Public transport highlights and lowlights for 2012

[ozbob]

Please post your highlights and lowlights for the past year ...

A highlight for me was a trip to Charleville and return on the Westlander in April ...

Another highlight was  improved ticketing arrangements (finally) for this years Ekka ...

Lowlight - failure to address the serious situation with the fares ...

[somebody]

I don't actually think there have been any highlights other than the bus review.  I suppose implementing the FG 15 minute weekday daytime frequency, but that was announced last year.

Lowlights: failure to do so many things.  9 then free was announced last year, but implemented this year.  Why didn't they just discount fares by 10%?

[ozbob]

Yo, bus review definitely a highlight for me too!

Need more of this though    <-- 

[Mr X]

Northern Busway opening and BUZ330
and 340 I guess

[HappyTrainGuy]

Highlight: MBRL works and land clearence started.
Lowlight: Northern Busway and the random "service improvments" implimented because of it instead of conducting a proper review which came after it.

[somebody]

Northern Busway opening and BUZ330
and 340 I guess

Oh, I'll have to add that one.

[somebody]

I guess the Bay Island bit is probably a positive.

[Golliwog]

Low light - Opening the Northern Busway without bus lanes between the two sections of dedicated busway.
High light - Completion of the FG -> Keperra duplication, station upgrade and 15 minute off peak frequency.

[Stillwater]

Lowlight:  The LNP Govt claiming that insufficient and misdirected spending by Labor meant that Queensland will fall well short of agreed milestones for implementing DDA objectives while ignoring that the LNP, itself, became for the first state government to actually cancel a DDA station conversion (at Nambour).  Something about pots and kettles.

Lowlight: Government approving extra traffic lanes for Centenary Highway while cancelling cycle lanes in the same corridor; paying only lip service to active transport solutions.

Highlight:  Use of go-card for CityCycles hire.

[ozbob]

Still a way to go but more Open Data is a highlight of sorts ... 

[triplethree]

Another highlight ... The 369, Brisbane's first high-frequency lateral route.

[Fares_Fair]

Sunshine Coast/Caboolture Lines.

Highlights: 

1. Open data available for contractual and non-contractural delays. Government and QR are to be congratulated for this initiative.
2. 9 Journeys then free, travel option on Go card.
3. Santa Train visited Sunshine Coast (albeit while Queensland State Schools were still in class).
4. Bus review: will result in more no. 605 & 615 services to connect with the trains. Actual numbers and scheduled times yet to be announced.
5. Bus review: improvements to no. 600 bus service.
6. Queensland Rail Community Reference Group meetings.
7. Senior Queensland Rail management seeking open dialogue with commuters.
8. New bridge strike steel girders constructed to protect rail bridge at Palmwoods, and eliminate bridge strike delays, see --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=9223.0
9. Free buses on the Sunshine Coast over Christmas (funded by SCC transport levy). see --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=9223.0

Lowlights: 

1. Sunshine Coast line remains a congested predominately single line track, as we move in to the 21st century.
2. Lack of toilet amenities on long haul trains due (we are told) to lack of rollingstock (and probably stabling availability also).
3. Service reliability (however I understand that active attempts are being made to improve reliability).
4. Lack of Open Data for off peak services.
5. 3rd 15% fare increase in a row, as at January 2012.
6. 26 no. of the weekday trains travelling between the Sunshine Coast and Caboolture, are buses. 
7. LNP reiterates former pilloried and ridiculed Labor Government deadlines re: rail duplication, see --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=9116.0


These are my personal opinions and not necessarily the position of Rail Back on Track.

[HappyTrainGuy]

Another highlight ... The 369, Brisbane's first high-frequency lateral route.

They took their time didn't they 

[#Metro]

Highlights

1. SEQ Bus Network Review - this will have MAJOR benefits and make the network more relevant again
2. CityCycle Integration - they manage to critically and royally botch this so it doesn't do what it is supposed to, but it is a start
3. More BUZ routes
4. N Busway Opening
5. Route 369
6. Ferny Grove Line (OMG Godsend!!)
7. Moreton Bay Islands Integration (this is amazing!!)
8. Kippa-Ring Rail

Lowlights
1. Maroon WasteGlider - worst money wasting proposal EVER. Total EPIC waste!!
2. Still can't get decent capacity 15 minutes both directions at the same time; totally defeats purpose of train system - to carry large volumes of people
3. 2000 daily express buses via Legacy Way, No bus connection
4. Fare system botched, just like Queensland Health!

Things to Fix for 2013


1. Bulimba, Centenary and Northwest - BUZ required ASAP
2. All door boarding - paper tickets through front door, process these while go card pax are boarding through back door = can abolish all the P system buses.
3. Remove paper ticketing completely.

[Jonno]

Lowlights- Another year of our political leaders and their advisor patting themselves on the back for doing a great job whilst our city chockes on ever worse congestion

Highlights:- all the ones identified above.

[mufreight]

For a ditch light try the Translink amendment to the timetable of the 460 bus from Inala through Forrest Lake, Richlands and Indoorpilly to the city.
This service used to operate as a feeder service to Richlands station en route to Brisbane and used to connect with a city bound train at Richlands with a time overlap of some 4/5 minutes.
The services have now been timetabled to deoart Inala 4 minutes later and the bus now arrives at Richlands station in time for any intending passengers to see the train depart, so much for the co-ordination of services.   

[Gazza]

When did this happen?

[ozbob]

When did this happen?

Date of timetable on the TransLink web site is 18th June 2012

http://translink.com.au/resources/travel-information/network-information/timetables/120618-460,P461,N464.pdf

[SurfRail]

Gold Coast Light Rail ongoing progress continues to be a highlight.

[petey3801]

For a ditch light try the Translink amendment to the timetable of the 460 bus from Inala through Forrest Lake, Richlands and Indoorpilly to the city.
This service used to operate as a feeder service to Richlands station en route to Brisbane and used to connect with a city bound train at Richlands with a time overlap of some 4/5 minutes.
The services have now been timetabled to deoart Inala 4 minutes later and the bus now arrives at Richlands station in time for any intending passengers to see the train depart, so much for the co-ordination of services.   

Didn't know about that one! Typical QLD/BCC though...
"Something works!! Can't let that continue, how about we change it by just enough so OUR pax don't transfer onto QR's train..." 

[mufreight]

For a ditch light try the Translink amendment to the timetable of the 460 bus from Inala through Forrest Lake, Richlands and Indoorpilly to the city.
This service used to operate as a feeder service to Richlands station en route to Brisbane and used to connect with a city bound train at Richlands with a time overlap of some 4/5 minutes.
The services have now been timetabled to deoart Inala 4 minutes later and the bus now arrives at Richlands station in time for any intending passengers to see the train depart, so much for the co-ordination of services.   

Didn't know about that one! Typical QLD/BCC though...
"Something works!! Can't let that continue, how about we change it by just enough so OUR pax don't transfer onto QR's train..." 

Changes were apparently made by the highly proficent transport planners at Translink/TMR bot by BT

As a highlight for the year the trip on the Westie, the train is dated but the trip itself is one that can be recommended to both enthusiasts and tourists, the service by the on train crew could not be faulted although the food (freeze dried plastic and cardboard) could stand improvement.

[SurfRail]

For a ditch light try the Translink amendment to the timetable of the 460 bus from Inala through Forrest Lake, Richlands and Indoorpilly to the city.
This service used to operate as a feeder service to Richlands station en route to Brisbane and used to connect with a city bound train at Richlands with a time overlap of some 4/5 minutes.
The services have now been timetabled to deoart Inala 4 minutes later and the bus now arrives at Richlands station in time for any intending passengers to see the train depart, so much for the co-ordination of services.   

Didn't know about that one! Typical QLD/BCC though...
"Something works!! Can't let that continue, how about we change it by just enough so OUR pax don't transfer onto QR's train..." 

Changes were apparently made by the highly proficent transport planners at Translink/TMR bot by BT

As a highlight for the year the trip on the Westie, the train is dated but the trip itself is one that can be recommended to both enthusiasts and tourists, the service by the on train crew could not be faulted although the food (freeze dried plastic and cardboard) could stand improvement.

I thought the aim was to get the 465 as the feeder route, seeing it takes virtually the same route except to Heathwood instead of Inala.  (Whatever the aim, it clearly hasn't worked as the 465 is now being recommended for cuts.)

The food on my trip was dramatically better than what is on offer in NSW, and at least it isn't the best of what QR can do (eg Queenslander class).  Can't imagine CountryLink staff making a hamburger from semi-scratch.

[mufreight]

I thought the aim was to get the 465 as the feeder route, seeing it takes virtually the same route except to Heathwood instead of Inala.  (Whatever the aim, it clearly hasn't worked as the 465 is now being recommended for cuts.)

The food on my trip was dramatically better than what is on offer in NSW, and at least it isn't the best of what QR can do (eg Queenslander class).  Can't imagine CountryLink staff making a hamburger from semi-scratch.

The 460 runs through Forest Lake while the 465 runs directly through Inala, two totaly seperate routes and between the two of them they provided a reasonable off peak feeder service from Inala.
The Translink rational of making the timings such as to remove this usefull connection from the Inala bus station to the Richlands rail would no doubt be to force more pax to use the 465 rather than the 460 but it has also effectively removed the the feeder service to the rail for Forest lake passengers.

As for the food on the Westie, hamburgers were not avaliable but toasted sandwiches were.

[somebody]

I would say that the 460 is the one which should be removed, with some other changes to the network, but we are getting off topic.