Welcome to the Sunshine Coast Line forum!

[ozbob]

Posted on behalf of Fares Fair.

All North Coast Line Commuters,

Welcome to the North Coast Line rail passenger information forum!

This forum is to provide specific feed-back via the Community Reference Group to Queensland Rail as well as a general information and issues for all North Coast Line commuters.

I would encourage North Coast Line commuter's to have your say here.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[Fares_Fair]

Welcome to North Coast line commuters and other interested parties,

I have been informed by QR that there are plans for temporary extensions
to the short platforms at Eudlo and Mooloolah stations.
They are temporary because the North Coast line is going to undergo a
significant realignment from Landsborough to Nambour (by 2026).

Work is scheduled to begin in August and will take approx. 6-8 weeks to complete.

This should see the end of the current "zero harm policy" whereby commuters are
forced onto the front 3 carriages of services, resulting in overcrowding and inconvenience.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[Sunbus610]

I have been informed by QR that there are plans for temporary extensions
to the short platforms at Eudlo and Mooloolah stations.

It's about time, this has been a pet hate of mine for many years, short platforms (and Eudlo platform being suitable for the lead car only) along the Sunshine Coast line. I wonder if the short platforms beyond Nambour will ever be extended ie Traveston, Cooran, Eumundi etc? My latest copy of the Landsborough-Nambour duplication/re-alignment came in the letter box recently and mentioned the provisions to allow width for four tracks Landsborough to Nambour in planning for future growth, beyond 2026 .

Attached is a copy of the July 2009 fact sheet http://www.landsborough-nambour.com.au/pdfs/factsheets/29_fact_sheet.pdf
Note the new island + existing platform (3 platforms in total) proposal for Nambour railway station when completed.

[Arnz]

Good to hear.  Now if they only extend Palmwoods and Woombye platforms from 3-cars to 4-cars at the most.

Sadly though the "Zero Harm" crap will likely be still in place for Gympie North trains (short platforms north of Nambour), and 6-car Rosewood peak services.

[Fares_Fair]

Hello All,

Sunbus610 and arnz, your prayers are answered.
Received this notification from QR regarding the short platforms,
compliments of their Customer Liaison Unit.

"To alleviate the associated passenger angst regarding the boarding issues related to the current initiative, a contract has been awarded for the supply and construction of temporary longer platforms to those stations on the North Coast Line.

QR Passenger anticipates work to commence in August 2009 and be progressively rolled out until all stations have been completed."

Looks like it applies to ALL stations on the North Coast line.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[ozbob]

 

[ButFli]

How far north does the "North Coast Line" go? Is it Nambour, Cooroy, Gympie North, Rockhampton or Cairns?

[ozbob]

I take it to mean up to Gympie North!  I

[Arnz]

How far north does the "North Coast Line" go? Is it Nambour, Cooroy, Gympie North, Rockhampton or Cairns?

The North Coast Line is technically from Brisbane to Cairns (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North Coast railway line, Queensland).  Caboolture to Gympie North is considered the "Near North Coast" in technical terms (as per Railpage).  

Timetables for suburban and interurban services are displayed as "Caboolture" and "Sunshine Coast".

(edit: referenced history on the NCL in the link posted in the below post)

[Arnz]

I take it to mean up to Gympie North!  I

Bob,

The North Coast Line starts from Roma Street in Brisbane and ends in Cairns.  The North Coast Line was completed to Cairns in 1924.  Some referenced history on the North Coast Line can be found on Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Queensland

[ozbob]

I thought that was the Great Northern Line, no worries, I checked TL it is Sunshine Coast.

http://download.translink.com.au/timetables/090629_sunshinecoast.pdf

How's that?

[mufreight]

Would Translink know?

[Sunbus610]

I guess the older term 'North Coast line' is also reflected by a few folk around that still refer to the Sunshine Coast region as the North Coast or up to the North Coast (especially the Brisbane-ites).

[Fares_Fair]

Hello All,

I must admit I do prefer Sunshine Coast line, but had used QR's words
for this sector of track to prevent any confusion - still it looks like I created it instead. 

Thank you all for the input.

I took the advice (via QR's CLU) that it would apply to the North Coast line as including up to Gympie North.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[Fares_Fair]

Sourced from "Do you suffer from late services?"

QR to be commended for their greatly improved service to Sunshine Coast commuters. 
Thank You.

On 25th June, 2009 - and after complete frustration with the continual lack of punctuality on the Sunshine Coast services.
I wrote to the following MP's. (We had been on time a mere 40% that week)
Hon. member for Ipswich, Ms Rachel Nolan MP, Minister for Transport
and the Hon. member for Glass House, Mr Andrew Powell MP
and the Hon. member for Maroochydore, Ms Fiona Simpson MP, Opposition Transport Spokeswoman.

I wrote because the delays were not caused by idiots crashing through boom gates or actions out of the control of QR.
Those actions are beyond QR's control and for them they are not culpable.
I wrote because they were within the reasonable scope of QR and TRANSLink.

Copy of correspondence shown below :

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to you out of the extreme frustration I experience almost every day, travelling via QR to work in Brisbane.
The punctuality of the services from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane have become abysmal.

I live in Palmwoods and commute down every day.
This week so far we have been late to work 3 days out of 4 so far - with times ranging from 8 minutes late at best through to 45 minutes late.
This is not just a particularly bad week, these delays are occurring more often.
I have been travelling via train for over 8 years now and clearly things are getting worse.

At the same time I see that QR claim to have a 82-95% on-time performance for services this week.
I cannot believe that these figures are true in light of the realities I experience travelling.

Would it be possible to investigate the criteria used to produce these seemingly unrealistic figures.
If this information is incorrect and decisions are based upon incorrect or misleading information,
then what hope is there to improve the situation and rectify public transport.

Any help to highlight or remedy these matters would be greatly appreciated.

Yours Sincerely,

I received correspondence back from TRANSLink (at the direction of the Minister) apologising for the unsatisfactory delays.
Reasons given were train defects, speed restrictions caused by weather conditions
and passenger boarding problems ! (those pesky passengers again causing delays)
I don't agree with the 3rd reason, given that a minute or 5's delay can be very easily made up in a 45min. express train.

I am however, grateful to the Hon. members mentioned for pursuing the points I raised.

Our services have been on time (within approx. 4 min.) for a calendar month today.
Congratulations to QR and all those who helped make it happen.
Well done.

Sincere regards,
Fares_Fair.

[Fares_Fair]

To the Sunshine Coast and Rail Back on Track commuter community,

Thank you ALL for your support, advice and encouragement throughout 2011.

2012 will be a year of change on many levels, Local Government, State Government, and it's even a leap year.

I expect the next round of 15% fare hikes will provoke anger and more disappointment for us, with more 15% annual increases for another 2 years to come after 2012's.
That was a State Governement decision, it's just hard to believe that these will ever encourage the use of public transport.

Thank you to Queensland Rail and TRANSLink who enable us to travel to our workplaces, each and every day of the year (floods and cyclones permitting)
and for their implementation of a new 5:28pm train service on 11 July, 2011.
Sincerely appreciated.

Thank you to the Hon. Annastacia Palaszczuk MP, for meeting to discuss the Sunshine Coast case on 31 August, 2011.
There was no real joy in the outcome of it for us, but I appreciated the opportunity to put forward our case.

I know that duplication of the rail line north of Beerburrum, will resolve many of the problems and issues that we now face daily.
My train journey time increased 10%, from 99 minutes on the AM train to 109 minutes today.
A 15% fare increase just doesn't seem fair. 

We just need to convince the next State Government (whomever it will comprise) that our true need should take precedence over politics.


I wish you all a Happy Christmas and a peaceful, safe New Year in 2012.

Kind regards,
Fares_Fair.

[somebody]

I expect the next round of 15% fare hikes will provoke anger and more disappointment for us, with more 15% annual increases for another 2 years to come after 2012's.
That was a State Governement decision, it's just hard to believe that these will ever encourage the use of public transport.

Surely their goal is to do the exact opposite, thereby reduce the funding required for PT.

[johnnigh]

Amidst the Sunny Coast transport gloom, one bright spot must be the zero-fare bus service financed by the Regional Council. I was surprised to see the (Translink services) busses all wearing the 'Free Busses' windscreen logo and the flyers advertising it: seemingly all busses in the Council area for the festive (and tourist) season are free! And with Translink's blessing!  Now if only the service was as frequent and comprehensive as we'd all like...

[Stillwater]

The free buses on the Sunny Coast until 8 January represents an excellent opportunity for intending bus travellers to try out the service in a part of the Translink network where there is low PT patronage take-up.  Yes, the SCRC is to be commended for providing this opportunity.  It represents a real opportunity to reduce traffic congestion at a time when the Coast is packed with holiday makers.

The council pays for this free service.  Maybe Translink can contribute next year by printing and distributing via drivers a small brochure promoting the SC bus routes, provide a plug for go-card and list the places where it can be purchased on the Sunshine Coast.

When the new daytime Gympie North service was instituted on 6 June, not one bit on information went up in the stations north of Nambour, explaning the new time for the daytime train.  Some enterprising locals took on the initiative and produced timetables for the stations and distributed printed pocket timetables to newsagencies and community centres, where people could access them.

So how about it Translink -- a small brochure for distribution on the free Sunny Coast buses this year (2012).

[HappyTrainGuy]

So how about it Translink -- a small brochure for distribution on the free Sunny Coast buses this year (2012).

[Stillwater]

     Perhaps we should enlist the help of Bubbles De Vere to stage a one-woman nude protest outside the Translink offices.

[Fares_Fair]

Sunshine Coast rail services ... summated in this picture.

[Metatron]

48 online signatures.  Don't despair just yet.  I know it's low but I do have nearly 300 signatures on the paper petition.  I will be looking at doing some flyers with details in the near future and asking local businesses to put them up in shop fronts.  Hopefully, I will have a sample ready before 14 June.  Going to use the Bottleneck Poster and just sub in the Petition Details.  Tell me what you think of that idea.  Poster A4, flyers A5. Remember people under 18 can sign the petition as long as they understand what they are signing.  It is not like a legal contract.  It is in the guidelines on the parliament website.  Kids have lots of friends on facebook and that could be a good source of epettioners.  Plus if someone is visiting you from North Queensland get them to sign the epetition as well.  They are your friends and they don't won't you to suffer anymore. 

[Fares_Fair]

I have no problems with that.
Sounds great.

Gazza helped create the Bottleneck Poster and ozbob is Rail Back on Track Administrator.
It would be appropriate that they see and approve anything with RBoT backing included on it.

Please post it here for their approval.
Cheers and Thank you.

[Fares_Fair]

This week my train buddies calculated how long I've been travelling on the train, literally on the train.

Turns out to be 1.26 years thus far (out of 11 & 1/2 years) & the distance travelled was 522,000 km thus far, equivalent to travelling to the moon and half way back again.

(Apollo 13) "Houston we have a problem..."

[ozbob]

Twitter

Robert Dow ‏@Robert_Dow

Did you know Puffing Billy has better passenger service frequency than Sunshine Coast Line north of Nambour? http://www.puffingbilly.com.au/services-fares/time-tables/ ... #qldpol

Even on total fire ban days ...

Spot the Queenslander ... 

[Stillwater]

They both operate on a steam train track alignment!  But imagine if the Puffing Billy customers had a 40 per cent chance that their steam train ride would be operated by a bus and it would take one and a half times the duration of the normal Puffing Billy journey to travel the same distance.  THEN you would have the Sunshine Coast Line.  It will be interesting to compare the travel times of the heritage trains that QR plans to drag from storage for its 150th year celebration over the Nambour-Caboolture leg.

[SurfRail]

Even the local bus which runs adjacent to PB runs every 30 minutes I think!

[ozbob]

From the Sunshine Coast Daily click here!

Not enough loos, frequent delays, but govt doesn't care

Not enough loos, frequent delays, but govt doesn't care

    Bill Hoffman
    16th January 2013 5:44 AM

INADEQUATE loos, frequent delays, temporary platforms and no plan to fix the mess.

That is the reality of the rail link between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast which the State Government describes as an "infrastructure capacity issue".

Despite plans to upgrade commuter services to the Gold Coast, a spokesman for the Minister for Transport and Main Roads said the only commitment to duplicate the rail line to Nambour was one made by the former Labor government which then broke its 2009 election promise.

"This was the same Labor Party that put Queensland in a dire financial position, facing a projected $100 billion of debt by 2018-19,'' the spokesman said.

"We have not yet committed to duplicating this line due to the debt left by Labor.

>> Reporter Kathy Sundstrom will tweet from the trains today.   Follow  @the_daily or search #sctrains

"Eliminating Labor's debt will allow us to do more to lower the cost of living for Queenslanders and provide additional services and necessary infrastructure upgrades to our network.''

Member for Nicklin Peter Wellington said yesterday that the response - similar to one he received last year from Campbell Newman - was just further indication the government saw the Sunshine Coast as safe territory.

"The Premier thinks that because the LNP holds all Coast seats except Nicklin he can take this area for granted,'' he said.

"They know the importance of the duplication. It was front and centre of Andrew Powell's (MP for Glass House) election campaign.''

Mr Wellington said planning and land purchases for the project had been completed.

>> IF NATURE CALLS, GET A GUARD

"If Campbell Newman put money on the table I'm sure the federal government would be willing to talk (about its own contribution),'' he said.

"It's such an important infrastructure item for the state.''

Before the election:

    Member for Glass House Andrew Powell said in 2011 on his website that the North Coast rail duplication needed to be funded immediately.
    In joint release with the then-shadow transport minister Scott Emerson, Mr Powell said the train was the lifeline for local workers who relied on public transport.
    "An LNP government will work hard to improve our public transport system,'' he said. "Only the CanDo team will invest in crucial infrastructure."

[Fares_Fair]

Quote from above post.

Before the election:

Member for Glass House Andrew Powell said in 2011 on his website that the North Coast rail duplication needed to be funded immediately.
In joint release with the then-shadow transport minister Scott Emerson, Mr Powell said the train was the lifeline for local workers who relied on public transport.
"An LNP government will work hard to improve our public transport system,'' he said. "Only the CanDo team will invest in crucial infrastructure."

Indeed, only question is when?

[somebody]

Indeed, only question is when?

Seems the answer might be when Sunshine Coast seats become threatened.

[Stillwater]

To help Mr Powell focus on the issue of 'when', it may be helpful to produce a dodger around election time reminding people of Mr Powell's public utterences and actions before the last election and his performance since.  Nothing more -- no endorsement of one party or another, just sticking to the issue, not the politics.  All Sunshine Coast LNP members have gone silent on the duplication issue, but concentrating the focus in just one electorate (Glass House) might freighten a few LNP horses.

In two years time, perhaps RailBOT members would be interested in walking the railway towns in the Glasshouse electorate, shoving said dodgers into letterboxes.

[Stillwater]

Comments from the Sunshine Coast Daily website:

"The only way to get improved services on the coast is to vote for the opposition at the next election.Until the Sunshine Coast seats become marginal instead of safe liberal/lnp we will just be ignored by Brisbane and Canberra!"

"We have some of the best dug-in members of parliament.  Winston Churchill would have loved this lot to dig in and hide on the western front. Time for the boys and girl to start being local members and see what the problem is all about. I would like all of them to travel to work for a month and then they can go back to their superannuation dug outs and wait for their pension."

"The cost and time it takes to get to Brisbane on the train is atrocious. After doing it for almost four years (with prices only to rise, delays become worse and true express trains become non-existent during that time).  I cut my losses and found a much lower paying job up the coast. I was lucky to even find that job, some people have no choice."

[ozbob]

Twitter

Robert Dow ‏@Robert_Dow

RT @Jeffrey_Addison Sunshine Coast Daily, p36. Political neglect the crime. http://t.co/ApNNDp7i #qldpol #auspol #railfailinSEQ

[Stillwater]

    The newspaper reflects community sentiment, which grows stronger every day.

[ozbob]

Twitter

Robert Dow ‏@Robert_Dow

Worlds smallest gauge (15") public railway manages to beat passenger train frequency Nambour <-> Gympie North --> http://www.rhdr.org.uk/pages/timetable-and-fares.html#pdf ...

[Fares_Fair]

Once the #2tracks reach Landsborough (assuming LNP win at 2015 election) and long-term asset leases are implemented we'll need to rename this thread
Welcome to the Sunshine Coast Lines Forum

 

[Stillwater]

lol 

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/JamiesonMark/status/1660811932247506945