Transport Research Thread

[#Metro]

Comparison of Long Distance Regional PT Networks (Rail or Coach) in QLD vs VIC, NSW and WA.

NSW - Regional Trains and Coaches
https://transportnsw.info/regional-network-map


VIC - Regional train and coach map
https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/PDFs/Maps/Network-maps/52a677a2a3/PTV_Regional-Train-Coach_Network_Map_2017.pdf


WA - System Map (TransWA)
https://www.transwa.wa.gov.au/plan-your-journey/transwa-system-map


QLD - ??
https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/public/transport/timetables/distance

[Jonno]

Regional Rail Services - QLD
Question on Notice  No. 1216  Asked on 13 October 2021  
URL: https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/tableoffice/questionsanswers/2021/1216-2021.pdf

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

QUESTION:  Will the Minister provide the annual patronage and government subsidy per passenger trip for direct operating costs for each of the following Queensland Rail services (reported separately for each of the past three financial years (actuals) and the next three financial years (forecasts)) (a) Spirit of Queensland, (b) Spirit of the Outback, (c) Tilt Train, (d) Westlander and (e) Inlander?

now ask same question about roads Mr Lister!!

[SurfRail]

There is absolutely no reason the Westlander and the Inlander should be running anymore.  Complete and utter waste of money which a combination of existing subsidised and unsubsidised coaches and flights cover near completely.

[#Metro]

Investigating the multi-billion-dollar company controlling Australia's roads | Four Corners

Investigation of Transurban and toll road fines, plus the special legal provisions that apply to Transurban in certain jurisdictions.

Decades of deals between state governments and toll operators have left Australia's biggest cities with a network of private roads that are worsening the cost-of-living crisis for millions of motorists. 

In this episode of Four Corners, reporter Pat McGrath investigates the near-monopoly held by toll giant Transurban in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. 

While taxpayers are racking up hundreds of thousands in debts and fines — facing prison if they fail to pay in Victoria — state governments are trying to claw back control of prices.  

Even senior figures in the industry are calling for change, raising the prospect of an end to the toll industry's roads of gold. 

(bolding added)

[Gazza]

There is absolutely no reason the Westlander and the Inlander should be running anymore.  Complete and utter waste of money which a combination of existing subsidised and unsubsidised coaches and flights cover near completely.

Yeah its crazy, $5000 subsidy per trip, there is no way you are spending $5000 in Charleville in tourism dollars.

[SilverChased]

Fly my family to the other side of the world and back.. or take me on a very long train journey in to the middle of nowhere. Lots of options with $5000

[SurfRail]

Did I mention sitting bolt upright in a chair for 16 hours with nothing more than a snack box?

Anybody who didn't travel on the Inlander or Westlander before 2013 missed out big time.  I was lucky to get them in, but you couldn't pay me to do either now.

[Gazza]

Hey can we have some research or papers about Realpolitik in this thread?

[OzGamer]

Did I mention sitting bolt upright in a chair for 16 hours with nothing more than a snack box?

Anybody who didn't travel on the Inlander or Westlander before 2013 missed out big time.  I was lucky to get them in, but you couldn't pay me to do either now.

Yeah - time to put them out of their misery.

I would like to see a battery/electric multiple unit service considered for running to Laidley, Gatton, and possibly Helidon. Taking passengers further west by rail no longer makes sense until a decent range crossing is built.

[Gazza]

I would like to see a battery/electric multiple unit service considered for running to Laidley, Gatton, and possibly Helidon. Taking passengers further west by rail no longer makes sense until a decent range crossing is built.

What about the range between Grandchester and Laidley?

[OzGamer]

I would like to see a battery/electric multiple unit service considered for running to Laidley, Gatton, and possibly Helidon. Taking passengers further west by rail no longer makes sense until a decent range crossing is built.

What about the range between Grandchester and Laidley?

Yes, that's a slow section also, but not as long as the main range crossing. The current Westlander timetable has 30 minutes from Rosewood to Laidley, and a modern EMU should be able to shave a bit off that. If you can get into the hour and a half range between Brisbane and the Lockyer Valley it's becoming viable.

[#Metro]

Incorporation of Westrail into the WA Public Transport Authority (2003)

Transperth promo video for the then new Joondalup Line. Discussion about frequency suggests that 15-minute all-day train service was in place back in the 1990s. Brisbane did not get this until about 2012 with the Ferny Grove line frequency upgrade.

The second interesting piece of information is that the narrator discusses how Westrail (the WA version of QR) operates the trains on contract to Transperth. Today, WestRail does not exist, suggesting that the PT component of Westrail was absorbed into Transperth. The Wikipedia page suggests so:

The WAGR's remaining functions, including owning the rail network and operating regional passenger services,were transferred to the Western Australian Government Railways Commission On 1 January 2003, the WAGR Commission's functions were absorbed by the Public Transport Authority

The former Westrail Centre is now known as the Public Transport Centre.

When setting up a Public Transport Authority for Queensland, a good option to look at is incorporating QR into it as a division, similar to how it is currently set up in WA.

Notes

Western Australian Government Railways
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Australian_Government_Railways

Double the trains to Ferny Grove
https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/70417

Passengers will be able to turn up and go with daytime trains arriving every 15 minutes on the Ferny Grove train line starting from Monday, October 8.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson announced the start date for the election commitment, which will see 28 new train services a day between 9am and 3pm.

[#Metro]

Why so few people catch buses in Melbourne | 7.30

88,921 views  May 1, 2024  #ABCNewsIndepth #ABCNewsAustralia
Without trains or trams available, residents in the outer suburban areas of our sprawling cities often need to drive everywhere, or catch the bus. But in many parts of Melbourne frustrated passengers are still waiting for buses to arrive. 7.30's Norman Hermant and Nicole Asher report.

Potential solution - the Melbourne Bus Grid

Conclusion
This study provides analytical support for the proposition that a 'grid' pattern, adopting the network design principles propounded by Mees et al. (2010) and others, can produce better travel outcomes. Applied to Melbourne's buses, the pattern would provide the greatest benefits for the most transport-deprived areas, the outer suburbs.

Optimising Melbourne's bus routes for real-life travel patterns
Case Studies on Transport Policy
Steve Pemberton, Volume 8, Issue 3, September 2020, Pages 1038-1052
RMIT University, 124 La Trobe Street, Melbourne, Vic 3000, Australia
URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213624X20300237?dgcid=author

Grid bus network could put Melbourne en-route to shorter commute
Modelling by RMIT researchers shows reconfiguring Melbourne's bus routes to a grid network could save outer suburban commuters up to 15 minutes of travel time.
https://cur.org.au/grid-bus-network-could-put-melbourne-en-route-to-shorter-commute/

Current State

(Image credit - RMIT Centre for Urban Research)

Proposed Future State

(Image credit - RMIT Centre for Urban Research)

[#Metro]

HESS AG Brisbane Metro BRT Case Study and Vehicle Specifications

Interesting that the vehicle is already in use in 12 EU cities, and I would imagine in mixed traffic corridors. The bus also has preconditioning, working out the weather forecast and differences in temperatures inside and outside the bus so that when the driver starts it in the morning, the interior is already a comfortable temperature.





Video of the buses (HESS LighTram 25) in Basel, Switzerland. Running on normal mixed traffic roads to and from the Airport.

Notes

HESS AG website and reference
https://www.hess-ag.ch/contact/hess-australia.html?L=1

Case Study - Brisbane
https://www.hess-ag.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/Hess/Bus/lighTram/Brisbane_Metro/HESS_Brisbane_Metro_Case_Study_28102022.pdf

[#Metro]

Hey can we have some research or papers about Realpolitik in this thread?

Sure. All members are free to add. It is not a thread intended for extended discussion though, it has more of a reference purpose allowing discussions on the main forum to refer/backlink to it.

 

[#Metro]

The race to gold Brisbane's Games Transport Legacy
Brisbane City Council (2024)

URL: https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/about-council/news-and-publications/the-race-to-gold-brisbanes-games-transport-legacy

This document describes the current strategy

Our current public transport system can only serve about 50 per cent of projected trips to and from the Games venues [6]. In its current state, it is not Games-ready.

The deadline to plan and deliver major heavy and light rail projects for Brisbane in time for the Games has expired. With just 8 years to go, we must focus on high impact, lower cost projects that can be delivered for the long-term benefit of Brisbane in the time that remains.

(Page 14)

The report claims that Brisbane's citywide PT network cannot handle the high loadings that it will experience with the Olympics, and that new infrastructure based on rail (other than Cross River Rail) will not be in place in time to handle it.

There is probably an opportunity to expand the train fleet in time for this date with more trains, and timetable changes to support improved off-peak frequency but the window to do this is small. The current plans are 65 x 6-car trains.

The plans also show Brisbane Metro BRT expanding to the Northside, Southside and Eastside of Brisbane but the Westside of Brisbane has been excluded in the current plans (with the exception of a short section into UQ Lakes).

Overall, there does need to be a single state-level plan that incorporates BCC's plans along with the rail network. With transport responsibilities spread across four different organisations - QR, BCC, TMR and the Olympics Delivery Authority, co-ordination across these might be a challenge.


Key Thumbnails of the report (Click to Expand)[/td][/tr][/table]

[GonzoFonzie]

Our current public transport system can only serve about 50 per cent of projected trips to and from the Games venues [6]. In its current state, it is not Games-ready.

The deadline to plan and deliver major heavy and light rail projects for Brisbane in time for the Games has expired. With just 8 years to go, we must focus on high impact, lower cost projects that can be delivered for the long-term benefit of Brisbane in the time that remains.

(Page 14)

The report claims that Brisbane's citywide PT network cannot handle the high loadings that it will experience with the Olympics, and that new infrastructure based on rail (other than Cross River Rail) will not be in place in time to handle

What the BCC just said is just gaslighting bullsh%t!

They have zero knowledge of rail and zero stakes in rail, and will only revert to 'bus-brain' solutions.

The obvious solution as stated by them does not lie with buses then. Dismissing anything rail-based won't make the problem go away. Let's see what this new State Government is going to do about this.

[#Metro]

City of Stirling Trackless Tram Trial

The City of Stirling LGA has recently had its October council meeting and published a report on its 'Trackless Tram' trial.

To ensure safety and avoid road closures, the City conducted the Trial in its Administration Centre car park.  A map of the Trackless Tram route is found below. A digital rail track with more than 400 sensors was installed in the road surface to guide the tram through the route and a replica station was constructed to ensure safe entry on and off the tram.

As a result of the trial, a second testing will be sought to trial the tram on Scarborough Beach road in mixed traffic.

Following the extensive testing during the Trackless Tram Trial, the City of Stirling has received 'In Principle' approval by Main Roads Western Australia to conduct an on-road trial of a Trackless Tram on Scarborough Beach Road. This trial, subject to several conditions, offers a unique opportunity to evaluate the technology in a real-world setting before implementing this public transport solution.

Overall, the public seemed to like the ride quality.

Overall I found the report a little sparse, and there did not seem to be any discussion about the concern of road rutting.

Report Excerpt


Report attached (compressed)

[#Metro]

Infrastructure and Service Frequency

Infrastructure gets most of the spotlight and the dollars. But non-sexy services are where the magic actually happens.

Denver spent $6 billion dollars on a transit project that should've transformed the city, but has since gotten little to no ridership at all. Why did this project fail, and what can we learn from it?

Listen to Ghost Train podcast here: https://www.cpr.org/podcast/ghost-train/