Suggestions for sectorisation and frequency improvements from the WBTNI

[paulg]

Just looking through the Western Brisbane Transport Network Investigation Basis of Strategy document (http://tinyurl.com/wbtnibos). There is quite a lot written there about sectorisation, signalling upgrades and timetable suggestions (all without CRR). I couldn't find any discussion of this commentary on this forum... here are some figures from the report with suggested routings, tph for each line and some suggested stopping patterns:




Cheers, Paul

[#Metro]

http://tinyurl.com/wbtnibos
From the report

Rail
The staged transformation of the existing rail network to a high capacity surface rail system with new, multi- purpose stations and new carriages designed to minimise stopping times at stations is the centrepiece of the preferred strategy.
It delivers greater service reliability, higher frequency and safety benefits, including best practice signalling and the upgrade of level crossings.
Providing more frequent and reliable services on the existing rail corridors could dramatically increase the number of people who can use those corridors and reduce road congestion without the need for new corridors.

Rail provides the potential to triple the passenger capacity of the rail network.

Low density living does not support public
transport investment
Levels of service on the Ipswich, Caboolture and Ferny Grove rail lines are high during peak periods and moderate during off-peak periods. The large areas of relatively low density suburbs in south-western Brisbane have relatively low levels of bus services to rail stations and activity centres in western Brisbane and relatively low off-peak levels of service across western Brisbane. Low density living for much of the western and south-western areas and the dispersed nature of trips does not support high levels of public transport investment.

Nonsense about the density. If you put timed feeder buses to every station to meet every train, that line would have full trains.

Congested roads means bus services suffer
Bus services provide a high level of service during the morning peak along certain corridors (Moggill Road, Milton Road, Coronation Drive, Latrobe Terrace, Waterworks Road, Enoggera Road, Old Northern Road, Appleby Road/Shand Street, Gympie/Lutwyche Road).
These main bus corridors use arterial roads which are congested in peak periods. Buses share roads with general traffic and with the congestion on the road network, issues arise of lack of bus capacity and opportunity to implement bus priority measures. Under these conditions public transport is not always a first choice.

Unsurprising; re-organization would solve the "low density-not enough passengers" problem and the "my bus is stuck on Coro" problem, killing 2 problems with one integrated stone. But it continues to be refused as a viable solution!

[#Metro]

Public transport
•   Public transport patronage in the western Brisbane area is assumed to grow at 2.7 per cent compound per annum in line with TransLink's 'Low' growth scenario.

[#Metro]

Incremental benefit-cost analysis

An incremental benefit-cost ratio (BCR) was calculated to provide a comparative economic indicator of the alternative strategies when compared to the 2026 Base Case (Figure 13.12). The Rail Strategy yields the highest BCR of 1.5 indicating a relatively strong return to the economy from the potential expenditure. Both the Balanced Transport Strategy and the Public Transport Priority Strategy yield a BCR of around 1 (neutral) implying that the economic return for the potential expenditures is the same as the expenditure itself, based only on benefits that can be monetised.
Both the Rail and Balanced Transport Strategies would yield the greatest benefits from savings in vehicle operating costs and travel times due to the relative importance of public transport trips in the travel matrix.

The highest Net Present Value (see Figure 13.13) would be achieved by the Rail Strategy due to this strategy yielding significant net benefits for a relatively low capital cost compared to the Western Orbital and Balanced Transport Strategies.
Both the Public Transport Priority Strategy and the Balanced Transport Strategy would result in a neutral or slightly positive Net Present Value (NPV). In the case of the Public Transport Priority Strategy this is due to the relatively low capital costs, and in the case of the Balanced Transport Strategy it is due to the high benefits that would be realised.

The largest benefits come from rail. Report talks about turning the Ipswich-Caboolture line into a metro-style operation with trains every 2-4 minutes during peak hour, and every 15 minutes at all other times. I think this is do-able (with upgrades) and something that should be pushed hard for.

[somebody]

I can't support those proposed stopping patterns for the Ipswich line.  That means that Oxley receives no express services, Ipswich-Milton & Ipswich-Toowong commutes involve a change of trains. etc.

Also, the Ferny Grove line doesn't need short workings unless they are combined with express services.

[#Metro]

I can't support those proposed stopping patterns for the Ipswich line.  That means that Oxley receives no express services, Ipswich-Milton &  Ipswich-Toowong commutes involve a change of trains. etc.

While it would be nice to have express from everyone's local station to the CBD, we know this isn't possible.
If the services are very frequent, like a metro, the barrier to transfer can be brought right down.

Perhaps add one extra stop- Toowong, and remove another stop- maybe Goodna, can go.

[david]

Hmmm...perhaps those stopping patterns are a sign of things to come for the timetable review in 2011???

[somebody]

I can't support those proposed stopping patterns for the Ipswich line.  That means that Oxley receives no express services, Ipswich-Milton &  Ipswich-Toowong commutes involve a change of trains. etc.

While it would be nice to have express from everyone's local station to the CBD, we know this isn't possible.
If the services are very frequent, like a metro, the barrier to transfer can be brought right down.

Perhaps add one extra stop- Toowong, and remove another stop- maybe Goodna, can go.

Nothing I've ever read on this site causes me to change my view on the appropriate operating patterns in the AM peak:
5tph express Roma St-Darra & Darra-Goodna all to Ipswich or Rosewood
5tph Roma St, Milton, Toowong, Indro, Oxley all to Ipswich
5tph all to Richlands

Obviously those patterns are in the wrong direction, but you get the idea.

Hmmm...perhaps those stopping patterns are a sign of things to come for the timetable review in 2011???

Are they in the document?

[david]

Hmmm...perhaps those stopping patterns are a sign of things to come for the timetable review in 2011???

Are they in the document?

Sorry...I was referring to this -

[somebody]

Sorry...I was referring to this -

I was just asking.  No need to be sorry.

[colinw]

To see where the Government's priorities lie, you only need to look at the list of projects on the WBTNI website.

A whole bunch of road projects.  Some work on bikeways (good!) and busways, and a token mention of rail at the bottom.

cheers,
Colin

[somebody]

According to that map, the Airport isn't to rise above it's poor 2tph service.  I think it's about time that happened, at least if it could be combined with an increase in frequency on the inner Beenleigh or Cleveland lines.  Beenleigh would make the most sense IMO, as the train isn't very competitive when heading to almost anywhere on the Cleveland line, and that also frees from the double timetabling constraint with the single track at the airport and Coomera River.  That would then require Cleveland attaching to Ferny Grove, and then the Airport could combine with Doomben and the Sunshine Coast.

[#Metro]

I'm not holding my breath. I think the WNTBI will just be put at the bottom of a filing drawer, buried and forgotten about.

[Jonno]

A whole bunch of road projects.  Some work on bikeways (good!) and busways, and a token mention of rail at the bottom.

cheers,
Colin

And herein lies the crux of our transport problems.  In there mind they are planning on moving 80% of trips by road so of course the road projects are top priority.  This is why I champion the change in planning targets from 80% by road to 25-30%.