GC2018 journey planner rail timetable analysis

[ozbob]

Posted on behalf of Fares_Fair

Please find attached a 32 page PDF summary of an exhaustive analysis I created using the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games Journey Planner (JP) found here: Journey Planner

Spreadsheet summary> https://backontrack.org/docs/qr/gc2018/gc2018alllines.pdf 1.7MB

My spreadsheet includes; 25 sporting events, ranging from Athletics to Wrestling and includes the Opening and Closing ceremonies; 14 venues (Basketball events at Cairns and Townsville were excluded as not covered by this JP). It includes all 261 sessions in and around the Gold Coast.

It covers 6 of the major rail lines in South East Queensland.

The Line (example embarkation/destination point)

These are Sunshine Coast (Nambour), variation for Sunshine Coast (Maroochydore),Caboolture (Caboolture), Ferny Grove (Ferny Grove), Ipswich (Ipswich), Cleveland(Cleveland), Shorncliffe (Shorncliffe) and finally one from Brisbane CBD (for a control). The major lines to the East, West, North and South are covered.

My analysis exposed some ridiculous travel arrangements within the Journey Planner.

E.g. on the Cleveland line, if you want to get home from the Cycling at the Anna Meares Velodrome on Friday 6 April after the 7:00pm session, the JP recommends a 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' style trip using the 02C Games Shuttle, then a bus, followed by a train.  Unfortunately this results in a 1 hr 51 min journey.

The JP appears to prioritise the Games Shuttle over other transport scenarios, to the detriment of the commuter.

The other lower down options included much shorter 33 minute bus trips.

While the Journey Planner is a very good idea, one needs to watch out for its automated pitfalls, and there are others.

Take getting to the Opening Ceremony from the Sunshine Coast (either Maroochydore or Nambour).

You can certainly get TO the Opening Ceremony on Wednesday at 7:00pm, but the downside is, you can't get home.

For the Closing Ceremony, the situation is the same.

The data I have provided shows the length of every journey to every session to/from every event and a total length of return journeys.

It shows the average length of journey for each line, both inbound and outbound.

It shows the average journey time overall using the public transport options provided for in the JP.

It shows the NUMBERS of events that you CAN (Yes) and CANNOT (No) access by public transport during the Games, on a line by line basis.

It clearly shows the total number of journeys to events that are possible and the egregious disparity (discrimination) that occurs to anyone north of Caboolture.

It shows the shortest and the longest travel times for all these lines.

The LONGEST return journeys for Maroochydore are 11 hours and 11 minutes for two sessions of Beach Volleyball at Coolangatta Beach on Wednesday 11 April for the 4:00pm session and Thursday 12 April for the 3:30pm session

The average return journey for Nambour is 7 hours 25 minutes 42 seconds. From Maroochydore, the average return journey is 8 hours 40 minutes 30 seconds.

Even if one can get there one needs to take a pack, food rations, plenty of water, and a tent.

The shortest return journey for Nambour is 5 hours 55 minutes, and that's to the Anna Meares Velodrome for Cycling on Friday 6 April at the 1:00pm session.

The LONGEST return journey for Nambour is 10 hours 09 minutes, and that's to the Beach Volleyball at Coolangatta Beach on Thursday 12 April at the 3:30pm session.

From Maroochydore, the shortest return journey is 6 hours 43 minutes, and that's to the Anna Meares Velodrome for Cycling on Friday 6 April at the 1:00pm session.

For the Sunshine Coast, the journey planner is a ticket to drive you onto the Highway.

If you can get to the Nambour train station, you can access 141 out of a possible 261 sport sessions. That's just 54.02% of all events. There are 120 sessions (45.98%) that you cannot reach via public transport.

If you live on the Coast at Maroochydore it is far, far worse. You can only get to 68 out of 261 sessions. That's a mere 26.05% of all events. There are 193 sessions (73.95%) that you cannot reach via public transport.

On any other train line in the South East Quarter, the 2018 Commonwealth Games public transport success results range as follows:

100% of (261) accessible sessions from Brisbane CBD

99.62% (260 sessions) forCleveland

99.23% (259 sessions) forCaboolture

99.23% (259 sessions) for Ipswich

98.47% (257 sessions) for Ferny Grove

97.70% (255 sessions) forShorncliffe

Compare these to:

54.02% (141 sessions) forSunshine Coast (Nambour)

26.05% (68 sessions) for Sunshine Coast (Maroochydore)

The green JOURNEY POSSIBLE boxes and sessions (in the spreadsheet) shows the humiliating retraction of Sunshine Coast rail services for the Commonwealth Games, with comparisons to the other lines that are a swathe of green.

My comments:

We appear to be actively discriminated against(or inactively, a more apropos word) in rail infrastructure, even though we're in the top 5 fastest growth regions in the state.

Aura, currently under development at Caloundra South will add a city the size of Gladstone (50k people) to our southern border within 10 years.

All we have right now is a single track, freight, passenger and travel-train shared railway, from Beerburrum northwards.

Critically, it falls 39km shy to the south of Nambour.

Despite reports stating that "doing nothing is not an option," nothing is the option of choice for the Government, who have not promised one cent towards the 39km Beerburrum to Nambour rail duplication. Their option of choice is to play the blame game and use it as a political football.

What matters to residents and commuters is action, not games.

For us near northerners, things are getting steadily worse.

In February 2015 we had 359 services /week to Nambour.

In January 2017, this was cut to 320 services /week.

In December 2017, we suffered more slicing and dicing, with services reduced to just 235 /week over the Summer Holiday Interim Timetable.

Thus, since 2015 we have experienced a 35% massacre of our trains.

The Sunshine Coast is looking forward to the 2018 Commonwealth Games, but we will most likely have to view it from afar – or use a car, and that option isn't one that's recommended.

[ozbob]

Maximum and Minimum Return Trip Times / Events for each rail line:



Maroochydore (Sunshine Coast)                               

MAXIMUM RETURN TRIP              11:11:00               Beach Volleyball Coolangatta Beach Wed 11 April at 4:00pm

                                                                                                Beach Volleyball Coolangatta Beach Thurs 12 April at 3:30pm

MINIMUM RETURN TRIP               6:43:00                  Anna Meares Velodrome Cycling Friday 6 April at 1:00pm



Nambour (Sunshine Coast)

MAXIMUM RETURN TRIP              10:09:00               Beach Volleyball Coolangatta Beach Thurs 12 April at 3:30pm

MINIMUM RETURN TRIP               5:55:00                  Anna Meares Velodrome Cycling Friday 6 April at 1:00pm



Ipswich

MAXIMUM RETURN TRIP              9:20:00                  Beach Volleyball Coolangatta Beach Sat 7 April at 7:30pm

MINIMUM RETURN TRIP               4:21:00                  Belmont Shooting Centre Tue 10 April at 9:00am

                                                                                                Belmont Shooting Centre Wed 11 April at 9:00am



Caboolture

MAXIMUM RETURN TRIP              8:22:00                  Beach Volleyball Coolangatta Beach Sat 7 April at 3:00pm

MINIMUM RETURN TRIP               3:51:00                  Anna Meares Velodrome Cycling Thurs 5 April at 2:30pm



Shorncliffe

MAXIMUM RETURN TRIP              7:31:00                  Beach Volleyball Coolangatta Beach Wed 11 April at 4:00pm

MINIMUM RETURN TRIP               3:12:00                  Anna Meares Velodrome Cycling Thurs 5 April at 7:00pm



Cleveland

MAXIMUM RETURN TRIP              7:23:00                  Beach Volleyball Coolangatta Beach Sat 7 April at 3:00pm

MINIMUM RETURN TRIP               1:25:00                  Anna Meares Velodrome Cycling Thurs 5 April at 2:30pm





Ferny Grove

MAXIMUM RETURN TRIP              7:12:00                  Rugby Sevens Robina Stadium Sat 14 April at 5:30pm

MINIMUM RETURN TRIP               3:24:00                  Anna Meares Velodrome Cycling Thurs 5 April at 7:00pm



Brisbane CBD

MAXIMUM RETURN TRIP              4:29:00                  Beach Volleyball Coolangatta Beach Tue 10 April at 11:00am

MINIMUM RETURN TRIP               1:36:00                  Anna Meares Velodrome Cycling Friday 6 April at 7:00pm

[ozbob]

Jeff Addison Sunshine Coast RBoT Rep speaks with Steve Austin ABC Radio Brisbane 13th March 2018

Interview > here!  mp3 9.3 MB

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/973729106176036864

[ozbob]

Thanks FF & family for this exhaustive analysis, that represents many days of work. Thank you all. 

No wonder the authorities are rather reluctant to bring forward the PDF timetables and individual line data.

Completely opposite the political spin of ' open and transparent '.  < 

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/978671756842958849

[Stillwater]

Thank you FF -- a mighty effort.

Isn't it strange, but sad and necessary, that this level of monitoring and scrutiny must be maintained by ordinary citizens in order to keep the bastards honest.

I venture to say that no other state in Australia requires such level of focus by its citizenry in order to achieve 'transparency and openness' in the operation of PT by government and its agencies, and the spin doctoring going on, also cover-up and blocking of RTI requests etc.

[ozbob]

Thank you FF -- a mighty effort.

Isn't it strange, but sad and necessary, that this level of monitoring and scrutiny must be maintained by ordinary citizens in order to keep the bastards honest.

I venture to say that no other state in Australia requires such level of focus by its citizenry in order to achieve 'transparency and openness' in the operation of PT by government and its agencies, and the spin doctoring going on, also cover-up and blocking of RTI requests etc.

A marvellous effort indeed by FF.   

I can no longer stand by and watch the bumblers - Governments and Bureaucracy, ruin this state.

[not_available]

  What an effort - Well done FF.
The really interesting thing (to me) is the difference in "event accessibility" between Caboolture and Nambour/Maroochydore. What a big difference an extra line or two makes.

[Fares_Fair]

Thank you Ozbob, Stillwater and not_available.
They say "Lies, damned lies and statistics."
Sadly our statistics are all too true.