Interim rail timetables

ozbob · January 18, 2017, 15:00:54 PM

The SSHTT has only really managed to p%ss more people off sadly ...

DayboroStation · January 18, 2017, 15:20:32 PM

Quote from: techblitz on January 18, 2017, 14:48:28 PM
some social media poetry between a ferny grove commuter and QLD rail

Commuter:

QuoteOver the years, I have come to consider you as my friend, QLD Rail. You have been so inviting and welcoming. In Summer, I look forward to the cool air inside your air conditioned carriages, kissing my skin. I used to delight in meeting some of your more colorful passengers but my favourite part of my daily journey is crossing Breakfast Creek and watching the sky being illuminated by those gorgeously vivid Queensland sunsets through your big glass windows. Although lately, I feel you have grown so distant. Some days, you're so busy you barely have any room for me. You force me to stand in a sea of suits, with no room to move. When you're not suffocating me, you shun me. One time you flew straight past me without even stopping, it's like I don't exist to you anymore. Sure, every now and then you throw me a bone and send me your ugly cousin, the 3-car carriage train but I think I deserve more than that. I have been your faithful commuter for 15+ years and as much as it hurts me to say this, I think it's time we take a break. It's not me, it's you. You need to work on yourself – A bitter Ferny Grove line commuter.

QR:

Quote
Dear faithful Ferny Grove line commuter please give us one more chance. We are sorry we have let you down in so many ways and have not met your expectations recently. You deserve the best treatment for your loyalty and honestly and it truly hurts us to hear of your disappointment
Alas from Monday you should experience less crowding with more personal space, where the only sea you experience is in your holiday dreams, six car services (that don't shun your smiling face) and the beautiful sunsets that light up your night. Please faithful commuter, just one more chance is all we ask...

Wow, that's very touching.

Nearly makes me want to catch the train from Ferny Grove on Monday.

ozbob · January 18, 2017, 15:22:24 PM

.@AnnastaciaMP's spindoctors busy today, suddenly @LeanneLinard has had #railfail removed from her 'Johnny come lately' petition #qldpol pic.twitter.com/VHN2PQSbMN
— QLD Opposition Media (@QldOppMedia) January 18, 2017

ozbob · January 18, 2017, 15:37:49 PM

ozbob · January 18, 2017, 15:41:03 PM

https://translink.com.au/service-updates/112836

No sign yet of the PDF timetables for Monday's timetable.

I have put in a request as to when we might expect them .. ' available soon ' two days ago seems a bit of an inappropriate comment ...

ozbob · January 18, 2017, 16:52:42 PM

^ I have been advised that the PDFs should be available later this evening ..

ozbob · January 18, 2017, 17:06:13 PM

18th January 2016

Media Release
Premier and Minister for the Arts
The Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk

Queensland Rail timetable and recruitment progress

Queensland Rail Acting Chief Executive Officer Neil Scales has provided me with an update on the preparations for the timetable to recommence on Monday (23 January) with the start of the school year.

In my meeting with Mr Scales this afternoon, he advised Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe and I that the timetable to operate from Monday was sustainable and would provide reliable services for the travelling public.

This is the timetable which operated from 7 November to 23 December last year.

Mr Scales also advised there was continued progress was being made to deliver on the five-point plan and the recruitment of additional 200 drivers and 200 guards approved by the Government.

I do not want to pre-empt the findings of the Inquiry being led by Mr Phillip Strachan, which the Government expects to receive on 31 January. The Strachan Inquiry is a thorough examination to get to the bottom of what has happened with the train crewing practices at Queensland Rail.

ozbob · January 18, 2017, 17:07:58 PM

^ is it enough services ?

BrizCommuter · January 18, 2017, 17:35:19 PM

Quote from: DayboroStation on January 18, 2017, 15:20:32 PM
Quote from: techblitz on January 18, 2017, 14:48:28 PM
some social media poetry between a ferny grove commuter and QLD rail

Commuter:

QuoteOver the years, I have come to consider you as my friend, QLD Rail. You have been so inviting and welcoming. In Summer, I look forward to the cool air inside your air conditioned carriages, kissing my skin. I used to delight in meeting some of your more colorful passengers but my favourite part of my daily journey is crossing Breakfast Creek and watching the sky being illuminated by those gorgeously vivid Queensland sunsets through your big glass windows. Although lately, I feel you have grown so distant. Some days, you're so busy you barely have any room for me. You force me to stand in a sea of suits, with no room to move. When you're not suffocating me, you shun me. One time you flew straight past me without even stopping, it's like I don't exist to you anymore. Sure, every now and then you throw me a bone and send me your ugly cousin, the 3-car carriage train but I think I deserve more than that. I have been your faithful commuter for 15+ years and as much as it hurts me to say this, I think it's time we take a break. It's not me, it's you. You need to work on yourself – A bitter Ferny Grove line commuter.

QR:

Quote
Dear faithful Ferny Grove line commuter please give us one more chance. We are sorry we have let you down in so many ways and have not met your expectations recently. You deserve the best treatment for your loyalty and honestly and it truly hurts us to hear of your disappointment
Alas from Monday you should experience less crowding with more personal space, where the only sea you experience is in your holiday dreams, six car services (that don't shun your smiling face) and the beautiful sunsets that light up your night. Please faithful commuter, just one more chance is all we ask...
Wow, that's very touching. Nearly makes me want to catch the train from Ferny Grove on Monday.

Just avoid it on Fridays, and the 3-car services that still exist.

BrizCommuter · January 18, 2017, 17:37:48 PM

Quote from: ozbob on January 18, 2017, 17:07:58 PM
^ is it enough services ?

Of course not.
"Sustainable and reliable service" spin = "unreliable, random, infrequent, and overcrowded service" in the land of reality.

ozbob · January 18, 2017, 18:10:24 PM

Mr Powell is now on twitter ...

Even Labor's @LeanneLinard knows a #railfail when she sees one. Time for @AnnastaciaMP and @StirlHinchliffe to stop blaming others #qldpol pic.twitter.com/CfeVfJtx3U
— Andrew Powell MP (@AndrewPowellMP) January 18, 2017

ozbob · January 18, 2017, 18:22:23 PM

Quote from: ozbob on January 18, 2017, 16:52:42 PM
^ I have been advised that the PDFs should be available later this evening ..

Now available!

ozbob · January 18, 2017, 18:26:51 PM

ozbob · January 18, 2017, 19:06:07 PM

Brisbanetimes --> Premier meets with Qld Rail over timetable

QuoteQueensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has met with Queensland Rail to get an update about the rollout of the back-to-work train timetable.

Queensland Rail Acting Chief Executive Officer Neil Scales confirmed to the premier that the timetable that will come into force from January 23 will be the same reduced timetable which was put in place in November last year.

That timetable had been a response to ongoing rostering bungles at QR, as a result of a driver shortage caused partly by the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula rail line.

The premier said the meeting had given her a clearer picture of how QR was responding to the issues.

"In my meeting with Mr Scales this afternoon, he advised Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe and I that the timetable to operate from Monday was sustainable and would provide reliable services for the travelling public," Ms Palaszczuk said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Mr Scales also advised there was continued progress being made to deliver on the five-point plan and the recruitment of additional 200 drivers and 200 guards approved by the government."

The Premier earlier defended embattled Mr Hinchliffe, saying he had been "working his guts out" to ensure the timetable was introduced smoothly.

It comes as the government faces dissent in the ranks over the issue, with member for Nudgee Leanne Linard voicing her disappointment with the new timetable on her Facebook page.

Ms Linard said she was disappointed to see QR had failed to "address the concerns of local commuters" who lived in the northern Brisbane suburbs of Nundah and Toombul.

"Timetable changes that took effect last year have resulted in reduced services to both stations, with many express trains now bypassing these busy stations," she said.

Ms Palaszczuk said Ms Linard was entitled to her views.

The premier is waiting for the recommendations of the Strachan report into the ongoing issues at QR, which is due to be handed to her on January 31.

mufreight · January 18, 2017, 20:18:17 PM

How many of the additional 100 drivers that the government approved be employed in October 2015 are now fully qualified and are now available to drive trains

James · January 18, 2017, 21:18:42 PM

Quote from: ozbob on January 18, 2017, 18:26:51 PMShorncliffe line Not yet available (will be available tomorrow morning some time).

Guess whose electorate the Shorncliffe line goes through between Toombul and North Boondall?

Perhaps amidst all this outrage there is a bit of political sandbagging going on?

There are no doubt still going to be issues with Interim Timetable Mk 2, in particular, the lack of services going through Indooroopilly around school pick-up time. You have four schools (St Peters, Indro State High, Brigidine and Holy Family) all within walking distance, plus UQ down the road from there. Big 15 minute + service gaps, and gaps of over half an hour out to Springfield. It's going to cause all kinds of issues in this area.

The start of Uni semester will really be crunch time for the rail network. It is phenomenal how many people try and get to campus in those first few weeks then seemingly disappear. The bus & road network already doesn't cope in this area, now the rail network is going to go cactus too.

SurfRail · January 18, 2017, 22:50:34 PM

Why is there a separate inner city and inner north timetable? The latter appears to be redundant.

Of course the Northgate extras still probably won't show up in the Shorncliffe timetable where they should be.

ozbob · January 19, 2017, 03:35:02 AM

Sent to all outlets:

19th January 2017

Re Queensland Rail Timetable from 23rd January 2017

Good Morning,

Let's be very clear. RAIL Back On Track Members do not accept that the rail timetable from the 23rd January 2017 is adequate.

The reality is that "Sustainable and reliable service" spin = "unreliable, random, infrequent, and overcrowded service" in fact!

I asked a rhetorical question yesterday on social media ( https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/821619086358618112 ) if there were any Members of Parliament that thought that the 23rd January 2017 rail timetable was satisfactory? Haven't had a single response ...

The problems with this timetable are many. For a detailed analysis see

QR's Rail Fail to continue for at least a year! > http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/qrs-rail-fail-to-continue-for-at-least.html

Queensland Rail fail has sabotaged years of our work and attempts to get a better public transport network for SEQ. After years of advocacy and hard work we finally have a good fare structure for SEQ, which normally would drive good public transport patronage. In turn this will help drive bus network reform, another critical issue. However, the diabolical situation with the rail network has torpedoed these efforts.

To say we are disappointed is an understatement.

WE ARE FURIOUS !

We will continue to advocate relentlessly for the 4 October 2016 timetable to be implemented. We believe that this can be done by June 2017.

Best wishes
Robert

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

[ Attached: https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=12524.msg186786#msg186786 ]

ozbob · January 19, 2017, 03:37:54 AM

Re missing Shorncliffe PDF - no conspiracy I have been advised there was a problem with the PDF file itself. Will be fixed overnight.

ozbob · January 19, 2017, 03:45:25 AM

Latest media: " WE ARE FURIOUS ! " #railfail
> https://t.co/5DLYZB7igN #qldpol @AnnastaciaMP @StirlHinchliffe @Curtis_Pitt_MP @jackietrad pic.twitter.com/VRYq3QBqLO
— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) January 18, 2017

ozbob · January 19, 2017, 03:53:36 AM

QLD Rail's reduced timetable from November is set to return next week.https://t.co/gxjuond5sH #9News
— Nine News Brisbane (@9NewsBrisbane) January 18, 2017

#Metro · January 19, 2017, 06:29:10 AM

Queensland Rail, thy name is CONNEX!

11 more months of this!

And unlike Connex, we can't get rid of them! They are GUARANTEED business, no matter what! #SCAM

ozbob · January 19, 2017, 06:38:11 AM

^ A challenge for you Mr Metro !

Can you find the link (albeit a little nebulous) between the CONNEX circus and the farcical situation with public transport in SEQ?

Nothing like a challenge hey?

#Metro · January 19, 2017, 06:43:08 AM

Let me guess - Queensland Rail hired ex-Connex employees and put them in executive positions?

Only thing I can think of is Connex screwed up Flemington Race Day, and Queensland Rail screwed up Christmas day!

Of course, when the contracts changed over to MTR METRO, pretty much everyone in management was sacked.

"Mr Metcalfe is one of 10 senior rail executives laid off by new operator Metro Trains Melbourne."

Connex bosses dumped by Metro Trains Melbourne
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/connex-bosses-dumped-by-metro-trains-melbourne/news-story/b61727a5280a7929a03e4bbc99e135f3

ozbob · January 19, 2017, 07:43:54 AM

Letter to the Editor Queensland Times 19th January 2017 page 15

QR team needs to get a move on

ozbob · January 19, 2017, 07:44:46 AM

Quote from: @Metro on January 19, 2017, 06:43:08 AM

Let me guess - Queensland Rail hired ex-Connex employees and put them in executive positions?

Not exactly but warm ... later ....

#Metro · January 19, 2017, 08:12:51 AM

QuoteThe SSHTT has only really managed to p%ss more people off sadly ...

Will the new old timetable be called Partial Interim Service Schedule (P.I.S.S.)?

ozbob · January 19, 2017, 10:29:52 AM

RS - reduced service or rat sh%t as one prefers ...

ozbob · January 19, 2017, 12:11:52 PM

Still no sign of the 23 Jan 2017 Timetable PDF for the Shorncliffe line ...

I have inquired as to the nature of the delay ? I am guessing ' operational issue ' ...

ozbob · January 19, 2017, 13:04:18 PM

Brisbanetimes --> Premier not drawn on whether timetable is Transport Minister's last chance

QuotePremier Annastacia Palaszczuk has refused to guarantee Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe will keep his portfolio if the latest Queensland Rail timetable does not succeed.

Ms Palaszczuk met with Mr Hinchliffe and QR acting chief executive officer Neil Scales on Wednesday, following repeated dramas at the operator after opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula Line.

There will be 330 fewer train services each week in 2017 with Queensland Rail re-introducing a cut back timetable from last November. 7 News Queensland

More than 100 services were cancelled in October and 235 services on Christmas Day.

But when asked if it was Mr Hinchliffe's last chance, Ms Palaszczuk would not be drawn.

"I have commissioned Stirling to fix the mess that Queensland Rail has created," she said.

"This sustainable timetable needs to work."

When asked what would happen if the timetable did not work, Ms Palaszczuk then repeated: "It needs to work" four times.

"Stirling has the clear instructions from me and from the cabinet that we need a sustainable timetable going forward, now I am not going to pre-empt the Philip Strachan inquiry, let's wait," she said.

"I made it very clear to both of them, that the timetable, they have assured me that it's sustainable, I had a lengthy briefing and it must work for the travelling public."

Describing it as a "very lengthy meeting" on Wednesday, Ms Palaszczuk said she was satisfied QR had come up with a sustainable timetable.

On Wednesday, Ms Palaszczuk also said she would seek more than just verbal reassurances that the timetable would work, but did not elaborate on whether she received that on Thursday.

"I had a very lengthy briefing," she said.

"We had a very discussion yesterday about the timetable that's coming in next week and I want to thank Neil Scales as the acting CEO and the minister and all his team for working on this timetable," she said.

"They are 100 per cent focused on delivering a sustainable train timetable."

Ms Palaszczuk said she would receive the Philip Strachan report on January 31, and would be releasing it publicly.

"It will be made fully public," she said.

The next QR timetable will come into effect on Monday and be in place for the remainder of 2017.

It is the same timetable that was introduced on November 7.

ozbob · January 19, 2017, 13:21:34 PM

^ Commission of Inquiry report will be made public ....

#Metro · January 19, 2017, 13:29:14 PM

It will be interesting to read, but doubt it will add much over what the CM and Paul Pluta have reported.

Paul Pluta should be given a medal.

ozbob · January 19, 2017, 13:38:53 PM

Quote from: ozbob on January 19, 2017, 12:11:52 PM
Still no sign of the 23 Jan 2017 Timetable PDF for the Shorncliffe line ...

I have inquired as to the nature of the delay ? I am guessing ' operational issue ' ...

I am advised should be available soon ..

ozbob · January 19, 2017, 13:52:13 PM

The problems with the @QueenslandRail #railfail timetable from 23 Jan 2017 explained:
> https://t.co/pxtPAwmlcQ #qldpol #youwerewarned
— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) January 19, 2017

^

. @QLDLabor @LNPQLD @QldGreens @StirlHinchliffe @AndrewPowellMP #qldpol https://t.co/axcd3JtbqE
— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) January 19, 2017

ozbob · January 20, 2017, 03:08:57 AM

Sent to all outlets:

20th January 2017

Re: Queensland Rail Timetable from 23rd January 2017

Good Morning,

A complete list of the PDF timetables for the Queensland Rail trains from Monday 23rd January 2017 has been compiled by me and is available here:

> https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=12640.0

Clearly our paid transport authorities like to make things difficult for passengers ( yes passengers not customers - customers were on Bob Dyer's Pick a Box! ) do you think they would do the same on their websites? No, make it all cryptic, make it hard for analysis.

Just a reminder. The problems with this timetable are many. For a detailed analysis see

QR's Rail Fail to continue for at least a year! > http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/qrs-rail-fail-to-continue-for-at-least.html

Little wonder the public is raging mad hey? Spin does not disguise failure!

Best wishes
Robert

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

[ Attached: https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=12524.msg186840#msg186840 ]

ozbob · January 20, 2017, 03:13:05 AM

Latest media #railfail '
We are passengers! Customers are on Pick a Box!
> https://t.co/RxHImVzViu #qldpol @StirlHinchliffe @AnnastaciaMP pic.twitter.com/WaI77m3g3n
— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) January 19, 2017

ozbob · January 20, 2017, 03:30:50 AM

A brief break for a song ... #qldpol
Traaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaain .... #railfail 💀https://t.co/TzdyT6jiT3
— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) January 19, 2017

#Metro · January 20, 2017, 05:38:43 AM

QR is in no hurry to get back to normal.

QR doesn't make money, so whether it runs 100 services or 1000 services, it is happy.

Indeed, a cut timetable saves the govt money.

In contrast, an organisation that has to make a return is only paid for the services that run.

Not running services is a disaster. Each day services don't run, losses accumulate.

It hits the bottom line, and this is before any fine or penalty is applied.

An organisation like that cannot afford to take its time. Time is money.

If it continues along that line, it will go bankrupt, losing control of the railway to its competitors.

tazzer9 · January 20, 2017, 10:30:45 AM

After taking a look at the timetables, they do appear to be better than the november interim timetable. They don't have nearly as many random gaps. While still far from ideal though, probably won't be the end of the world for most.

I personally agree with the different friday timetable for at least the ferny grove line. As while it is a pain not having as many services, I have yet to encounter an overcrowded service on a friday morning there yet.

ozbob · January 20, 2017, 10:44:14 AM

I don't. It is absurd, confusing for many, to have different timetable for Fridays.

Further complicates connections be they bus/rail rail/rail ..

Did the 4th October 2016 timetable have a different timetable for Fridays? No, of course not ..

QR is having a lend of us all ..

News:

Interim rail timetables