New Timetables 2011 June

[ELAINE]

from  9:00am  and  3:30pm

[Golliwog]

from  9:00am  and  3:30pm

Oh, the bit with the 4 trains in a box which only have the minutes past the hour but not the hour itself? Its just saving needless repitition within the timetable. Basically they all leave at the same time each hour, so whichever hour you're looking at traveling just put that in front of the minutes and you have the time the train will be at the station.

[ELAINE]

I  when  to  translink web paper and us   journey planner  for  june 6 

[Golliwog]

I  when  to  translink web paper and us   journey planner  for  june 6 

Ok, well the journey planner is working fine for me searching on June 6 for services leaving Darra to Central after 9am. Not sure where the problem is here.

[somebody]

Noticed something extremely odd in the via South Brisbane lines' new timetables.  Seems that the timings are changing from Central - 2 mins - Roma St - 5 mins - South Brisbane to Central - 3 mins - Roma St - 4 mins - South Brisbane.

Why would this be done, and on what planet is Roma St - Central a 3 minute run?

[Fares_Fair]

I believe it is called FAT and it means you can be slower without being late.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[somebody]

Things will get worse heading outbound though, unless they depart Roma St early 

Roma St-South Brisbane is a 1.8km run, and that takes 4.32 minutes at 25km/h.  Really is only faster than that Merivale Bridge-South Brisbane.

[Stillwater]

When the government instructs bureaucrats that the trains must run 'on time', bureaucrats can do strange things, such as making the train journey longer so that the train will have no trouble meeting the timetable. 

If you are a minister, for example, and instruct the department to 'make the hospitals more efficient', they find innovative ways of achieving that outcome:



Then, if you want to coordinate transport modes, you have a departmental sub-committee discuss the possibilities.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on2I1U-F3BY&playnext=1&list=PLD464C7B5CA8DB61E

I note that after spending $80 million on a new health workers payroll system that didn't actually pay the staff, a further $200 million of taxpayer's money was spent fixing the problem, only to discover that, in seeking to compensate for the underpayment to staff, a $60 million overpayment has been made.  Staff will have to pay the money back.

Now, is all that clear?

[#Metro]

Groan.

I have also noticed a speed restriction at Park Road platform one outbound..

[ozbob]

Feedback received, thanks:

If a private company distributed a brochure equivalent to the proposed timetable it could be held legally accountable. By the absence of station names between Bowen Hills and Northgate the implication is that these stations have no significance to travellers using the Sunshine Coast timetable, ie. all the trains listed are express these stations. When one consults the Caboolture timetable it is apparent that very few of the Sunshine Coast trains are express these stations. Even with the omission of these stops on the table, a footnote or asterisk could indicate that the trains do actually stop at these stations. Customers trust the timetable to provide accurate information covering all cases within the control of QR, this timetable does not do this. There may be a very good reason why QR needs to stop trains at these stations, the travelling public deserves to be reliably informed.

[Golliwog]

I understand why those stations have been ommitted, they simply wouldn't fit on the timetable unless you were to make it in tiny font, or make it even bigger. But I do think an asterisk wouldn't be to much to ask for. The only sign I could see that they did stop there was that down the station listing on the left it has "express" written between Northgate and Petrie but not between Northgate and Bowen Hills.

[SurfRail]

I understand why those stations have been ommitted, they simply wouldn't fit on the timetable unless you were to make it in tiny font, or make it even bigger. But I do think an asterisk wouldn't be to much to ask for. The only sign I could see that they did stop there was that down the station listing on the left it has "express" written between Northgate and Petrie but not between Northgate and Bowen Hills.

The information would easily fit if they were in the same format as the bus timetables - like Perth.

[justanotheruser]

I understand why those stations have been ommitted, they simply wouldn't fit on the timetable unless you were to make it in tiny font, or make it even bigger. But I do think an asterisk wouldn't be to much to ask for. The only sign I could see that they did stop there was that down the station listing on the left it has "express" written between Northgate and Petrie but not between Northgate and Bowen Hills.

The information would easily fit if they were in the same format as the bus timetables - like Perth.

whats the website for perth so we can see what it looks like.

[SurfRail]

http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/TimetablesMaps/www.transperth.wa.gov.au/TimeTables/tabid/235/Default.aspx?UserInputServNum=&Direction=outbound&UserInputServiceProvider=&FromLoc=&SchoolBusVehicleType=false&Date=01%2f06%2f2011&find%2btimetables.x=&find%2btimetables.y=&TrainVehicleType=true&FerryVehicleType=false&BusVehicleType=false

Prepare to get very jealous and upset...

[colinw]

That's ok, I have a spew every time I see a Perth timetable.  Trains made in QLD, timetable definitely NOT made in QLD!

[O_128]

WTF, how hard is to make that for brisbane, honestly heads need to roll at QR

[ozbob]

WTF, how hard is to make that for brisbane, honestly heads need to roll at QR  TransLink?

[O_128]

WTF, how hard is to make that for brisbane, honestly heads need to roll at QR  TransLink?

Yep I wasn't sure which writes the timetables.

[Fares_Fair]

Feedback received, thanks:

If a private company distributed a brochure equivalent to the proposed timetable it could be held legally accountable. By the absence of station names between Bowen Hills and Northgate the implication is that these stations have no significance to travellers using the Sunshine Coast timetable, ie. all the trains listed are express these stations. When one consults the Caboolture timetable it is apparent that very few of the Sunshine Coast trains are express these stations. Even with the omission of these stops on the table, a footnote or asterisk could indicate that the trains do actually stop at these stations. Customers trust the timetable to provide accurate information covering all cases within the control of QR, this timetable does not do this. There may be a very good reason why QR needs to stop trains at these stations, the travelling public deserves to be reliably informed.

An enquiry by one of my people to Translink could not confirm the detail as to whether the services stop at these 'unshown on the timetable' stations.
The time taken to progress through them just doesn't add up to allow the stops, this assumes the express legs are correct as shown by the numbers on the current printed timetable.
We will find out next Monday 6th June what happens or how the trains can make the extra stops in the time available on the timetable
(equal to current express times).  

It's a mystery ...



Regards
Fares_fair.

[somebody]

I don't know what you mean.  Current express times are 9-12mins.  The new timetable has 14-15mins for Northgate-Bowen Hills, which is the same as the all stopping time in the old timetable.

QR should hang their head in shame for their inability or unwillingness to schedule an express service to not catch up to the train in front.

[justanotheruser]

I understand why those stations have been ommitted, they simply wouldn't fit on the timetable unless you were to make it in tiny font, or make it even bigger. But I do think an asterisk wouldn't be to much to ask for. The only sign I could see that they did stop there was that down the station listing on the left it has "express" written between Northgate and Petrie but not between Northgate and Bowen Hills.

The information would easily fit if they were in the same format as the bus timetables - like Perth.

well I chose one timetable at random and it does not list all the stops for that route just like bus timetables here. So what am I missing that makes them better.

[SurfRail]

The Perth timetables are in the same format for each mode - they don't have squashy, flimsy train timetables like we do.  If our train timetables were the same dimensions as our bus timetables (and presented in the same format - by that I mean the format on the non-BT timetables), they could easily fit the required information in.

[Sunbus610]

I reckon it's Queensland Rail, a long standing public transport operator in SEQ, just doing things their own way. Anyways, the BCC Ferry/CityCat (Transdev) timetables are in a different timetable format also don't forget.

I just wish Queensland Rail would bring back the good old pocket timetables they use to print once, they were compact and convenient to carry in your plastic QR/TL or now-days GoCard wallet.

[justanotheruser]

The Perth timetables are in the same format for each mode - they don't have squashy, flimsy train timetables like we do.  If our train timetables were the same dimensions as our bus timetables (and presented in the same format - by that I mean the format on the non-BT timetables), they could easily fit the required information in.

ok gotcha. your basically talking about the size of them. tall rectangular. Although if we are going to go for the same timetable format then lets get bus timetables showing decent amount of stops.

[SurfRail]

ok gotcha. your basically talking about the size of them. tall rectangular. Although if we are going to go for the same timetable format then lets get bus timetables showing decent amount of stops.

I'm also really irritated by the weekend times in the QR timetables.  Why can't they just have a common weekend/public holiday timetable and put a small "Sat only" at the head of the column for the ones that don't run on Sunday?  The current one borders on illegible.

Ideally there should be little or no difference between Saturday and Sunday, and if the same service continues to a different destination after the city on a Sunday, a footnote will do.

[somebody]

I'm also really irritated by the weekend times in the QR timetables.  Why can't they just have a common weekend/public holiday timetable and put a small "Sat only" at the head of the column for the ones that don't run on Sunday?  The current one borders on illegible.

Ideally there should be little or no difference between Saturday and Sunday, and if the same service continues to a different destination after the city on a Sunday, a footnote will do.

Isn't that what they do?  It's a bit annoying that there are more differences than needed.

[#Metro]

I'm also really irritated by the weekend times in the QR timetables.  Why can't they just have a common weekend/public holiday timetable and put a small "Sat only" at the head of the column for the ones that don't run on Sunday?  The current one borders on illegible.

Ideally there should be little or no difference between Saturday and Sunday, and if the same service continues to a different destination after the city on a Sunday, a footnote will do.

Because of "Bling issues". Isn't Saturday $$$ and Sunday $$$$$$$$$$$$$ with regards to labour costs?
Oh and you have two persons per train so that is even more $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ required.

If you insist on having more staff on your train, then there will be less services.

[ozbob]

The timetable booklets were good.  I have one from 2000 for the Ferny Grove line.  It does have a lot of information that could be dispensed with to keep the cost down (eg. helpful hints ).  Most folks only need one or perhaps two if they regularly travel on two lines.  

http://tt.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/tt/TTB/20110527-085454/vic/02ALM_ttb_AS.pdf is an example of a PDF timetable for the Alamein line in Melbourne.

[petey3801]

I'm also really irritated by the weekend times in the QR timetables.  Why can't they just have a common weekend/public holiday timetable and put a small "Sat only" at the head of the column for the ones that don't run on Sunday?  The current one borders on illegible.

Ideally there should be little or no difference between Saturday and Sunday, and if the same service continues to a different destination after the city on a Sunday, a footnote will do.

Because of "Bling issues". Isn't Saturday $$$ and Sunday $$$$$$$$$$$$$ with regards to labour costs?
Oh and you have two persons per train so that is even more $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ required.

If you insist on having more staff on your train, then there will be less services.

For traincrew, money is the same on Sat as Sun. Where things change is fulltime traincrew work one in two Saturdays and one in three Sundays.

[somebody]

There must be a lot of casuals doing the Sundays then.

[petey3801]

There must be a lot of casuals doing the Sundays then.

No casual traincrew and only recently there has been the addition of Part Time traincrew (who work every second weekend). The master diagram roster is set out to have enough crew on for Sunday timetables. The weekend also seems to have more longer-hour jobs (ie: up to the full 9hrs).

[justanotheruser]

There must be a lot of casuals doing the Sundays then.

There are numerous jobs where there are no penalty rates for weekends. Perhaps this is one of them or perhaps they get penalties if they do more than normal weekend shifts.  I am aware that during trackwork they often have train crew at some stations as they have to be paid anyway.

[justanotheruser]

The timetable booklets were good.  I have one from 2000 for the Ferny Grove line.  It does have a lot of information that could be dispensed with to keep the cost down (eg. helpful hints ).  Most folks only need one or perhaps two if they regularly travel on two lines.  

http://tt.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/tt/TTB/20110527-085454/vic/02ALM_ttb_AS.pdf is an example of a PDF timetable for the Alamein line in Melbourne.

It is interesting that for some stations they have a dash to indicate train does not go there while when it skips stations it has a continous line from top to bottom. While only small thing it is surprising the number of people I come across who would be confused thinking it means two different things rather than same thing. Of course I could be wrong and maybe it does mean two different things!!!

I have some friends who are just plain incapable of catching PT. They always end up getting on the wrong train or missing their stop. I don't know how but they manage to do it!

[ozbob]

Transport and Multicultural Affairs
The Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk
02/06/2011

The times they are a-changin'

The biggest overhaul to rail timetables in more than 15 years officially starts on Monday 6 June on the Ipswich and Caboolture rail lines, Transport Minister Annastacia said today.

The timetable revamp will add more than 150,000 additional seats to the network and provide commuters with more frequent services.

"With patronage on Queensland Rail services growing by about five per cent in the six months to December 30, the time is right to undertake a major re-cast of the timetables on two of our busiest train lines," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"This is an exciting and historic change made possible by the recently completed upgrade between Corinda and Darra, the expansion to the new Richlands stations and the 46 new rollingstock sets we have added to the network over the past three years."

The bus timetable will also change adding more than 50,000 seats per week and providing better connections between buses and trains across the network.

Several bus services being upgraded including:

·Two additional high frequency routes, providing turn-up-and-go services for those living along route 196 (New Farms to Fairfield via the CBD) and route 120 (Upper Mt Gravatt to CBD).

·An upgrade on the corridor between Indooroopilly and UQ with 9000 weekly seats on routes 427, 428 and 432. This recognises that Indooroopilly train station will become an even more important hub in the network as it forms part of the new simplified express train stopping pattern.

·Additional bus services connecting to meet increasing customer demand for train services at Bray Park station, Richlands station, plus additional services through Inala and Tennyson.

Ms Palaszczuk said more than 150 Translink and Queensland Rail staff have been out this week at major train stations, bus interchanges, numerous shopping centres and university campuses to distribute information about the changes.

"This will continue next week," she said.

"All the new train and bus timetables are also available on the TransLink website and I urge customers to become acquainted with the changes."

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

[ozbob]

[ozbob]

Media release 3 June 2011

SEQ:  Public transport timetable improvements welcome!

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 that the implementation for the new train timetables for the Sunshine Coast, Caboolture, Ipswich, Rosewood and Richlands lines from the 6th June is a welcome development (1).

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"This is the first major re-structure of the train timetable for around fifteen years.  It is the beginning of a complete rewrite of timetables for the entire network.  Overall there is an increase in capacity, more peak services and some off peak service increases, and simplification of peak express stopping patterns."

"Some journey times have been marginally increased, but this is offset by the potential of improved reliability and more balanced passenger loading."

"With major timetable changes it is not possible to keep everyone happy.  Some suburban stations do have a slight reduction in peak frequency, and for the limited Tennyson rail services these have been replaced completely by bus (2). In a post Cross River Rail environment the restoration of passenger rail services to and through Tennyson we believe will occur.

"In the second phase of the timetable changes more needs to be done however for extending hours of operation of services, more counter peak services, and consideration for more services to broaden the peak times."

"One of the most significant gains is essentially around the clock 15 minute out of peak frequency between Darra and Northgate on the Western line and Northern Lines, and through services to and from Richlands and the CBD and connecting stations.  The additional daily rail service through to Gympie North is also a very welcome improvement (3)."

"Many bus routes have had timetable changes to keep connections with rail, and some have had major changes in terms of route structure.  Staff from TransLink and Queensland Rail have been engaging with the community and informing them of the changes.  All changes are documented on the TransLink web site (1). We suggest that intending passengers check out the new timetables which are available at railway stations and on the web."

"It is important that the momentum now established with this first round of timetable changes is maintained and carried on to all lines of the network.  Frequency and reliability of services are the most important determinants in driving patronage uptake."

"Well done TransLink, Queensland Rail and all the bus operators. This is a major change, and we look forward to Monday!"

References:

1. http://translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/change-is-coming

2. http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=6088.0

3. http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=5795.0

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[ozbob]

From the Brisbane mX 3 June 2011 page 4

Rail revamp takes wait off your feet

[somebody]

BTW, the 3:35pm train which picks up everyone who arrived since 3:20pm and since 3:05pm beyond Redbank won't be the issue that it was from Monday.  But the 427/428/432 do not have a combined 10 minute frequency in peak, if you look at the timetable. May have a 6/hour one though.

[Arnz]

The afternoon peak gap for Route 605/615s has been fixed.  Credit to TransLink and Sunbus.  

Now to push for the weekend 605/615 bus gaps to be resolved.  

http://translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/bulletin/1305511184

Route 605

   timetable will change to maintain bus/train connections
   most changes during peak will be quite minor, approximately 5-10 minutes
   some trips have shifts of up to 65 minutes during off-peak times
  following feedback from the community, an additional two services have been added to the afternoon peak (at 6.55 and 7.15pm) to ensure buses continue to meet connecting train services.

Route 615

   timetable will change to maintain bus/train connections
   most changes during peak will be quite minor, approximately 5-10 minutes
   some trips have shifts of up to 85 minutes during off-peak times
   following feedback from the community, an additional two services have been added to the afternoon peak (at 6.55 and 7.15pm) to ensure buses continue to meet connecting train services.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Catching public transport? Better check the time

Catching public transport? Better check the time
Rachel Batzloff
June 3, 2011 - 1:46PM

The most significant public transport timetable changes in 15 years will begin on Monday.

New timetables will be introduced to the Ipswich, Rosewood, Caboolture and Sunshine Coast lines, as well as several bus routes, with more than 20 major changes.

Transport Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk said the changes had come after extensive community consultation, based on 10 information sessions and the distribution of 300,000 flyers.

"Some of the feedback we've received has been exceptional," Ms Palaszczuk said.

The revamp will create an additional 150,000 weekly seats on the Ipswich and Caboolture services, the two busiest train lines.

Other key changes to existing timetables include services at six or 12 minute intervals at suburban stations during busiest peak times.

However, Liberal National Party transport spokesman Scott Emerson said the overhaul was too little too late.

"If this is going to cure all the problems on Queensland trains, they should have done it a decade ago," he said.

"The reality is, it's not going to cure much at all. People are still going to be paying higher fares and we're already having people, even before the timetable starts, raising concerns going from the Sunshine Coast all the way to Ipswich."

Mr Emerson said some people on the Sunshine Coast line faced an additional 15 minutes on their daily rail commute.

"These are people who are already on the train for an hour-and-a-half each way and I was surprised by how many people have said to me, 'we're looking at moving out of the Sunshine Coast because it's too long to spend on a train," he said.

"And this timetable change is going to make it even worse."

Ms Palaszczuk said more than 150 Translink and Queensland Rail staff would remain out in force to to distribute information about the changes.

"This will continue next week," she said.

"All the new train and bus timetables are also available on the TransLink website and I urge customers to become acquainted with the changes."

- with Cameron Atfield

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/catching-public-transport-better-check-the-time-20110603-1fk56.html#ixzz1OEss6m68