Sunshine Coast Line draft 2011 timetable feedback thread

[ozbob]

now that is an iconic icon ...  

I shall have to attach it to all my posts from here on in !

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

Please do ...  

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http://backontrack.org/images/nambour/up.gif

[Fares_Fair]

Thanks Bob,
I would only add ... NOW. 

Regards,
Fares_Fair

[ozbob]

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[img]http://backontrack.org/images/nambour/up.gif[/img]

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You can make more here --> http://wenpigsfly.org/ss2/index.php

[Fares_Fair]

G'Day Bob,

Thank you very much. It's great.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[#Metro]

[Fares_Fair]

well done TT,

I'm getting prices on a helicopter service. 
It'd only take 25 min's on a Bell Jet Ranger helicopter from Nambour to Brisbane.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[#Metro]

All I am pointing out is that if you ask for a cheaper ticket price, you may well get it, but you will still have bad service frequencies that make the line next to unusable.

Better to ask for more services IMHO make sure that you get your fair share of improvements.
If the fares go up, the services should go up too.

In regards to urban form, density, distance from central station and location of rail facilities, the Gold Coast is an appropriate yardstick to measure against IMHO. Fares are also going up on the GC but they have trains every 15 minutes in peak hour and they are all day Express. The Sunshine Coast doesn't have that.

Despite their similarities, rail services on the Gold Coast vs Sunshine Coast are worlds apart.

[Fares_Fair]

I'm not sure where you get that summation about me asking for cheaper tickets, I'm merely pointing out that PT is what our taxes are supposed to pay for, i.e. services for the constituents.
User pays scenarios, which are all the rage now, do not take into account that we all do pay twice.

I agree with you TT.

The point I make is that under the current scenario of the 15% p.a. price increases our services are NOT improving, nor are they likely to until at least 2031 and that's only if the State Government funds it.

The services cannot improve until the duplication of the line from Beerburrum to Nambour occurs or better stabling facilities are provided somewhere up our way. Hard to do with only a single track.

Their record for the proposed duplication of the Sunshine Coast line is indeed dismal and hope is fading.
We need the duplication now!

I agree with you regarding the Gold Coast, but one should also take into account population densities to make a fair comparison. It'd be worth checking what the %(ages) are compared to services.

We currently have 25 Rail bus services on the Sunshine Coast line, soon to be reduced to 19 in the draft 2011 timetable. How many does the Gold Coast line have?
Answer = 0.
What does that say about our Sunshine Coast line - that it is at maximum capacity and can only be serviced by less than time-efficient Rail bus services (currently 25, soon to be 19. An improvement, yes). The State Government's response is to do nothing but delay it until 2031 or beyond.

It's appalling.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[#Metro]

I agree with you regarding the Gold Coast, but one should also take into account population densities to make a fair comparison. It'd be worth checking what the %(ages) are compared to services.

The density of the Sunshine Coast is 800 persons/km2 (2006 statistical data)
Brisbane is 900 persons/km2
Gold Coast is 1000 persons/km2

Source: www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf  (PS: Demographia is Anti-planning, anti-public transport!)

The data is taken by defining the built up area irrespective of boundaries, then finding out how many people lived in that area using statistical info.

However, I want to say something about density. For too long it has been used as a smokescreen and an excuse and misused IMHO.
This whole density thing is more of an argument that appears on the road lobby side of things. The Sunshine Coast is a linear city. The city is also not uniformly dense as the statistic would imply either- there are very built up areas nearer to the coastal areas. The third thing is, if you can get a feeder bus to round up passengers and feed them into the rail station, then you can overcome the problem of not enough people living within the walk up radius of the station. Finally, without trains and stations you are not going to get TOD, so the no-PT, no-density-no PT-cycle cannot be broken.

This is the case with both the Mandurah line in Perth and the Gold Coast line. The Gold Coast line is very very far from the main, very dense strip where all the people are. People have to be brought in on buses and in cars to the line. That is how it achieves high patronage.

Density is easy to blame because it is impersonal and no-body's fault. You can have all the density in the world; if good PT services are not provided, the PT mode share will be low. The spectacular increases in BUZ patronage cannot be explained by density or population increases simply because the increases occur within a timeframe that is far too short ~3 months-12 months, whereas the timeframe it takes to build a house or move house is far far in excess of this.

[#Metro]

The Sunshine Coast Line has so much potential. It is the next Mandurah line, in waiting really.

[Otto]

Just one word can sum up the service level of the Sunny Coast Line..

pathetic

[Fares_Fair]

I agree with you regarding the Gold Coast, but one should also take into account population densities to make a fair comparison. It'd be worth checking what the %(ages) are compared to services.

Thank you for the statistics TT, it is interesting to note. 
I phrased my line poorly, what I meant was population comparison of Gold Coast to Sunshine Coast, compared as a %age of services.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[#Metro]

No need to apologise  
Mandurah is something like 67 000 (urban centre/locality), and it has trains every 15 minutes, despite being something like 70km out from Perth.


http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=UCL516800&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401

[Fares_Fair]

Thanks TT  

Sunshine Coast population hit 323,400 at 30 June 2009.
Gold Coast population 515,200 at 30 June 2009.
(Source: ABS 3218.0 - Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2008-09)

So we were 62.77% of their population at 30 June 2009.
Do we have 62.77% of their services is the golden question?

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[ozbob]

Timetable Information Session

Saturday 4 December    10am to 12pm    Nambour Community Centre, Cnr of Shearer and James Streets, Nambour

[ozbob]

I plan to attend the session at Nambour as a sign of support for the Sunshine Coast Line commuters.

6.29am Service ex Central.  I don't think I will be in the quiet carriage as whenever I read the Sunshine Coast timetable I want to scream!   

[Fares_Fair]

Thank you Bob,

We Sunshine Coasters sincerely appreciate your support.
I'll be there too.

I signed a petition today against the 2011 timetable changes, they have collected approx. 450 signatures thus far. There is much controlled anger about what they propose to do to Sunshine Coast commuters.

QR's inaugural newsletter the Caboolture/Sunshine Coast update Issue 1 November 2010
says The times are changing.  
TRANSlink says it's a draft.  
"A Translink representative said the timetable had been released in draft form so commuters could provide feedback."
From Sunshine Coast Daily story: Changes to timetable blasted., 19th November, 2010.

Where is the truth ?

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[STB]

Fare's Fair, it definately is a draft timetable.  What you see on it currently is highly unlikely to be what it will be once it's implemented.

[Fares_Fair]

Hello STB,

I'm hopeful it will be changed to take into account our concerns and increased length of our days.
But what makes you think that ?

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[Gazza]

It's funny what a joke the differences between the Saturday and Sunday timetables are. The only real difference there needs to be is more late night services on Saturday to accommodate people clubbing.

Why is it on a Sunday, trains run hourly at 8am, yet half hourly at 10pm? Do they honestly think that more demand for travel exists on a Sunday night than there is on a Sunday morning 

Heaven help anyone who works early on Sunday, or who wants to make a early start on their Sunday outing, or plays sport, or.....

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

2nd December 2010

Sunshine Coast Line in Crisis

Greetings,

All Sunshine Coast Commuters and community minded citizens are reminded that there is a Community Information Session concerning the draft rail timetables in Nambour on Saturday 4th December.  Venue  Nambour Community Centre, Corner of Shearer and James Streets, Nambour, 10am to 12noon.

For your information:

Sunshine Coast population hit 323,400 at 30 June 2009.
Gold Coast population 515,200 at 30 June 2009.
(Source: ABS 3218.0 - Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2008-09)

So the the Sunshine Coast has 62.77% of their population at 30 June 2009.

Do they have 62.77% of their services?  No they don't. the present commuter rail service on the Sunshine Coast line is actually a national disgrace.

A little bit of timetable tweaking is needed on the draft timetable, but the fundamental issue is the major neglect of timely progressive infrastructure upgrades.

We now question the ability of policy planners in the Department of Main Roads and Transport as to their capability.  The Sunshine Coast line is testament to failed planning over a long period.

What is needed is the immediate recommencement of the duplication from Beerburrum to Landsborough, with additional track upgrades between Landsborough and Nambour to allow time and cost effective passing of trains.  Proper stabling facilities need to established at Yandina.  Forget stop gap solutions get it right for goodness sake.  We are tired of the mediocrity, is after all OUR MONEY that is being squandered.  Stabling established at Yandina would allow Nambour station to be fixed up with additional platforms.  The money to be spent on Nambour station for a cosmetic tart up beggars belief.   What is needed is the removal of the stabling at Nambour and a proper station upgrade, to capture the commercial value of the precinct.  It is not rocket science.

There is no doubt the Sunshine Coast commuters do have a valid axe to grind.

Continued arrogance and non performance will no doubt be rewarded down the track.

Best wishes
Robert

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

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

Media release 23 November 2010 re-released 2 December 2010

SEQ: New timetable for the Sunshine Coast line leaves commuters behind

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 has said the draft 2011 timetable for the Sunshine Coast line needs major revisions and additions (1,2,3).

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"RAIL Back On Track has long been concerned with the poor rail service north of Caboolture (1).  The draft Sunshine Coast line timetable does nothing to ease those concerns (2).  In some respects the draft timetable is actually worse for commuters than the present one.  This is not acceptable.

Major issues identified are:

1. Moving the 5:16pm Nambour service ex Central back to 5:04pm means no 5pm office worker can catch it.

2. Moving the  current afternoon 5:43pm service to later still (5:47pm) for the longest haul commuters in the entire network, so that there is now a 50% longer (3/4 hour) gap between this and the previous (5:04pm) service.

3. Moving  the morning service such that it used to arrive in the CBD from Nambour at 8:16am now arrives at 8:26am with no time for an 8:30am starter to get to work in time.

4. Moving  the morning service such that it used to arrive in the CBD from Nambour at 7:42am now arrives at 8:02am with no time for an 8:00am starter to get to work in time.

5. Reducing the express pattern from 20 stations by passed down to 13 on most services to those who travel furthest and by far the longest, with two services (during peak times) in each direction which only pass 9 stations.

6. Failure to schedule a Nambour service from Central each weeknight between the 7.34pm and 9.34pm services. This is a two hour gap!  A Nambour service is needed to depart Central at 8.34pm.

7. A failure to guarantee trains with toilets on all services north of Caboolture. The Sunshine Coast line should have the priority for IMU trains.

"The new early morning services out of Nambour at 5:10am and 5:38am (which replace the current 5:26am) are welcomed by those who need to arrive in the CBD early, by 7:02am and 7:36am respectively.  The extension of the weekday Cooroy service to Gympie North also means that there are now two daily return services to Gympie North Mondays to Fridays."

"It is critical to note that the limited number of rail services north of Caboolture means that those services that are available need to be very carefully timed to ensure the maximum utility to commuters.  The draft 2011 timetable does not do that."

"In the medium term, another innovation that would allow even more frequent services between Brisbane and Nambour on the restricted  'third world' rail infrastructure between Nambour and Beerburrum would be be to put shuttle services on between Nambour and Gympie North.  This would allow a higher frequency of service between Nambour and Gympie North and allow more express services south of Nambour as more train paths would be available. The ICE trains would be removed from the peak timetable through the rail choke points and this would then allow more uniform operating patterns hence improved frequency and capacity."

"The failure to continue with the duplication of the railway line from Beerburrum to Landsborough is now impacting severely. Another major transport bungle in south-east Queensland."

References:

1. 10 Oct 2010: Sunshine coast or congestion coast? Please don't miss the train! http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=4615.0

2. http://www.translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/queensland-rail-timetable-changes/caboolture-and-sunshine-coast-line

3. http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=4880.0

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[somebody]

A little bit of timetable tweaking is needed on the draft timetable

Might I suggest that what is required is a complete reversal in philosophy, rather than tweaking?  They shouldn't all stop BH-Northgate.

[Golliwog]

A little bit of timetable tweaking is needed on the draft timetable

Might I suggest that what is required is a complete reversal in philosophy, rather than tweaking?  They shouldn't all stop BH-Northgate.

But if you don't have the same pattern there then the overall capacity of the whole Petri/Caboolture/Nambour line is reduced. Yes they could run the all-stopps on the suburbans with the Shornecliff line but one of the main ideas behind the timetable change is to seperate the IPS-CAB corridor from the rest of the network. I think until they put extra tracks through there (or the Trouts Rd line) its going to be a case of tough love. I agree that the Nambour line should get the "good" time slots due to their limited number of services, but I agree with QR's timetable rationale of maximising the through put of the line.

[somebody]

I think you may have answered your own question!

Besides, I do not think they are planning on pushing the Shorncliffe trains through the suburbans, they'll keep them on the mains.  That explains the reason for the exceedingly long dwell at FV/BH for the AM peak inbound train from Gympie North.

I'm fairly convinced that conflicting moves at Northgate cannot be eliminated in the PM peak, unless I'm very much mistaken.  You also have conflicting moves in numerous other places.  Not that I am in favour of conflicting moves, but saying that you can't do X because it has conflicting moves isn't valid.  I catalogued the conflicting moves in one thread if you are interested.

[Arnz]

I do personally think the peak-hour Nambour (and Gympie) trains, departing Nambour between 6am and 7am (arriving Central between 7:44 and 8:48am) and departing Roma Street between 5pm and 6pm should be treated as it's own sector by running on the suburbans.  

The current timings should be kept, but this would mean switching around some Caboolture trains (on the draft timetable) to make it happen and/or having to extend a afternoon Petrie train to fill that gap vacated by the early 5pm service.

The current trains leaving Nambour at 6:00am, 6:27am and 7:03am, arriving Central at 7:44am, 8:16am and 8:48am should be kept as is, but will be arriving on the suburbans instead of the mains.  As for the afternoon peak between 5pm and 6pm, the current trains leaving Central at 5:16pm and 5:44pm should be operating on the suburbans (eg Departing Platform 3/4 at Central instead of Platform 6)

[somebody]

I do personally think the peak-hour Nambour (and Gympie) trains, departing Nambour between 6am and 7am (arriving Central between 7:44 and 8:48am) and departing Roma Street between 5pm and 6pm should be treated as it's own sector by running on the suburbans.  

That would only make sense with some flyovers.  Otherwise it would be a conflicting move nightmare.  Caboolture/Nambour line trains on the suburbans, and Shorncliffe line trains on the mains???

[BrizCommuter]

I do personally think the peak-hour Nambour (and Gympie) trains, departing Nambour between 6am and 7am (arriving Central between 7:44 and 8:48am) and departing Roma Street between 5pm and 6pm should be treated as it's own sector by running on the suburbans.  

The current timings should be kept, but this would mean switching around some Caboolture trains (on the draft timetable) to make it happen and/or having to extend a afternoon Petrie train to fill that gap vacated by the early 5pm service.

The current trains leaving Nambour at 6:00am, 6:27am and 7:03am, arriving Central at 7:44am, 8:16am and 8:48am should be kept as is, but will be arriving on the suburbans instead of the mains.  As for the afternoon peak between 5pm and 6pm, the current trains leaving Central at 5:16pm and 5:44pm should be operating on the suburbans (eg Departing Platform 3/4 at Central instead of Platform 6)

So then every line on the QR CityTrain network will then have to fit their timetables around the needs of Sunshine Coast commuters?

[somebody]

So then every line on the QR CityTrain network will then have to fit their timetables around the needs of Sunshine Coast commuters?

It works that way for the Gold Coast (well, almost).

[Fridge]

I'm really only interested in travel between Caboolture and Nambour on weekdays. I will have a look at the weekend services a little later.

My first issue in the waiting time in Caboolture for the connection between the all stations train and the Nambour train for both directions, heading south, most times waiting for the connection is about 10 mins which is acceptable.  Heading North the waiting times for connection in Caboolture range from 12 - 19 mins which is completely unacceptable.

Second, it's good the Friday night only southbound service has been extended to all weeknights.  There should be more late night southbound services. Many uni students cannot travel home if they have a class that finishes after 6pm with the current southbound timetable.

Third, the time it takes to travel between Caboolture and Nambour has been made more consistent than before heading south, the time between the quickest service and the slowest service has reduced from 34mins to 12 mins, thanks to the fact that the 2 services that takes >80mins are no longer but it appears that most services travel a few minutes longer.  Heading North, there is not much change between the time between fastest and slowest but the majority travel a few minutes quicker than before.

Fourth, why are the extra Gympie North Services bunched with the following service? can't they be spread out a bit more?   


So in general I have 1 tick, 2 crosses and 1 ? for the draft Sunshine Coast timetable so far.

[Arnz]

So then every line on the QR CityTrain network will then have to fit their timetables around the needs of Sunshine Coast commuters?

Like Somebody said, QR already does it to some extent for the Gold Coast Line (eg gimp the other lines to suit GC commuters) .  I remember the last time they sent 15 minute counter-peak trains from the Gold Coast via Tennyson to Milton for Gold Coast Titans football final at Suncorp, it gimped (delayed) all Beenleigh peak-hour trains as a result.

To a lesser extent Gympie North is already excluded from sectorisation.  Throwing in 1 train to Nambour in the afternoon peak and 2 trains ex-Nambour in the morning peak into the sectorisation exclusion won't hurt that much either, It will however require shuffling trains on the Caboolture line around. 

All other Nambour trains that are part of the "sectorisation", namely off-peak/weekend and all other peak trains (outside of the sectorisation excluded 6am-7am and 5pm-6pm departures) would continue to stop all stations to Northgate in this suggestion.

[STB]

Hello STB,

I'm hopeful it will be changed to take into account our concerns and increased length of our days.
But what makes you think that ?

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

Because I know those guys (the Planners) very well and they are genuine in taking on board feedback and altering service times if they fit.  They are completely aware of the various sensitivities passengers have with trains departing at certain times and will attempt to accommodate as long as there are train paths available and it's also easier to manage operationally during unexpected disruptions, hence the idea of stopping all trains between Northgate and Bowen Hills.

[Fares_Fair]

Thanks for that STB,

I sincerely hope that they do.
My worry is what were their directives in preparing this timetable (and were those directives from TRANSLink, or the Transport Minister) and what will the new directives be - if any.
How could they get it soo wrong for Sunshine Coasters.

The last time I sensed a depth of feeling (almost anger) this strong was against the 23% GoCard increases almost 3 years ago.

We currently have 25 daily Rail buses (Caboolture - Nambour and vice-versa) to service our line !
We currently have 27 daily services from Nambour - Roma St. (not incl. the Rail buses).
They represent almost 50% of our services.

The only other line in the entire network with them is Doomben !!
Gold Coast has zip, zero, zilch. No offence to Gold Coasters, but that is what it is.

A Rail bus takes 1 1/2 hours to go from Nambour to Caboolture. (a 30 minute drive .. treble the time)
What does that tell us about the North Coast Line in 2010 ?

The government has no plans to duplicate anything until 2031 and that's an unfunded maybe.
The arrival and departure times are truly diabolical for us.

I have met one of the schedulers, Graham S in a CRG and I do not doubt what you say.
It's who or what that directs them that I am concerned about.

Thank you for your reply.  

Regards,
Fares_Fair

[#Metro]

A Rail bus takes 1 1/2 hours to go from Nambour to Caboolture. (a 30 minute drive .. treble the time)
What does that tell us about the North Coast Line in 2010 ?

I agree- even with the world's best scheduling, they cannot put trains on tracks that don't exist yet.
The tracks must exist first.

CAMCOS will unlock the patronage.

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

3rd December 2010

Greetings,

All Sunshine Coast Commuters and community minded citizens are reminded that there is a Community Information Session concerning the draft rail timetables in Nambour on Saturday 4th December.  Venue  Nambour Community Centre, Corner of Shearer and James Streets, Nambour, 10am to 12noon.

Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

On 2/12/2010 2:43 AM, RAIL Back On Track Admin wrote:

Greetings,

All Sunshine Coast Commuters and community minded citizens are reminded that there is a Community Information Session concerning the draft rail timetables in Nambour on Saturday 4th December.  Venue  Nambour Community Centre, Corner of Shearer and James Streets, Nambour, 10am to 12noon.

For your information:

Sunshine Coast population hit 323,400 at 30 June 2009.
Gold Coast population 515,200 at 30 June 2009.
(Source: ABS 3218.0 - Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2008-09)

So the the Sunshine Coast has 62.77% of the Gold Coast population at 30 June 2009.

Do they have 62.77% of the Gold Coast services?  No they don't. the present commuter rail service on the Sunshine Coast line is actually a national disgrace.

A little bit of timetable tweaking is needed on the draft timetable, but the fundamental issue is the major neglect of timely progressive infrastructure upgrades.

We now question the ability of policy planners in the Department of Main Roads and Transport as to their capability.  The Sunshine Coast line is testament to failed planning over a long period.

What is needed is the immediate recommencement of the duplication from Beerburrum to Landsborough, with additional track upgrades between Landsborough and Nambour to allow time and cost effective passing of trains.  Proper stabling facilities need to established at Yandina.  Forget stop gap solutions get it right for goodness sake.  We are tired of the mediocrity, is after all OUR MONEY that is being squandered.  Stabling established at Yandina would allow Nambour station to be fixed up with additional platforms.  The money to be spent on Nambour station for a cosmetic tart up beggars belief.   What is needed is the removal of the stabling at Nambour and a proper station upgrade, to capture the commercial value of the precinct.  It is not rocket science.

There is no doubt the Sunshine Coast commuters do have a valid axe to grind.

Continued arrogance and non performance will no doubt be rewarded down the track.

Best wishes
Robert

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

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

Media release 23 November 2010 re-released 2 December 2010

SEQ: New timetable for the Sunshine Coast line leaves commuters behind

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 has said the draft 2011 timetable for the Sunshine Coast line needs major revisions and additions (1,2,3).

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"RAIL Back On Track has long been concerned with the poor rail service north of Caboolture (1).  The draft Sunshine Coast line timetable does nothing to ease those concerns (2).  In some respects the draft timetable is actually worse for commuters than the present one.  This is not acceptable.

Major issues identified are:

1. Moving the 5:16pm Nambour service ex Central back to 5:04pm means no 5pm office worker can catch it.

2. Moving the  current afternoon 5:43pm service to later still (5:47pm) for the longest haul commuters in the entire network, so that there is now a 50% longer (3/4 hour) gap between this and the previous (5:04pm) service.

3. Moving  the morning service such that it used to arrive in the CBD from Nambour at 8:16am now arrives at 8:26am with no time for an 8:30am starter to get to work in time.

4. Moving  the morning service such that it used to arrive in the CBD from Nambour at 7:42am now arrives at 8:02am with no time for an 8:00am starter to get to work in time.

5. Reducing the express pattern from 20 stations by passed down to 13 on most services to those who travel furthest and by far the longest, with two services (during peak times) in each direction which only pass 9 stations.

6. Failure to schedule a Nambour service from Central each weeknight between the 7.34pm and 9.34pm services. This is a two hour gap!  A Nambour service is needed to depart Central at 8.34pm.

7. A failure to guarantee trains with toilets on all services north of Caboolture. The Sunshine Coast line should have the priority for IMU trains.

"The new early morning services out of Nambour at 5:10am and 5:38am (which replace the current 5:26am) are welcomed by those who need to arrive in the CBD early, by 7:02am and 7:36am respectively.  The extension of the weekday Cooroy service to Gympie North also means that there are now two daily return services to Gympie North Mondays to Fridays."

"It is critical to note that the limited number of rail services north of Caboolture means that those services that are available need to be very carefully timed to ensure the maximum utility to commuters.  The draft 2011 timetable does not do that."

"In the medium term, another innovation that would allow even more frequent services between Brisbane and Nambour on the restricted  'third world' rail infrastructure between Nambour and Beerburrum would be be to put shuttle services on between Nambour and Gympie North.  This would allow a higher frequency of service between Nambour and Gympie North and allow more express services south of Nambour as more train paths would be available. The ICE trains would be removed from the peak timetable through the rail choke points and this would then allow more uniform operating patterns hence improved frequency and capacity."

"The failure to continue with the duplication of the railway line from Beerburrum to Landsborough is now impacting severely. Another major transport bungle in south-east Queensland."

References:

1. 10 Oct 2010: Sunshine coast or congestion coast? Please don't miss the train! http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=4615.0

2. http://www.translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/queensland-rail-timetable-changes/caboolture-and-sunshine-coast-line

3. http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=4880.0

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[Fares_Fair]

Thanks Bob,

We really appreciate your efforts to highlight our concerns. 

I have been handing out the draft 2011 timetable and leaflets and a petition on many of our trains.
Response has been absolutely phenomenal, it's extremely encouraging to see the level of support
and depth of feeling over this.

The 15% increases are just salt to the wound.

Having 3 State Government (Opposition) MP's to support our cause is also encouraging.
I can only hope that this government acts on their severe neglect to the Sunshine Coast commuter.
The duplication needs to occur NOW !

Regards,
Fares_fair.

[Stillwater]

The track duplication is needed, and QR documents examining patronage growth and track condition detail the need, but it is unlikely to occur until Queensland gets its AAA credit rating back -- otherwise the cost of borrowing money for new infrastructure at less than AAA-rating is greater.

The focus has been on the dismal passenger train services on the SC Line.  The fact that RailBus handles a proportionally high number of passenger movements is a sign of a line under stress, I would have thought.

A large part of the problem is the conflict between freight and passenger train paths on a single track -- the freight paths must be kept open.  Then there are the tilts and Sunlander etc to push along the track.

Lost in all of this is the fact that the Sunshine Coast and North Coast Lines form part of a road and rail transport network funded by the federal government.  The Bruce Highway improvements are funded almost entirely by the federal government.  In the funding stakes, focus should switch to freight-related improvements (with indirect benefits for passenger rail).

The state government should be working up a case for the federal government to meet its obligation to improve the rail freight component of the national transport network north of Brisbane -- and that means trackwork efficiencies, including duplication.

Mufreight's take on the situation (in another post) was enlightening.  That could be the basis of a plan.  What's good for freight (funded by the FG) is also good for passenger rail in this case.

[Fares_Fair]

couldn't agree more Stillwater,

It is clearly under distress.
Interesting point you make about the Federal Government and it's responsibilities.
That's a line of tack worth pursuing with our Federal MP's.

Thanks,

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[Emu77]

Parliamentary e-Petition

Please note there is a Queensland Parliament e-Petition against the Translink 2011 timetable for the Sunshine Coast. I urge everyone to support this petition & publicise it to the general community; http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/view/EPetitions_QLD/CurrentEPetition.aspx?PetNum=1599&lIndex=-1

[somebody]

Parliamentary e-Petition

Please note there is a Queensland Parliament e-Petition against the Translink 2011 timetable for the Sunshine Coast. I urge everyone to support this petition & publicise it to the general community; http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/view/EPetitions_QLD/CurrentEPetition.aspx?PetNum=1599&lIndex=-1

Sigh.

The petition is to "preserve the current timetable".  Thinking that the present timetable is the best we can do is just as much of a joke as the proposed timetable!

[Fares_Fair]

I see your point, somebody.

We would want to retain the good, e.g. the Gympie North services being 2 daily return services instead of one;
the extra service at 5:10am and 5:38am, in lieu of the current 5:26am service from Nambour.
We don't want to throw the baby out with the dishwater.

What we want is to preserve the current times so that we arrive and depart from the CBD at reasonable hours.
The current timetable is a disaster to our work-life balance which is already under pressure.
Our days are the longest in the entire network.

The "draft" timetable guarantees an added 1 hour to our travel times no matter which end of the day you look at it. I'm sure you know all of this from my, and other SC posts.

We find it beyond belief, that they could schedule the Sunshine Coast services to be 3/4 hour apart at 5pm peak hour.  

Regards,
Fares_Fair.