On the Buses

[ozbob]

Buses are not coping in Brisbane.  More the reason to ramp up rail.  There is a limit on how many buses can actually fit on the roads and busways and enter the CBD during peak.

This article outlines some of the difficulties in getting and maintaining buses.

Brisbanetimes 16 August 2007 - click here!

The head of public transport at Brisbane City Council will begin a desperate search for bus suppliers in a bid to ease the long-running overcrowding saga plaguing the city's commuters.

People travelling to work, school and university face a daily battle to get on buses during peak times and the council puts out monthly "bus-full" figures tracking the persistent problem.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman this week challenged Labor councillor and public transport chair Victoria Newton to find, house and fuel an extra 31 buses on top of the 89 he funded in this year's budget.

Cr Newton had earlier told the council she was disappointed with the Lord Mayor's funding commitment after Labor's Lord Mayoral candidate Greg Rowell in June found a supplier who could build 120 new buses.

The letter from MAN national sales manager Ian Buttar on June 14 said if an order for the vehicles was placed by June 21, the company could fill it.

Cr Newman said at the time the council's existing facilities were at capacity and could not house or fuel so many buses.

He has committed to funding 110 new buses next financial year, by which time a new bus-build depot at Willawong will be nearing completion.

The Lord Mayor on Tuesday told the council that a new "leaseback" arrangement between council and the State Government would make 120 new buses feasible, if Cr Newton could sort out where to house and fuel them.

"The challenge is, come back next week Cr Newton with your plan for 120 and we'll get on with it," he said.

Cr Newton said she was committed to finding the space to house any new buses the council could secure.

Greg Rowell said he welcomed the Lord Mayor's change of heart, but wished it had come before the budget, when the capacity to supply extra buses was assured.

Mr Rowell said he would be interested to see what the market could produce now there was "money on the table".

"(Cr Newton) will now do her best to get extra buses on the road as quickly as the market can provide them," he said.

Last month, an average of 18 buses every day were too full to pick up passengers.

Month to month, the worst-affected routes are the 412 service to the University of Queensland at St Lucia and high-frequency routes servicing southern and western suburbs.

[ozbob]

The only long term solution will be to ramp up rail.  Buses are very important but there are limitations due to crew numbers, and bus traffice density on roads.  It will be difficult to fit many more buses into the CBD at peak.

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


Buses drive past, crowded and late
Article from: The Sunday Mail (Qld)

Click here for Sunday Mail article

Edmund Burke and Hannah Martin

August 26, 2007 12:00am

OVERSTRETCHED driver resources and city roadworks are set to compound an already disrupted Brisbane bus network as records show full buses are driving past hundreds of stops each month.

Thousands of commuters were left standing in long lines during last week's big wet in the state's southeast as buses failed to match timetables and those that arrived at designated stops were already overcrowded.

Some officials are expecting this to go down as the worst month yet for bus passengers being left behind.

Figures for the past six months obtained by The Sunday Mail show buses have driven past more than 1800 stops on just five key routes examined.

On Route 130, which travels from Parkinson on the city's southwestern outskirts to the CBD, passengers have been left watching buses zoom past their stops a staggering 496 times in recent months.

Passengers also were left stranded on Route 412 from St Lucia (453 drive-bys) and Route 150 from Browns Plains (323 drive-bys).

Bus patronage has increased 30 per cent over the past 30 months reaching a landmark 62 million passengers per year. And that has the system straining on all fronts.

Currently, Brisbane Transport operates 855 buses with about 1600 drivers from seven depots at Bowen Hills, Carina, Garden City, Larapinta, Richlands, Toowong and Virginia.

A new depot is due to open in Willawong in November next year, providing an extra 200 bus spaces and a new depot for the northern suburbs is likely to be announced next year.

But David Matters of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union said staff resources are overstretched and most bus drivers were being asked to work about eight hours' overtime per week.

He said their job was being made more difficult by increased traffic problems and roadworks.

"Half of the city is being dug up and drivers are finding that they are getting to the City just to be told that they have to come back again," Mr Matters said.

The union official said he believed the council would struggle to find drivers even if it did manage to build 120 new buses every year.

Commuter Tracy Schneider last week said she's often crammed into the bus like "cattle on a truck".

Ms Schneider lives in Taigum in the northern suburbs and spends more than 10 hours a week on Brisbane City Council-operated buses, travelling to and from work in the CBD.

"It's almost like you've got to catch the bus scheduled two before you really need to be there, so you're not late if one doesn't show up," Ms Schneider said.

"It's frustrating . . . (and) so bad that it's just easier to drive."

[ozbob]

It has been reported in tonight's Brisbane mX (Sept 3) that Councillor Newton, Chairwoman of the BCC Transport Committee will be presenting a plan to run 'sweeper' buses to the Civic Cabinet.  These buses will run on the busiest routes to pick up passengers not able to get on regular services.  The mX said 36 buses will be allocated to these sweeper services.

RAIL Back On Track supports this initiative.

Regards
Ozbob

[ozbob]

3 Sep 2007

Dear Councillor Newton,

We congratulate you on your initiative to introduce 'sweeper' buses to clear stranded passengers on certain busy bus routes.

This will help a great deal.

I posted this on the BCC Mass Transit Forum conducted recently.  This might offer some ideas too.

> Bus patterns
> (Posted by Robert Dow on July 8, 2007 at 18:36:20)
>
> The present patterns are just resulting in folks being left standing kerbside as full buses pass on by.
>
> Here is suggestion to ease congestion on the buses for peak times.
> Also may help to stop folks being left behind.
>
> Consider this for peak time patterns.
>
> Route with arbitrary stops A -----> B -----> C------> D -----> E
>
> Bus 1 Express A to C, picks up/stops as required C ---> E
> Bus 2 Picks up/stops as required A -----> C Express C---> E
> Bus 3 Picks up/stops as required A---> E
> Bus 4 Express A -----> stop C ----- > E
>
> Stop C could be a major bus interchange point/hub. Buses from all routes meet.
> This is a simplification but running to these patterns would allow quick passage and still allow for all passenger requirements for pick up and stops.
>
> This basic plan can modified for rail as well.


Best wishes

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

[ozbob]

Letter to Courier Mail

Cr Newton has been criticised by some for the proposal to introduce 'sweeper' buses on busy routes.  Rather than criticise  I would like to congratulate Cr Newton for some innovative thinking.  Ask the stranded passengers if they think it is a good idea? I am sure what the response will be.  In the longer term however there are limits to the number of buses that can be introduced due to traffic and bus congestion, particularly in the CBD.  The inner northern busway will offer some improvements but in the longer term it will be necessary to continue the heavy rail ramp up.  Akin to this is the plan to trial 200 seater hybrid buses. 

Brisbane is paying a huge cost for not laying railway lines in growth areas, and it is now the time to step up implementation.  A related issue is lack of parking at rail and bus stations.  The only sensible sustainable solution will be to have local loop buses and mini-buses to ferry citizens to and from home to key stations. Otherwise, are the suburbs just going to be massive car parks?

[ozbob]

Article from Brisbanetimes click here!

Sweeper' buses get green light
Georgina Robinson | September 12, 2007 - 3:38PM

Brisbane's political leaders have backed a new $20 million plan to tackle bus overcrowding.

Senior Liberal and Labor councillors today unanimously signed off on a "sweeper bus" proposal that will go to council to fund 36 extra buses this financial year.

They will follow regular buses along the city's 10 busiest routes, picking up passengers who are routinely left behind during peak traffic times.

The first extra bus will not be ready for at least five months.

The Queensland Government has agreed to allow council to take all ticket revenue from the services, which could offset about $3 million in operating costs each year.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said he hoped the State Government would also extend a new Translink funding arrangement to these extra services, which would further reduce the cost to Brisbane ratepayers.

"I'm hopeful the State Government will come to the party with funds but the most important thing is we get rubber on the road and I continue to plan for Brisbane's future," Cr Newman said.

Public transport chair Victoria Newton, who first mooted the plan, said the agreement was a win for Brisbane commuters.

Labor's Lord Mayoral candidate Greg Rowell said he was pleased the council was working together for Brisbane commuters.

The plan will be voted on in a special council meeting tomorrow

[ozbob]

RAIL Back On Track - Media Release 12 September 2007

Brisbane:  Sweeper buses very welcome!

RAIL ? Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community organisation for the promotion of rail throughout Australia has congratulated local government on moving forward with the plan to introduce sweeper buses.

Robert Dow said:

?Councillor Newton has been criticised by some for the proposal to introduce 'sweeper' buses on busy routes.  Rather than criticise, we would like to congratulate Cr Newton for some innovative thinking and the Council for moving forward.

?I am sure the stranded passengers will think it is a move in the right direction.

?In the longer term however there are limits to the number of buses that can be introduced due to traffic and bus congestion, particularly in the CBD.  The inner northern busway will offer some improvements but in the longer term it will be necessary to continue and accelerate the heavy rail ramp up.

?Brisbane is paying a huge cost for not laying railway lines in growth areas, and it is now the time to step up implementation.

?A related issue is lack of parking at rail and bus stations.  The only sensible sustainable solution will be to have local loop buses and mini-buses to ferry citizens to and from home to key stations. Otherwise, are the suburbs just going to be massive car parks.

Contact:

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

[ozbob]

From Brisbanetimes click here!

'Mega-buses' to service inner-city Brisbane
Georgina Robinson | September 13, 2007 - 10:39AM

Giant buses carrying up to 190 people would buzz between inner-city Brisbane suburbs in three years under a new council transport plan launched today.

The high-capacity mega buses would travel between Newstead and West End, with key pick-up and set-down points in-between at Fortitude Valley, the CBD and South Brisbane.

Other legs from Hamilton to Woolloongabba and an inner city orbital service would be set up in the medium to long term.

The mass transit investigation looked at new options for Brisbane transport in view of massive growth in demand for public transport.

It found the giant "bus rapid transit" vehicles would be much cheaper than a light rail network and far quicker to roll out.

The first leg of the system would cost about $93 million to set up, compared with $590 million for a light rail network servicing the same area.

The State Government is likely to trial three or four similar giant buses on busway networks year.

[ozbob]

It is becoming very evident that Brisbane City Council doesn't have the resources to fund and drive integrated transport solutions.  More superficial easy fixes such as this will just grind to a halt with the rest of the bus network.  The State Government should take over the bus network and roll out integrated solutions throughout the state.

Much better to get proper sustainable solutions in line with the Smart State Council's recommendations.

The Brisbane City Council is ignoring the feedback on its own Mass Transit Forum held recently.

Will this happen?   It is contingent on State Government funding, and the Smart State Council has indicated that light rail will be a much more efficient long term solution. 

[ozbob]

From Courier Mail click here!

Buses overtake trains

By Emma Chalmers

September 15, 2007 12:00am

BRISBANE City Council buses are carrying 10 million more passengers a year than Queensland Rail's entire City Train network, new figures have revealed.

Public transport patronage in Brisbane grew last year by about 10 per cent, as more and more people opted to leave their cars at home.

Buses carried almost 60 million passengers, and are expected to transport more than 66 million this year after patronage growth of more than 10 per cent a year since 2004.

In contrast, Queensland Rail ? which runs trains to the Gold Coast, Ipswich and Sunshine Coast ? last year carried 51 million passengers, an 8 per cent increase on the previous year.

Brisbane City Council's mass transit report issued this week reveals that in the four years from 2001-02 to 2004-05, the number of rail passengers increased by less than 4 per cent, and in one year it remained static.

Brisbane's biggest public transport boom has been on the water, with CityCats and ferries becoming increasingly popular ? and overcrowded.

In 2004-05 CityCat and ferry patronage grew by a whopping 34 per cent to carry almost five million passengers.

Last year passenger growth was up 15 per cent, to more than 5.6 million passengers.

[ozbob]

These figures just reflect the many short haul trips.  What is a major issue is the simple fact that the bus network is unable to cope and leaves thousands stranded.  This is why the heavy rail network must be ramped up, as rail is far more efficient in terms of energy, long term infrastructure and the ability to move bulk passengers.  Belatedly it seems, government is finally starting to do some expansion to the rail network.  This is what will be sustainable in the longer term.

The rail network also moves the bulk freight.  Something the road network simply cannot cope with. 

[ozbob]

28 September 2007

Dear Minister,

The TransLink web site has the following statement:

http://www.translink.com.au/qt/translin.nsf/index/sc_ten_trip_removal_sep07

> removal of private operator ten trip tickets - effective 29 September 2007
>
> As part of the rollout of smart card, TransLink will be installing new ticketing equipment on board all buses.
>
> When this new equipment is installed, some tickets that cannot be used across the whole TransLink network will be removed from operation. This includes ten trip tickets.
>
> If you are a customer of Logan City Bus Service, Mt Gravatt Bus Lines or Veolia Transport Company, click on the relevant link below to see key dates for the removal of ten trip tickets.

And further advice for specific private operators eg:
http://www.translink.com.au/qt/translin.nsf/index/sc_ten_trip_logan_sep07

> Important notice for Logan City Bus Service ten trip ticket users
>
> Logan City Bus Service ten trip tickets will not be available for purchase on some services from 29 September 2007 and will be completely withdrawn from on board sale by 19 October 2007.
>
> The ten trip ticket will only be available for purchase at the Logan City Hyperdome and Springwood bus terminals. Any ten trip ticket purchased can be used until 31 December 2007.
>
> Current ten trip ticket users may consider purchasing a weekly ticket to take advantage of a 20% discount on fares, or when smart card is available, customers can benefit from the frequent user scheme available on all buses, trains and ferries across the TransLink network.
>
> For further information about the available ticket options and fares, visit the ticketing and fares section of our website or call us on 13 12 30.

Why is it that Translink cannot indicate to passengers what the frequent user scheme will be? (Do they actually know??)

This move to remove the ten trip tickets in the absence of any option other than weekly ticket, will  inconvenience bus passengers who only do a couple of trips per week, weekly tickets are of no value to them.

Obviously much pressure now to roll out the Smartcard, whether flawed or otherwise.

There are unofficial reports that the TransLink Smart Card will have a retrospective daily fare cap, and a weekly and monthly fare  limits by the time of general roll out of the card.  Can you please confirm this?

Many thanks.

Best wishes

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

[ozbob]

Busway faces gridlock

Article from: The Sunday Mail (Qld) Click here!

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

September 30

BRISBANE'S flagship busway is in danger of gridlock just six years after the opening of the multimillion-dollar infrastructure project.
A report commissioned by Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has warned that the South East Busway could soon have "traffic jams".

The report, released this month, warns: "The South East Busway is rapidly reaching its vehicle-carrying capacity under the present operational approach. Clearly there is an urgent need to provide additional capacity to address existing capacity constraints and short-term growth.

"The infrastructure capacity of the busways will, however, soon be exceeded if additional capacity is only provided by providing more standard buses."

In peak hour, the Cultural Centre stop has 179 buses an hour, or a bus every 20 seconds.

At the busiest point of the busway, north of Woolloongabba, 294 inbound buses pass in the peak hour. That is a bus every 12 seconds.

The report argues that if measures are not taken, the busway will soon experience traffic jams like normal roads.

It is a disturbing assessment for the State Government, which has invested more than $2 billion in busways across the city.

The Eastern Busway, Northern Busway, Inner Northern Busway and the extension of the South East Busway to Springwood are under construction and have been flagged as solutions to the city's transport problems. The South East Busway was built by the State Government and is operated by the Government's Translink organisation.

But Translink general manager Luke Franzmann has insisted the route can cope with increasing demand.

He said initiatives such as pre-paid tickets and larger buses would avoid gridlock.

"We are rolling out a smart card system. Once that is in place there is less need to handle cash and less delays for the bus driver and that means we can get the buses through quicker," he said. "The Inner Northern Busway will take buses off the street through the central city and that will also improve the capacity through the South East Busway because you are getting buses through faster."

The transport chief added that Translink was conducting a trial at the Cultural Centre station, with people paying for tickets before boarding the bus.

Translink is also investigating the viability of hybrid electric buses that can carry up to 200 passengers.

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

I posted this on the Newscom blog attached to the article:

The sad reality is that we are seeing 'buslock', there is a physical limit to the number of buses that can fit on the roads (even on dedicated busways), merge in with traffic and of course maximum bus density has been reached in the CBD in peak.  Myself and others at RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) have been warning the authorities for months and months.  They prefer not to listen.

Be warned, the Smart card ticket so loudly trumpted by Translink has many problems.  They are not telling the full story.  Ask them if the Smart card has a daily cap, weekly or monthly fare limits?  The pilots have a lot of problems.  There are also penalties if you fail to touch off.  The Smart card is 5 years late already, that will give you some idea of the shambles it is.

Bus people would also be alarmed that the 10 trip fare savers won't be continued.  See the Translink web site (http://www.translink.com.au/), they are already removing them from private operators. Brisbane Transport next.

We must continue the ramp up of heavy rail.  A 6 car train is easily equal to 20 buses.  A crew of 2 compared to 20 drivers.  Trains are not disruptive to traffic (except crossings which are being sorted).  The buscentric policies are now being exposed as deficient as many have warned. 

Ozbob

[SteelPan]

The really sad bit about all of this is, is that none of it is suprising news at all - QT/BCC/Translink, were all told time and again that bus lanes were a poor choice in many instances.  Only RAIL can offer true answers to many of capacity issues now before everyone - how many more excuses will QT raise before getting on with providing the RAIL based solutions - the busway along the SE Freeway should always have been a rail line and luckily with the bus lane running right by the side of South Brisbane/Vulture Street it still can be.  With buses then feeding the rail lines from the suburbs.

Remember though, we live in Brisbane and the 1960's is yet to arrive!

[ozbob]

Prepay plan for bus
Article from: MX

Online: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,22512203-3102,00.html

Cameron Atfield

October 01, 2007 03:30pm

PASSENGERS will have to pre-pay for tickets or will not be allowed on buses at the notorious Cultural Centre bus station this month.
The pre-pay trial, which will run for two weeks from October 15 during the peak afternoon period (3.30pm-6.30pm), is designed to speed up bus departures from the busy station.

TransLink general manager Luke Franzmann said the trial, if successful, could extend elsewhere in the bus network.

"Just like at a train station, you buy your ticket before you get on the bus," he said.

That way, people go through a lot quicker and people don't need to buy a ticket from the bus driver.

During the trial, two Brisbane Transport staff will sell tickets on the pedestrian overpass, near the Cultural Centre's outbound platform.

Commuters will be unable to board outbound buses without a pre-paid ticket.

There will also be regular public service announcements and transit officers on hand to explain the changes to commuters.

Community Action for Sustainable Transport president David White said the commuter group had been calling for prepaid bus tickets for some time.

He said the move would make the bus system much more efficient and should be expanded.

"I've been at some stops waiting for five minutes while people fiddle with their purses and reach for their change," he said.

"Our attitude is that this system should be introduced for all peak-hour services and we are supporting this trial 100 per cent.

"Obviously it's going to accelerate the flow of people on the buses and lessen the travelling times for the buses."

The Cultural Centre bus station accommodates 179 buses an hour, or a bus every 20 seconds, during peak periods.

It is one of the busiest stations in the Brisbane bus network.

[ozbob]

This has been suggested by many for a long time including our friends at CAST.  Good to see something finally happening.

[ozbob]

I just heard on the radio the Chair of the Brisbane City Council Transport Committee Cr Newton reporting that the larger 'banana' buses being acquired will be rolled out soon on routes that have problems with overloading  and presently leaving passengers stranded at stops due to lack of capacity. The  new banana buses will be running from October 15th and will increase capacity on selected routes.  Another good initiative.

[ozbob]

Story: From Brisbanetimes click here!

Extra buses next month to reduce overcrowding
Georgina Robinson | October 3, 2007 - 11:25AM

Commuters using Brisbane's busiest bus route will file on to bigger, "banana-style" buses from next month in one of the first tangible signs of council action to reduce over-crowding.

Seventeen articulated or "flexi-buses" will carry almost 400 extra passengers a day along the 130 Buz route between Algester and the city from October 15.

It is Brisbane's most crowded route, followed closely by the 412 University of Queensland and 150 Browns Plains services.

The flexi-buses have been a long time coming. First announced as a suite of 12 in 2005, the order was increased to 30 and the first appeared on Brisbane streets in June this year.

Last month, Brisbane City Council also agreed to put $20 million towards extra "sweeper bus" services to pick up passengers left behind on the most crowded bus routes.

However, the first of those extra buses will not be ready until April 2008.

Brisbane City Council public transport chair Victoria Newton said she was working hard in the interim to find other solutions to ease overcrowding and putting flexi-buses on busy routes would help.

The Lord Mayor's transport spokesperson Graham Quirk said the 130 Buz route was an ideal use for the higher-capacity flexi-buses.

The 130 city bus stop will move from its current A7 Queen Street location to accommodate the longer buses. Its new home will be the nearby A6 bus bay.

[ozbob]

Short article in the Citynews (4th October, page 6) 'Mum wages buses war'

Seems a response from Translink when Kylie Dunell suggested more bus services from Eight Mile Plains to the City was 'try another bus' convinced her time for a campaign.  Operation 162 is now in full swing.

Good on you Kylie!!

Regards
Ozbob

[ozbob]

New depot to house an extra 204 buses

Article from Brisbanetimes here!

A new bus depot to the south-west of the city will house an extra 204 buses when completed in early 2009.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman today inspected the Willawong site, where the first major earthworks are now underway on the $58 million project.

The 6ha facility will have the capacity to store 48 articulated buses and 156 fixed bodied buses.

"Our largest depots currently only store about 160 buses, so this is just proof that I am getting on with the job," Cr Newman said.

In order to continue to add more buses to the fleet, Cr Newman said more infrastructure needed to be built.

Council plans to add an extra 110 buses to the fleet each year on average for the next 10 years in a bid to ease traffic congestion, overcrowding and improve the general service, he said.

"To do that we will have to provide four new depots, refuelling facilities, we'll have to recruit more staff (and) expand our training policies.

"I think this demonstrates my very strong commitment to ensure that the public transport system, so far as the Brisbane City Council has control, is developed and enhanced."

The Willawong facility is the first new bus depot built in 13 years.

Once finished, the site will accommodate a workshop to service and maintain buses and staff parking for 280 cars.

It will also include state-of-the-art facilities, including a natural gas and diesel refuelling bay.

Construction is expected to take 18 months, with the facility scheduled to open in March 2009.

[ozbob]

Nice photos at Bus Australia of BTs new MAN NG313 articulated buses.

-->  http://www.busaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26351

[ozbob]

Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations
The Honourable John Mickel
26/10/2007

ALLIANCE TO BUILD BUSWAY

An alliance has been formed to build the $198 million first stage of a northern busway from the Royal Children's Hospital Busway station to Windsor.

The Department of Main Roads will work with construction company Abigroup Contractors and designers SMEC to start building the 1.2km section early next year.

Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations Minister, John Mickel, said this first stage was scheduled to be complete by late 2009.

"It's the key link between the Northern Busway and the existing Inner Northern Busway, and it'll greatly improve public transport access to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital," Mr Mickel said.

"It'll make travel between the Royal Children's Hospital and Windsor almost five minutes faster, and anyone travelling along it and the Inner Northern Busway through the central business district will be up to 20 minutes quicker."

When the first stage is complete, buses will enter the busway network at Windsor and travel on to the Inner Northern Busway and the city centre without using a public road.

"It will be much more convenient for patients, visitors and staff to take a bus to or from the hospital complex and it will be a faster and more convenient journey," Mr Mickel said.

"Motorists driving through the inner northern suburbs will also benefit - with more buses off the roads and on the busway, traffic congestion is expected to ease."

It will incorporate an elevated busway from the existing Royal Children's Hospital busway station at Herston to Enoggera Creek with a connection to Northey Street, a new busway station for the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, and a connection to Bowen Bridge Road over the Inner City Bypass and QR's freight line through the Exhibition Grounds.

The next stage, from Windsor north to Kedron, will be built separately in conjunction with Airport Link.

"Both stages will be complete by 2012 and by 2016 we expect 47,000 passengers a day to use the Northern Busway," Mr Mickel said.

There's more information about the project by phoning 1800 289 210, and at the website www.translink.com.au/northernbusway Inquiries can also be sent by email to northernbusway@transport.qld.gov.au


October 26, 2007

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

[ozbob]

Story going around the press about plans to cut back bays at the Transit Centre.   Plan to cut from 25 to 5 with redevelopments for shops.  This is another example of how the Government has abandoned it's citizens.  They flogged it off in 1996 without ensuring that guarantees were in place to keep the transit capability intact.  Our transport planning is a disaster.

Media release from RAIL Back On Track --> http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=279.0

Courier Mail click here!

BRISBANE will have a "substandard facility" for interstate buses if a proposed re-arrangement of the Brisbane Transit Centre goes ahead.
Long-haul bus operator Greyhound yesterday warned of traffic chaos around the centre with the proposed reduction of bus parking bays from 25 to 5 with the Roma Street Bus Interchange development.

Developers Bovis Lend Lease and Queensland Rail will upgrade the terminal, with the development application expected before council next week.

Greyhound Australia chief financial officer Rick Romanins said the area would become a "bus park" and people would abandon buses for their cars, increasing local traffic.

"There has been no transparency, no engagement and if this goes ahead, it will mean chaos," he said.

"You can't service 512 bus movements per week out of one bus bay."

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said it was brought to the attention of council last week but there was little council could do as it was under private ownership.

[ozbob]

Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations
The Honourable John Mickel
31/10/2007

PRE-PAID TRIAL A SUCCESS

TransLink's pre-paid ticket trial at the Cultural Centre Busway Station has been declared a success with significant improvements in passenger boarding and bus flows at the station.

Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations John Mickel said the data was still being collated, but it was clear that the amount of time buses spent waiting at the station had been dramatically reduced.

"We're still waiting for the final figures, but it appears the trial has been a great success," he said.

"Buses were able to move through the station very quickly which meant there was only very limited queuing onto the Victoria Bridge.

"In fact, bus movements through the Cultural Centre Station were so efficient during the trial we found some additional queuing was occurring at stations further along the busway.

"Feedback from passengers has also been very positive with reports that pre-paid ticketing and better coordination made catching a bus at the Cultural Centre much easier."

Minister Mickel said TransLink would wait until all the data from the trial was compiled before making any recommendations about whether pre-paid busway stations should be implemented permanently.

"Clearly the anecdotal evidence has been very positive, but we will wait to see the actual results from the data before we decide whether or not to make the Cultural Centre Busway Station pre-paid only on a permanent basis," he said.

"If the data does support the introduction of a pre-paid environment at Cultural Centre there is the possibility that ticket sellers could also be introduced at other major busway stations."

The pre-paid trial was originally scheduled to run for two weeks from 15 October 2007 to 26 October 2007, however it has been extended to also include Monday's afternoon peak.

Ticket sellers were in place from 3.30pm to 6.30pm on the overpass leading in to the outbound platform.

During the trial the normal process of drivers pulling up to the front of the platform was replaced with allocated stops. Marshals were on duty to ensure buses pulled up at the correct stop.

A staff member announced the arrival of each bus over a public address system.

October 31, 2007

[ozbob]

A rare visitor to Corinda.  Rail bus outside Corinda station Sunday 11 Nov 07, rail substitution duties Corinda to Rosewood for the track closure over 10th and 11th Nov from Corinda to Rosewood for maintenance work.

[ozbob]

From Brisbanetimes  click here!

Red hot response to bus driver campaign

Red hot response to bus driver campaign
Georgina Robinson | November 11, 2007 - 8:13AM

Driving a bus could be Brisbane's new "it" job - if a council recruitment campaign is anything to go by.

In just four weeks more than 1200 people responded to a Brisbane City Council drive to find casual and full time drivers for its expanding fleet of 1600 men and women.

Weekly newspaper advertisements, posters inside buses and ads on the back of buses garnered 1200 phone enquiries and 700 emails in response.

Public transport chair Victoria Newton said it was encouraging to find so many people were interested in driving a bus.

"All enquiries are welcome," Cr Newton said. "We need new drivers trained and ready to roll once the extra buses we have ordered start to come off the assembly line."

And that won't come soon enough - the latest "bus full" figures still show frustrating overcrowding on the busiest routes.

More than 670 buses were too full to pick up any more passengers during October.

The three worst routes were again high-frequency BUZ services to Algester, Browns Plains and Carindale.

A spokesperson for Cr Newton said improvements should soon be seen on the 130 service to Algester and 150 service to Browns Plains after longer "banana-style" buses started on those routes this month.

Cr Newman said up to 150 new bus drivers were needed by June next year to deliver the services that were planned.

"I'm urging people to really consider bus driving as a possible career path," Cr Newman said.

"The job really appeals to people from all different walks of life. We've got some drivers who used to be doctors, others have university degrees and some used to be labourers who no longer want to do heavy lifting work."

The day-long recruitment process involves an interview, maths test, map reading assessment, memory test and driving assessment.

All applicants who pass the test complete a six-week training course that includes qualifying for a licence and some route training.

A casual bus driver can expect to earn $22.80 an hour plus overtime and penalty rates.

A full time trainee starts on $624 gross per week and moves up to $704.70 after 13 months.

After two years a trainee who is offered a full time employment is paid $717.40 gross per week.

[ozbob]

Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations
The Honourable John Mickel

Monday, November 12, 2007

Consultation begins on bus corridor

Community consultation and planning starts on Monday week (19 Nov) for the $160 million bus corridor between Caloundra and Maroochydore.

Transport Minister John Mickel said the so-called "CoastConnect" could make bus trips up to 25 minutes quicker between the two Sunshine Coast centres.

"This is an innovative, environmentally-friendly transport project to make bus services faster and more reliable," Mr Mickel said.

"It'll using priority measures such as bus lanes and will be integrated with planned east-west services.

"Consultation with the community, business, government and special interest groups will help us to make sure the services suit the needs of the area."

TransLink will work with these groups until late next year on the project's Concept Design and Impact Management Plan.

"The Sunshine Coast population will nearly double by 2026 and without efficient public transport, local roads will become choked with private vehicles," Mr Mickel said.

"The CoastConnect bus corridor is vital to the success of local economies by linking people to work and essential services, and by encouraging business investment."

CoastConnect is expected to follow major road corridors and connect seven major bus stations including Caloundra (Cooma Terrace), Caloundra (CAMCOS Station/Aerodrome), Currimundi, Kawana Town Centre, Kawana Shopping World, Mooloolaba and Sunshine Plaza.

[ozbob]

Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations
The Honourable John Mickel
14/11/2007

State foots the bill for Brisbane bus boom

The Queensland Government is paying almost twice as much as the Brisbane City Council in subsidies for increasingly popular Brisbane bus travel, Transport Minister John Mickel told State Parliament today.

The state government, not the Brisbane City Council was also footing the bill for all new services, he said.

"In 2007/08 our government will spend $144 million to deliver Brisbane Transport services and 105 new buses under the Brisbane Transport contract, with a further $8.5 million for new services in the BCC area," Mr Mickel said in Question Time.

"In contrast the Brisbane City Council effort has only increased from $40 million in 2004-05 to $43 million in 2006-'07, despite the huge patronage increase ."

The Minister said the Lord Mayor is misleading the public and the media about the BCC's transport contribution.

Mr Mickel said bus patronage had gone up 35 per cent in the Brisbane City area since the south east Queensland transport entity TransLink was established in 2004-'05.

"The Queensland Government is footing the lions share of the bill for the popularity of bus travel in Brisbane.

"We have funded all new services since 2004-05. Our bill for those new services has gone from $4 million the first year to around $36 million this year.

"I'm happy to see Brisbane travellers voting with their feet and getting out of their cars and onto the buses.

This will help ease the traffic congestion," he said

November 14, 2007

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

[ozbob]

From Brisbanetimes click here!

Big Brother jumps on the bus
Georgina Robinson | November 28, 2007 - 5:14AM

Brisbane City Council hopes putting CCTV on buses will help combat attacks on its vehicles and drivers, a committee heard yesterday.

The council plans to have 400 buses fitted with closed circuit television systems by the end of this financial year.

The radios drivers use to communicate with the depot have also been upgraded to a two-way digital system that enables quicker response times to emergencies.

Drivers are subjected to verbal and physical abuse and must also manage hundreds of cases of unruly behaviour on their buses each year, according to council figures.

A recent spate of incidents where youths armed with slingshots hurled rocks at buses, resulting in shattered or cracked windows, has also worried the council.

Its public transport committee today heard officers were working with police to identify and monitor attack "hotspots" around Brisbane.

One recent case on the city's southside ended in the arrests last week of a 17- and 21-year-old after police caught them following buses in a car and throwing marbles and stones in a slingshot.

Oranges, eggs and water bombs were used as well as rocks and created highly dangerous situations for drivers and bus passengers, the committee heard.

Public Transport chair Victoria Newton said the new closer relationship with Queensland Police meant offenders would be found.

"Stop, you will be caught," she said. "It is a stupid thing to do, you are damaging people's property and endangering people's lives."

Drivers also reported almost 100 cases of verbal abuse in the 2005-2006 financial year.

There were another 48 cases of physical assault or theft during that period, and more than 200 reports of passengers bahaving in an unruly manner.

Good move, public transport staff deserve a safe working place.

[ozbob]

From Courier Mail December 4  click here!

Late buses go unchecked

THE authority charged with co-ordinating southeast Queensland's public transport system has no idea whether buses arrive on time.

The damning admission comes as a trial by The Courier-Mail showed a competitive runner could beat a bus and a car during Brisbane's peak hour.

Investigations have revealed TransLink does not track what time buses arrive at their destination, even though it is charged with co-ordinating transport in the southeast. But it insists passenger numbers, which it does collect, are the more important figures.

Meanwhile, the Government has refused to release statistics backing Queensland Rail's claim that 93.6 per cent of its peak CityTrain services arrive on time.

The Courier-Mail sought the release of the on-time running statistics so commuters could assess the performance of the network in their area.

However, the Government's failure to collect bus figures and release rail figures means a system which costs hundreds of millions of dollars a year to run is beyond scrutiny.

Transport Minister John Mickel said he was unimpressed with the information Queensland Rail gave commuters waiting for delayed and cancelled services.

"I am not happy, in fact I am really unhappy with the lack of information they give passengers," he said.

Mr Mickel said he had told both Queensland Rail's board and chief executive officer that passengers should be told, up front, about the reasons for delays and the expected waiting time.

"It would at least be fair to their friends, family or babysitter who are waiting at the other end of the line," he said. Mr Mickel said he would assess what information was available on on-time running, however his office later insisted this data was not available.

Instead, Mr Mickel's office released the top 10 most popular bus routes in Brisbane, saying patronage figures were the best way for TransLink to fulfil its role identifying where additional services were needed.

They also released figures showing Citytrain had improved its on-time running in 2006-07. These showed an "average" of 93.6 per cent of morning and afternoon peak services arrived on schedule or up to four minutes late, which is still classed as "on time".

Comment:  RAIL Back On Track has called a number of times for details of full buses/bypasses, cancelled river and rail transport to be made available on the Translink web site daily.  We have also constantly highlighted the poor communication that SEQ public transport commuters suffer with regards to cancelled and altered services.

[ozbob]

From Courier Mail December 4 click here!

Quick foot work beats traffic

STUCK in Brisbane's bumper-to-bumper traffic it is often tempting to think it would be quicker to get to work on foot.

Well, The Courier-Mail has proven that it can be.

Brisbane's peak-hour congestion has become so bad that a marathon runner beat a motorist and a bus to the city on an 8.4km journey from Chapel Hill in the city's west.

The Courier-Mail pitted marathon runner Stephen Hemy against a commuter and the 445 bus at 7.46am to see just how slow the daily commute has become.

[ozbob]

From Quest Community News  click here!

Bus stops axed

MILTON: Hundreds of commuters will be caught in public transport chaos when Brisbane City Council removes four bus stops from Milton Rd in coming weeks.
Several bus stops will be moved and some removed altogether.
A bus stop near Cribb St  stop 6 inbound  will go, while stop 12 inbound and stop 13 outbound will be moved.
While Brisbane City Council remained tight-lipped about the situation, Labor lord mayoral candidate Greg Rowell condemned the plan.
"In the next breath Campbell Newman is trying to shove commuters on to buses to beat his (Hale Street Link) construction chaos,'' Mr Rowell said.
"Once again he has got the priorities wrong. He's wiping out bus stops for hundreds of public transport commuters.''
Despite requests for more information about the plan on Friday and Monday, Brisbane City Council did not respond.
Mr Rowell claimed the Lord Mayor had "mismanaged'' the Hale Street Link Project.
"He doesn't even have a plan to look after public transport users during construction''
"You don't have to be a rocket scientist to work out people need bus stops to get aboard.
"Campbell Newman's got to make it easier for people in the western suburbs to catch public transport, not harder.'` 

[ozbob]

From Courier Mail Dec 6 click here!

Brisbane's bus-stop blues

MORE than 100 buses each week are too full to stop for extra passengers and the problem is getting worse as Brisbane's population grows.

Last month, more than 500 Brisbane City Council buses were forced to drive past waiting passengers because they were too full to take on more commuters.

That is a 46 per cent increase on bus-full figures from November last year, when there were 351 full services.

Overcrowding problems escalated dramatically in April when a whopping 1749 services were so full they left passengers stranded and, while the numbers have reduced since then, overcrowding is worse now than it was a year ago.



Since February this year, more than 7700 buses have been too full to stop for more passengers, well ahead of the 5900 full buses recorded over the same period in 2006.

Some of the worst-affected services last month were the high-frequency BUZ routes.

The 130 BUZ service from Parkinson to the City was the most overcrowded bus route last month, with 61 buses too full to take on more commuters.

Route 333 (Chermside to the Cultural Centre) recorded 26 full buses and service 200 (Carindale to the City) had 42 full buses.

Commuters travelling from Bardon to Stafford via Fortitude Valley on the 375 service were left behind on 20 occasions last month and a similar number of overcrowded buses were reported on the 199 Teneriffe to Dutton Park service.

In the course of its transport survey, The Courier-Mail was unable to board several bus services because they were simply too full.

In one instance, The Courier-Mail was turned away by four overcrowded services on the southeast busway in the space of 15 minutes.

Mid last year Brisbane City Council received the results of a damning report by independent consultant Peter Forster, who warned commuters were developing "bus-stop rage" as overloaded buses, ferries and trains left without them.

The report called for another 50 buses to be added to the fleet before July this year in order to fix the growing problem.

Brisbane City Council will this year spend at least $62 million to put 94 rigid buses and 21 articulated or "banana" buses on the road by July next year.

Labor and Liberal councillors yesterday blamed each other for the continuing bus overcrowding problems.

Labor's public transport chairwoman Victoria Newton said she was delivering double the number of new buses this year than first proposed by the Liberals.

However Liberal transport spokesman Graham Quirk said the bus-full figures had dramatically worsened since Cr Newton took over the job last year.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has promised 110 new buses will be added to the fleet next year, while Labor's lord mayoral candidate has pledged 120 extra buses.

[ozbob]

Report in C-M today page 19 (Dec 19) that the entire fleet of 40 Mercedes Benz 500LE BCC buses have been grounded due to a mechanical issue.  This will put further pressure on the remaining buses. 

From Courier Mail click here!

Accelerator glitch stops buses
Article from: The Courier-Mail
Patrick Lion

December 19, 2007 08:06am

BRISBANE City Council buses have driven the public transport system to a new low ? accelerating on their own while having two brakes on and no driver pumping the gas.
The entire fleet of 40 Mercedes-Benz 500LE buses was indefinitely sidelined last night over mechanical problems involving sticky accelerators that council fears may cause a serious accident.

The move comes after a series of incidents over the past two months involving different buses that were cleared after mysterious powerful engine surges.

One incident on October 14 involved a driver reporting the bus "accelerated at full power without driver intervention" after he had driven into a retirement village unit block.

The problem emerged again yesterday when a tradesman moved a different bus ? which was cleared after a surge on Friday ? around the Brisbane Transport workshop.

In a confidential briefing note obtained by The Courier-Mail, BT divisional manager Alan Warren said the tradesman left the bus idling in neutral for 10 minutes while moving other buses.

Mr Warren said when the tradesman got back in the bus, he ensured the park brake was on and had the footbrake on.

"He engaged the vehicle in gear and at that point detected an engine surge with significant RPM (he reports the gauge "red-lined")," Mr Warren wrote. "He did not have his foot on the accelerator."

Labor public transport chairwoman Victoria Newton last night admitted the loss of about 5 per cent of the total council bus fleet might interrupt some passenger services.

She was unable to give a date the fleet would return as two engineers from Perth leasing company Volgran Australia would inspect the fleet today.

Passenger demand is down during Christmas holidays, giving engineers some breathing room until schools return late next month.

"Public safety must be the top priority ? first and foremost," Cr Newton said.

However, a spokesman for Lord Mayor Campbell Newman last night warned Cr Newton that no services were to be affected by the removal of the buses.

The revelations are another blow to the dire public transport system, coming as buses continued to experience overcrowding and train cancellations had spiralled out of control.

[Otto]

That should not be a big problem. The buses have been reshuffled amongst the depots to compensate for the 40 Mercs withdrawn from service based at Carina Depot.
BT will have the spare capacity due to the school holidays ( not needing to operate buses on school runs ).
If this had happened during school term, then it would have had a major impact on route services in the peaks.

[ozbob]

Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations
The Honourable John Mickel
11/01/2008

New bus services to ease the squeeze

Minister for Transport John Mickel and Brisbane City Councillor Victoria Newton today announced a $4.6 million commitment to provide new bus services for Brisbane.

From February 18, the joint commitment will provide 96 additional weekday services catering for almost 6500 passengers a day travelling on Brisbane's busiest bus routes.

The project, which will include the provision of 31 new buses, will be funded by the Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council.

Minister Mickel said public transport patronage numbers in Brisbane were continually increasing in line with population growth.

"Record numbers of Brisbane residents have been leaving their cars behind and getting on board public transport,'' he said.

"Since TransLink was introduced in July 2004 public transport patronage across the TransLink network has increased by 30 per cent.

"The number of passenger trips provided in 2003-2004 was around 123 million, a number which increased to 163 million in 2006-2007 - a rise of around 40 million trips.'' Mr Mickel said.

"These new services have been targeted at the routes under most pressure, with increased services for the South East Busway, the busy Mains Road corridor, the Western Suburbs and for people travelling to the University of Queensland.''

Under the package, the Queensland Governmenthas contributed $2.25 million funding from the TransLink Network Plan and the Brisbane City Council has contributed $2.3 million funding from its ``Call to Action'' project.

This is the first time since TransLink was introduced that Brisbane City Council has contributed operational funding for new services.

As part of the funding several routes will receive articulated banana buses to provide more capacity. Minister Mickel said more new services would be introduced when the $333 million Inner Northern Busway opened in mid 2008.

The new services include:

137 (new Rocket)
   
Calamvale - City
   
New high frequency peak hour rocket operating between Sunnybank Hills Shopping Centre and CBD via Mains Rd. Operates non-stop between QEII park n' ride and City. Operates every 10 minutes between 6.20am and 8.30pm (14 inbound trips/weekday) and between 4.04pm and 6.04pm (13 outbound trips/weekday). Introduce articulated buses on this route. Route 137 will increase capacity by 2,349 passenger trips per weekday - a significant boost to address overcrowding in the busy Mains Rd corridor easing pressure on the popular 130.

200
   
Carina - City
   
Additional short tripper services from Carina departing at 7.16am, 7.37am and 7.57am. Additional outbound services from Cultural Centre busway station departing at 5.40pm, 6.10pm and 6.30pm.

204 (all stops)

Carindale - City
   
Additional outbound trip at 5.05pm

207
   
Carina - City
   
Introduce evening peak services. Route currently only operates in the morning peak.

444
   
Moggill - City
   

Reduce morning peak frequency to every 10 minutes, instead of every 8 minutes, to help fund a faster, new rocket service from Moggill (route 443). Extra outbound trip at 5.40pm. Routes 443 and 444 combined will provide a combined peak frequency of every five minutes and an extra seven morning peak trips and six evening peaks trips.

443 (new Rocket)
   
Moggill - City
   
New peak period rocket between Moggill and CBD, operating every 10 minutes. Route 443 will provide a faster trip compared to route 444, providing travel time savings of 10 minutes. Route 443 will operate non-stop between Chapel Hill and the CBD.

169
   
Eight Mile Plains - University of Queensland St Lucia
   
Commence services from Eight Miles Plains at 6.45am. Increase morning peak frequency from every 10 minutes to every 7-8 minutes until 10am. Commence evening peak 10 minute frequency at 1.56pm. Provides an additional eight morning peak trips and four additional evening peak trips.

412
   
University of Queensland St Lucia - City
   
Provide four on-demand buses during Semester 1 to provide sweeper services as demand warrants.

109
   
City - University of Queensland St Lucia
   
Commence services from City at 6.50am. Increase morning peak frequency from every 8 minutes to every 5 minutes until 10am. Commence off-peak 10 minute frequency from 10am instead of 10.20am. Additional four trips from University of Queensland at 1.55pm, 2.05pm, 3.55pm and 6.05pm. In total eight additional morning peak trips and four additional evening peak trips will be provided. Running-time adjusted to some peak trips to improve service reliability.

160
   
Garden City depot - City
   

Additional three inbound trips at 7.28am, 7.48am and 8.08am. Additional three outbound trips at 5pm, 5.10pm and 5.20pm.

150 (BUZ)
   
Browns Plains - City
   
Introduce articulated buses on route 150 all day. Commence inbound 10 minute peak frequency at 5.30am instead of 6.20am (additional 2 trips). Extra four additional outbound short trippers from Cultural Centre busway station commencing at 3.35pm, 3.55pm, 4.35pm and 4.55pm.

156 (Rocket)
   
Fruitgrove - City
   
Introduce articulated buses on route 156 all day. Commence extra short trippers from Fruitgrove at 7.07am, 7.17am, 7.49am, 8.08am and 8.20am.

186 (Rocket)
   
Wishart - City
   
Additional trip at 8.02am. Move existing 8.10am trip to depart at 8.17am to provide an even spacing between trips. Running-time adjusted to improve service reliability.

116, 117,120, 124, 125, 129, 131, 135, 136, 155, 161
   
Various
   
Minor timetable adjustments to improve service reliability.

January 11, 2008

[ozbob]

From Brisbane mX via Courier Mail click here!

New Brisbane buses planned to cut overcrowding

Article from: MX

Anna Edwards

January 11, 2008 01:25pm

THIRTY-one buses providing 96 extra services and 6500 extra seats will be on the road by next month as part of a $4.6 million joint Brisbane City Council and State Government package to eliminate overcrowding.

The package, announced today, was the first in a three-phase plan to stamp out overcrowding completely, Brisbane's public transport chairwoman Victoria Newton said.

But it was not known what percentage of buses currently overcrowded would be alleviated.

"We're shooting for a scenario where nobody has to put up with an overcrowded bus," Cr Newton said.

The package, which is the first in a phase of three, combines $2.25 million of State Government funding and $2.3 million from Brisbane City Council, which was approved in September as part of a controversial Call to Action package Cr Newton presented to council.

At the time, Brisbane City Council traffic chairman Graham Quirk said Cr Newton's $20 million plan would not benefit ratepayers but would lead to an extra $50 on their rates bill.

The new services announced today provide capacity for 6500 extra passengers every weekday on the South East Busway, the busy Mains Rd corridor, residents in the western suburbs, eastern suburbs, as well as students and staff travelling to the University of Queensland, Cr Newton said.

The extra services, which will be up and running by February 18, will include new services from Calamvale to the City (137), Moggill to the City (443) and Wishart to the City (186), and additional services from Carina to the City (200), a new evening peakhour service from Carindale to the City (207) and increased morning services from Eight Mile Plains to the University of Queensland.

The package also includes on demand sweeper services from the University of Queensland to the City and other additional services on the same route. It will also provide extra services from Garden City to the City (160), Browns Plains to the City (150) and Fruitgrove to the City (156).

The package was announced by Cr Newton, Transport Minister John Mickel and Labor lord mayoral candidate Greg Rowell at the cultural centre busway station.

[ozbob]

From The Sunday Mail click here!

Inner Northern Busway tunnel ready by May

Inner Northern Busway tunnel ready by May
Article from: The Sunday Mail (Qld)

By Edmund Burke

January 12, 2008 11:00pm

A REMARKABLE transformation has taken place underneath Brisbane city streets.

Eighteen months after construction workers started digging to build the $333 million Inner Northern Busway, workers are now tiling the walls of underground stations and adding other finishing touches to the project.

The busway is set to be finished in May, six months ahead of schedule, and Infrastructure Minister and Acting Premier Paul Lucas ? who was transport minister when the project started ? says it will have an immediate impact on City congestion.

"There is this whole world beneath the City streets, where this amazing workforce is doing such a fantastic job," he said. "The busway will have an immediate effect on City traffic. Taking all those buses off the street will make a real difference."

Transport Minister John Mickel said the new tunnel meant buses would run on schedule even when problems on city streets meant traffic was congested.

"People will see a difference immediately," he said. "We are taking around 700 bus services a day off the road."

The upper level of the old car park under King George Square has been transformed into an entry platform leading to the bus station below.

The tunnel stretches from the Queen Street Mall to an integrated station at the Roma Street Transit Centre, which links up with the rail service.

The Government hopes the new busway will allow bus services in the City to run smoothly even during peak hour, and it is fitted with its own generator to ensure it continues to operate during power failures.

In November 2006, workers stumbled upon a World War II bunker while digging at the corner of Albert and Turbot streets, under the old Roma St police station.

Inner Northern Busway Alliance manager Graham Olsson said the walls of the bunker were due to go on display at the Queensland Museum, but said an entrance for the tunnel at Roma St had been re-designed to house a display devoted to the find.

"We couldn't incorporate the actual walls, because exposure to the air would have damaged them, but we had worked with the people who did the War Memorial at Canberra to come up with something special," he said.

Both ministers said they were confident the new busway would increase patronage on Brisbane's already-struggling bus network.

A new funding arrangement between the State Government and Brisbane City Council was announced on Friday.

Under it, $4.6 million will be injected into Brisbane's bus services from February 18.

Thirty-one new buses would be used to roll out 96 high-frequency services each day for the city's most crowded routes.

Council transport chairman Cr Victoria Newton said the funding was the first of three transport boosts for the year.

Click here! for post at ATDB 

[ozbob]

Joint Statement:

Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning
The Honourable Paul Lucas

Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations
The Honourable John Mickel
15/01/2008

Bridge brings busways closer

The next stage of the Eastern Busway is taking shape with the Queensland Government approving the design for a bridge over Ipswich Road which will take hundreds of buses off local roads.

Acting Premier Paul Lucas and Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations John Mickel today inspected work on the $138 million first section of the Eastern Busway.

Mr Lucas said the new bridge will take the busway across Ipswich Road where it will connect with the South East Busway north of Buranda Station.

"The State Government is getting on with the job of building the public transport infrastructure that will cater for a booming South East Queensland," Mr Lucas said.

"The new bridge, which starts construction in March, will allow buses to move seamlessly from the South East Busway over Ipswich Road to the Princess Alexandra Hospital and on to the Boggo Road Busway, where work is also underway.

"From there, buses can continue over the Eleanor Schonell Bridge to the University of Queensland without having to travel on a public road.

"Once it's up and running, it is expected 600 buses a day will use the new busway link.

"That's 20,000 passengers a day who can save up to 20 minutes on a trip from the city to the University of Queensland.

"Each of those passengers could mean one less car on the road and this busway means hundreds of fewer buses on our streets.

"We've already seen how eager people are to use public transport to get to the university with patronage on services using Eleanor Schonell Bridge - all of which are State Government funded - going from 1200 people a day when services started to 6000 a day now."

Minister Mickel said he was happy with progress on section one of the Eastern Busway and the Boggo Road Busway.

Mr Mickel said preliminary work on the bridge would start in March, with the majority of structural work completed late this year.

The 55 metre-long two-span deck structure will use around 1200 cubic metres of concrete and is part of a 305-metre viaduct descending from the Princess Alexandra Hospital Busway Station over Ipswich Road.

"About 70 per cent of the Boggo Road Busway between Princess Alexandra Hospital and Park Road Rail Station is complete and about 10 per cent of the section from Park Road to Dutton Park is finished," Mr Mickel said.

"Construction in the area near Park Road Rail Station is well advanced and ahead of schedule.

"Early work for section one of the Eastern Busway was completed ahead of schedule and construction of the busway is progressing well.

"The success of Brisbane's busways is due to buses avoiding the traffic congestion that can slow trips and make services less reliable.

"Work on the Inner Northern Busway is progressing well and when all of these projects are complete passengers will be able to travel on a bus from The Royal Brisbane Hospital, through Roma St Station, underneath the CBD and out to the university without having to compete with private cars.

"And given the bus and rail linkages being constructed, passengers will be able to travel even further across South East Queensland without competing with cars."

The Boggo Road Busway is due for completion mid next year with section one of the Eastern Busway due to be finished late next year.


--------

[ozbob]

Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations
The Honourable John Mickel
26/01/2008

Pre-pay all the way on the 137

A new bus route 137 will be trialled as a pre-paid-only service to provide a faster trip between Sunnybank Hills and the City, Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations John Mickel announced today.

The 137, being introduced from February 18 as part of $4.6 million worth of new services for Brisbane, will operate in the busy Mains Road corridor.

"We had fantastic success with our recent pre-paid platform trial at the Cultural Centre Busway Station," Mr Mickel said.

"Efficiency increased dramatically, which in turn led to a reduction in the amount of time each bus waited at the platform.

"Now we are moving to trial the pre-paid-only concept onboard bus services.

"We are very hopeful the same sort of results we saw during the Cultural Centre trial will be seen again in the 137 pre-paid-only trial.

"The average time taken when paying a fare onboard a bus is 11 seconds, while validating a ticket takes just three seconds.

"On a full articulated bus carrying 87 passengers, this potentially saves almost 12 minutes on each trip," Mr Mickel said.

"By making the new 137 route a pre-paid, all-the-way service, up to 1310 hours of travel time can be saved in a year."

Passengers using the 137 service must have a valid TransLink ticket before boarding the bus - they will not be available from the bus driver.

Passengers without pre-purchased tickets may continue to buy tickets onboard all other bus routes in the Mains Road corridor.

Route 137 will operate every 10 minutes on weekdays between 6.20am and 8.30am and between 4.04pm and 6.04pm.

The service will use ''banana'' buses with a capacity for 87 passengers and will run non-stop between the QEII park 'n' ride and Brisbane CBD via the Southeast Busway and Captain Cook Bridge.

The 137, which will provide capacity to carry an additional 2349 passengers a day, is expected to take pressure off other popular services in the Mains Road corridor, such as the 129 ,130 and 131 routes.

Customers can pre-purchase tickets from local ticket agents or any QR Citytrain station including:

Suburb Agent Address

Calamvale Calamvale News Shop 12, Kamaruka Street, corner Beaudesert Road

Calamvale Nottingham Road News Shop 8, Calamvale Market Place, Beaudesert Road, corner Nothingham Road

Macgregor Macgregor News Shop 14, 15 Sunnypark Shopping Centre, Mains Road

Runcorn News Unlimited Shop 7, 168 Gowan Road

Runcorn Runcorn Plaza Pharmacy Runcorn Plaza Shopping Centre, Warrigal Road, corner Daw Road

Runcorn Fruit Grove QR Citytrain station Beenleigh Road

Sunnybank Market Square News Corner Mains Road and McCullough Street

Sunnybank Sunnybank Plaza News And Casket Shop 22, Sunnybank Plaza, Mains Road, corner McCullough Street

Sunnybank Oasis News 132 Station Road

Sunnybank Altandi QR Citytrain station 125 Mains Road

Sunnybank Sunnybank QR Citytrain station Dixon Street

Sunnybank Hills Jackson Road News Shop 19, 344 Jackson Road

Sunnybank Hills Pinelands Plaza News Pinelands Plaza, Pinelands Road

Sunnybank Hills Sunnybank Hills News Sunnybank Hills Shopping Town, Calamvale Road, corner Compton Road

Brisbane CBD Rankin's on the Mall Queen Street Mall, opposite Hungary Jacks

Brisbane CBD Exchange Newsagency 360 Queen Street

Brisbane CBD Post Office Square News 280 Queen Street

Brisbane CBD Lucky Golden Goose Newsagency 140 Adelaide Street

Brisbane CBD Central QR Citytrain station Corner Edward and Ann St

Brisbane CBD Roma Street QR Citytrain station 171 Roma Street

For a full list of ticket agents, please refer to the TransLink website, www.translink.com.au

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