Ipswich - Air Show public transport 4th October 2008

[ozbob]

I travelled down to Ipswich to have a look at the station, and check out the bus and train arrangements for the RAAF Air Show.

Talked to a number of happy folk who said the train and bus public transport arrangements worked well.

Left Oxley at 3.01pm onboard SMU211.  Noticed that the inbound lanes of Ipswich highway were a car park on the way to Ipswich!

Arrived at Ipswich on time at 3.31pm plat 1. In platform 3 was a Corinda all stations.
Many people on platform 1 waiting.

I then headed uptown to check out the buses.

Some photographs - not every day you see Brisbane Transport buses running through Ipswich.















Ipswich station looks a lot brighter.  PIDs were scarce though.

I then travelled on SMU201-SMU246 to Riverview





At Riverview.

Departing train




An up cattle train passed through








Up EMU at Riverview



I then travelled on EMU25-EMU80 to Oxley


EMU80 heads off to town with a full load of mainly air show patrons.



Photographs R Dow 4 October 2008

[ozbob]

This was an excellent effort.  Buses frequent and matched to a decent rail timetable.

The highway going down was a basket case, coming home seemed to be little better although still slow.

It would be a lot easier for many to get the train and bus.

[ozbob]

There are a couple of historical displays in the entrance of the station. Emphasising the rich rail history of Ipswich and promotion for the The Workshops Museum.





Photographs R Dow 4 October 2008

[Mozz]

The radio mentioned a significant crash at Haigslea on the Warrego Highway this afternoon if I heard correctly (which was one of the main alternate routes for today) - causing traffic chaos as the cunningham was saturated with one way airshow traffic.

[Peter J]

Myself & a couple of work mates went to the Airshow by car unfortunately 
It took us 1.5hrs to travel the Cunningham Highway to the Airshow.     
I came home via the Shuttle bus & train...much quicker, easier & less frustrating.   

[ozbob]

Thanks for the feedback Peter.  Hope more folks use the excellent public transport arrangements today.

[ozbob]

Media Release 5 October 2008

SEQ:  Defence Force Air Show Public Transport Arrangements Excel

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport commuters has said the public transport arrangements put in place for the 2008 Defence Force Air Show at Amberley have demonstrated why we need to further shift funding from roads to sustainable public transport.  The 2008 air show public transport arrangements for rail and the connecting shuttle buses are a model for what can be achieved in south-east Queensland with some vision.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Yesterday I travelled to Ipswich to observe the public transport arrangements for the air show (1).  This is a major community event and is a complex exercise in transport planning, road and public transport."

"Travelling to Ipswich around 3pm in a comfortable air-conditioned Citytrain the Ipswich Highway was observed to be a car park. Reports suggest that the roads were seriously congested and at times grid-locked during the day. Nothing new for south-east Queensland!"

"On arrival at Ipswich I observed the operation of the shuttle buses, and spoke casually to many happy air show patrons.  Brisbane Transport buses, many of them articulated high capacity buses were running frequent shuttles, feeding large numbers of patrons into Ipswich railway station. Queensland Rail Passenger services had put on a very attractive timetable that saw trains leaving Ipswich as frequent as 10 minute intervals at peak."

"This was a great demonstration of what can be achieved.  Rail is the sustainable bulk passenger mover and we must continue to ramp up our rail resources to give the capacity so urgently needed for our public transport.  The rail network when properly integrated with a high frequency bus feeder system works well as was demonstrated yesterday."

"The Building Australia Fund must come forth and support the Queensland Government with their metropolitan rail initiatives.  Immediate priorities should include construction of a double railway line Richlands to Springfield now, commence the long awaited Petrie to Kippa-Ring railway and bring forward the duplication of the Cleveland and Ferny Grove lines. Triplication of  the main western line from Darra to Ipswich is also a priority. An underground Brisbane City rail tunnel is also needed to give much needed capacity and utility."

"Urgent further acquisition of rail rolling stock and training of more crew to match is also needed to ramp up frequency on all lines. All lines generally need 15 minutes frequency between 5am and 8pm week days,  peak times 7and a half minutes or better, and 20 minutes outside these times and on weekends and public holidays.  Matched with local integrated feeder buses this will take a lot of pressure off the roads and radial bus routes, and makes environmental sense."

"Well done Brisbane Transport, QR Passenger Services and TransLink. Smart air show patrons would be well advised to take public transport today!"

Reference:

1. http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=1374.0

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration 
admin@backontrack.org

[ozbob]

From Queensland Times click here!

Air force delivers red hot showcase

Air force delivers red hot showcase
October 06, 2008
By Yvonne Gardiner

In the middle of the airborne action on Saturday, another special event took place, said chief organiser Air Commodore Phil Burn.

"We were blessed with our first birth," Air Commodore Burn said.

"A lady on Saturday went into labour and gave birth. It was a boy."

Ambulance and medical staff also had to treat people fainting from the heat.

"Inside Amberley, we coped well (with the crowds)," Air Commodore Burn said.

"There were no real problems."

Outside the RAAF base on Saturday, motorists sat for hours in traffic jams.

Yesterday, air show visitors reported no problems on the roads.

One Brisbane family had prepared an esky full of drinks, expecting to get stuck in traffic for a few hours.

They had a trouble-free run to the base.

Air Commodore Burn said a traffic management plan had been prepared by professionals, Main Roads and Queensland Police before the event.

"So many people wanted to come to the show," he said.

"I don't think there was any one big attraction.

"The most impressive part was the F/A-18 Hornet handling display which closed the show.

"I can't go past the F-111 which put on an equally impressive display."

The popular F-111, familiar at Riverfire and other crowd-pulling events, thrilled the spectators with its "dump and burn", discharging 44 gallons of fuel every second.

Air Commodore Burn said RAAF Amberley would probably host another air show in about four years' time.

Unlike the Avalon Air Show in Victoria, an industry-run event, Amberley air show was not run for profit.

"The Defence Forces put this on," Air Commodore Burn said.

"We don't make money out of it. We try to cover costs."

Public transport advocate Robert Dow congratulated Brisbane Transport, Queensland Rail and TransLink for the smooth running of services out to Amberley.

"The public transport arrangements put in place for the show have demonstrated why we need to further shift funding from roads to sustainable public transport," Mr Dow said.

"They are a model for what can be achieved in south-east Queensland with some vision.

"This is a major community event and is a complex exercise in transport planning, road and public transport."