Random observations around the network ...

[ozbob]

Please post any observations that don't fit in  any real thread.

eg.

At BNE International at the moment, noted an EMU on airport run, lucky punters!  

Footnote:  I just realised that this may seem made up.  No, I was actually at the international airport this morning.  Busy day!

[ozbob]

Inbound on  the 10.09am CAB service ex Oxley (EMU35).  Pulled in to platform 3 Corinda to the amazement of 100 or so pax on platform 5.  Stunned looks priceless! ...  this was planned as the 40KM board was lit on the starter at Oxley.  Surely they could have told the station staff at Corinda to warn the punters.

Yes, they held the train on 3 until all moved over from platform 5 ...

[WTN]

A last minute platform switch also occurred at Roma St yesterday.  5:49pm Shorncliffe service ran late and arrived on platform 9 instead of 6.  The announcement over the PA also told passengers not to run and the train will wait.  So the masses migrated up and down the stairs.  What fun.

[ozbob]

Onboard SMU278, the newest train of the fleet, first day in revenue service.  No damage, no scratched windows yet.

See twitter --> here!

[stephenk]

Was on the 2:03pm Central to Ferny Grove today. Nice to see QR wasting loads of money on customer service staff who's only function seemed to be to open the doors for people. Yet nothing appears to have been done to fix the cause of two temporary speed restrictions on the Ferny Grove Line which have been slowing trains into the City (just after Alderley and Wilston) for a few weeks.

[ozbob]

The 8.40am service from Oxley to Caboolture was 15 minutes late 3rd January.  About 50 bemused pax at Oxley gazed at the non functioning PIDs and waited for non existent announcements as to their fate.  Apparently a track failure between Darra and Wacol caused a few problems.  No erail alerts either.

[ozbob]

Onboard EMU26 outbound, on the main up.  Subs closed between Sherwood and Roma St.  Electrical work going on around Milton, ground works around Indooroopilly.  Also complete closure this evening Roma st Corinda.

[stephenk]

Was on the 2:03pm Central to Ferny Grove today. Nice to see QR wasting loads of money on customer service staff who's only function seemed to be to open the doors for people. Yet nothing appears to have been done to fix the cause of two temporary speed restrictions on the Ferny Grove Line which have been slowing trains into the City (just after Alderley and Wilston) for a few weeks.

Speed restriction (inbound to city between Alderley and Newmarket) still there. Around 2 months now!

[Derwan]

Caught the usual train this morning that's supposed to run express Northgate to Bowen Hills with a stop at Eagle Junction.  Plenty of  confused punters at Nundah and Toombul as we made a stop at platform 1.  Only problem was they were on platform 3, which was where the next scheduled train was supposed to stop.  Fortunately none of them tried running between platforms.

It wasn't until after Fortitude Valley that an apology was made for stopping at every station.  No doubt someone mentioned it to the Guard as they detrained at FV.

[ozbob]

EMU 84 recently out of the workshops following refurbishment.  Looks resplendent but minus any logos?

Seen departing Roma St earlier this morning.





Photographs R Dow 8th February 2010

[verbatim9]

EMU 84 recently out of the workshops following refurbishment.  Looks resplendent but minus any logos?

Seen departing Roma St earlier this morning.





Photographs R Dow 8th February 2010

Wonder if they have ripped up the carpet and created more standing room?

[Derwan]

All the refurbished units are coming out without QR or Citytrain logos.  The fronts look so bland without the QR logo!  Could there be something in the works for a new QR logo?

[STB]

I wouldn't be surprised if we see a TransLink logo on the front.

[longboi]

All the refurbished units are coming out without QR or Citytrain logos.  The fronts look so bland without the QR logo!  Could there be something in the works for a new QR logo?

I wouldn't be surprised. 'QR Passenger' will be defunct in a few years and will go back to being' Queensland Rail' so I'd say a new logo is almost a given.

Having said that, logos on trains are always a contentious issue for some reason so I guess you could expect anything.

[stephenk]

Was on the 2:03pm Central to Ferny Grove today. Nice to see QR wasting loads of money on customer service staff who's only function seemed to be to open the doors for people. Yet nothing appears to have been done to fix the cause of two temporary speed restrictions on the Ferny Grove Line which have been slowing trains into the City (just after Alderley and Wilston) for a few weeks.

Speed restriction (inbound to city between Alderley and Newmarket) still there. Around 2 months now!

Speed restriction still there - yawn!

[Derwan]

Another crew forgot that their train was supposed to run express this morning.  Got to Toombul and some people on platform 3 started running up and over to our platform (1).  Even though the doors had been released, the station staff made an announcement that the "train on platform 1 does not convey passengers.  It is an express train waiting for a signal."

I think that was what reminded the guard that we were supposed to be an express train because he announced that we'd be running express from EJ to Bowen Hills.

[ozbob]

Some photographs at Central platforms 5 and 6, full height platforms ..











The escalator has been out of action for a while now, but hopefully will be going this week.



Photographs R Dow 28th February 2010

[ozbob]

Indooroopilly, replacement of the points/crossings from the mains to the suburban lines over the weekend.  Citytrains running on the mains.
Some photographs from an UP train (EMU24).






Ballast train on down SUB





Photographs R Dow 28th February 2010

[ozbob]

LCD PIDs platforms 8/9 Roma St now ..

[O_128]

LCD PIDs platforms 8/9 Roma St now ..

I forgot to say that yesterday about platforms 4 and 5

[longboi]

I'm not sure if its been mentioned but South Brisbane has LCD PIDs, too 

[stephenk]

Speed restriction on Ferny Grove Line has finally been fixed after about 3 months. 

[Arnz]

SMU222 is now back in service.  Sighted on one of the 3-car Cleveland off-peak services, operational with PIDs and VAS around midday.

Cooroy service had SMU27x in place of the ICE a few days ago.  Normally a older IMU would be on this run if a ICE isn't available.

[WTN]

Technicians were still adjusting/installing LCDs on Roma St platform 4 and 5.  The subway has LCDs too.  Nice, but now you have to walk up to the go gates to read the screen if you're entering from the front entrance.  The old screens were placed further out and could be read close to the travel centre.

The old CRTs got shifted to platform 3, probably to be taken offsite.

[O_128]

I'm not sure if its been mentioned but South Brisbane has LCD PIDs, too 

Gasp after only 2 years of lobbying

[ozbob]

At Roma St heading out on the Ferny Grove line,  just noticed an UP and Down Gold Coast services new SMUs.  Guess if you don't need a loo most punters wouldn't notice ... (where are the IMUs?)

The 1.24 Doomben service had EMU 03 proudly up front (EMU53 second set).

And the FG train arrives it is new SMU  280 /270

[O_128]

Not QLD related but im currently in Sydney  at the moment, Noticed that all city stations use the white flag system but also on the topic that double Decker trains have longer dwell times in Sydney the doors open and literally as soon as they open the whistle is blown, people know what there station is and get up before the train stops.

[ozbob]

Spoil train main up Indooroopilly ...

[somebody]

Not QLD related but im currently in Sydney  at the moment, Noticed that all city stations use the white flag system but also on the topic that double Decker trains have longer dwell times in Sydney the doors open and literally as soon as they open the whistle is blown, people know what there station is and get up before the train stops.

It's only one aspect of the unprofessionalism that pervades CityRail.  Perhaps the most visible one.  Still, they do provide a better service overall than CityTrain <ducks for cover>.

[O_128]

Not QLD related but im currently in Sydney  at the moment, Noticed that all city stations use the white flag system but also on the topic that double Decker trains have longer dwell times in Sydney the doors open and literally as soon as they open the whistle is blown, people know what there station is and get up before the train stops.

It's only one aspect of the unprofessionalism that pervades CityRail.  Perhaps the most visible one.  Still, they do provide a better service overall than CityTrain <ducks for cover>.

In some areas yes, most of the trains look like they haven't been washed in years and the customer service at city stations is disgraceful. I do like the automatic announcements at stations though as well as the overall standard of the stations

[somebody]

I do like the automatic announcements at stations though as well as the overall standard of the stations

I think that might only apply at City stations and other major stations, whereas in Brisbane all stations as far as I am aware have the automated announcements, except when they turn off after 10pm or so at some station.

[ClintonL94]

At Beenleigh yesterday morning, the 6:02am Varsity Lakes - Bowen Hills turned up to Beenleigh 8 minutes late and still arrived into South Bank on time!
6:44am-7:15am, 31 minutes for a express on the Beenleigh/Gold Coast line.

[stephenk]

At Beenleigh yesterday morning, the 6:37am Varsity Lakes - Bowen Hills turned up to Beenleigh 8 minutes late and still arrived into South Bank on time!
6:44am-7:15am, 31 minutes for a express on the Beenleigh/Gold Coast line.

It shows how padded out the timetables are! Some padding out is required but it's a case of reliability vs journey time.

[Golliwog]

I know we're always going to need some padding, but hopefully they cut some of it out once they provide some of the grade seperation they have mentioned in the cross river rail tunnel plan. Because those sort of things are really all the padding should be required for.

[somebody]

Padding is required to allow for the odd disabled person who requires assistance etc, it shouldn't be required to arrive at a junction when it is unnoccupied!

Far too padded.  Perhaps the Ipswich line is much less padded as it isn't particularly reliable, most notably heading inbound.

[Golliwog]

Yes it should be. What if the train that was supposed to go through the junction before your train got delayed because it too had to pick up a disabled person?

[somebody]

If the first train had a slight amount of padding it would still arrive at the junction on time.  If not, it would delay the second train.  You can't completely prevent that possibility.

[ozbob]

Spotted at a distance from the back porch,  one of the Kuranda locomotives LE heading out west (presumably Redbank) ...

[ClintonL94]

I spotted a Gold Coast train as a EMU this morning around 7:00am at Coopers Plains. The 6:29 Beenleigh to Ferny Grove was a IMU 160 train but the Gold Coast train was a EMU... they both come from the same depot in the early morning too..

[stephenk]

I spotted a Gold Coast train as a EMU this morning around 7:00am at Coopers Plains. The 6:29 Beenleigh to Ferny Grove was a IMU 160 train but the Gold Coast train was a EMU... they both come from the same depot in the early morning too..

Ferny Grove Line users have weak bladders, and thus require IMUs on their <16km journey 

Seriously though, I've observed a Nambour EMU followed by a Ferny Grove IMU on many an occasion. I seriously hope that with IMUs being delivered, and the delayed now-2011 timetable refresh will solve the almost inhumane lack of toilets issue on long journeys.