17 Sept 2010: SEQ: Airtrain needs an improved service

[ozbob]

Media Release 17 September 2010

SEQ: Airtrain needs an improved service

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport commuters calls on the operator of Airtrain to improve its basic service level.

"Currently, the Airtrain cuts back to a 30 minute frequency between 9:58am and 3:28pm on a weekday, departing the Domestic Terminal.  There is a need for the 15 minute frequency to run right through between the AM and PM peaks and to also fill in the gap between 5:00pm and 5:28pm.  There is also a need to extend the operating hours to at least 11pm."

"There are only a handful of services required to plug the gaps now, with a view to give the service a consistent clock face timetable."

"It is obvious that a number of people who arrive at the airport would use the train but don't due to the unacceptable 29 minute wait that can be endured. Proper utilisation of the Airtrain would go a long way in relieving the constant road congestion and cost impacts on the community. In terms of comparable global rail airport services, Brisbane is presently a transport back-water (1)."

Reference:

1.  http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com/2010/09/take-me-to-airport-by-car.html

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[ozbob]

Feeback received, thanks:

I Totally agree . For example I live in Keppera AND DO NOT DRIVE ) Next month I have to go to Sydney to see my grandchildren and catch a 6am flight from Brisbane . I must arrive at least 30 mins before the flight . There are no train / bus timetables to accommodate this and even the only other alternative Coachtrans which specializes in Airport transfers does not have a service that early . I will be forced to pay $45.00 for a cab to the airport from my home.

On the return journey I am booked on a a flight at 8.00pm the same day which arrives into Brisbane at 8.30pm . Yet the last train service from the airport on that day ( according to the Translink Website ) is 7.59 pm . Is it too much to expect that a Airtrain Link would run as long as planes are landing and departing , or is that too logical ???

Keep up your good work

[#Metro]

I think it could be done- the Airtrain line is short and the cost to run an extra train in the off peak (when there are excess trains left over from peak hour) I would think, is low.

[colinw]

Airtrain frustrates the hell out of me.  When it runs, it is a very good service, but it is just too inconsistent.  Examples :-

1.  Last year I had a series of work trips to Melbourne.  Every one of these trips ended with my flight home arriving in Brisbane too late to get the last train, despite the fact that these were the "peak hour" Melbourne to Brisbane flights used by business travellers.  Airtrain cuts out so early in the evening that it is only of use to people coming back from Sydney in the evening peak.  Every one of those trips ended up with a $80 taxi ride.

2.  I have had several work trips that require me to catch flights at 6:30AM or earlier.  Airtrain simply doesn't cater for these trips.

3.  The stopping pattern.  Off peak it stops at Coopers Plains.  In peak it doesn't.  Therefore if I catch a flight that brings me through the city in peak I have to change trains, adding quite a lot of time to the journey.  It doesn't bother me much, but my wife's attitude was "what a nightmare, I'm not doing that again".

4.  The fare structure.  A group of four of us went to Sydney for a wedding a couple of weeks ago.  We used airtrain, but a taxi would have been cheaper.  Again my wife's attitude is "why the heck should I bother with the train?".

cheers,
Colin

[#Metro]

Yes, I suspect that they are losing market share here. Seriously losing market share to the Taxi, Coach etc.
The taxi is a complete and utter rippoff, being 2.5 times to 4 times more expensive than the Aitrain fare.

See, Airtrain's fares increase as more people use it.

There is no group discount ticket. Whereas with the taxi you can split the fares over multiple people. If people are travelling then there is a good chance that they are going with their partner, a friend, a group... so that $50 or $80 taxi trip becomes $25 or $40 with 2 people, which is very competitive if you consider that the taxi is direct and waiting time is minimal.

The Airtrain would be better off accepting groups of people with a discount and making a little less money (compared to the group x $15), than insisting on charging the full $15 and therefore turning most of those customers away to the Coach and Taxi companies.

Suggestions:
Introduce group ticketing- starting with 2 people, 3 people, 4 people etc.


The big problem is Airport Link. What was the Government thinking?
It is building a road project which will harm Airtrain IMHO.

The paper on avoided accidents/travel time savings/congestion etc is here
http://www.airtrain.com.au/pdf/Airtrain_Impacts_Apr06.pdf

More trains will cut the maximum waiting time at the platform from 30 minutes to 15 minutes, which is a big plus and will attract more people. Even 3 trains per hour...

[Golliwog]

But how would you do the group fare on the go card?

[#Metro]

That is a VERY good question! I don't know!!! 
What a headache it will be to get this done on GoCard!
Perhaps smart cards are not so smart after all (and a paper ticket would do fine?).

Ideally you would want to use the existing GoCard. This might not be possible.

Perhaps they would just travel to the Airport and do a special touch off which charges the group fare?
Another option would be to retain the paper fare

As long as Airtrain does not offer group discounts-- the taxi will have an advantage.

[colinw]

Only 20 years until the BOOT period expires & it reverts to public ownership.

If we were serious about Airtrain, it would run the same hours as the rest of the network, with normal Translink Zonal fares.  Alas, the usual Airport = Price Gouge rule appears to apply.

[Mozz]

Another very pertinent addition to this discussion is that many overseas travellers who arrive in Brisbane readily believe that Brisbane has the highest cost of public transport anywhere in the world because their first fare is the air train fare travelling on the same trains and the same tracks that the QR network uses. They aren't to know the history of why the fare is so high.

Unless they meet someone on their journey's around Brisbane who can explain the situation I suspect many never venture back onto public transport (well trains at least) while they are here just in case they have to pay $15 to travel a few stations.

[#Metro]

If we were serious about Airtrain, it would run the same hours as the rest of the network, with normal Translink Zonal fares.  Alas, the usual Airport = Price Gouge rule appears to apply.

Disagree. (Agree with increased frequency though).

Compared with the alternatives (2 hour parking at the Airport) and Taxi ($50-80) the Airtrain is actually good value for money IMHO and I have almost always used it for travel except when there has been a really early or really late flight.

The $US and $AUD are about 1:1 roughly. I can't post the number here, but going by the "operating cost per passenger trip served" for Queensland Rail (Found in a thread in the Members Section) , factoring in overheads and profit margin etc, I don't believe that Airtrain is gouging its customers by any stretch of the imagination.

After 20 years it will go public anyway. This implies, but does not guarantee, that the Airtrain fare would fall. The  government could simply lease it out again after that period or keep the fare high and use it to cross-subsidise other PT in the TransLink network. There could be a precedent for this- Wasn't the The Gateway Motorway supposed to have its tolls on  removed by now, instead they have been retained and indeed increased, despite being public through all the 20 or so years it has been in operation?

http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=3977.0

[somebody]

But how would you do the group fare on the go card?

Much like paper tickets work now.

Another very pertinent addition to this discussion is that many overseas travellers who arrive in Brisbane readily believe that Brisbane has the highest cost of public transport anywhere in the world because their first fare is the air train fare travelling on the same trains and the same tracks that the QR network uses. They aren't to know the history of why the fare is so high.

Unless they meet someone on their journey's around Brisbane who can explain the situation I suspect many never venture back onto public transport (well trains at least) while they are here just in case they have to pay $15 to travel a few stations.

A good point, but I do not see a solution without a state takeover of Airtrain.  Should have been built as a state project with Translink fares, but many things rail related in SEQ which should have happened haven't.  While I do side with colinw, I feel that there are bigger fish to fry than worrying about a few tourists.

[colinw]

I'd happily concede to TramTrain on the fare, if the thing provided a decent service.

I object to paying $20 (or $80 for a group of four) for a service which is infrequent, inconsistent, doesn't run at the times of day I need it, and doesn't provide anything beyond a basic open air platform & bog standard QR trains.  $20 to stand holding my luggage to prevent it falling over because the train that ran didn't have luggage racks.

For my $20 I want something like Heathrow express (heck, I'd pay $30 for that).  To pay $20 for a standard Brisbane train just doesn't cut it.

I know I'm going to have a hard time talking my wife onto the train to the airport again, and her attitude is far more representative of the general public (i.e. potential fare paying passengers) than mine is.  Ditto my sister-in-law, who, when told about our recent Sydney trip said "b****r that, sling us some money for the petrol and we'll drive you to the airport next time!".

At least the Sydney airport service, while it does charge a premium, provides a frequent & attractive service.

Agree with Somebody that there's bigger fish to fry.  It'll be interesting to see what happens when Airport Link opens.

I'm a non-driver & lifelong supporter of public transport, and yet I struggle to justify using Airtrain and frequently find it unusable.  Clearly there is a problem with the service provided.

[somebody]

I'd happily concede to TramTrain on the fare, if the thing provided a decent service.

That's my line of thinking too.

What is frustrating is that Airtrain are harming their own business by not ramping up service levels.  And the early morning service isn't very useful as there isn't any connections to it.  Yes, I know that they tried a 15 minute service when they first opened and few people used it, but that doesn't apply now.

Coming from Kuraby, a $60-80 cab ride up the Gateway Motorway is pretty attractive compared to a 30 minute Beenleigh line train service stopping all stations with an interchange for the Airtrain while still paying $40 or so for two people.  Airtrain is more attractive for the North, West and inner parts of Brisbane than the east and south east parts.

[ozbob]

Reduce fares and increase frequency, they will make more money than now.  Too many vested interests with airports.    The fact remains the rail service to BNE airport is hovering at 'worlds worst practise'.  Restricted services, poor operating hours and capped off by a high relative fare.  It is a no brainer to fix, but hey, parking gouges and other cons might be reduced.  Even the car parking spaces at BNE are smaller than normal in an attempt to gouge more.  Fact ... 

[#Metro]

I know I'm going to have a hard time talking my wife onto the train to the airport again, and her attitude is far more representative of the general public (i.e. potential fare paying passengers) than mine is.  Ditto my sister-in-law, who, when told about our recent Sydney trip said "b****r that, sling us some money for the petrol and we'll drive you to the airport next time!".

This is very common- more common than anyone realises IMHO. A lot of people are using family or friends to drop people off to avoid the price of the taxi, and other operators, for free or paying their friends/family to do this. The big winner for this kind of transport will be the toll operators of Airport Link when it opens if the AirTrain service levels and fare structure are not changed to deal with this threat. $4.85 for a nice fast underground motorway divided by 2 people is very cheap!

What is frustrating is that Airtrain are harming their own business by not ramping up service levels.

True. The low frequency on the rail network in general is also harming their business, becuase good interchange requires higher frequency transport to keep interchange times down under non-timed connections;  as is government decisions like "Let's build a giant underground motorway that serves the same market!!!"

[somebody]

The fact remains the rail service to BNE airport is hovering at 'worlds worst practise'.  

Yes.  In spite of the vested interested an reduction in parking fees and taxi fares that would occur if Airtrain improved, it is hard to see how the parking fees get into Airtrain's pocket.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Airtrain shame: filth greets Brisbane arrivals

Airtrain shame: filth greets Brisbane arrivals
Tony Moore
October 6, 2010 - 5:26AM

This is the sight that greeted visitors to Brisbane who caught the train from the airport on Saturday evening.

Commuters on the train - of which this reporter was one - said while messy, filthy conditions were reported as front page news from Delhi, in Brisbane it barely attracted shrugs from staff.

Fruit scraps, abandoned newspapers, tampons, junk food containers jammed into seats, beside seats, under seats, on seats and then strewn across the floor.

When this reporter caught the Airtrain on Saturday, garbage was strewn through the first five carriages.

Commuters were horrified at the extent of the grotty conditions and had to walk around the garbage to find somewhere to sit.

And what's worse, no-one could be bothered to clean it when it was brought to the attention of Airtrain staff at Brisbane Airport.

Zainaba Ali, a psychology lecturer from Toowong returning home from Sydney, slipped on banana skins over the entry way of the train.

"I am embarrassed because it is the first thing that people see when they come back from interstate or from overseas," she said.

After recovering from her fall, Ms Ali said the dirty, grotty train gave people a bad first impression of Brisbane.

"This is the first perception that people have and it is just not a good introduction to our city," she said.

"If you were in Delhi and this is what you see then there is a big hoo-ha. But here, it is always 'it's all-good'."

Businessman Steve Groves, returning to Brisbane from Yeppoon, was also embarrassed at the mess and had to choose carefully where he could sit.

"It is awful for people who are visiting our city and coming here for the very first time," he said.

"I think it gives a very poor image of the passengers who are doing it. It is just poor manners."

Airtrain is a privately-run company which uses Queensland Rail trains to run passenger services to Brisbane Airport.

Airtrain CEO Chris Brasche refused to be interviewed about the mess and would not answer how many people used the Airtrain on Saturday, or why the train was so untidy.

He thanked brisbanetimes.com.au for bringing the mess to his attention in a brief email.

"I will have the specific details of the train cleanliness on Saturday investigated," he wrote.

"Airtrain contract the train services to Queensland Rail and I have asked them to review this specific issue."

[Jonno]

Ok I use trains a lot but on short trips but I have never seen a train in those conditions.  Maybe I am just lucky.  Interested in others experiences.

[colinw]

I've only ever seen something like this once on the Brisbane system - an early evening Beenleigh line train that I boarded at Park Road.  It was local to part of one carriage, so I simply moved up a few seats.  If I were a journo with a camera I could have easily made it look as bad or worse than the article, even though it was just a few chip packets & stuff.

In comparison, on other systems I have encountered :-

- a large pile of vomit, and empty VB bottles rolling around. (Melbourne, Connex, Belgrave line)
- a pool of urine (Sydney, CityRail, Airport & East Hills line)
- discarded syringes (Sydney, CityRail, Western line)
- a filthy discarded nappy (Melbourne, Connex, Upfield line)
- Extremely grimy seats & general filth on the floor. (UK, First Great Western, Cardiff to Southampton cross-country service)

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Night flight? Guess you'll be catching a cab then

Night flight? Guess you'll be catching a cab then
Tony Moore
October 6, 2010 - 3:45PM

There are 33 flights bringing tourists into Brisbane Airport after 8pm tonight but there is no public transport to meet them.

Now Queensland's peak tourism organisation says Brisbane is not meeting its obligation to international tourists.

The only train services to and from Brisbane Airport - for both the domestic and international terminals - are provided by private company Airtrain.

The last city-bound service departs the domestic terminal at 8pm.

brisbanetimes.com.au this morning reported on rubbish-filled carriages experienced on Airtrain and received dozens of comments - many of them complaining about the early finishing time of services.

In Sydney, the private railway - known as Sydney's Airport Link - runs trains into the city heart until 12.41am.

And in Melbourne, the Skybus runs trains between the city's main station at Spencer Street and the airport 24 hours a day, seven days week.

There are no bus services to Brisbane Airport, TransLink confirmed.

Daniel Gschwind, CEO of the Queensland Tourism Industry Council, said he was surprised to learn there were no buses at all and no trains after 8pm.

"The first point of contact with a destination is often the transport facilities from an airport, whether that is a taxi, or a coach or a train," Mr Gschwind said.

"And I think we need that we need to make a good impression. It really is an experience-shaping moment.

"I think it would be highly preferable to have trains available whenever a plane arrives. I think that is clearly the desirable situation and what most Australian expect when they arrive in a destination overseas."

He said questions should be asked.

"I am quite certain it is not meeting the expectations of international travellers. I think that is a fair comment."

Airtrain CEO Chris Basche has not responded to questions from brisbanetimes.com.au.

Rail: Back on Track spokesman Robert Dow said it was critical Brisbane improved its rail links to the airport because the rest of the rail network operated until after midnight.

"A lot of flights arrive after 8pm and at the moment if you miss that last train you really can't rely on the rail connections," Mr Dow said.

"So we think that the Airtrain services should be expanded."

Mr Dow said he understood there had been talks about timetable changes, including debate about noise levels.

"However electric trains, particularly the new electric trains, which run on the Airtrain network are extremely quiet."

Airtrain started in 2001 after the rail link to Brisbane Airport was built for $200 million.

The 33 flights arriving after 8pm tonight include 28 domestic flights, with two from all capital cities and from Maroochydore, Roma, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Emerald, Alice Springs and Cairns.

At the international airport there are five overseas flights arriving including from Fiji and Malaysia.

[ozbob]

Discussion thread --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=4582.0

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

7th October 2010

Greetings,

Just to confirm what a wasted opportunity the railway line to Brisbane Airport is, consider these comparable global train frequencies.

(Frequencies are weekday midday frequencies to CBD from Airport).

Top of the list as the worst is Brisbane.  Some claim to mediocrity is it not?  Billions of dollars on road solutions when a few hundred million on the railway line would have been the go. And still the road congestion and chaos will remain despite the billions on roads.

It is little wonder that the public is giving feedback that is very condemning of the present rail service.

Brisbane - 2 trains/hour
Sydney - 6 trains/hour
London Heathrow (T123) - 18 trains/hour (12 trains/hour London Underground, 4 trains/hour Heathrow Express, 2 trains/hour Heathrow Connect)
London Gatwick - 11 trains/hour
London City - 8 trains/hour
Berlin Schonefeld - 6 trains/hour
Madrid Barajas - 8 trains/hour
Hong Kong - 5 trains/hour
Paris CDG - 8 trains/hour
Tokyo Narita - 12 trains/hour (via 2 train companies)
Tokyo Haneda - 16 trains/hour (via 2 train companies)
Nurenberg - 9 trains/hour (much more frequent service, and 1/4 the population of Brisbane)
Hamburg - 6 trains/hour
Newcastle (UK) - 5 trains/hour (x 2.5 more frequent service, and less than half the population of Brisbane)
Vancouver - 6 trains/hour
Copenhagen - 8 trains/hour
Dubai - 8 trains/hour
Bangkok - 6 trains/hour
Naha - 6 trains/hour (Naha has just 1/6 of the population of Brisbane)
Oslo - 6 trains/hour (x2.5 more passengers, despite half the population)
Lyon - 4 trains/hour

As Brisbane apparently will go paperless in January 2011 arrangements for tourists using Brisbane's
public transport needs to be sorted and fast in my opinion.

Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org


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

Media Release 17 September 2010

SEQ: Airtrain needs an improved service

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport commuters calls on the operator of Airtrain to improve its basic service level.

"Currently, the Airtrain cuts back to a 30 minute frequency between 9:58am and 3:28pm on a weekday, departing the Domestic Terminal.  There is a need for the 15 minute frequency to run right through between the AM and PM peaks and to also fill in the gap between 5:00pm and 5:28pm.  There is also a need to extend the operating hours to at least 11pm."

"There are only a handful of services required to plug the gaps now, with a view to give the service a consistent clock face timetable."

"It is obvious that a number of people who arrive at the airport would use the train but don't due to the unacceptable 29 minute wait that can be endured. Proper utilisation of the Airtrain would go a long way in relieving the constant road congestion and cost impacts on the community. In terms of comparable global rail airport services, Brisbane is presently a transport back-water (1)."

Reference:

1.  http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com/2010/09/take-me-to-airport-by-car.html

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Airtrain night services 'too costly'

Airtrain night services 'too costly'
Tony Moore
October 7, 2010 - 2:42PM

The firm providing trains to Brisbane Airport has said it is too costly to run the service at night.

Airtrain services stop at 8pm despite there being more than 30 flights scheduled after that time on most evenings.

Company chief executive Chris Basche today told brisbanetimes.com.au those numbers did not make it viable to run extra services.

"The cost of operating additional train services is quite extreme," he said. "To run those extra services, there would not be enough passengers to offset the cost of providing the trains."

Brisbane Airport's total passenger figures increased from 13 million in 2001 to more than 19 million last year.

In September 2009, Mr Basche said Airtrain patronage had increased by 11 per cent to a record 1,889,549 people, an extra 250,000 passengers from the previous year.

At the same time, the company's profit increased 53 per cent to $7.4 million.

Airtrain and Translink today confirmed commuters are paying up to $5.70 too much using Go Cards to travel to the airport.

This payment "anomaly" has been in place since 2007, when the Go Card was introduced.

Mr Basche said there could be additional Airtrain services in coming years.

"In the next 12 to 18 months there might be one going at 8.30pm," he said. "As that [service] proves to be worthwhile, we will then move another one forward."

Extra services have been added since Airtrain began in 2001 and the company reviewed passenger numbers every month, Mr Basche said.

Mr Basche said any expansion of Airtrain would depend on Brisbane Airport's growth.

"It all depends on what the airport does. You will probably be aware that this month the flights from Japan dropped off," he said. "At the moment well over 90 per cent of people arriving at the airport are able to catch the train."

Airtrain has a "35-year concession" under a contract with the state government to run the rail connection from Eagle Junction station to the international and domestic airports.

Mr Basche could not elaborate on whether the contract included a clause preventing public transport accessing the airport.

A private bus company provides a shuttle service to all Brisbane hotels and to the Roma Street Transit Centre.

Mr Basche said the company was working towards fixing the payment irregularities

"Translink have acknowledged that anomalies with the fare system and we are keen to see that resolved," he repeatedly said.

"It is not an easy process, but we are trying to fix these variations."

Source: smh.com.au

Noise has been put to bed.  It essential that hours of operation and frequency are improved.  A bit of investment in providing a proper service would be returned many times over.  This is a huge negative for Queenslanders and tourists a like.  It also confirms the general failure mentality that grips public transport in south-east Queensland, further reinforced by the pathetic mode share targets in the Draft Connecting SEQ 2031.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Airtrain told to slash fares

Airtrain told to slash fares
Tony Moore
October 7, 2010

Translink says it is working with Airtrain operators to fix a pricing anomaly.

Transport Minister Rachel Nolan has called on the privately-run Airtrain to slash its fares after it was revealed that commuters were slugged up to an extra $5.70 to use the service from suburban stations.

brisbanetimes.com.au yesterday revealed Go Card commuters were paying extra to take a continuous Airtrain trip to the airport, rather than switch trains or touch off then on at Central Station.

"I note Airtrain has recently repaid their debt, so this would be a perfect opportunity to cut fares for commuters," Ms Nolan said.

"But even if they don't, our Go Card means you can take advantage of Queensland Government subsidised travel for part of your journey, which cuts your fare.

"With paper tickets you couldn't do this, and you had to pay the higher Airtrain fare."

Meanwhile, public transport lobby group Rail Back on Track has repeated its call for Airtrain to be taken over by the state government.

Spokesman Robert Dow called on the government to examine a green subsidy scheme proposed in Airtrain research in 2006.

"The preferred position is that the state government just takes Airtrain over, it is integrated into the Translink network tomorrow, the hours of operation match the rest of the network and the fare structure is exactly the same as the network," Mr Dow said.

"That is just not going to happen."

He said growth at Brisbane Airport and the possibility of Queensland's hosting the 2018 Commonwealth Games should encourage the State Government to consider the green subsidy to boost rail transport to the Gold Coast on a 24-hour basis.

In 2006, Airtrain identified five-year savings from reducing road crashes ($5.7 million), vehicle emissions ($800,000) and fuel savings (10.6 million litres) in a joint study with Queensland University of Technology and University of Queensland.

"If that is extrapolated up until today's environment it could be a real important driver in looking for some subsidy from the government for some additional services outside what Airtrain considers viable," Mr Dow said.

Currently, there are no Airtrain services to or from Brisbane Airport after 8pm.

Airtrain chief executive Chris Basche yesterday said the arrival or departure of 30 to 40 flights from Brisbane Airport after 8pm did not provide enough passengers to cover the cost of extra trains.

However, he predicted one night train would be launched within 12 to 18 months.

Mr Dow said the Queensland Government should be more proactive.

"The Gold Coast is such a rapidly growing tourist and leisure market, it's a 24-hour economy down there," he said.

"That could be southeast Queensland's first-ever 24 hour rail transport corridor."

Mr Dow also warned the Airport Link tunnel - which will ultimately connect the northern suburb of Windsor to the airport - could hurt Airtrain.

"Although they are returning a profit at the moment, with Airport Link coming into play in a few years, it could react quite negatively on them," Mr Dow said.

Airport Link includes a bus tunnel (the Northern Busway) and sources suggest there will be moves to provide buses to the airport.

Airtrain began in 2001, received its first profits in 2005 and posted a modest $7.4 million profit in 2009.

Airtrain's patronage by 2009 grew by 11 per cent to a record 1,889,549 people, an extra 250,000 passengers from the previous year.

The Airport Link toll project begins in mid-2012.

[ozbob]

Published South West News 13th October 2010 letter to the editor

Brisbane airport rail is world's worst

[#Metro]

Airtrain is back in the news today, after the big stink in the media...

Minister questions Airtrain's monopoly
Tony Moore
October 13, 2010 - 12:47PM

Transport Minister Rachel Nolan could break Airtrain's public transport monopoly of direct airport services if the private company does not add extra services.

Ms Nolan will meet with Airtrain officials next week to discuss their failure to provide rail services from Brisbane Airport after 8pm.

In a media statement announcing the record profit Airtrain chairman Mike Pelly said Airtrain was "the shining light of transport infrastructure projects in Brisbane".

"Airtrain will increase its dividend by 10 per cent to $2.75 per share and this increase is just one way of expressing gratitude to our long-suffering shareholders who invested over $220 million more than 10 years ago," Mr Pelly said.

[#Metro]

The problem with the "it cost the government nothing to build line" is that $220 million is actually quite low, especially compared to other projects such as the Eastern Busway, where 1km of busway is going to cost $465 million, or even the cost of 1km of railway which is roughly about $100-160 million/km in Brisbane

The private consortium may well be turning a profit and have paid for the line, however, what is unseen is the forgone benefits to the public which is:

1. Waiting time at the train platform, equivalent to the value of time x time waiting summed up over all passengers that use the service.

2. The 'option value' of a service that runs later

3. Lost benefits to the community in terms of congestion avoided, air pollution, traffic accidents avoided and traffic on the road avoided.

4. Personal losses to Queenslanders by having to pay $50+ for a taxi out of the airport or large fees to exit the terminal.

These things are very real, had congestion been lower, perhaps the business cases for building road projects in the local area- Airport Link and The Gateway motorway upgrade and the Kingsford Smith Drive double deck underground tunnel may not have been so strong at all.

I do not see private operation or even ownership as necessarily bad. Not at all. TransLink contracts private bus services, for instance, and as I understand it (correct if wrong) the operators own the vehicles. The problem happens when you have vertical integration where the owner is also the operator and they set their own timetable.

A private company will only run profitable services (i.e. where the marginal cost at least equals the marginal benefit).
If the service does not run profits, the service is simply not run. Simple.

[somebody]

The problem with the "it cost the government nothing to build line" is that $220 million is actually quite low,

Indeed, but if it had been built as a state project, who says that it would have a better service?  It may have Translink fares, which would probably be a good thing though.

[#Metro]

IMHO the government botched the privatisation/contracting of the Airtrain because it didn't seem to specify the service levels.
The second thing is there seems to be this focus on "no subsidy required"-- which is almost like a gimmick IMHO, because the purpose of a railway is to transport people and be convenient.

The low subsidy/no subsidy is a secondary goal to the main goal- to get people moving.

Railways have high fixed and capital costs, which is why they are in government operation.
It also explains why the private taxi and buses can provide services to the airport and not have to be regulated under TransLink or get direct subsidy. (A keen eye will also notice that the private taxi and buses run on subsidised public roads, whose operators do not have to directly build and maintain themselves).

[#Metro]

This commenter hit the nail on the head:

"the shining light of transport infrastructure projects in Brisbane".

Really? Is that because it makes a huge profit, but doesn't actually do what it is supposed to, which is get people to and from the Airport when there are FLIGHTS.
And, it's not just after 8pm they need to look at, it's before 7:00am as well. This might come as a shock to Airtrain, but there are flights in the early morning as well!
Womb8t | Nundah - October 13, 2010, 1:32PM

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/travel/minister-questions-airtrains-monopoly-20101013-16iqr.html#comments

(And before anyone asks, no that is not my comment.)

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Minister questions Airtrain's monopoly

Minister questions Airtrain's monopoly
Tony Moore
October 13, 2010 - 12:47PM

Transport Minister Rachel Nolan could break Airtrain's public transport monopoly of direct airport services if the private company does not add extra services.

Ms Nolan will meet with Airtrain officials next week to discuss their failure to provide rail services from Brisbane Airport after 8pm.

Between 30 and 40 flights arriving and departing from the airport after 8pm on any night of the week.

Ms Nolan said she understood Airtrain's had a monopoly on direct public transport services to both terminals as a condition of their contract.

However, she said she had sought legal advice from Translink about the possibility of being able to provide public buses to the airport outside Airtrain operating times.

"That is the written advice I will receive before I provide a comment on that, but my understanding is that when Airtrain was established one of the circumstances in which they were established was that they essentially have free run to the airport," she said.

"My understanding is that given that was the deal, they have investment decisions on that basis, so it would be difficult to change that.

"So my question is: 'can we provide alternative public transport services when Airtrain is not operating?'."

Ms Nolan said she wanted to talk about the frequency of trains provided by Airtrain, among a raft of issues.

"Obviously a more comprehensive service is better, and the government's view is that we would like to see them with the most comprehensive service that is possible," she said.

"I understand that they have to weigh up their own commercial realities and they are a 'for profit' business."

Ms Nolan said she did not intend to ask Airtrain for something that "sends them broke".

Airtrain yesterday unveiled a $10.028 million profit for 2009-10 and confirmed it had paid off its debts 10 years ahead of schedule.

In a media statement announcing the record profit Airtrain chairman Mike Pelly said Airtrain was "the shining light of transport infrastructure projects in Brisbane".

"Airtrain will increase its dividend by 10 per cent to $2.75 per share and this increase is just one way of expressing gratitude to our long-suffering shareholders who invested over $220 million more than 10 years ago," Mr Pelly said.

Airtrain chief executive Chris Basche last week told brisbanetimes.com.au that it was too expensive to add extra services, but said Airtrain would look again in 18 months.

"In the next 12 to 18 months there might be one going at 8.30pm," Mr Basche said.

"As that [service] proves to be worthwhile, we will then move another one forward."

Mr Basche said there was not enough passengers on flights after 8pm to make it worthwhile for Airtrain to run extra trains.

Airtrain receives no government funding from the state government.

[ozbob]

 

[#Metro]

Here's the clincher:

"I understand that they have to weigh up their own commercial realities and they are a 'for profit' business."

Ms Nolan said she did not intend to ask Airtrain for something that "sends them broke".

[ozbob]

Airtrain need to lift their game to loss lead to be the preferred option for transport to and from the Airport. Competition is coming, now is the time.

15 minute 5am to 8pm, 30 minute to 11pm.  Reduce fare to $8 and drop the rip-off single journey sting.  Do that and patronage will boom.

Far better to have 500 pax at $8 than 50 pax at $15?  Don't you think ??

[somebody]

Airtrain need to lift their game to loss lead to be the preferred option for transport to and from the Airport. Competition is coming, now is the time.

15 minute 5am to 8pm, 30 minute to 11pm.  Reduce fare to $8 and drop the rip-off single journey sting.  Do that and patronage will boom.

Far better to have 500 pax at $8 than 50 pax at $15?  Don't you think ??

Yes, but at the ~5k pax/day current usage they have roughly 10% of this market, I think.  No need to have earlier services as you cannot connect on to it.  And in fact only from the Caboolture line can you connect on to the current first service.

I also only really see the need for the 15 minute service once domestic flights start arriving.  International flights arriving 6am-7:30am?  Well, there would be a few such as QF & VA from LAX.  I guess some others.  Perhaps as a loss leader to build up confidence in the service.

[ozbob]

Lot of pax early from CBD as well.   Yes, they need to be aggressive and get the market share.

Domestics start arriving shortly after 5am.  Internationals varies but usually by 6am.

[somebody]

Today's Scheduled Arrivals until 8am, International:
00:40 - EK432 from SIN
06:40 - EK434 from DXB
06:45 - SQ235 from SIN
06:50 - QF052 from SIN
06:45 - KE123 from ICN
06:50 - NZ201 from CHC
07:10 - VA008 from LAX
07:15 - JQ172 from CHC
07:45 - QF116 from AKL
07:50 - DJ187 from AKL

Domestic:
05:20 - DJ473 from PER
05:30 - QF652 from PER
06:30 - DJ901 from SYD
06:30 - JQ480 from NTL
06:35 - QF502 from SYD
06:45 - JQ810 from SYD
07:00 - 08:00 10 flights from out of state + 7 flights from QLD

Must be daylight saving in the southern states.

start to 15 minute frequency somewhere between 6:30am and 7am is really the earliest I can see, and that will largely be an "Airtrain" in winter.

[ozbob]

You are forgetting about pax heading out for early flights outbound, as well as pax going out to meet planes etc.  If they are going to run a proper service it needs to be early and late, also workers.  If the culture is to change it is has to a real option.  5am first service Roma St to BNE and then 15 minutes there after.  There are planned increases in flights as well coming.  Tomorrow earlier international flights inbound.

eg departs mondays BNE domestic early

DJ900   Sydney-Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD)   18th Oct 05:00   ----   ----
Virgin Blue / Pacific Blue   DJ302   Melbourne-Tullamarine Airport (MEL)   18th Oct 05:00   ----   ----
Qantas   QF501   Sydney-Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD)   18th Oct 05:00   ----   ----
Virgin Blue / Pacific Blue   DJ1384   Adelaide-Airport (ADL)   18th Oct 05:30   ----   ----
Virgin Blue / Pacific Blue   DJ1206   Canberra (CBR)   18th Oct 05:30   ----   ----
Virgin Blue / Pacific Blue   DJ904   Sydney-Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD)   18th Oct 05:30   ----   ----
Virgin Blue / Pacific Blue   DJ304   Melbourne-Tullamarine Airport (MEL)   18th Oct 06:00   ----   ----
Virgin Blue / Pacific Blue   DJ908   Sydney-Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD)   18th Oct 06:00   ----   ----
Virgin Blue / Pacific Blue   DJ1231   Rockhampton (ROK)   18th Oct 06:00   ----   ----
Jetstar   JQ481   Newcastle-Williamtown Airport (NTL)   18th Oct 06:00   ----   -


Also International outbound.  Pax advised to be at BNE at least 2 hours before departure

eg Monday

QF6014Z   Sydney-Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD)   18th Oct 08:00   ----   ----
Air New Zealand   NZ132   Auckland (AKL)   18th Oct 08:25   ----   ----
Emirates   EK434   Auckland (AKL)   18th Oct 08:25   ----   ----
Virgin Blue / Pacific Blue   DJ175   Nadi (NAN)   18th Oct 08:40   ----   ----
Qantas   QF115   Auckland (AKL)   18th Oct 08:40   ----   ----
American Airlines   AA7353   Auckland (AKL)   18th Oct 08:40   ----   ----
British Airways   BA7333   Auckland (AKL)   18th Oct 08:40   ----   ----

Plenty of potential pax if the service is there ...

[ozbob]

Sky bus has a 24 hour operation to / from Southern Cross.    It is not a problem to pre-book as no matter what happens you can get a bus every 10 minutes or less frequently in the wee hours ..   Times I have used it some extra buses to the timetable are used as loadings surge at peak times as well.

http://www.skybus.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/skybus_timetable_spencerst-webready20103.pdf

[somebody]

I am ignoring those heading for outbound flights.  This is because my view is that these people are far more willing to wait than those coming inbound.  And also the lack of connecting services on better than 30 minute frequency at 6am.

Note: All those outbound flights to NSW/VIC/SA/ACT would be 1 hour later in winter.

Your correct about the 2 hour recommended check in.  These things are just getting more annoying.  Why not 6 hours?

Yes, Skybus now have a pretty good service.  10 years ago it was a bit dodgy, with only a base 30 minute frequency.