Time to move to one hour service frequency on Sunshine Coast Line out of peak

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

16th September 2019

Time to move to one hour service frequency on Sunshine Coast Line out of peak.

Good Morning,

Now that the 29th July 2019 rail timetable is bedded down, it is time for incremental service improvements to begin to make up for the years lost.

The first priority we believe should be introducing one hour train services out of peak between Nambour and Brisbane. This was first flagged in 2015 by Government ( News Mail 7th May 2015 --> Sunshine Coast-Brisbane trains to run hourly from 2016 https://www.news-mail.com.au/news/trains-to-run-every-hour-govt-reveals/2630998/ )  Trains on the Sunshine Coast line are still running at 90 minute intervals out of peak today.

On Saturday last, the 4.03pm Roma Street to Nambour train was cancelled ( twitter.com/TransLinkSEQ/status/1172761572772646912 ).  The next service was at 5.33pm.  This means in effect 3 hours between trains! The abysmal service frequency is made much worse when services are cancelled. The poor service frequency also makes rail/bus and bus/rail connections prone to failure, and often leads to considerable journey time increases.

Train stabling facilities have been established at Elimbah and Woombye. So providing local rollingstock is now not an issue.

It is time the Sunshine Coast was given rail service improvements. It is now many years overdue ...

Best wishes,

Robert

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

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

News Mail --> Sunshine Coast-Brisbane trains to run hourly from 2016

7th May 2015

HOURLY train services between the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane will become a reality from the end of 2016 after the State Government announced new train stabling yards would be built at Woombye and Elimbah.

Leighton has been awarded the $116 million contract to build the stabling yards and two others at Robina and Banyo that will deliver 700 construction jobs.

The stabling yards will house 75 trains being commissioned as part of a $4.4 billion New Generation Rolling Stock program.

The new trains will lift passenger capacity in south-east Queensland by 30%.

Infrastructure and Planning Minister Jackie Trad said the new trains would create an additional 514 direct full-time jobs and 1500 indirect jobs.

Member for Nicklin Peter Wellington said there would be nine additional daily services, four from here and five from Brisbane.

"It means people wanting to get to and from Brisbane can do that on the hour,'' he said.Mr Wellington acknowledged there was opposition in Woombye to the stabling yards but said the alternative of putting them in Nambour would result in a waste of money when the North Coast line was duplicated.

He described the realignment and duplication of the North Coast line as a nation-building project which required federal funding to be viable.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads revealed yesterday that it was assessing the economic viability of the duplication.

Depending on the outcome of that assessment it would then need to be considered against other infrastructure projects by Building Queensland.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1173341883231166464

[ozbob]

Facebook ..

[ozbob]

Going off like the old Darra flyer over at FB ...

Lot of interest. 

=====

Time to move to one hour service frequency on Sunshine Coast Line out of peak.
16th September 2019
https://www.facebook.com/RAILBackOnTrack/posts/2859336240747211

[ozbob]

Letter to the Editor Queensland Times 17th September 2019 page 19

Move to one-hour service frequency out of peak



* Train stabling

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1173667370373500929

[achiruel]

Should we also put some focus on the ridiculously early finishing times, especially on a Saturday night with the last Nambour train departing Central at 20:37. A pity if someone from the Sunshine Coast wanted to attend an evening event in Brisbane without needing to drive.

[ozbob]

Should we also put some focus on the ridiculously early finishing times, especially on a Saturday night with the last Nambour train departing Central at 20:37. A pity if someone from the Sunshine Coast wanted to attend an evening event in Brisbane without needing to drive.

Yo.  It is poor.  Mon > Fri the last out of Central are 10.07pm then 11.37pm.  Perhaps this is what they should do for Saturdays too.

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

18th September 2019

It's time  ... last train to Nambour at 8.37pm !

Good Morning,

On Saturdays, the last train in the evening from Central to Nambour is scheduled at 8.37pm ( https://translink.com.au/sites/default/files/assets/timetables/190729-sunshine-coast.pdf ). 
This is a very early last train for a Saturday, and certainly restricts the opportunities for Sunshine Coast residents to use the railway on Saturday evenings.

Mondays to Fridays the last trains from Central to Nambour are at 10.07pm and 11.37pm.  It would be good if these times could be added to the Saturday timetable too.

The Sunshine Coast rail service is an anachronism.  The timetable is lost in the 19th Century.  Time the service was improved.

Best wishes,
Robert

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

Sent to all outlets:

16th September 2019

Time to move to one hour service frequency on Sunshine Coast Line out of peak.

Good Morning,

Now that the 29th July 2019 rail timetable is bedded down, it is time for incremental service improvements to begin to make up for the years lost.

The first priority we believe should be introducing one hour train services out of peak between Nambour and Brisbane. This was first flagged in 2015 by Government ( News Mail 7th May 2015 --> Sunshine Coast-Brisbane trains to run hourly from 2016 https://www.news-mail.com.au/news/trains-to-run-every-hour-govt-reveals/2630998/ )  Trains on the Sunshine Coast line are still running at 90 minute intervals out of peak today.

On Saturday last, the 4.03pm Roma Street to Nambour train was cancelled ( twitter.com/TransLinkSEQ/status/1172761572772646912 ).  The next service was at 5.33pm.  This means in effect 3 hours between trains! The abysmal service frequency is made much worse when services are cancelled. The poor service frequency also makes rail/bus and bus/rail connections prone to failure, and often leads to considerable journey time increases.

Train stabling facilities have been established at Elimbah and Woombye. So providing local rollingstock is now not an issue.

It is time the Sunshine Coast was given rail service improvements. It is now many years overdue ...

Best wishes,

Robert

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

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1174088257681780737

Looks like there is some 2' in there.  The then Nambour to Dulong tramway?

[ozbob]

Letter to the Editor Queensland Times 20th September 2019 page 13

Timetable an anachronism in our busy 21st Century

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1174773928306233349

[ozbob]

Time to move to one hour service frequency on Sunshine Coast Line out of peak.
16th September 2019
https://www.facebook.com/RAILBackOnTrack/posts/2859336240747211

Interim: 2772 People reached  382 Engagements

[ozbob]

Time to move to one hour service frequency on Sunshine Coast Line out of peak.
16th September 2019
https://www.facebook.com/RAILBackOnTrack/posts/2859336240747211

Interim: 2772 People reached  382 Engagements

Time to move to one hour service frequency on Sunshine Coast Line out of peak.
16th September 2019
https://www.facebook.com/RAILBackOnTrack/posts/2859336240747211

Interim: 3334 People reached  406 Engagements

Final  5307 People reached  468 Engagements

[ozbob]

Sunshine Coast Daily --> Hopes growing for changes to aid commuters

OPTIMISM is building among the region's rail advocates that a welcome boost for commuters could be just around the corner.

Rumours are circulating that the Sunshine Coast could be set for more rail services in February-March, and new trains are also expected to be rolled out on the region's tracks.

Rail advocates told the Daily they'd been advised there would be a timetable change in the next month or two, and New Generation Rollingstock trains would make their first appearance on the Sunshine Coast Line.

A stabling yard was created at Woombye specifically for the NGR trains, which had been the subject of some political debate.

Advocates told the Daily they were hopeful the timetable change would deliver nine new daily train services promised to the region in 2016.

Queensland Rail CEO Nick Easy confirmed work was being done on "some timetable improvements for our customers, as well as further deployment arrangements for the NGR fleet" but he couldn't give specifics about what it meant for Coast commuters.

"Once these arrangements are confirmed, we will provide our customers with advanced notice before any changes are implemented," Mr Easy said.

"This includes any changes which may affect the Sunshine Coast Line."

[verbatim9]

Sunshine Coast Daily --> Hopes growing for changes to aid commuters

OPTIMISM is building among the region's rail advocates that a welcome boost for commuters could be just around the corner.

Rumours are circulating that the Sunshine Coast could be set for more rail services in February-March, and new trains are also expected to be rolled out on the region's tracks.

Rail advocates told the Daily they'd been advised there would be a timetable change in the next month or two, and New Generation Rollingstock trains would make their first appearance on the Sunshine Coast Line.

A stabling yard was created at Woombye specifically for the NGR trains, which had been the subject of some political debate.

Advocates told the Daily they were hopeful the timetable change would deliver nine new daily train services promised to the region in 2016.

Queensland Rail CEO Nick Easy confirmed work was being done on "some timetable improvements for our customers, as well as further deployment arrangements for the NGR fleet" but he couldn't give specifics about what it meant for Coast commuters.

"Once these arrangements are confirmed, we will provide our customers with advanced notice before any changes are implemented," Mr Easy said.

"This includes any changes which may affect the Sunshine Coast Line."

That's good news

[Stillwater]

Extra nine hourly off-peak train services to the Sunshine Coast daily was a 'Jackie Trad promise'. Meaningless.

[Fares_Fair]

I was contacted by Annie Gaffney of ABC Radio Sunshine Coast (90.3 Coast FM) today.

Tomorrow They will air a story about the 9 promised trains from 2016, sometime between 9:05am and 10:00am. If time is available, I will get an update on precisely when it airs.
I understand that the Minister will be contacted for an explanation.

7:56pm NEWS FLASH: Minister unable to respond until Thursday 20 February.
Interviews with James Kasmer and Myself will air then along with the Minister's response.

I raised these 9 (promised) missing trains with the Minister on 11 March 2019.
A year ago almost, and nothing has been done to give them an 'air of honesty' heading into an election.

These trains were are also tied into the Woombye Stabling Yards saga, which generated a lot of publicity during its construction and the remediation responses by Queensland Rail.
Queensland Rail's attempts to ameliorate the facility with bush screens, special (reactive) lighting and sound proofing measures are a testament to their dedication and commitment to affected nearby residents (nearest house is 150m away).
Today, that facility is well hidden behind a dense screen of trees and shrubbery.

The 'less than' Hon Jackie Trad MP made the commitment of 9 trains to the Woombye campaign group, led by James Kasmer in mid-May 2015, at the Woombye Bowls Club.
I have sourced an audio recording of the event.
9 May 2015, see: https://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/no-stop-in-rail-yard-campaign/2633428/
or from 6 July 2015: https://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/desperate-to-retain-open-space-for-woombye-kids-to/2696426/

It was afterwards reiterated by Peter Wellington MP and subsequently reported in the Sunshine Coast Daily:

From May 2015: https://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/trains-to-run-every-hour-govt-reveals/2630998/

From November 2018: https://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/ghost-trains-no-clues-about-missing-new-trains/3564895/

The time for accountability has arrived.

[Arnz]

"it will now house up to four NGR trains to support the deployment of the trains on the Sunshine Coast line with the last service to be parked by around 8pm on weekdays".

Judging from that sentence, the last NGR train to Nambour on the weekdays would be the 6:00pm train from Roma Street (departing Central at 6:04pm).  Arriving Nambour around 7:52pm before heading back to Woombye stabling yard and arriving around 8pm for stabling.

[Arnz]

The now infamous "9 promised trains".  Sunshine Coast gets 1 extra train from Monday-Friday, one of the more 'infamous' broken promises since the Sunshine Motorway Toll Road saga of the 80s and 90s.

The Automatic Voice Announcement System (VAS) on most Sunshine Coast/Nambour trains has also been updated late this week with the "mind the gap" long-winded announcements in preparation for Monday's NGR introductions.

Also, there's still the issue of Saturday night trains finishing at 8:37pm from Central.  At least the 10:07pm train on Saturdays could be extended (although preferably the 11:37pm should be as well).

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

3rd March 2020

Saturday night finishes early on the Sunshine Coast line hey?

Good Morning,

We have raised the poor Citytrain service on the Sunshine Coast Line now for over ten years.  A particular embarrassment for Queensland Rail, the Queensland Government and the citizens of the Sunshine Coast, is the fact that the last Citytrain service from Brisbane for Nambour on a Saturday night departs Central at 8.37pm!

Last trains for some other lines on a Saturday night from Central:

Gold Coast 12.29am (early Sunday)

Ipswich 12.58am (early Sunday)

Ipswich to Rosewood 12.35am (early Sunday)

Cleveland 12.47am (early Sunday)

Springfield 11.13pm

Caboolture 1.07am (early Sunday).

Why is the Sunshine Coast treated so poorly?

Now that NGR trains are in revenue service on the Sunshine Coast line with some local stabling, surely it is time to sort out this Sunshine Coast line Saturday night anomaly. For example the Caboolture services that depart Central 10.07pm and 11.37pm pm be extended through to Nambour.

This appalling lack of service for the Sunshine Coast needs to be addressed.

Best wishes,

Robert

Contacts:

Jeff Addison
Sunshine Coast Region Spokesperson for RAIL Back On Track

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

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1234580516650643456

[ozbob]

Facebook ...

[PollyWouldLikeASeat]

10 PM on Saturday doesn't help much it needs to be at least 10:30- 11:00pm.  If you go to a show at QPAC you'd be lucky to make a 10pm train.  Never mind trying to catch a train home up the coast after a concert at Boondall, can't even do that during the week.

[ozbob]

10 PM on Saturday doesn't help much it needs to be at least 10:30- 11:00pm.  If you go to a show at QPAC you'd be lucky to make a 10pm train.  Never mind trying to catch a train home up the coast after a concert at Boondall, can't even do that during the week.

"  the Caboolture services that depart Central 10.07pm and 11.37pm pm be extended through to Nambour. "

These services operate Mondays <> Fridays, they should be added to the Saturday night timetable.

I checked a 2011 timetable for interest.  Saturdays then the last service from Central to Nambour was 8.44pm.  It has been an issue for some time.   Time it was sorted.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1234665976081182720

[verbatim9]

^^They should have a late evening service that leaves Central between 23:30 and midnight 7 days.

[ozbob]

https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/tableOffice/questionsAnswers/2020/320-2020.pdf

Question on Notice
No. 320

Asked on Tuesday 17 March 2020

MR M HUNT ASKED MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT AND MAIN ROADS (HON M BAILEY)

QUESTION:

With reference to the 2015 promise of 9 extra services for the North Coast Rail line after the
establishment of the Woombye Stabling Yard—

Will the Minister advise the date that all of these services will be commencing?

ANSWER:

I thank the Member for Nicklin for the question.

If it wasn't for the former LNP Government's cuts to train drivers and driver training at Queensland
Rail, the commitment to nine extra services could have been met. Unfortunately, at the time the
commitment was made, the full extent of the damage done by the LNP's cuts was yet to be
revealed.

As the Member would be aware, under the former LNP government, no Citytrain train drivers
started training in 2014, and this was accompanied by a net reduction of 48 drivers during their
period in government. They did this when they had full knowledge that the new Redcliffe
Peninsula line was due to open in 2016 with six new stations, as well as the Gold Coast 2018
Commonwealth Games—the largest sporting event in Australia in a decade—creating high
demand for Queensland Rail services on a 24/7 basis.

This led to the issues Queensland Rail had in 2016 and the Commission of Inquiry into
Queensland Rail Train Crewing Practices. Between May and July 2019, 462 extra weekly
services were re-introduced to the timetable and, as of last month, a further 32 were added. This
is the largest number of weekly train services ever offered across South East Queensland and
over 730 more services than under the last LNP Government.

The opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula line in 2016 introduced an additional two inbound off-peak
services for the Sunshine Coast line each weekday and, since March 2020, an additional inbound
service was added to run from Nambour each weekday morning at 5.38 am. The train arrives at
Central station at 7.26 am, providing an additional option for Sunshine Coast line customers at
stations between Nambour and Elimbah during the morning peak period.

This increase in services is reflected in the overall service numbers, with 1079 revenue services
being delivered on the Sunshine Coast line in March 2020, compared to 919 revenue services in
April 2015.

Queensland Rail has undergone significant changes since the commitment was made in 2015.
Queensland Rail's priority has been restoring and introducing extra services across South East
Queensland, as well as the introduction of the New Generation Rollingstock fleet to its network,
including to the Sunshine Coast line.

Following these key improvements, Queensland Rail will continue to listen to customer feedback
regarding the timetable, particularly as planning for the Beerburrum to Nambour duplication (B2N)
project continues, and in anticipation for the introduction of Cross River Rail.

Cross River Rail will unlock the bottleneck at the core of our transport network, allowing more
trains to run more often, and will integrate with new roads and bus services to enable a turn up
and go transport system for the whole of South East Queensland.

Cross River Rail will provide the capacity to support other rail network growth projects, such as
the B2N duplication, which is now underway due to the actions of the Palaszczuk Labor
Government, and after no progress occurred on the project under the last LNP Government.
Trains on the Sunshine Coast line currently operate on a single-track north of Beerburrum,
meaning Queensland Rail must carefully balance commuter, freight, and long-distance trains
through this area.

Queensland Rail prioritises commuter services on the Sunshine Coast line in the morning and
afternoon peak, when the majority of customers are travelling between the Sunshine Coast and
Brisbane.

Outside of peak times we must accommodate an average of 135 freight and long-distance trains
per week, which keeps Queensland moving. In light of COVID-19 in particular, it is incredibly
important that we continue to keep freight paths available to support critical supply chains to our
local supermarkets and retail stores.

The $550 million B2N project is an exciting project for Queensland Rail that will open up further
capacity on the Sunshine Coast line and further opportunities for timetable improvements. The
Department of Transport and Main Roads has commenced preconstruction activities on the
project and is undertaking detailed design.

[Fares_Fair]

I thank the Minister for Excuses for the non-answer.
I also note the statistical comparison of services provided by comparing the April 2015, 30 day month with the March 2020, 31 day month.

Easter, also was in April 2015.
Public holidays use the minimal 'Sunday' level of services, thus ensuring an unequal (and favourable to their argument) comparison.

Cherry picking individual months now.
Since when was that a standard method of statistical or comparative analysis.


I also dispute the figures given.
More to come on that later.

[Fares_Fair]

Further to the claim (see Reply #27 by Ozbob on QoN 320 answer) that the Sunshine Coast line received 2 extra services. I recall that we did not receive them due to the onset of the rail fail in October 2016.
Our total services were subsequently cut in January 2017 (compared to the prior 20 January 2014 timetable).
I have the timetable documents, the 23 January 2017 timetable mirrored the 4 October 2016 timetable (that was never enacted IMO).

There was also a (Sunshine Coast) DRAFT TIMETABLE for October 2016 issued on 28 October 2015. This may have been received via the Sunshine Coast QR Community Reference Group (CRG) I was a part of.
It had us receiving 325 services per week.
The formally issued timetable of 4 October 2016 had 320 services per week.
I have both documents.

Can anyone confirm or correct my recollection about the October 2016 Sunshine Coast extra services please?
I cannot find any media announcement about these claimed new services.

See
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/queensland-rail-data-breaks-down-cancellations-per-line-from-october-2016-20170414-gvl0b5.html 

[ozbob]

https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/hansard/2020/2020_05_21_DAILY.pdf

Queensland Parliament Hansard 21st May 2020

Adjournment Debate

Nicklin Electorate, Rail Services

Mr HUNT (Nicklin—LNP) (6.10 pm): The people of Nicklin are sick of being neglected by this
Labor government. With our Nambour Hospital three years overdue, our police station two years
overdue and a complete lack of funding for our roads, schools and infrastructure, it is clear this
government does not care about the people of Nicklin. What makes that more clear is the broken
promises to the people of Woombye and the broader Sunshine Coast about rail services and the rail
stabling facility forced upon the community of Woombye.

At the time, their protests fell on deaf ears as the former minister for transport, the member for
South Brisbane, ignored the community in pushing ahead with the project and promising the Sunshine
Coast nine extra services to Brisbane once the stabling facility was operational. Now the stabling yard
is operational, causing great disturbance as predicted in the Woombye community—and I will get to
that shortly—do we have nine extra services as promised? No. We have but one of the extra nine
services promised to the people of the Sunshine Coast in 2015. What does the current Minister for
Transport do when asked about this promise? I can understand the minister wanting to distance himself
completely from the scandal ridden former minister, but he cannot just ignore the people of Woombye
and his government commitments.

What does he do? He trots out the old, tried and true 'blame the Newman government' that was
elected over eight years ago, the default position of embarrassment that this government takes—when
the government fails, it is someone else's fault. I can inform the minister that the promises were made
in 2015 after Labor formed government, and they have been in government ever since. That leaves us
with one of two possibilities: either they were so incompetent that they did not realise they could not
deliver on their promise or, as I suspect, they never intended to make good on it and just wanted to
close down community protests, because this government just does not care about Nicklin or the
Sunshine Coast.

In the meantime, the residents of Woombye continue to suffer from the noise and light pollution
of this facility thrust upon them by the government with pleas of help left ignored. I have written to the
minister and call on him to urgently intervene and conduct a review of the operations of the Woombye
stabling yard facility with a view to mitigating the noise and light levels for the benefit of the community.
I also call on the minister to set a clear timetable for the increase in services promised on the Sunshine
Coast rail network and to stop this tired rhetoric of blaming previous governments, because the
community is absolutely sick of these pathetic excuses.