Interim rail timetables

[#Metro]

The timetable for services in 2017 will be developed ahead of the introduction of Fairer Fares in the New Year.

I wonder if they will stuff fares/ticketing up too. After all, the rezoning requires changes to settings and it is not unreasonable to think a software bug could bring it all down.

[ozbob]

^ which is one of the reasons it will not be January 1 2017.  It needs to be when plenty of staff etc. on hand to make sure the transition is fine.  Will be mid January, around 16th January 2017.

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Brisbane trains: Fingers crossed for new Queensland Rail timetable

Besieged Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe has promised Queensland Rail's latest revised timetable will finally deliver reliable and consistent services for fed-up commuters.

The new scaled-back timetable will be rolled out Monday morning, two-and-a-half weeks after a driver and guard shortage triggered commuter chaos across the south-east's rail network.

Queensland Rail had a "fundamental failure of management" in not preparing for a driver shortage. 7 News Queensland

More than 330 services have been slashed from the timetable that was introduced last month in conjunction with the beginning of the new Redcliffe Peninsula line.

Since the network was stretched to breaking point, due to a lack of staff and trainers, QR has seen its chief executive and chairman resign, plus a number of service cuts.

Mr Hinchliffe has managed to keep his position despite heavy criticism, both inside and outside of state parliament.

He said on Sunday he was "absolutely confident" of fixing the train crisis as well as keeping his job as Commonwealth Games minister.

"The roles are complementary in that one of the key tasks of the 2018 Commonwealth Games is in relation to the transport challenge," the minister said.

Mr Hinchliffe insisted the new timetable, which includes changes across all lines, would be reliable and consistent, and also allow for more drivers and guards to be trained and added to an expanded network.

"I'm absolutely confident that this timetable is actually deliverable and it is sustainable," he said.

However, Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls doubted much would change with the amended timetable.

"Services are still at the mercy, it seems, at the incompetence of this government," he said

[ozbob]

https://translink.com.au/service-updates/104511

8.46am Bowen Hills-Ferny Grove train cancelled

Last updated:  Mon 7 November 2016 at 7.26am (2 minutes ago)

The 8.46am Bowen Hills to Ferny Grove train has been cancelled due to an operational issue. The next Bowen Hills to Ferny Grove train will depart Bowen Hills station at 9.01am.

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

[brissypete]

Anyone know why the 6:59 ex Beenleigh to Ferny Grove needs to run part express.  Its still timetabled the same out of Beenleigh and into Central as the all stoppers.  Its an oddity that happened often even before the current mess.

Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk

[ozbob]

^ is it something to do with train paths?  Not sure how it tracks in.  Someone might know ..

[ozbob]

New Qld Rail timetable has seen morning peak running at 98.63% on time. Minister says most people satisfied. #TenNews @tennewsqld pic.twitter.com/KuorJcG5wA

— Pippa Sheehan (@PipSheehan) November 6, 2016

[James]

The new fare structure will be implemented in January 2017, probably either January 9th or 16th or thereabouts.

I have heard whispers that the changeover will occur on a Tuesday, as Monday will be set aside for staff to run around and change over all the zone numbers etc. around the network.

May be false, though. It'd make sense from a cost cutting perspective - think about the penalty rates of employing hundreds of staff on a Sunday vs a Monday.

[ozbob]

^ yes January 17th would be a good date hey?   

[BrizCommuter]

Quite a few unhappy commuters on social media this morning due to incorrect / inconsistent train times in journey planner vs .pdf timetables.

[Monster]

New Qld Rail timetable has seen morning peak running at 98.63% on time. Minister says most people satisfied. #TenNews @tennewsqld pic.twitter.com/KuorJcG5wA

— Pippa Sheehan (@PipSheehan) November 6, 2016

Hmmmm let's see........ you've reduced the number of services on the network and you've got a 98% on time result? Well of course if you have less "traffic" on the network, there'll be less chances of a stuff up which means that trains should run on time.

Seriously? A staffer actually put that to a Minister who readily and without engaging the common sense part of their brain, went "Yes, no one will connect the reduction of services with an obvious (and natural) inprovement of on time performance".

Ummm Minister I've got an idea to achieve 100% on time performance............ all you have to do is have 1 train per line............... See? It's not hard to find a solution. 

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Minister promises no more cancellations due to lack of drivers

A new train timetable rolled out on Monday will mean an end to cancellations caused by a lack of drivers, Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe has promised.

Hundreds of services have been cut from the October 4 timetable, which failed due to not having enough drivers following the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula line.

Mr Hinchliffe said there would always be last-minute cancellations as a result of train issues, faults in the network and signalling problems.

But cancellations would not be caused by a lack of drivers under the new timetable, which will be in placed until 2017.

"I'm confident that we've got the timetable right, it means we won't see cancellations due to a lack of train crew," Mr Hinchliffe said.

During Monday morning's peak period, on-time running performance was 98.63 per cent, Mr Hinchliffe said.

"I will keenly be monitoring how that works across the remainder of this week," he said.

Mr Hinchliffe said the government would look at whether Queensland Rail required greater oversight.

"And keenly, I'll play a key role in that," he said.

"But one of the things that will help inform that will be the... independent investigation that's being undertaken by (former Rio Tinto boss Philip) Strachan."

Mr Hinchliffe, who takes home $327,645 as a minister and as leader of the house, deflected a question about whether he should save Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk the embarrassment by resigning over the debacle.

"I have at all times been briefing the premier on the situations in relation to those issues and I have at all times been acting on her instruction as to what she wants me to do," he said.

"I am working full square with the acting CEO and acting chair to make sure that we see the delivery of our five point plan.

"I think right at the moment we absolutely do need to see continuity to make sure we deliver on the five-point plan and the work that's going on right now to deliver this sustainable timetable."

Mr Hinchliffe said most people were satisfied with the service they had received, but he appreciated that last-minute cancellations annoyed people.

He said the scaled back timetable meant staff were available to train other drivers and guards.

[BrizCommuter]

With all this inane spin, I think this current government is heading for annihilation.

[ozbob]

With all this inane spin, I think this current government is heading for annihilation.

I see history repeating.  Reminds of the the failing ' power group ' of the Bligh Government, this is now much the same.  They don't appear to have contact with reality ...

So it's time!

[Monster]

With all this inane spin, I think this current government is heading for annihilation.

And sadly the other side aren't much chop either. Why is this feeling like I'm on the magic roundabout? 

[Fares_Fair]

Brisbanetimes --> Minister promises no more cancellations due to lack of drivers

A new train timetable rolled out on Monday will mean an end to cancellations caused by a lack of drivers, Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe has promised.

Hundreds of services have been cut from the October 4 timetable, which failed due to not having enough drivers following the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula line.

Mr Hinchliffe said there would always be last-minute cancellations as a result of train issues, faults in the network and signalling problems.

But cancellations would not be caused by a lack of drivers under the new timetable, which will be in placed until 2017.

"I'm confident that we've got the timetable right, it means we won't see cancellations due to a lack of train crew," Mr Hinchliffe said.

During Monday morning's peak period, on-time running performance was 98.63 per cent, Mr Hinchliffe said.

"I will keenly be monitoring how that works across the remainder of this week," he said.

Mr Hinchliffe said the government would look at whether Queensland Rail required greater oversight.

"And keenly, I'll play a key role in that," he said.

"But one of the things that will help inform that will be the... independent investigation that's being undertaken by (former Rio Tinto boss Philip) Strachan."

Mr Hinchliffe, who takes home $327,645 as a minister and as leader of the house, deflected a question about whether he should save Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk the embarrassment by resigning over the debacle.

"I have at all times been briefing the premier on the situations in relation to those issues and I have at all times been acting on her instruction as to what she wants me to do," he said.

"I am working full square with the acting CEO and acting chair to make sure that we see the delivery of our five point plan.

"I think right at the moment we absolutely do need to see continuity to make sure we deliver on the five-point plan and the work that's going on right now to deliver this sustainable timetable."

Mr Hinchliffe said most people were satisfied with the service they had received, but he appreciated that last-minute cancellations annoyed people.

He said the scaled back timetable meant staff were available to train other drivers and guards.

I can't help but notice that there have been a few cancellations already today.. 
Does anyone in Government really know what is going on - or the real reasons why?

Unrelated question NOT.
Has the 20 minute break for all train drivers after 2.5 hours, been abolished yet?

[petey3801]

Short answer: No it has not. That requires new jobcards to be compiled which takes several weeks when the whole process is taken in to account.

[#Metro]

I can't help but notice that there have been a few cancellations already today.. 
Does anyone in Government really know what is going on - or the real reasons why?

I had a huge laugh when I read this! 

Thanks for the lolz Fares_Fare. It is BEYOND a joke now!

[ozbob]

Transport Minister says 98% of train services were running on time today. https://t.co/iqTxVoMDwc #7News https://t.co/8Dy5WhrKTg

— 7 News Queensland (@7NewsQueensland) November 7, 2016

[urbanplanr]

Easier to maintain service levels close to 100% if more than 300 services are cut lol.. Do they really take us for fools? This is beyond embarrassing.

[BrizCommuter]

Transport Minister says 98% of train services were running on time today. https://t.co/iqTxVoMDwc #7News https://t.co/8Dy5WhrKTg

— 7 News Queensland (@7NewsQueensland) November 7, 2016

Really? Because around 4-4:15pm (at which point I gave up) the trains were complete basket case, with multiple cancellations and redeterminations (late running trains magically turning into the following service). Hinchcliffe, you are a liar!

[#Metro]

Why not just cut 99% of services, run 1 train per day. I'm sure then OTR will be "100%" consistently, all day.

[ozbob]

To be fair, the Minister did say yesterday that there still will be cancellations due to faults etc. but he was confident that cancellations due to ' crew problems of late ' will not occur.

As far as the new timetable being more reliable, of course if there are less services the chances are it will be more reliable and we made that point here > http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=11713.msg183018#msg183018

Rosewood (bless .. ) has the best OTR of all lines except when they pull it!    No great surprise there  lol

[petey3801]

And credit where it is due, there are still over 300 more services per week than there was before the RPL opened...

[BrizCommuter]

And credit where it is due, there are still over 300 more services per week than there was before the RPL opened...

...but not on the pre-existing lines. The vast majority of commuters are only experiencing service cuts.

[#Metro]

...but not on the pre-existing lines. The vast majority of commuters are only experiencing service cuts.

I agree with this. A passenger does not experience the network as a whole. Their experience is limited to their service(s). Entirely possible that trains at their station have become unreliable or are fewer.

If more trains were put on the Doomben line at the expense of trains at your home station, how would one form an opinion? Based on the whole-of-network, or on local experience?

[petey3801]

This is true, however the OTR stats are made across the entire network (line by line, but averaged as a whole for reporting purposes).

[ozbob]

Twitter

Jamie McKinnell ‏@jamie86 3 minutes ago

.@StirlHinchliffe "cautiously reports" on new train timetable. AM peak had an on-time running rate of 88.36% today, track faults. #qldpol

[tazzer9]

Rosewood (bless .. ) has the best OTR of all lines except when they pull it!    No great surprise there  lol

Amazing what happens when you run a shuttle service on a double track line with most of the through trains being before the sun comes up.


On another note, am I the only one who thinks a 20 minute break after 2.5 is fully reasonable?  I know there are other required breaks but its not like a driver can duck into a bathroom while stopped at a station.  (I do have a very funny story about a friends dad who is a QR guard doing this).   

[ozbob]

Well, the ' interim timetable #2 Mon - Thu ' has not been a particularly auspicious start.

http://www.queenslandrail.com.au/forcustomers/otr/dailyotr

Combined Peaks
Customer Impact, Contractual

7 Nov     89.38%      91.10%
8 Nov     89.73%      92.12%
9 Nov     97.60%      97.60%
10 Nov   90.75%      90.75%



We await to see how ' interim timetable #2 Fridays ' goes ... with even less services than Mon - Thu.

[ozbob]

" Well, the ' interim timetable #2 Mon - Thu ' has not been a particularly auspicious start. "
> https://t.co/sCThu18KN7#qldpol pic.twitter.com/1FhgRyDCAn

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) November 11, 2016

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

11th November 2016

Rosewood - Ipswich railway closed on weekends

For your information

Due to the ongoing rail shambles all rail services between Ipswich and Rosewood are being replaced by buses on weekends, apparently till further notice.

See > https://translink.com.au/service-updates/105201

Hardly acceptable, many people have settled along the line because they want to use rail, not be forced onto dangerous roads.

Ipswich <> Rosewood is part of the oldest rail service in Queensland. How sad it has come to this.  It is time that a broom was put through Queensland Rail, this ongoing failure circus is a joke.

The OTR performance for the first week of the ' interim timetable #2 Mon-Thu ' was as below:

http://www.queenslandrail.com.au/forcustomers/otr/dailyotr

Combined Peaks
Customer Impact, Contractual

7 Nov     89.38%      91.10%
8 Nov     89.73%      92.12%
9 Nov     97.60%      97.60%
10 Nov   90.75%      90.75%



Hardly impressive is it?

Rather than getting better the mediocrity continues. 
People have been forced to give up public transport because of unreliable and non-existent service.

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

[ozbob]

Friday afternoon they announce that rail services on the Rosewood line will cease on weekends.

No statement, no warning, just sneaky web placement.  I have had a chat to the QT, at least they are interested.  Local MPs are not.

It is very difficult to have any confidence in such a mediocre outfit hey?

[#Metro]

Friday afternoon they announce that rail services on the Rosewood line will cease on weekends.

No statement, no warning, just sneaky web placement.  I have had a chat to the QT, at least they are interested.  Local MPs are not.

It is very difficult to have any confidence in such a mediocre outfit hey?

But I thought there was "no more cancellations"?

Minister promised.

[ozbob]

It is just bullsh%t Metro Man ... bullsh%t ...

Duplicitous pr%%ks!

I am fast forming the view that Queensland Rail is not capable of sorting it out from here.  Might be best to close it down and start again with a new operator.  Go DOO and get rid of the fluff at the upper administrative levels.  All largely useless.

The other alternative is rip up the rails and make electric busways of the ROW.  It is that bad ...

At least we might get a better frequency in the end.  Other states are surging ahead, Queensland is replacing trains with buses. May as well go the full monty and complete it properly.

[#Metro]

I am fast forming the view that Queensland Rail is not capable of sorting it out from here.  Might be best to close it down and start again with a new operator.  Go DOO and get rid of the fluff at the upper administrative levels.  All largely useless.

Bring in an operator like MTR Metro, DB, SCNF or SMRT Singapore. Even a commercialised arm of TransPerth Trains could be looked at.

Pay for route km travelled, not patronage and not fare revenue received. Just like the buses.

Under this arrangement, you would keep the QR brand.

[ozbob]

Friday afternoon they announce that rail services on the Rosewood line will cease on weekends.

No statement, no warning, just sneaky web placement.  I have had a chat to the QT, at least they are interested.  Local MPs are not.

It is very difficult to have any confidence in such a mediocre outfit hey?

But I thought there was "no more cancellations"?

Minister promised.

Time the Minister went too!  This is the final straw for me.

Sack the lot!!

[ozbob]

I am fast forming the view that Queensland Rail is not capable of sorting it out from here.  Might be best to close it down and start again with a new operator.  Go DOO and get rid of the fluff at the upper administrative levels.  All largely useless.

Bring in an operator like MTR Metro, DB, SCNF or SMRT Singapore. Even a commercialised arm of TransPerth Trains could be looked at.

Pay for route km travelled, not patronage and not fare revenue received. Just like the buses.

Under this arrangement, you would keep the QR brand.

Queensland Rail is a trashed brand now.  I would go with a new name eg. SEQ Rail  or  Transit Train ... lol

[#Metro]

It would not technically be a privatisation because the operating company would be publicly owned (by a foreign government).

Melbournes trams IIRC are French and Canadian Gov't owned. They operate inside the Yarra Trams brand, which is kept constant.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keolis

Keolis is the largest private sector French transport group. It runs passenger railways, tramways, bus networks, funiculars, trolley buses, and airport services. Based in Paris, Keolis is owned by the SNCF (French National Railways Corporation) at 70% and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec which is translated as Quebec Deposit & Investment Fund (public pension plans in the province of Quebec) at 30%.

Similar status to say, Brisbane City Council's buses.

Britain's Privatised Rail Network Makes Millions For Foreign State-Owned Train Companies
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/08/18/foreign-state-owned-railway-british-train-companies-revenue_n_8003970.html

[Stillwater]

Pauline Hanson has said she wants to make Queensland a 'One Nation' state.  It would be interesting if she went to Rosewood and promised that she would get the trains back on track at weekends and, what's more, extend passenger rail to Gatton (her heartland).  That should put a few seats in jeopardy.  Hit the LNP by promising shuttles between Gympie and Nambour and fast track of SCL upgrade.  It need not be that many seats where she could make promises that hurt the other parties.

Maybe they will be motivated to produce integrated transport plans, not just promise them, as has been the case at the last two state elections.

Update:  Two BT articles reveal both majors fearful of One Nation

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/labor-and-lnp-spooked-by-one-nation-as-queensland-election-looms-20161111-gsn970.html

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/queensland-mp-ian-rickuss-announces-retirement-at-next-state-election-20161111-gsnpxm.html