Opposition Statement: New Citytrain timetables don?t fool commuters

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Tim Nicholls MP
Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party
Shadow Minister for Transport, Traffic Management,
Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations   
Member for Clayfield
   

New Citytrain timetables don?t fool commuters

2 April 2008

South-East Queensland commuters know they?ve been sold a pup as new Citytrain timetables wreaked havoc during April Fool?s Day peak hour services.

Just two days after the timetables were introduced, daily commuters have been faced with fewer services, delayed trains and mistake-ridden timetables.

On the Ferny Grove line, for example, commuters traveling between Gaythorne and the City during the morning peak had services reduced in addition to losing three express services from Enoggera.

Shadow Minister for Transport Tim Nicholls said he had been contacted by angry and confused train commuters who could not understand why the Bligh Government was making public transport less accessible and less frequent.

?Rather than providing commuters with a better service, TransLink has simply chopped and changed services. This is a just game of ?smoke and mirrors? that is not fooling commuters,? he said.

?One commuter who contacted my office said he had seen more than 500 people left behind.?

Since 2004, the State Government has promised a total of 132 new Citytrain carriages.  However, only 39 new carriages are on tracks.

?One of the biggest problems with the Citytrain network is the overcrowding of services,? Mr Nicholls said.

?Between July and October last year (2007) there were more than 1,500 unscheduled train cancellations. This is more than 10 trains a day that simply do not materialise.

?Despite the obvious need for increased services, the State Government says the remaining carriages will not be fully rolled-out before 2010.?

Mr Nicholls said the Bligh Government should stop passing the blame and deliver a public transport system that was convenient, efficient ? and on time.

?We need a train timetable that takes people to where they need to go when they need to get there,? he said.