18 Aug 2013: SEQ: Go west, a few more counter-peak rail services might help ...

[ozbob]

Media release 18th August 2013



SEQ: Go west, a few more counter-peak rail services might help ...

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport passengers has said the time is right to ramp up counter-peak* services on the Ipswich line.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"We have observed empty not-in-service trains running counter-peak on the Ipswich line in the morning and afternoon peak periods."

"With the planned increase in numbers of public servants in Ipswich some of these  services could be timetabled to run express stopping at Milton, Toowong, Indooroopilly, Darra, Goodna, Redbank and Booval and would only be 7 minutes slower than a full express Roma Street to Ipswich service, and while providing a faster service would attract additional patronage at no additional operating cost."

"At the present time some of these empty movements are running on yellow signals (caution, slow) from about Dinmore to Ipswich, by making the limited station stops and actually then bringing these into revenue service this train bunching would be avoided as well."

"RAIL Back On Track has long called for improvements in train frequency on all lines. In time further incremental improvements will need to be made on the rest of the network (2,3)."

References:

1. 800 empty desks! Time running out to fill Icon Tower http://www.qt.com.au/news/icon-desks-bare-with-fears-of-backlash/1979566/

2. 10 Jan 2012 SEQ: Trips and frequency? http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=7440.0

3. 24 Jan 2012: SEQ: Core Frequent Network: Get Rail Back On Track! http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=7530.0

*counter-peak means services running in the opposite direction to the peak flow to and from the CBD.  For example in the case of Ipswich, morning counter-peak means services running from Roma St to Ipswich. In a similar manner, afternoon counter-peak means services to the CBD.  For the Ipswich line this means services from Ipswich to the CBD.

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

[ozbob]

Discussion --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=9645.msg130276#msg130276

[ozbob]

Presently on board EMU68 down 8.57am ex Goodna.

Arrived at Goodna rail about 8.40am after having a bo-peep at the damage to bridge at Layard.

Shortly after I got there announcement, the Ipswich train is 28 minutes late.  Was due at 8.35am.  Collective groan.

Bewildered pax to be note UP empties pass them by  ...  and dream ...  just saying ...

Farce!!

[Cam]

28 minutes late for a half hourly service means almost an hour between services IN PEAK HOUR whilst out of service trains pass the platform going in the same direction!   

The Queensland Government is certainly not using a carrot to entice public servants to relocate to Ipswich.

[DayboroStation]

That explains why the 8:15 Roma Street to Richlands train was overcrowded this morning.

Normally QR would reschedule one of the many Roma Street terminating services if a train was running this late. Not sure why this didn't occur today.

Once again, QR needs to improve counter-peak frequency on the Richlands/Ipswich lines - 30 minute frequency is simply not good enough.

[ozbob]

Hopefully something will be done about the abysmal counter peak.

Some of those people yesterday would have waited up to 55 minutes or so.  At Goodna I noted children with parents on the way to schools, higher ed students, workers, shoppers.  Guess some folk had to make medical appointments and the like as well.

There are many pax who travel counter peak on the Ippy.   They deserve a lot better treatment than the increasingly meaningless apologies ...

[techblitz]

Hopefully something will be done about the abysmal counter peak.

Some of those people yesterday would have waited up to 55 minutes or so.  At Goodna I noted children with parents on the way to schools, higher ed students, workers, shoppers.  Guess some folk had to make medical appointments and the like as well.

There are many pax who travel counter peak on the Ippy.   They deserve a lot better treatment than the increasingly meaningless apologies ...

Ipswich line very well used pm counter peak as well.......

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes --> Professor says public servants should work in outer suburbs

More public servants should work in Queensland's outer suburbs in a radical re-think of Australia's urban planning policy, one of Queensland's leading urban planners said Friday.

Associate Professor Jago Dodson, from Griffith University's Urban Research Program said Australia had to radically restructure urban planning policy concentrating on city CBD.

Professor Dodson said this would improve unemployment in outer suburbs and ease public transport problems connected to the "tidal flow" of workers to and from the CBD.

His comments followed the release of Labor's Cities policy on Friday, which promised to set up Outer Suburb Growth Taskforces.
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Professor Dodson welcomed the concept as the first time in 40 years a federal government had set up suburban planning to help cities grow.

"One way to address it is to use the power of governments - both state and federal - to deliberately restructure the distribution employment in the city through the relocation of public servants to targeted concentrations in suburban areas," Professor Dodson said.

"They can then attract private sector jobs, particularly in industries related to those public services," he said.

He said more public servant offices should be establish in Logan, in Ipswich, the Gold Coast and Caboolture to drive the program.

Executive public servant positions should remain in the city heart.

"But things like drivers' licence issuing centres, processing licenses, processing applications, all the back office type work that is done by government does not need to be in the city centre."

Professor Dodson said Labor was on the right track in its Cities Policy, which proposes growth strategies for outer suburban suburbs.

"Many urban planners right across Australia will be delighted that for the first time in an election campaign - at least for 40 years - a major party has put forward a substantial policy that addresses the challenges and problems in our cities," he said.

"And particularly in our suburbs."

Professor Dodson said he was pleased to see the policy recognised that mega-infrastructure projects - like the Cross River Rail project - did not always provide best options for suburbs.

He told a planners forum that Brisbane's $4.2 billion Cross River Rail had "questionable merit".

"It is another example of a major project that is heavily targeted towards the central city and it is spending money on mega-infrastructure that is providing capacity that simply addresses the heavy concentration of employment in the central city," he said.

"It is these tidal flows of people moving in and out of the city (that are the issue)."

Planners have recently revealed that despite new transport projects, people living in the outer suburbs subsidise public transport than people in the inner-city.

He said if more jobs were provided in outer suburbs, projects of the scale of $4.2 billion Cross River Rail may not be the best solution.

"Instead you could use the funds that you save that type of infrastructure for the provision of more basic public transport services, like extra bus routes connected to train lines in suburban locations."

We need improvements counter-peak!!

[bcasey]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but CRR is more than just about providing another line to get into the city. Its about freeing up a bottleneck in the current Brisbane rail system, so the frequency of trains can be increased, therefore providing more reliable service and more freedom for people in Brisbane to get more places in the entirety of Brisbane, not just the CBD. While I agree that jobs should be more distributed in Brisbane, rather than all concentrated in the CBD, improving Public Transport (particularly frequencies and connections) will help that, rather than hinder it.

[ozbob]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but CRR is more than just about providing another line to get into the city. Its about freeing up a bottleneck in the current Brisbane rail system, so the frequency of trains can be increased, therefore providing more reliable service and more freedom for people in Brisbane to get more places in the entirety of Brisbane, not just the CBD. While I agree that jobs should be more distributed in Brisbane, rather than all concentrated in the CBD, improving Public Transport (particularly frequencies and connections) will help that, rather than hinder it.

Indeed, --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=10169.0

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

4th October 2013

SEQ: Go west, a few more counter-peak rail services might help ...

Greetings,

Icon Ipswich is open for business [ Queensland Times --> 300 Seqwater staff to move to Icon Ipswich ].  Getting public servants to move location from CBD Brisbane to Ipswich is no doubt complicated in part because of the poor counter-peak train service frequency on all lines on the suburban rail network, and of course the Ipswich line itself.

When the counter-peak frequency is 30 minutes or worse, any delays or cancellations are magnified.  On August 22 in the morning an Ipswich bound train was cancelled this left many with up to almost an hour wait for the next train ( http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=10160.msg130397#msg130397 ).  Acceptable?  Of course not, and makes it difficult to encourage public servants to relocate.

What is even more perplexing is that on the Ipswich line there are a number of trains that run ' empty ' in counter peaks daily.

Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

===================

Media release 18th August 2013 re-released 4th October 2013



SEQ: Go west, a few more counter-peak rail services might help ...

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport passengers has said the time is right to ramp up counter-peak* services on the Ipswich line.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"We have observed empty not-in-service trains running counter-peak on the Ipswich line in the morning and afternoon peak periods."

"With the planned increase in numbers of public servants in Ipswich some of these  services could be timetabled to run express stopping at Milton, Toowong, Indooroopilly, Darra, Goodna, Redbank and Booval and would only be 7 minutes slower than a full express Roma Street to Ipswich service, and while providing a faster service would attract additional patronage at no additional operating cost."

"At the present time some of these empty movements are running on yellow signals (caution, slow) from about Dinmore to Ipswich, by making the limited station stops and actually then bringing these into revenue service this train bunching would be avoided as well."

"RAIL Back On Track has long called for improvements in train frequency on all lines. In time further incremental improvements will need to be made on the rest of the network (2,3)."

References:

1. 800 empty desks! Time running out to fill Icon Tower http://www.qt.com.au/news/icon-desks-bare-with-fears-of-backlash/1979566/

2. 10 Jan 2012 SEQ: Trips and frequency? http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=7440.0

3. 24 Jan 2012: SEQ: Core Frequent Network: Get Rail Back On Track! http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=7530.0

*counter-peak means services running in the opposite direction to the peak flow to and from the CBD.  For example in the case of Ipswich, morning counter-peak means services running from Roma St to Ipswich. In a similar manner, afternoon counter-peak means services to the CBD.  For the Ipswich line this means services from Ipswich to the CBD.

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

[ozbob]

Letter to the editor Queensland Times 7th October 2013

Inadequate train services will not entice people to relocate