalised as a whole along with many other contributing factors. There certainly won't be if the Government doesn't start putting money into the railways, if Translink doesn't pull its hand out of the cookie jar and if NGR doesn't get up and running soon.

Re timetabling - I wouldn't bother as there are too many variables such as total funding for projects (cheap bastard and your flat junctions, ideal for the network, ultimate over the top finally spending money on the railways and securing a better network for the future), removed infrastructure and missing infrastructure ie Lawnton-Petrie triple works, Petrie station upgrades/spur line to Kippa Ring/removal of stabling and platform access roads in the north and the possible new reconfigured roads from the north/new running path patterns (MD SD MU SU for example).

[Fares_Fair]

That's a very good point you raise, Jonno.

I wonder how many people are driving down the Bruce highway every day who COULD be on a train, but aren't due to the costs, time, reliability and affordability?
If QR could source those statistics (and they probably can't because it's a Transport and Main Roads issue), and they were miniscule, then I may believe there is no demand for it.
If not then they shouldn't be saying there is no demand, because they simply wouldn't know.

Had a very exciting morning, upon arriving at Palmwoods station there was the Minister for Environment and Heritage, the Hon Andrew Powell MP and the LNP federal candidate for Fairfax, Mr Ted O'Brien. Ted will replace the current member (if elected), the Hon Alex Solmyay MP, who retires at the next election.
My first action upon arrival was to top up the balance of my go card, which these days drops quicker to the bottom than the Titanic. RIP.

Upon entering the train we were met by Kathy Sundstrom of the Sunshine Coast Daily and SCD photographer, Peter.

Dr Jim McDonald was also on the train, he is the Greens candidate for the federal seat of Fairfax.

At Landsborough station we were met by Mal Brough, the LNP candidate for the federal seat of Fisher (Peter Slipper's seat) and former Howard government Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs.

We initially headed into the second (quiet) carriage, so I suggested that we relocate to the third carriage since I was sure there would be plenty of 'banter' happening as we travelled. Indeed there was.

Small localised groups formed and the constant buzz of many earnest conversations, filled the carriage for the entire journey.
Commuters used the opportunity to voice their concerns to the dignitaries. There was some intense conversations, but civility reigned.
At regular intervals the chairs would change and a new chat group would form, it was fascinating to observe.

I took the opportunity to hand out my Sunshine Coast Case report to Ted O'Brien and Mal Brough.

A trill of excitement went through the carriage when a twitter feed told of a boom gate strike at Carseldine, this when we were at around Glass House Mountains station at 6:53am (~2 minutes late). By the time we arrived at the rail crossing there were just a couple of Police cars and all had been fixed.
It had been around a half-hour, which - to be fair, is the usual turn-around time for this type of delay.

Someone asked Andrew Powell if we got special treatment, he laughed and said "no, it's not like that for us" or words to that effect.

Kathy, the journalist from the Daily was asking questions of Andrew Powell when she used up her 20Mb wi-fi limit. This was followed by technical issues with her mobile, so I offered mine for her to use. She used it for most of the journey, tweeting as we went, and I was very happy to oblige.

Those who can, will read about many of those conversations in tomorrow's Sunshine Coast Daily. 

There is a very good excercise FF. Not sure who organised it but great effort. I also congratulate the relevent MP's and prospective MP's who made the effort to attend as well as the commuters who expressed their views without being uncivil or making threating or usless statements about the individuals.

There seems to be alot of mommentum on this line at the momment and it appears the current govt isn't sleeping on the issue having tried to get fed funding last year. I don't see an answer coming for Lands' extension at least this year, but I think we will see action announced by 2015 if not started.

Thank you RTT,

I cannot take the credit for it, it was organised entirely by the Sunshine Coast Daily.
I have provided a number of reports and background information to them.

There has been lots of concurrent background research occurring by the Daily themselves, including talking to the Fed's as well.
Full credit to them.

I am strongly appreciative of their support in the campaign for better rail services to the Sunshine Coast.

[mch]

I have just come back to RBOT after and absence. I have previously worked with Fiona Simpson when she was the shadow minister for transport.
It was a struggle to get extra services. We had worked through the timetable and identified spaces that could be used to provide extra morning services.
The Labor government had said they could not work, when the question was put in parliament. to improve the services. Strange when 3 months later they came up with two new morning services just a couple of minutes different to the ones that had been proposed.

Fiona is now the speaker of the house and as such has some influence.

Maybe we need to tap this resource and the other members from the Sunshine coast to get some action.

Labor cut short the duplication of the North Coast Line to build a recycled water pipeline (a waste of money).

While it would take some time to duplicate, if a push was made to duplicate the next section between Beerburrum and Glass House Mountains, this would allow improvements.
When this is finished, the next section could be tackled.
The "North Coast Line used to go to Eagle Junction with the main line being to Doomben.
It then was extended to Shorncliffe. Eventually it went to Petrie and then to Caboolture.

You will find that sometimes 'slow and steady' will win the race.

[Old Northern Road]

It's far more important to have 4tph to Kippa-Ring than it is to have a hourly service to Landsborough. Anyway with 4tph to Kippa-Ring you could have Caboolture trains running express to Petrie with every second train continuing through to Nambour.

Basically:
15min all stations to Kippa-Ring (possibly skipping Albion, Wooloowin, Toombul and Nundah)
30min to Caboolture/Nambour - express to Petrie with every second train continuing through to Nambour.

If they want a better service then Sunshine Coast snobs are going to have to share the train with us working class slobs from Moreton Bay Regional Council.

[Arnz]

If they want a better service then Sunshine Coast snobs are going to have to share the train with us working class slobs from Moreton Bay Regional Council.

Yup, your a troll by trying to lump all of us into the same boat. At least redirect your comments to some of the misinformed bloggers on the SC daily.

If you even read most of the past posts on here the SC regulars on this forum trying to speed up the duplication for freight and improved revenue into the state of Queensland.  This is also taking into consideration a few pollies had said duplication beyond Beerburrum to Landsborough is the "2nd most important priority behind the CRR"   

To quote FF "Improved reliability and off-peak services" are a impressive side dish to the main course.  Most of us are aware that the chokepoints south of Caboolture had reduced express services for both Caboolture and Nambour.

[somebody]

I can't support a move which would block it.  I honestly don't know why it's being built to have such a cr%p low intensity working.

Got to start somewhere. Peak hour will no doubt be the bulk if not all the Petrie starters (currently peaks at 8t/hr).

The 4t/hr off-peak requires a change in govt policey and I think the govt has made it clear there is a 2year trial on the FG line that maybe rolled out pending sucessful trial and I assume funding and infrastructure limitations. The completion of the KR line maybe the trigger (for SP-KR 15min), but you need to leave suitable track capacity for the freighters, landers and SCL services. But realistically I think express EJ, NG and all to Petrie every 15min with a shuttle to either Cabulture or KR is the first thing that will happen. Certainly shuttles are very common OS in similar situations, even spiltting trains, but somehow I doubt QR/Translink is ready for splitting trains in service.

[Arnz]

I thought about running express to Petrie and all to Cab 1t/hr and another train per hour to Lands (ie 2t/hr to Cab) with the Lands service extended to Nambour every 2nd hour. Maybe off-peak ok, but this makes for a long haul up nth. For peak would the trains fill up?

Getting Shorncliffe to 4tph off-peak post Moreton Bay Rail should allow both the Caboolture, Nambour and Moreton Bay trains to skip Alb/Wool and Toombul/Nundah. 

Which should allow this pattern for off-peak.

4tph to Kippa Ring (Bowen Hills, Eagle Junction, Northgate then all stations to Kippa Ring)
2tph to Caboolture/Landsborough (Bowen Hills, Eagle Junction, Northgate, Petrie, then all to Landsborough).
90 mins - Landsborough-Nambour (foamy: extension to Cooroy?) off-peak shuttle (will require platform transfer at Landsborough)  - Mooloolah-Nambour retains peak-through running at 30 min freq.

Paired up, it would form this off-peak Suburbans pattern.
4tph Springfield Central to Kippa Ring (exp Bowen Hills to Northgate stopping Eagle Junction)
2tph Ipswich to Landsborough (exp Darra to Milton stopping Indooroopilly and exp Bowen Hills to Petrie stopping EJ and Northgate)
Off-peak Shuttles
1tph Rosewood Shuttle
90min Landsborough to Nambour (foamy extension: Cooroy) shuttle.

[Stillwater]

It's QR's answer to Little Britain's 'computer says no' line.  QR's slogan: 'Sorry, there's not much we can do to help you.'

Maybe with a few more resources from government QR might be able to do better.