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Queensland Rail

Started by ozbob, January 28, 2017, 07:43:34 AM

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ozbob

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ozbob

Sent to all outlets:

4th September 2018

More transport failure on high!

Good Morning,

The go card system was still down at 10.30pm last evening, and still no official notification.

Have TransLink given up Minister Bailey?  What an useless effort once again by this waste of space.
Time to get cracking with delivering a proper public transport authority.

As the RTI patronage data shows ( https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?board=91.0 ), the SEQ public transport  network is in a diabolical mess. The rail network is dysfunctional.  The bus network teeters on collapse.  How can people catch a train that departs 12 minutes early?  This is tragic ...



To say we are disappointed with the lack of action at the Ministerial level is an understatement.  A succession of feeble Governments, weak Ministers,  bumbling transport bureaucrats, have delivered gross failure.  And you still hide behind the firewalls of failed communications, secrecy and non-transparency.

Slowly we are breaking through with the truth.

Best wishes,
Robert

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

Quote from: ozbob on September 03, 2018, 16:13:24 PM
Sent to all outlets:

3rd September 2018

Go card system down on buses and ferries

Greetings,

We have had a significant number of reports today that the go card system is down on buses and ferries.

No official notification.

Regards

Robert

Robert Dow
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RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org
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ozbob

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ozbob

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PoliticalFootball

I know you like your data Bob so probably interested.....

ozbob

Marvellous!   Well done all  :-t   There will be more data published Monday on the https://www.queenslandrail.com.au/aboutus/ourperformance/safety-and-security  but it is at best a month behind (ie. July will be published on Monday).

Thanks.
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ozbob

Half baked projects, have long term consequences ...
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ozbob

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bretto82

You are a day early bob it's Thursday for about 17 more hours haha

ozbob

Quote from: bretto82 on September 13, 2018, 07:05:32 AM
You are a day early bob it's Thursday for about 17 more hours haha

Ha ha.  You are too right!  Simply having too much fun.   :P :fp:

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1039985025440079872
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BrizCommuter

Well you might need to get to the station a day earlier if you are a Cleveland Line commuter!

ozbob

Quote from: BrizCommuter on September 13, 2018, 12:07:21 PM
Well you might need to get to the station a day earlier if you are a Cleveland Line commuter!

Good point!   :-t
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ozbob

Half baked projects, have long term consequences ...
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ozbob

Half baked projects, have long term consequences ...
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ozbob

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verbatim9

Just saw the 7news segment in reference to the Doors on NGRs. I have been lucky to date with NGRs, catching them around the place. If that happened while I was meeting a work deadline it would of been very frustrating. I hope the door faults are identified and fixed. Seems bizarre that it's an ongoing issue after a year!?

Saying that I have been on other older trains that have been delayed and inoperable.

ozbob

Quote from: verbatim9 on September 24, 2018, 18:14:40 PM
Just saw the 7news segment in reference to the Doors on NGRs. I have been lucky to date with NGRs, catching them around the place. If that happened while I was meeting a work deadline it would of been very frustrating. I hope the door faults are identified and fixed. Seems bizarre that it's an ongoing issue after a year!?

Saying that I have been on other older trains that have been delayed and inoperable.

7 News NGR >> https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=3706.msg214185#msg214185
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ozbob

Letter to the Editor Queensland Times 25th September 2018 page 17

No end to 'rail fail' in southeast Queensland

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ozbob

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ozbob

Sent to all outlets:

26th September 2018

Grave concerns for the future of the SEQ railway network

Good Morning,

We have grave concerns for the future of the SEQ railway network.  Inconsistencies between the official line and actual RTI documents show it seems more effort is put into spinning a message of ' everything is fine ' whereas behind of the firewall of bureaucratic secrecy there are clearly serious concerns being expressed.  Concerns which are hidden from citizens generally.

We believe it is necessary for the Minister for Transport to detail exactly what is the situation with ongoing door issues, and other faults with the NGR trains.  What is really being done to fix the issues?  There are still 3 NGR trains on ' agistment ' at Progress Rail yards at Redbank.  $50 million of new trains ' eating grass' !


NGR trains at Progress Rail yards Redbank.  Photograph R Dow 25th September 2018

We have no confidence left in TMR to properly manage the NGR project.

Why is there only a net gain of around 40 new train drivers after now two years of rail fail?  At this rate there is no hope for a return to a proper rail service timetable for many years, let alone meet the demands for a post Cross River Rail network.  There are not enough new trains either, steps need to be taken now to ensure there will be enough trains.  Otherwise what is the point of Cross River Rail?

Frankly, we are all fed-up with being lied too, constantly given spin and bull dust.  There is no real transparency and the Government's message is one of doubtful merit and honesty.

' If the hat fits wear it! '

Best wishes,
Robert

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

Quote from: ozbob on September 25, 2018, 02:42:32 AM
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25th September 2018

New Generation Rollingstock - revealing news report

Good Morning,

Sadly more evidence of the New Generation Rollingstock (NGR) train issues was revealed by 7 News last evening.

See  https://twitter.com/7NewsBrisbane/status/1044137177553100800

or https://www.facebook.com/7NewsBrisbane/videos/302555340475202/

This is a very disturbing report.  We have long suspected that there a lot more issues with the NGR trains and project than that is publicly available.

It is a sad day for Queensland that media and ourselves are forced to RTI action for some indication as to what is really occurring.

Thanks to 7 News for this very significant report.

Best wishes,

Robert

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

Half baked projects, have long term consequences ...
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ozbob

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achiruel

Any plans to celebrate the second birthday, ozbob?

ozbob

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ozbob

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ozbob

Sent to all outlets:

30th September 2018

Railfail is two years old today!!

Good Morning,

Well thanks to the pro-active action by Queensland Rail in the Fair Work Commission it does seem rail ran as scheduled essentially for Riverfire.  Good!

However we have a birthday.  Yes, #railfail is two years old today!  We cannot let that pass, not recognised.

What is concerning though is there is no definite timeline for the timetable recovery, it does seem that it is many years away yet.  One has to wonder what the future of the SEQ rail network is.  Cross River Rail service improvement (2024) will not be able to be implemented at the present rate due to a lack of train crew and trains!



Happy Birthday #railfail !  A short video to mark this sad day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dqnMtfoRCo

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
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ozbob

#1467
Couriermail --> Government's late night document dump a train wreck


Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on a train in Brisbane.
The late-night document drop showed Queensland Rail is still plagued by dysfunction. Picture Tara Croser


QuoteQUEENSLAND Rail is still plagued by dysfunction two years on from the state's "Rail Fail", an astonishing late-night document drop by the State Government has revealed.

The Palaszczuk Government — which swept to power in 2015 promising a new era of transparency — has been slammed for releasing 75 annual reports on the performance of departments and agencies late on Friday as Queenslanders headed into Grand Final weekend.

The reports were published in three batches from 3.30pm, with The Sunday Mail notified of the final and largest lot of documents at 9.54pm.

Revelations include Stadiums Queensland reporting an operating loss of more than $20 million; Queensland Health failing to meet treatment efficiency targets; shocking revelations of drug use among parents dealt with by Child Safety; and Queensland motorists being fined to the tune of $250,000 a day.

The most alarming findings were in the QR annual report, which revealed staff were taking sick leave at a much higher rate than expected.

The annual report showed unscheduled absences were running at 12.45 days per employee, well ahead of the target of 10.25 days.

The revelation comes amid a new wave of disruption on the rail network. On Friday, the Fair Work Commission ruled the Rail Tram and Bus Union had orchestrated more than 100 drivers and guards calling in sick that day in an act of illegal industrial action.

QR took the matter to the commission, afraid the campaign of "sickies'' would cruel services yesterday and cause chaos, with hundreds of thousands of people attending last night's Riverfire celebrations.

The commission ordered the union not to organise any further absences at short notice.

LNP Deputy Leader Tim Mander said the episode highlighted the fact that the union retained "a stranglehold".

"The union runs this Labor government. The union is running the railway system," he said. "They don't want extra drivers in because they want to control the situation so they can continue to get excessive overtime."

Today is the second anniversary of the first day of the "Rail Fail" series of mass cancellations and service disruptions across the network that led to a Commission of Inquiry and recommendations to end restrictive work practices by drivers and break a closed-shop recruitment process.

But the report shows the organisation is still plagued by problems. Despite an external recruitment program for trainee drivers and guards attracting more than 10,000 applicants, only 40 additional drivers have been employed.

QR has implemented 17 of the commission's 31 recommendations, which are due to be completed by next year, and services are still short of returning to a full timetable.

The report also says just 23 per cent of capital works are done within delivery deadlines, well under the 80 per cent goal.

And it reveals the top eight QR executives were paid a combined $3.37 million in 2017-18. This includes a $755,000 package for chief executive Nick Easy and $482,000 for executive general manager network Tim Ripper.

The total salaries are nearly double the $1.78 million listed in the previous year's report but QR says that is because of turnover, with some senior staff only in positions for short periods of 2016-17.

A QR spokesman said: "We are focused on fixing the trains, and the salaries and performance targets of Queensland Rail employees are designed to drive outcomes which improve rail services for Queenslanders."

Rail Back on Track lobby group spokesman Robert Dow feared QR was returning to an ineffective top-heavy structure doing little to improve things on the ground.

"It's not complex. All people want is for them to run more services," he said. "After (Friday's) events, one wonders what the future of rail is."

The LNP says the dump of documents — many of which would likely have been completed well ahead of Friday night — was the latest-ever such release by the Palaszczuk Government.

"This government is all about secrecy and cover-up," Mr Mander said.

"They hope anything negative is smothered by a long weekend and grand finals. This government talks transparency but actions speak louder than words.

"It is not surprising but it is disappointing."

A State Government spokesman yesterday said: "The reports are being tabled on their due date (September 30) and available to anyone to read. This is standard practice."

QR said that, since the annual report was prepared, the net increase in drivers had grown to 50, plus 79 extra guards, with a further 95 trainee drivers and 42 trainee guards in training. ...

WHAT THEY DIDN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW

* POLICE: Queensland's confidence in police dropped 4 per cent in the past year.

* CHILD SAFETY: One in three children who came into the care of the Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women in the past year had a parent who had used or was using methamphetamine. The report revealed 9093 children and young people were in care in the last year and 210 young people were in detention.

* YOUTH JUSTICE: Youth Justice Services statistics showed 74 per cent of young offenders were charged with another offence within 12 months of being dealt with in court for a proven offence.

* DISCRIMINATION: Complaints to the Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland (ADCQ) soared by 13 per cent last year, with 810 claims of sexual harassment or discrimination.

* SPEEDING FINES: There were 176,000 speeding infringement notices issued by QPS in 2017-18. The state's fixed speeding cameras caught nearly 472,000 motorists last year, with more than $250,000 in fines issued every day.

* RAIL FAIL: The combined pay of Queensland Rail's top executives doubled from $1.5 million to almost $3 million in one year.

* EXPENSES: Labor MP Joan Pease overspent her electorate allowance by $19,000 in the past year.

* OMBUDSMAN: Of the 802 public interest disclosures reported to the Ombudsman's Office in the last year, 74 per cent were about corrupt conduct. State government departments were the main source of disclosures with 49 per cent, followed by hospital and health services, with 24 per cent and local councils, with 13 per cent.

* STADIUMS QUEENSLAND: Stadiums Queensland suffered an operating loss of $23 million in the past year, with the body's operating expenses of $129 million significantly higher than its $106 million income.

* ROYAL COMMISSION: Queensland Police's Sex Crimes Unit was referred 544 cases from the Royal Commission. Forty-three matters are still under investigation.

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ozbob

I hope our non-performing Minister for Transport et al like the ' birthday present '.

This Palaszczuk Government administration is a major disappointment at present IMHO.

Sunday Mail 30th September 2018 pages 1, 4 & 5.





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ozbob

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ozbob

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ozbob

According to the article above the present net gain in train drivers is 50.

At this rate it would take another 6 years to get to the 200 touted in ' fixing the trains '.

Hopefully the rate will increase, or it is going to be a long wait.
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achiruel

Not to mention we should have CRR by then as well, so even more drivers needed.

Apparently CRR will allow trains every 5.5 minutes from Cleveland... ::) ::) ::)

https://www.crossriverrail.qld.gov.au/info/frequently-asked-questions/

ozbob

#1473
^

Yo  This is the comment I made on our Facebook post on this:

QuoteSimple arithmetic. Latest is a net gain of 50 train drivers in two years. To reach the target 200 it is going to take another 6 years (2024) at this rate and that doesn't take into account extra crew needed post Cross River Rail. We do earnestly hope that the rate of net gains of train drivers is increased. The 200 was the original fixing the trains target. Robert

I am really doubting if they can recover under the ' present arrangements ' of a union captured operator that is still struggling to move past a closed shop.  It is absurd, a rail operator Transperth that has 26% of the route kilometres of QR Citytrain yet still manages to carry more than 8 million more passengers annually than QR.  This is clear evidence of the mediocrity we are faced with.  Also the reliability of the passenger train fleet, old and new is a problem as well.

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ozbob

#1474
Sent to all outlets:

1st October 2018

Can Queensland Rail really recover a normal timetable?

Good Morning,

We continue to have serious concerns with the ability of Queensland Rail to recover a proper rail service timetable any time soon or if ever now.

Latest is a net gain of 50 train drivers in two years. To reach the target 200 it is going to take another 6 years (2024) at this rate and that doesn't take into account extra crew needed post Cross River Rail. We do earnestly hope that the rate of net gains of train drivers is increased. The 200 target was the original fixing the trains target.

We are really doubting if Queensland Rail can recover under the ' present arrangements ' of a union captured operator that is still struggling to move past a closed shop.  It is absurd, the rail operator in Western Australia, Transperth that has 26% of the route kilometres of Queensland Rail Citytrain network yet still manages to carry more than 8 million passengers annually than QR.  This is clear evidence of the mediocrity we are faced with now in SEQ.  Also the reliability of the Queensland Rail passenger train fleet, old and new (NGRs) is an ongoing problem as well.

We are very disappointed in the Transport Minister and his failure to come to terms with the crisis we face.  We believe it is time for a proper Public Transport Minister and a new authority - Public Transport Queensland that can really start to address the problems.  More glossy spin and dribble in Annual Reports is not going to fix the trains.

Best wishes,

Robert

Robert Dow
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ozbob

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#Metro

QuoteLatest is a net gain of 50 train drivers in two years. To reach the target 200 it is going to take another 6 years (2024) at this rate and that doesn't take into account extra crew needed post Cross River Rail. We do earnestly hope that the rate of net gains of train drivers is increased. The 200 target was the original fixing the trains target.

The current setup is such a comprehensive failure, it is hard to see how anyone can support it.
And yet, we are going to sign QR's contract renewal again??

We should absolutely be calling for a new operator, possibly one that can also run  buses, to take over, in addition to PTQ.

Don't sign! Don't renew!
Negative people... have a problem for every solution. Posts are commentary and are not necessarily endorsed by RAIL Back on Track or its members.

achiruel

QR really needs to start making moves now toward DOO, so that hopefully the 700 series is the last EMUs that require guards.

verbatim9

Quote from: achiruel on October 01, 2018, 10:35:09 AM
QR really needs to start making moves now toward DOO, so that hopefully the 700 series is the last EMUs that require guards.

ozbob

The NGRs were/are being built in a DOO configuration.  Changes to accommodate guards are being done locally.  Extra station staff are being deployed to assist as required.  Folks, we have one very expensive railway to run and it is simply not carrying enough passengers commensurate with the massive investment in $$$.  Queensland Rail Citytrain should aim to carry 100 million passengers in 3 years, 150 million in 6 years.

:hc
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