Meeting with Deputy Premier Hon Jackie Trad, QR CEO and D-G of TMR

[Fares_Fair]

Yesterday at 10am I met with the Deputy Premier, the Hon Jackie Trad MP, in her role as Transport Minister, Mr Neil Scales; the Director General of Transport and Main Roads and Ms Helen Gluer; CEO of Queensland Rail to address two issues that I raised in correspondence to the Minister on 2 May 2015.
1. Being the ability of passengers to seek refuge on a train in extreme weather events (i.e. customer service/treatment)
2. The abrogation of responsibility (and duty of care) to fare-paying passengers.

[ozbob]

Thanks for your committment, and support FF.  It is appreciated.

[ozbob]

From the Couriermail 11th June 2015

Transport talks going nowhere

[Stillwater]

Outrage!  Next commuters will be expected to organise working bees to paint railway station buildings and neglected infrastructure.  We feel so very much 'on our own'.  An unresponsive QR is hurtful -- it sees 'community interaction' as a one-way street -- lecturing on things like not running down stairs etc (a good message), but leaves us feeling like Oliver Twist asking for an extra serve of gruel.  YOU WANT MORE!

[ozbob]

ABC 90.3

North Coast rail advocate Jeff Addison met yesterday with the Deputy Premier Jackie Trad to address concerns re stranded commuters during a recent big rain event. Many rail commuters were unable to get home for several hours.

> https://soundcloud.com/abc-sunshine-coast/getting-rail-back-on-track-during-wet-weather-events

[ozbob]

Sunshine Coast Daily --> Passengers stranded in floods, QR says 'not our problem'

[#Metro]

Wow, this is really third world stuff! If you paid you have a contract with the passenger to deliver them to their destination. That's not the same as their front door, nobody is asking for that.

[ozbob]

Now now all you dissenters ...

[STB]

Wow, this is really third world stuff! If you paid you have a contract with the passenger to deliver them to their destination. That's not the same as their front door, nobody is asking for that.

No, TransLink, the State Government and QR aren't obliged to do anything, they have to look after their staff and abide by the laws first.  The fare you pay is simply a legal thing you have to do that makes up the difference between what the Government pays and what you pay to maintain the system, ie: they aren't making you pay to make a profit.  Even airlines don't always provide accommodation, depending on the situation and the airliner.

[colinw]

Now now all you dissenters ...

Did you see the post on QR's Facebook a while back where they claimed to be Australia's best performing urban railway?

Perth, where's that?

[red dragin]

Perth, where's that?

According to Tim Ferguson's mock pre-amble in the early 2000's

"Western Australia is too far away to be relevant in this document" 

I struggle with this whole issue. No one from the government helped me out during 2011, no one helped me get home during that rain event either. However I know where floods around my work and home, as such I know how to get through.

But at the same time I see the point of view of Fares Fair as well as the QR staff (as explained by Petey).

My conclusion is that it was a massive event and I don't think any planning could have prepared them for it.

[SurfRail]

My view is that if QR has caused somebody to miss a last connection because of their mistake (eg during an unplanned shutdown because a bus is misdirected somewhere), they need to cough up for cabs.  Has happened to me at least twice when missing the last trains south of Beenleigh.

For real force majeure events like the recent storm, it's a more vexed issue.  I don't expect them to pay to put people up overnight in hotels in the CBD, and nobody expects them to achieve the impossible (no amount of buses or taxis would have helped), but there is a lot more that they can do - liaising with schools, local government, emergency services, RSLs etc to get nearby facilities open for shelter is an obvious one.

[Stillwater]

Sunshine Coast voters are wedded to the LNP, so they get taken for granted by that party and ignored by Labor.  As far as state Labor is concerned the real train service stops at the seat of Pumicestone, effectively meaning that Caboolture is about the limit of their vision.  Maybe the new Speaker, Peter Wellington, (whose seat is centred on Nambour) will convince Ms Trad otherwise.  Nambour ... now there's a TOD waiting to happen.

[Fares_Fair]

I briefly raised #2tracks.. right at the end.

It was suggested by the Deputy Premier that I lobby the Federal Government for funding for #2tracks..
I explained that I had already done so when I met with Warren Truss.
This was supported by an attendee who said that they were aware of my lobbying efforts at a federal level.

I just want it done..  not used as a political football.
It is eligible for both State and Federal funding..

Federal funding due to it being the north-south freight corridor from Melbourne to Cairns
State funding due it being shared public transport infrastructure
A 50/50 split would be fair

17 June 2015 at 9:52pm
EDIT: I note that Federal policy for highways funding is for an 80/20 split Federal to State.
That may be the proper benchmark if we are to treat all types of infrastructure equally.

[Stillwater]