Gold Coast/Beenleigh line CRG

[SurfRail]

Hi all,

I have been invited to sit on the QR CRG for the Gold Coast and Beenleigh line(s).

If anybody has any feedback about specific problems with stations, services or other things, please let me know and I will do what I can to raise it with QR.  I will sit down and thrash out a list of my own, which will no doubt end up being extensive. 

[somebody]

I don't use the Gold Coast line often, but bus coordination peeves me on this line.  FWIW.

[Gazza]

When are sector 2 timetables coming?

[SurfRail]

When are sector 2 timetables coming?

Question number 1...

[kazzac]

I would like the time of the I/B Ferny Grove Service that departs Salisbury Station at 3.34 PM weekday afternoons  to depart about 5 minutes later , so I would be able to catch it after work,I've already  sent an email to QR about this ,havent heard back from  them yet.Also have another i/b  Ferny Gve service at this time if possible.

[Gazza]

Bro they aren't going to change a timetable for the needs of one person lol.

[kazzac]

I realise that, but ATM there"s a 35 minute wait on this line  for an I/B service at this time of day,

[Gazza]

^I think the extra IB FG service would be the right way to go then.

You didn't say in your email "so I would be able to catch it after work" did you though?

[kazzac]

Cant remember if i did now

[SurfRail]

As part of question 1

- will they be able to implement 3 min pulse timetabling as they have done on the Ippy-Cab corridor, so there will be even headways

- what stopping patterns are being looked at for peak operation (I think we can assume only Gold Coast trains will continue to be express, I'm not even entirely sure about Airport trains unless there is a contractual restriction)

- impact of the XPT and whether they are actively discussing it with NSW agencies

- counterpeak frequency upgrades to improve patronage and to reduce number of terminating trains and conflicting moves at Roma Street

- Gold Coast trains stopping at Park Road full time?

- connections between inbound and outbound services at Park Road/South Bank

- how they are planning to upgrade frequency with no new trains (except for slightly higher fleet availability once the refurb/upgrade program winds down)

etc

[colinw]

- Gold Coast trains stopping at Park Road full time?

I'd raise the entire issue of the botched nature of Park Road, including the new but never used platform #4, and the generally poor connections with Cleveland line services.

I'm also interested in some more consistency with stopping patterns (both Beenleigh line expresses and whether Gold Coast trains stop at places like Coopers Plains).

Longer term, I'd like to raise the issue of a two tier timetable for the Beenleigh line, as it is a most unsatisfactory trundle with too many stations.  Something like an all stations to Coopers Plains or Kuraby service, overlaid by express to Coopers/Kuraby and all to Beenleigh.

[petey3801]

This isn't something that is likely to happen anytime in the near future, but might it be worthwhile bringing up the idea of Beenleigh - Varsity local service, running half hourly (giving 15min local service on the Gold Coast), or having through services running express from Helensvale with the local service picking up the slack at Coomera and Ormeau or something along those lines?

[SurfRail]

This isn't something that is likely to happen anytime in the near future, but might it be worthwhile bringing up the idea of Beenleigh - Varsity local service, running half hourly (giving 15min local service on the Gold Coast), or having through services running express from Helensvale with the local service picking up the slack at Coomera and Ormeau or something along those lines?

I think it would be much easier to turn back trains on the platform at Coomera.  Meal and break facilities are in place at Robina and would not require any extra spending. 

About the only thing stopping this is (a) money; and (b) perhaps not enough stabling at Robina (there is room for plenty more in the western yard, just needs to be built).  There would be easily enough rollingstock available to steal 2 3 car sets. 

I'm not convinced the single track section over the Coomera River would be an impediment either unless somebody can demonstrate otherwise.

Beenleigh already seems way too congested and the turnback points the "wrong" way for this.

[somebody]

Longer term, I'd like to raise the issue of a two tier timetable for the Beenleigh line, as it is a most unsatisfactory trundle with too many stations.  Something like an all stations to Coopers Plains or Kuraby service, overlaid by express to Coopers/Kuraby and all to Beenleigh.

I think the Merivale bridge is the major cause of this.  Numbers of stations no doubt a factor but I don't think much improvement is to be had while running along the current alignment.

[BrizCommuter]

As part of question 1

- will they be able to implement 3 min pulse timetabling as they have done on the Ippy-Cab corridor, so there will be even headways

- what stopping patterns are being looked at for peak operation (I think we can assume only Gold Coast trains will continue to be express, I'm not even entirely sure about Airport trains unless there is a contractual restriction)

- impact of the XPT and whether they are actively discussing it with NSW agencies

- counterpeak frequency upgrades to improve patronage and to reduce number of terminating trains and conflicting moves at Roma Street

- Gold Coast trains stopping at Park Road full time?

- connections between inbound and outbound services at Park Road/South Bank

- how they are planning to upgrade frequency with no new trains (except for slightly higher fleet availability once the refurb/upgrade program winds down)

etc

And the answers were:
- Don't know
- Don't know
- Don't know
- Don't know
- Don't know
- Don't know
etc, etc
?

[SurfRail]

Going through in order:

- While we did not discuss this expressly, their aim is to create a good skeleton timetable which you can slot more trains into later without substantial adjustment, so I presume we would end up with something similar.

- We discussed running express from Kuraby to Park Road.  Acknowledgement that the current (Beenleigh) express patterns are ad hoc and have evolved over time, and so are not very useful.  The intention will be to simplify.

- Nothing re XPT.  It would involve going above Dan the Timetable Man's paygrade and cooperation with the ARTC, which is fair enough.  We did discuss it and agreed it has no future in its current timeslot.

- No discussion on this point.

- Was discussed at length, and not limited to this particular spot but the major interchanges network wide.  Intention will be to optimise these when the review occurs.

- No specific discussion of options on this point, but there was an acknowledgement that they would need to make the network work harder with more or less the same resources until the NGR order (which I understand will now most likely see first trains running in 2015-ish).

Basically - the QR guys are looking at these issues every single day, but they can't do bupkis unless somebody much higher up the chain directs them to start working up something more than planning and concept work (ie probably the Minister(s) given the nature of the change).

There was some commentary that they have learned from the Phase I implementation, given that it was the largest thing TransLink ever did in one hit and the biggest thing QR has done recently, and they will be putting the lessons to use.  No specifics.