TransLink Regional Expansion - Mackay

[SurfRail]

TransLink rolling out in Mackay:  http://mobile.translink.com.au/about-translink/projects-and-initiatives/mackay

[City Designer]

TransLink should number the Mackay network as 800-810 instead of 300-310 to avoid conflict with regular scheduled serviced in the Brisbane north network. The current conflict with the Cairns network and the Brisbane south network is unnecessarily confusing. I suggest submitting feedback to avoid further duplication of route numbers.

[#Metro]

I think they should have a 'select you region' option with the journey planner. Default should be SEQ and select option to change it.

[Gazza]

^Currently the options are Queensland, Cairns and Gold Coast.

So people in Cairns can filter out other areas, but not the other way around. 

There needs to be an SEQ option in that drop down list.

[SurfRail]

TransLink should number the Mackay network as 800-810 instead of 300-310 to avoid conflict with regular scheduled serviced in the Brisbane north network. The current conflict with the Cairns network and the Brisbane south network is unnecessarily confusing. I suggest submitting feedback to avoid further duplication of route numbers.

Victoria will be rolling out alphanumeric numbers to get around this issue eg Geelong as I understand it will eventually be G##.

The entire range for regional QLD can be accommodated inside 800-999 with no issue.  That's the way it is being done in WA (800-series numbers, with only a handful of those in use in Perth itself).  Start at Cairns and head down the coast, then end up in the high 900s for Toowoomba and Warwick.

The 890-series numbers in use north of Caboolture should be converted to the 600-series eg 650 for the Kilcoy-Caboolture route, 647/648 for the Maleny and Beerwah routes.

[pangwen]

TransLink should number the Mackay network as 800-810 instead of 300-310 to avoid conflict with regular scheduled serviced in the Brisbane north network. The current conflict with the Cairns network and the Brisbane south network is unnecessarily confusing. I suggest submitting feedback to avoid further duplication of route numbers.

Victoria will be rolling out alphanumeric numbers to get around this issue eg Geelong as I understand it will eventually be G##.

The entire range for regional QLD can be accommodated inside 800-999 with no issue.  That's the way it is being done in WA (800-series numbers, with only a handful of those in use in Perth itself).  Start at Cairns and head down the coast, then end up in the high 900s for Toowoomba and Warwick.

The 890-series numbers in use north of Caboolture should be converted to the 600-series eg 650 for the Kilcoy-Caboolture route, 647/648 for the Maleny and Beerwah routes.

While they're at it, TransLink should also stop using the @TranslinkSEQ twitter handle to release service/status information for services outside SEQ. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it can get a bit confusing.

[SurfRail]

This is now getting ready for bedding in in November.

I like how they can't even put out a map showing where everything goes without fouling it up. 

They have GOT to let go of this interactive map silliness.  Everything just shows up in blue and you can't make out a damn thing.  There seems to be some sort of prevailing "wisdom" that a person using public transport will only ever use one bus route.

PDF network maps please, FFS.  It's. Not. That. Hard.

http://translink.com.au/about-translink/projects-and-initiatives/mackay/bus-network#map

[SurfRail]

The new timetables are out and in the journey planner - except some genius has forgotten to separate the Mackay routes from the Brisbane routes.

The 301 timetable from Mackay to Oorealea is also giving me times from the Cultural Centre to Toombul.

This is easily fixable, but it could have been completely avoided if they had just given all of regional Queensland its own numbering system discrete from the South-East (eg 800-999).  Not that hard!

[City Designer]

The journey planner also shows the Mackay and Brisbane route maps at the same time, landing roughly above Gladstone. Really sloppy work TL!