Press Release from Andrew Powell, MP and Member for Glass House

[Fares_Fair]

Tracy Davis MP
Shadow Minister for Public Transport
Member for Aspley

Andrew Powell MP
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health,
Drug Strategy and Health Personnel
Member for Glass House

3 December 2010

Sunshine Coast commuters call for a rethink on new rail timetable
Sunshine Coast commuters facing earlier starts and later returns under the revised rail timetable are encouraged to register their concerns at a Translink forum on Saturday.

Newly appointed LNP Shadow Minister for Public Transport Tracy Davis will join Member for Glass House Andrew Powell at the community consultation forum in Nambour tomorrow.

Ms Davis said the new timetable failed to take into account common start and finish times for Sunshine Coast residents who used the train to commute to work in Brisbane.

"Commuters who catch these train services have been neglected by this long-term Labor Government for a long time.

"Now Translink's new timetable will actually lengthen their journeys and force commuters to catch earlier trains in the morning and later trains in the evening."

Problems with the timetable identified by commuters and Rail Back on Track include:

•   The 5:16pm Nambour service now departs Central Station at 5:04pm, which means office workers finishing work at 5pm cannot catch this service.
•   The current 5:43pm service has been moved back to a 5:47pm departure time. This means commuters who already have the longest haul in the entire network face a 45 minute longer wait to catch their train home.
•   The morning Nambour service that currently arrives at Central at 8:16am will arrive at 8:26am, allowing workers who start at 8:30am no time to get to work. This problem also occurs with the 7:42am/8:02am service.
•   Reducing the number of stations bypassed on express services from 20 to 13 on most morning services has added to travel time.
•   A two hour gap between Nambour services on weeknights.

"Sunshine Coast commuters have the longest journeys on the rail network," Ms Davis said.

"Changes to the timetable have a huge impact on commuters who rely on this service for getting to and from work.

"If the Bligh Labor Government wants to encourage South East Queenslanders onto public transport, they have to ensure that our trains are user friendly — appropriate timetables are a big part of this."

Mr Powell, who has the majority of Sunshine Coast railway stations in his electorate, has sponsored an epetition and a paper petition to preserve the current timetable.

"There are a limited number of services running north of Caboolture, these should be as convenient as possible for Sunshine Coast commuters," Mr Powell said.

"If it is too hard for commuters to catch the earlier or later trains, people will elect to drive to Brisbane instead.

"It is in everyone's interest to have a train timetable that encourages commuters to use the service.

"Minister Nolan should listen to Sunshine Coast commuters' concerns and help them arrive in Brisbane at a reasonable time to start work, and return home with minimal delay."

Commuters are encouraged to attend the community consultation session at the Nambour Community Centre, Cnr Shearer and James streets from 10am to 12pm on Saturday or share their concerns at http://ow.ly/3j97L

The epetition can be signed at http://ow.ly/3j97k

[ozbob]

 

[Stillwater]

This is a positive outcome -- to see the shadow minister taking time to get her head around this issue at a grass roots level.  A good start.

[Stillwater]

The e-petition promoted by Andrew Powell, the Member for Glass House, about the proposed timetable changes on Sunshine Coast Line has attracted around 200 signatures, which is a number that seems out of kilter with the extent of public anger at the move.  A check of the wording reveals perhaps why.  The petition calls for restoration of the current timetable on the Caboolture and Nambour lines.  SC rail commuters are seeking a better service than at present, not merely retention of the status quo.  Lack of response to a poorly worded petition should not be taken as evidence of complacency on this issue.

[Fares_Fair]

Response received from Hon. Rachel Nolan MP, Transport Minister to Andrew Powell's letter of 26th November, 2010 re: the proposed draft 2011 timetable for the Sunshine Coast [MiD (thats Mentioned in Dispatches) here]


The Transport Minister's letter received by us today notes the feedback received to date
and says both QR and TTA "are investigating several opportunities to improve the timetable to better meet customer's needs."

The Minister also states that "these are valid concerns customers have raised."

This is a significant concession in that the feedback has been acknowledged
(this is after the release of the draft timetable) and concerns raised are stated as valid by the Minister.

I am quietly confident of (perhaps) a better outcome for us.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[ozbob]

Hi Fares Fair,

The direct attachment is not enabled due to security concerns.

You can use a file share service and post that link  eg.   https://www.easy-share.com/

But if it is a private letter it might not be wise to publish it, a few extracts is fine.

[Fares_Fair]

G'Day Bob,

Thanks for the quick reply.

It's a letter in reply to "Andrew's constituents", and is not personal in that regard.
I was one of the constituents behind it of course.

IMHO, It would be safe to provide for any other constituents to view.
It has already been released by Andrew Powell's office to a number of his constituents.
I can see no reason why it could not go on the public record.

I'll stick with the most notable quotes for now (undert the KISS scenario).

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[#Metro]

Always best to ask IMHO.