Article: How to save 50 minutes on your train trip into the city

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How to save 50 minutes on your train trip into the city

How to save 50 minutes on your train trip into the city
Kathy Sundstrom
17th Jan 2014 6:00 AM

CATCHING the right rail service to Brisbane with the launch of the new timetable from Monday could save you 50 minutes each trip.

Regular commuter Jeff Addison has completed a detailed analysis of the new timetable and its impact on the nearly 2000 rail commuters who travel from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane each week.

The analysis shows how to avoid spending nearly three hours on the journey to the city, how to ensure your trip includes toilets on board and how to get home as quickly as possible.

In one instance, switching trains on the journey home at Caboolture will save more time than completing the whole journey with the same service.

The analysis also shows how long you will have to wait for another service if you accidentally miss your train.

The fastest train trips from Nambour to Roma St in the week take one hour and 50 minutes. The slowest trip on the same route takes two hours and 40 minutes.

More than half - 14 out of the 27 - of the daily southbound journeys range from one hour and 50 minutes to one hour and 58 minutes.

But the remaining 13 southbound daily journeys take longer, ranging from two hours 17 minutes to two hours and 40 minutes.

The 27 exclude the rail buses from Nambour to Landsborough.

On average, most commuters will have to wait 59 minutes if they miss a train to Brisbane and 32 minutes if they are prepared to catch a rail bus service.

Going home after a busy day at the office will take an extra two minutes on both the slowest (two hours and 52 minutes) and fastest journey (one hour and 52 minutes).

The journeys are quicker on weekends, with the slowest trip south taking two hours and 17 minutes, while the fastest trip takes one hour and 46 minutes.

Mr Addison has urged commuters planning the trip to the city to do what they can to avoid the rail-bus journeys, which comprise 42% of the trips between the Coast and Brisbane.

Mr Addison said the rail-bus services had the longest journey times.

The rail buses also have no toilets on board.



FAST TRACK

Fastest weekday trains to Brisbane:

Take one hour and 50 minutes, departing Nambour at 4.34am, 5.25am and 6.40am.

The slowest trips to Brisbane:

Take two hours and 40 minutes, leaving Nambour at 8.20am and 7.20pm.

Fastest weekday trains home to Nambour:

Take one hour and 52 minutes, departing Roma St at8.30am, 10am, 11.30am, 1pm, 4pm, 4.18pm, 6pm, 8.30pm, 9.30pm, 11pm.

The slowest trip to Nambour

Take two hours and 52 minutes, from Roma St at 7.03am.

Weekends: south-bound

Our slowest train trips from Nambour to Roma St = 2 hours 17 minutes

Our fastest train trips from Nambour to Roma St = 1 hour 46 minutes

Depart Nambour Saturday 6.51am, 9.48pm and Sunday 4.51pm (all Gympie North trains)

Average time between train services (frequency) to Brisbane = 78 minutes (Saturday) and 82 minutes on Sunday.

Weekends: north-bound

Our slowest train trip from Roma St to Nambour = 2 hours 29 minutes

Our fastest train trips Roma St to Nambour = 1 hour 52 minutes