New timetable - Brisbane airports

[ozbob]

Your suggestions please.

[ozbob]

The first thing services 4am to 1am, if not 24 hour.

The noise argument is non-sensible.  The electrics, particularly the new ones are very quiet.

[stephenk]

The service definitely needs to run earlier and later. A 15min off-peak frequency would be more attractive.

[Mozz]

I support both suggestions thus far !!

[longboi]

It's really the elephant in the room. Services start way too late and finish way too early.

I don't know if 15min off-peak frequencies are necessary. At least not for now but earlier and later services are vital.

[stephenk]

It's really the elephant in the room. Services start way too late and finish way too early.

I don't know if 15min off-peak frequencies are necessary. At least not for now but earlier and later services are vital.

Many major cities have a more frequent airport rail service than every 30mins. If we want to move people from the road to rail, then airport services need to be more frequent.

[longboi]

It's really the elephant in the room. Services start way too late and finish way too early.

I don't know if 15min off-peak frequencies are necessary. At least not for now but earlier and later services are vital.

Many major cities have a more frequent airport rail service than every 30mins. If we want to move people from the road to rail, then airport services need to be more frequent.

Of course better frequencies on all lines is a universal goal but it seemed to be a bit of overkill when they used to run the City-Airport shuttles all day.

[somebody]

Many major cities have a more frequent airport rail service than every 30mins. If we want to move people from the road to rail, then airport services need to be more frequent.

Of course better frequencies on all lines is a universal goal but it seemed to be a bit of overkill when they used to run the City-Airport shuttles all day.

When the airport line first openned it was seeing about 6000pax/week on forecasts of 6000pax/day.  Now it's up to about 5000pax/day.  So there is some argument for seriously improved services.

Given that Airtrain must pay QR for services, I'm going to be modest im my proposals here.  Trains meeting first flights of the day or for early morning workers are unlikely to be economic, as they are going out empty.  Perhaps one extra morning train arriving around 4:45am, although with the lack of connecting services, I do question the value of this.

Starting 15 minute service earlier than present only has a point in daylight saving time, because they are now starting the 15 minute service about 15 minutes after the first domestic arrivals would have gotten to the train.  In DST, there are a few arrivals from SYD at 6:30am, but I don't think the timetable can revolve around them.  15 minute frequency runs from about 8am until 9:58am, then restarts at 3:28pm.  The problems are:

(1) The 4tph frequency is not clockface, but staggers quite strangely.
(2) there is a 28 minute gap between the 5:02pm and 5:30pm city bound services
(3) 7:13pm train is illogical.  Why isn't it 6:13pm?

Point 2 could be solved by simply extending the extra Gold Coast service to the airport.  Fix the above and the service would be 15 minute frequency 8am-9:58am and 3:28pm-6:28pm.  Good enough for a sizeable proportion of people. 

The really annoying thing is the early finish though.  I think that at a minimum they should run a 9pm service, which could connect to the Gold Coast train.  It seems that once the Gold Coast trains stop running to a 30 minute timetable, Airtrain loses the will to pay the station staff.  I think they are cutting off their nose despite their face.  Airtrain, even at an hourly frequency is significantly cheaper than a taxi, and not much different to Coachtrans in frequency.  Perhaps also connecting to the Cleveland trains which don't run to Doomben could also work out.

I refuse to believe that they can't do better than what they are doing.

[somebody]

One further point: There's a case for these trains to serve Albion & Woolowin, especially in peak.  That would reduce loads on the Shorncliffe line services and reduce the need for Caboolture trains to serve these stations.

[stephenk]

It's really the elephant in the room. Services start way too late and finish way too early.

I don't know if 15min off-peak frequencies are necessary. At least not for now but earlier and later services are vital.

Many major cities have a more frequent airport rail service than every 30mins. If we want to move people from the road to rail, then airport services need to be more frequent.

Of course better frequencies on all lines is a universal goal but it seemed to be a bit of overkill when they used to run the City-Airport shuttles all day.

Many cities airport trains run Airport to City shuttles anyway. So I don't see it as being a problem if some Airport services only run to Roma Street. It at least opens up connections to all other lines, and CBD business/hotel destinations.

[Jon Bryant]

Also consider the ability to check your luggage/get boarding passes, etc and the luggage is taken straight to the plane.  Will need some modification to the train (i.e. a luggage carrage).

[somebody]

Also consider the ability to check your luggage/get boarding passes, etc and the luggage is taken straight to the plane.  Will need some modification to the train (i.e. a luggage carrage).

Not sure if that would be worth the cost.  You'd also need staff to take the bags to the baggage belts.  Might as well just have the pax carry the bag to the check in counter.

It does work this way in other parts of the world though, but I don't completely see the benefit.

[longboi]

It's really the elephant in the room. Services start way too late and finish way too early.

I don't know if 15min off-peak frequencies are necessary. At least not for now but earlier and later services are vital.

Many major cities have a more frequent airport rail service than every 30mins. If we want to move people from the road to rail, then airport services need to be more frequent.

Of course better frequencies on all lines is a universal goal but it seemed to be a bit of overkill when they used to run the City-Airport shuttles all day.

Many cities airport trains run Airport to City shuttles anyway. So I don't see it as being a problem if some Airport services only run to Roma Street. It at least opens up connections to all other lines, and CBD business/hotel destinations.

It isn't a problem. I'm saying that having both Airport-GC and Airport-City services to create 15 minute frequencies offpeak is overkill. There are better places on the network where more trains should be utilised.

[O_128]

Why not run a 15 min service and maybe direct 1 to cleveland and 1 to beenleigh or gold coast giving 20min service. Maybe QR could make the rent less if the trains stop at albion and wooloowin

[stephenk]

I'm saying that having both Airport-GC and Airport-City services to create 15 minute frequencies offpeak is overkill. There are better places on the network where more trains should be utilised.

I would disagree. We are trying to attract people to use public transport - one of the main methods is to increase frequency. Many other cities do not see 15min (or better) frequencies to their airports as overkill. So why do you see it as overkill in car congested Brisbane?

Personally, I get lifts to/from the airport. This is because the 30min train frequency is too low, and the Ferny Grove Line connects poorly with the Airport service (i.e. nearly 26-28 min wait at Bowen Hills). If the frequency of both lines was better, I would consider using Airtrain.

Why not run a 15 min service and maybe direct 1 to cleveland and 1 to beenleigh or gold coast giving 20min service. Maybe QR could make the rent less if the trains stop at albion and wooloowin

No. That would create a very messy timetable. It is better to run all services in one line pairing.

[somebody]

Personally, I get lifts to/from the airport.

I think it's largely because the mentality has built over many years in all of Australia that public transport is not a convenient way to get to/from the airport.  This may take a lot of time to change.  SYD, which got it's train in 2000 is now seeing around 14000pax/day IIRC, so business is getting better, but it seems unlikely that MEL will get a train in the next decade in spite of it making a lot of sense.

I personally think this line isn't the highest priority for increased service and also has the ownership issues.  It's the Caboolture line which is the most deserving, and Ferny Grove, while second, may be easier to do.

[Jon Bryant]

I was told once that there is a massive penalty payable to Citilink if a train line is built to the Mel airport.  I use the Syd line everytime I go to Syd.  Its frequency even out of peak times is fantastic.  Brisbane unfortunately just spent a billion or more increasing the direct competitor to the rail line (i.e. The roads) the fact the line is able to increase patronage against such opposition is a tribute to the Airtrain Operations.    

[somebody]

Wonder what they are thinking with that extra early morning service?  It will virtually certainly go out empty, and connections are only available from the Caboolture line at EJ.  What about later services being a ripe fruit to pick?