Inaugural weekday 6.35am service from Darra to Bowen Hills - 12th Jan 2009

[ozbob]

The inaugural weekday 6.35am Darra to Bowen Hills service began well!  I estimated about 350 pax as we left Auchenflower.
Impressive loading for day one.

Station announcements were frequent at Darra and also at Oxley where I started from this morning.

RAIL Back On Track members were on board, Mozz and myself!!

EMU57/32 was the train.

Darra Station, soon to be upgraded.




Our train arrives at Darra from town.




EMU 57 prior to departure for the inaugural service







Photographs R Dow 12th January 2009


Radio 612 ABC Brisbane Breakfast Host Katrina Davidson followed up with the brief interview after arrival at Roma St as the town hall clock chimed 7am.  Thanks for the interest 612!!

Thanks to TransLink, QR Passenger and the Queensland Government for the new service.  We look forward to more additions to all lines in time!

[ozbob]

Today (13th Jan) we had  new series IMUs for the 6.35am service from Darra.

Here is the service arriving at Oxley this morning.





Photograph R Dow 13th January 2009

[glen_2006]

Shame they didn't have the IMU on its first journey yesterday. Did the passenger numbers increase today, following the media attention yesterday?

[ozbob]

Yes, good loadings this morning about 400 or so at Auchenflower.

[stephenk]

How are the loadings on the relieved service?

[ozbob]

Won't be able to really gauge the impact until everyone gets back to work and school.  At the moment  reports has it as comfortable as many people who would normally be on the through service are catching the new sweeper.  We know the faces ... 

I plan to catch the through service later this week.

[ozbob]

This morning (14th Jan) the 6.35am from Darra was IMU 175/161

Shortly before departure from Darra.





Photographs R Dow 14th January 2009

I did some quick counts on the way in from Darra this morning.

Darra 80
Oxley +85
Corinda +30
Sherwood +15
Graceville +15
Chelmer +12
Indroopilly +40
Taringa +30
Toowong +35
Auchenflower +20
Milton +10

Approximately 370 which is about 50% of the maximum desired load, day three.
A success already. This is 370 pax that are not on the following 6.14am service from Ipswich.

The real benefit of the new sweeper is already evident, but most certainly will be more so after the holiday period.

[ozbob]

A report from a passenger who travelled on the 6.14am service from Ipswich (14th Jan) has indicated that loading on that service has been comfortable. Only half a dozen or so passengers standing on arrival at Roma St.  February will be the real indication, but at that time I would expect at least 600 pax on the 6.35am which, in turn will mean that the massive overloading on the later service will no longer occur.

Good stuff!

[ozbob]

Caught the 6.35am from Darra again this morning. Estimate about 250 pax on board today.  Much lighter loading as a quiet work day and holidays still ongoing.

The train was EMU 14/51 which subsequently failed at Roma St shortly after arrival  .  Passengers were told to leave the train.





452 Bus waits at Darra



Photographs R Dow 16th January 2009

[ozbob]

Caught the 6.35am ex Darra sweeper at Oxley this morning.  Excellent loading, particularly Oxley and Taringa.  Word is spreading ....

This augers well for February when the loads will be back to normal.  Travel on the 6.14am service from Ipswich will be manageable!

Well done QR Passenger.

[ozbob]

Caught the 6.44am from Oxley this morning (6.14am ex Ipswich), travelled in EMU 14.  I was there for the 6.38am sweeper (IMU 171/176  6.35am ex Darra) as well.  Very good loading for the sweeper, word is spreading around Oxley.  Loading for the 6.44am was only a handful of passengers. 

Wednesday is normally the heaviest loading for this service (6.14am ex Ipswich). Today's trip very pleasant.  It is years since I have seen people board at Taringa and Toowong and get a seat.  Light loading at all stations but particularly the key load points Indooroopilly, Taringa and Toowong.

So it would appear that the crush congestion/overload on the 6.44am from Oxley has been relieved.

[ozbob]

From the Ipswich Advertiser 21st January 2009 page 3

Workers will test service's success

Workers will test service's success
By Chris Garry

THE new peak-hour train service on the Ipswich line has been hailed a success, after receiving no complaints in its first week of service.

However, the big test for the Darra service will come next month, when workers return from Christmas holiday breaks. The peak-hour service was introduced after months of complaints from passengers on the Ipswich line who were forced to pile into overfilled carriages each morning.

Some reports suggested early morning Ipswich trains carried nearly a thousand passengers, 300 more than recommended. The extra train may be the first taste of further service enhancements to the Ipswich line early this year. The service began on Monday, January 12, departing from Darra station at 6.35am and arriving at Central station at 7.04am.

The new six-carriage service will provide an extra 450 seats and further room for 300 standing passengers during the height of peak hour. A TransLink spokesperson said patronage last week was "around the 400 mark". "The real test will be in a couple of weeks when everyone has returned from work though," the spokesperson said. "There's been no complaints so far."

Public transport patronage across the TransLink network has soared almost 40 per cent in the past four years. To combat the increase, Queensland Rail will be adding one train a month to its existing service in the next year, boosting the fleet by 70 per cent.

Robert Dow from rail lobby group, RAIL Back on Track, welcomed the new service. "RAIL Back On Track has consistently highlighted the ongoing passenger overloading on some of the Ipswich line Citytrain services," Mr Dow said.

He said because the train runs a few minutes ahead of the 6.14am service ex-Ipswich from Darra, it would help alleviate the gross overloading that has been occurring on this service from Indooroopilly.

"We look forward to further additions to the Ipswich line timetable in February, as indicated by QR Passengers through the QR Ipswich line Community Reference Group," Mr Dow said.

"The Hale Street Link project will no doubt also lead to more passengers on the Ipswich line, particularly as road congestion bites so these additional services will be very timely."

RAIL Back on Track wrote to the Hale Street Link project team in November 2007 asking it to consider extra trains on the Ipswich line during the disruptive construction period.

A TransLink spokesperson said extra trains on the Ipswich line were still being considered and could be added in the first quarter of 2009.

[ozbob]

This morning I caught the 6.38am from Oxley, IMU108 leading.  Good loading but unfortunately at Auchenflower the train had a door problem in the second carriage.  We eventually arrived at Roma St at 7.24am (due 7.02am).

[ozbob]

Caught the 6.35am sweeper into Central this morning.  IMU175/168 about 350 to 400 pax at Auchenflower.

Here is the train departing from Central.



Photograph R Dow 4th February 2009

[ozbob]

Sweeper this morning (6th Feb) was SMU 267/266.  Good loading, lots of contented punters!