2014 Rail Patronage Boom

[#Metro]

Next year we will have very significant upgrades to rail services. Almost all lines are getting an upgrade at the same time. The Moreton Bay Rail link could be opened in late 2016, however I think we could push for a staged opening (same as richlands how that opened before the other stations were constructed) so that we can get the 15 minute rail service frequency extended from Northgate to Petrie.

This is very important because the northside is a huge PT blackspot, the roads are a grid and buses intersect train stations there. The only reason why people won't transfer on the Northside is because the frequency is rubbish. I'm not sure how this will all tie in with train deliveries etc, but it must be remembered that they STILL need trains to run on the Moreton Bay Rail link, and so my guess is that they have some plan for that.

I think there is going to be a massive boom in rail patronage. BT likes to boast about the BUZ services, they get about 1-2 million pax per year. Comparable train lines get around ~5 million or more per year in Perth, so am expecting a lot of new patronage to suddenly come online into the system, despite the fares situation.

This will also mean that there will be more demand for pax to go to train stations as well.

[Gazza]

however I think we could push for a staged opening (same as richlands how that opened before the other stations were constructed)

Not once it has gone out to tender I'm afraid.

The difference between this and Richlands is that Richlands was a standalone project/tender to the rest of the line.

[STB]

Not only that, but I don't think QR has the rollingstock for it yet, they have said that they are already using it at maximum levels with a spare ratio built in from the 20th January and there will be 3 car units operating until the new trains come online at the very least I suspect, and that's going to take a few years before that can come online, which my gut tells me (if they were clever about it), has been tied into the Kippa Ring project.

Personally, I'd just let them go on and do the job and get it right.  It's going to be an exciting few years in SEQ for public transport with new lines opening up and/or under construction, from MBRL to GCRT which they are already planning on extending it most likely before the Commonwealth Games, and eventually extending the 15min frequency and new stabling / workshops coming online.

[HappyTrainGuy]

STB is on the ball. The NGR was supposed to be tied into the completion date of the MBRL so trains would have been in the testing phase as it was open (IIRC).

The only reason people on the northside don't transfer to trains is because buses don't connect to the railway stations or because a bus doesn't exist (The Translink Network Review addressed alot of these issues for Brisbane Northside with its review). Which is why park and rides has really grown these past 10 years - especially at Strathpine as you can go the backway instead of going along Gympie Road/Samsonvale road etc. Or if they do the buses stop running at 6pm. Fact remains that the railway during peak hour has a 7 min frequency while Strathpine-Lawnton only have 60 minute feeders. The railway frequency compared to many of the bus routes is actually better. Bus routes around North Lakes are also currently flawed due to large sections of main connecting roads are simply missing/just started construction.

The MBRL won't be able to be open in stages as there are different completion dates for various stages of the project. The Petrie connection is supposed to be one of the very last completed projects due to the need for constant line closures for the large reconfiguration of the area in combination with the Lawnton to Petrie project. They are also using the soil/dirt from earthworks as foundation for overpasses and for the railway line along the corridor. If you head north to the new overpass they have already built fro the project about a 600m section of corridor is ready to have the ballast laid today.

[James]

It has been raised already that rolling stock is the big issue.

I think RBoT should make the agenda next year to start pushing for rolling stock to be ordered by the end of the 2013-14 financial year. The network cannot grow without more trains. Wulkuraka stabling also needs to be built NOW, as if I recall correctly, Mayne is getting very close to full, as are most of the suburban/interurban smaller stabling areas (Beenleigh, Caboolture, Robina etc.)

I think though if the rolling stock is available off-peak, we should push for 15 minutes to Petrie off-peak. Given how many trains will be running in peak, I don't see why it wouldn't be possible to just tack it on to the end of a Springfield - Bowen Hills train. Once you upgrade the rail frequency, the northside bus network only needs to be modified and you will see PT in that area flourish off the BUZ network like nowhere else in Brisbane.

[Gazza]

Wulkuraka stabling also needs to be built NOW

Just on that, Wulkuraka will just be maintenance apparently, no stabling.

What is stopping more stabling going in at Mayne at that huge area of spare land to the north?

[mufreight]

Wulkuraka stabling also needs to be built NOW

Just on that, Wulkuraka will just be maintenance apparently, no stabling.

What is stopping more stabling going in at Mayne at that huge area of spare land to the north?

Local politican is under the impression that there will be stabling at at Wulkaraka in conjunction with the NGR maintenance facility.

[Gazza]

Doesn't matter, I'd take QRs word over a local politician.

[Arnz]

Closing the Nambour stabling yard and moving it further north towards Yandina (or at Yandina itself) with an enlarged depot (perhaps look at stabling the Gympie North ICE at the new location too, even though it may involve dead running from GYN back to NBR/Yandina) frees up 2 parking slots currently taken by Nambour IMUs at the Caboolture yard for extra Caboolture services. 

Alternatively, a Beerwah stabling location also helps for Landsborough/CAMCOS services.

[SurfRail]

Clapham should be built same time as UBAT and be the principal depot for the UBAT lines.  Next big yard could potentially be at Banyo.

[HappyTrainGuy]

Wulkuraka stabling also needs to be built NOW

Just on that, Wulkuraka will just be maintenance apparently, no stabling.

What is stopping more stabling going in at Mayne at that huge area of spare land to the north?

Local politican is under the impression that there will be stabling at at Wulkaraka in conjunction with the NGR maintenance facility.

It wouldn't surprise me if they have somehow confused stabling for holding and transfer roads ie trains coming in and waiting for mtce/trains serviced and waiting to be taken away. From what I have been told the actual facilities (admin/local controls/parking/mtce infrastructure/turn around-holding roads etc) will be on the Rosewood end of the yard with the remaining holding and transfer roads on the Ipswich side.

I think though if the rolling stock is available off-peak, we should push for 15 minutes to Petrie off-peak. Given how many trains will be running in peak, I don't see why it wouldn't be possible to just tack it on to the end of a Springfield - Bowen Hills train.

I personally wouldn't bother in the mean time. The MBRL and Lawnton To Petrie works are really going to put some long speed restrictions on the area along with operating constrictions. Petrie will be losing it's access road from the north, all stabling will be gone, new signaling, something to do with expanding the feeder station there or something, something do to with the overpass, some cross overs are to be changed along with possible platform changes during construction from what I can remember.

If I was going to be backing anything I'd be using the MBRL launch as a date for a fundamental network change across the northside. Get buses to run past 6pm. Increase the frequency during peak hours (Strathpine-Petrie-Warner buses for example). Change/cut/reroute routes to reflect on the MBRL and new road network (North Lakes finally started construction on some of its missing main arterial links). The Norris Road extension will be constructed soon linking Bracken Ridge directly into Carseldine Station (it would slash the transit time to literally just a few minutes - another reason why I'd rather see Bracken Ridge residents shuffled onto trains during peak hour going to the city. If you can interchange at Chermside then you can interchange at Carseldine). Announce these benefits. Show the advantages in the rail network such as express patterns, frequency, where to interchange for express services and where to connect to bus services. List some near future designs and plans to highlight the network advantages. Show/list where problems are eg congestion/traffic between X and Y. Compare times like how long the bus takes vs how fast the train is etc. Why the public should be interchanging. Get feedback from the public. Show and tell them why things are changing in quick summaries and in greater detail for those that want to read up on the changes with extra stats.