Overcrowding Shocker : never in 12 Years ...

[ozbob]

I seriously doubt that theres little to no spare trains in the afternoon peak.  Surely fleet utilization is around 95% or thereabouts.

I understand that fleet utilisation generally is in the very low 90's but what specifically IMU utilisation is not sure.  May well be stretched ..

[Arnz]

I seriously doubt that theres little to no spare trains in the afternoon peak.  Surely fleet utilization is around 95% or thereabouts.

I understand that fleet utilisation generally is in the very low 90's but what specifically IMU utilisation is not sure.  May well be stretched ..

There are still 6x 3-car IMUs to be delivered IIRC.  

1x 6-car EMU/SMU still operates at least twice a day to Nambour (I understand this train comes from Richlands in the morning peak, and stows overnight at Ipswich after a Nambour-Ipswich run), so I would think IMU utilisation is high.  Though off-peak punters do appreciate that most services (but not all) do provide a toilet now.

Nevertheless, my 5:16pm to Caboolture suggestion still stands (knocking off 200+ odd commuters off the 5:22pm, thus reducing standees).  Though my personal preference is having the 5:16pm service as the Nambour service.

[Fares_Fair]

Response:

Twitter

QueenslandRail

@robert_dow @AnnastaciaMP We have people out and about this week monitoring loading and unloading along the journey and examining options.
3 minutes ago

This is now week 3 with no change to loadings.
'Equalisation' (spares seats equals or exceeds standees) occurred at Burpengary tonight at 6:16pm - that's 54 minutes standing.
Burpengary is consistently (9 times out of 10) the 'equalisation' focus.

I can stand that long, and often do - but I will not stand by (excuse the pun) and watch women standing like cattle, penned up tight and falling out of trains.

Yes, tonight a young lady fell out of the train at Albion Station when the doors opened.

She asked me how would a disabled person would ever get on our service ?
Fact is they couldn't !

The time for counting is OVER.
The time for action is here.

Neither QR or TRANSLink are telling people that there real options being considered.

This carries the same credibility as the Minister's assertions regarding 6 and 12 month tickets
and them being ready to include in June budget after PTAG meeting 'fairy tale'.

Why would anyone think otherwise ?

Read TRANSLink's response post further up the page, Simon summed it up perfectly.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[HappyTrainGuy]

The usual problems are refurbs, reserved/assigned rollingstock, vandalised/damaged rollingstock (Broken gearboxes, smashed windows etc...), new 3 car sets and maintainence all which really restrict services from running. While there might be plenty of cars in the yard most have been ruled out from running at certain times. A typical example would be: One full time 3 car EMU after EMU05 was written off by a freight derailment at Petrie in 2001. Take out IMU102 (already has been refurbished) for refurb and now your down to 2x 3 car sets not being able to run. IMU101 now has no one to pair up with making it 3x 3 car sets out. Take out the new IMU181 as its still being run in (4x 3 car sets). SMU230 is booked in for maintainence bringing the total to 5x 3 car sets not ideal/available for running... maybe make it 6x 3 car sets as one SMU220 has no one to pair up with. SMU291 is new and has no one to pair up with making it 7x 3 car sets out. IMU165 and SMU280 is also in for maintainence leaving one IMU160 series and one SMU260 series with no one to team up with making it 11x 3 car sets out.

Last year had 2 full time 3 car units with SMU249 being sent to Maryborough for refurbishment in early December 2009 and returning to service in October 2010.

Crazy isn't it  

Anyone got a friend with a motorised mobility scooter? I wanna see how many passengers would hands up and actually forfit their trip as disabled passengers do have priority.

[Stillwater]

A train so crowded that people fall out when the doors open, women giving up travelling on the train because they feel their personal space is compromised as they brush against and into fellow travellers, people travelling 54 minutes standing in voilation of QR's own standards.  Not acceptable, Minister.

[Fares_Fair]

Maybe these words may be appropriate:

"When over 80 per cent of the responses to the public consultation phase in November and December 2010 came from travellers on the Sunshine Coast line, Translink didn't believe that this translated into forecast problems, including the issues you have raised.  But at least we did our best to listen.  The matter of the 5.22pm service, as raised by members of the public, was perhaps not fully understood by Translink staff.  Unfortunately, we regret that too.

"When we said that the timetable changes would result in more seats, greater convenience and faster travel times, we regret that you understood these were homogenous outcomes that would also apply to the Sunshine Coast Line.  This was a generalised statement."

Maybe Translink should hire for its call centre staff that character from the comedy show  Little Britain where customers seek helpful service, but are told constantly by the assistant: 'The computer says no.'  The computer says no, FF.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_pJ7Wt23Yk&feature=related

Then it's time to get a new computer ...

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[petey3801]

Yes, it may not be acceptable to run it as it is. Simple fact is, they can't just pull a train out of their asre! There are a number of things that have to be altered to change that one service. Job cards (which will have to go through the roster committee), fleet utilisation (yes, PM peak may not be as heavy usage as AM peak, but they still need sets to be balanced), actually having the crew to make a new service is another thing that has to happen. It doesn't help when units fail when in service/ready to start a service etc. It does take a bit of time! Be patient! Hopefully it will be solved in the near future, but it won't happen overnight!

[Fares_Fair]

Hello Petey,

Yes, but they need to tell people that they will fix it, not tell us they are just still counting (week 3) with no mention of a reprieve to the situation.
I can provide plenty of both QR's and TRANSLink's responses and not one offers hope of a fix. In fact if you read the one posted, TL says too bad !
That is unacceptable, as is the loadings.

Regards,
Fares_fair.

[O_128]

One solution that could possibly work seeing as translink is reluctant to make changes would be a courtesy arrangement, asking passengers not traveling past northgate to use the front 3 cars and long distance the back 3 cars. Im sure there are alot of people sitting who get off before northgate as they are "entitled" to there seat.

[HappyTrainGuy]

What do you want them to say if they don't even know the final solution yet.

[Fares_Fair]

What do you want them to say if they don't even know the final solution yet.

HTG, Have you read TL's response above ?

Tell people that they will fix it.
QR says they are just still counting (now week 3) with no mention of a reprieve to the situation.
TRANSLink says it's just too bad !

Bare minimum.
Tell us they WILL fix it !!!
Tell us what they are considering.
Tell us if the solution provided by Arnz are workable ( I am waiting for a reply from the CEO's of both organisations for this one).


Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[Stillwater]

It is true there are a number of operational issues associated with the Sunshine Coast Line where the government has held out false hope to commuters that issues would be addressed and they haven't.  Or that things would happen in certain timeframes and they haven't.  FF displays the frustration of the SC commuter against a background of what has gone before.  Looking ahead to the day when the Sunshine Coast will grow to become as big as the Gold Coast is today, there is a fuzzy plan, part articulated, part deferred, part backflip and part resignation that chaos will descend.  The situation would be helped if the state government let people in on its thinking, specifically for the SCL.  Right now there is little confidence in the government on this issue from the people of the Sunshine Coast.  A statement of intent with sufficient detail to inspire confidence in the process would help.  So too would an articulation of the full process for analysing issues such as the overcrowding on the 5.22pm service to Nambour.  People genuinely want to understand.  Right now there is none of that - particularly as commuters were pretty forceful in warning government during the consultation phase for the new timetable that precisely what has occured would happen.  FF can speak for himself, but what I believe is being said is 'why should we have faith in the system and, if the system fails us, we must be forced to act outside the system'.  So the state government is obligated to fix, or change, the system as an act of good faith.

[STB]

...And I'm back (for the next 4 weeks till my train heads out again aka, uni sucks up all of my time and my new career path calls out to me again).  I will only be back in a reduced capacity though, as my priorities are still taken elsewhere, eg: I've got a short film to write and people who have given up their jobs and time to create it!  I'm pleased that people are willing to trust me that much and excited about seeing something I create going from start to finish.

Anyway, I've had a look through these posts, and while I sympathize with the SC and Caboolture commuters re: the 5:22pm express, however I must concur with Petey (based on my experiences in the past).  This sort of trouble won't be sorted overnight, and their advice is quite probably correct in the sense that they will need a continuous feed of data to the planners while they sort out the rostering, unit balancing and finding solutions.  It's not an easy job, I've seen it and breathed it!

The settling down period is generally 2-4 weeks as travel habits change and people look elsewhere for other services that may or may not be more suited to them.  And the Planners need to take that into consideration, rather than taking a knee jerk reaction.

I would be surprised if they don't fix it in the near future.  It seems to me that they are really only one train short to cope with the crowds.  How an adjustment to the runs affect turnbacks and crossovers between other trains will be interesting and is probably what they are looking at right as this thread pans out.  They probably haven't said anything simply because they want to scope out everything before throwing solutions out to the public, and that includes liaising with the roster people and making sure the units are balanced and in the network where they should be in preparedness for later on.  

Better to work things out first properly and then giving the solutions out to the public, than giving out something half baked and then having another backlash when they realize that they can't pull it off for whatever reason (doesn't work rostering wise for example).

Anyway, be kind, transport isn't high on my list as it was in the past.  Still there, but I'm not in the area of transport nowadays, I'm now an Emerging Writer (according to my peers and Tutors - that is, I have been published, hooray!)

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

21st June 2011

Re: Action time: SEQ: Major timetable changes phase one, a new beginning

Greetings,

The issue of the 5.22pm Nambour is now well on the way to becoming a major issue.  Sunshine Coast Daily --> http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2011/06/21/rail-website-error-strands-commuters/

Responses to the travelling public by the authorities are not resonating well at all.

A few years ago when a botched Ferny Grove timetable was rolled out, it was fixed in a couple of days.  Obviously, responses to train timetable problems depends on where the lines are?

In any case, the issue of the 5.19pm Petrie and the 5.22pm Nambour services are easily sorted.

Here is a possible solution, put forward by a RAIL Back On Track Member and regular Sunshine Coast commuter.

Looking at both affected trains. This solution came up.

Move the 5:10pm (ex-Central) Caboolture train to 5:16pm (ex-Central).
Introduce the 5:13pm (ex-Central) Petrie all-stations service.

(Note: Subtract 4 mins for the Roma Street departure time (eg 5:12pm Roma Street, arr Central 5:14pm, dep Central 5:16pm).)

Standees on both the 5:19pm Petrie and 5:22pm Nambour reduced as more people get the option to move across 1 service behind. 

Going by past reporting off this site and people catching that service, the 5:10pm has fewer standees, so moving it 6 minutes later spreads the standees out by removing a estimated 150+ Petrie-Caboolture commuters off the Nambour service. Add in some of the Albion-Nundah commuters on both the 5:19pm Petrie and 5:22pm Nambour and the standees on both services would be less.


Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[somebody]

Why ask for the additional 5:13pm Petrie service?  It does nothing to reduce loads on the 5:22pm service.

[ozbob]

Why ask for the additional 5:13pm Petrie service?  It does nothing to reduce loads on the 5:22pm service.

There is more than one solution.  In this solution Arnz has suggested providing options which will generate a number of pax shifts, which will make the 5.22pm a more manageable load.

[BrizCommuter]

Sent to all outlets:

21st June 2011

Re: Action time: SEQ: Major timetable changes phase one, a new beginning

Greetings,

The issue of the 5.22pm Nambour is now well on the way to becoming a major issue.  Sunshine Coast Daily --> http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2011/06/21/rail-website-error-strands-commuters/

Responses to the travelling public by the authorities are not resonating well at all.

A few years ago when a botched Ferny Grove timetable was rolled out, it was fixed in a couple of days.  Obviously, responses to train timetable problems depends on where the lines are?

In any case, the issue of the 5.19pm Petrie and the 5.22pm Nambour services are easily sorted.

Here is a possible solution, put forward by a RAIL Back On Track Member and regular Sunshine Coast commuter.

Looking at both affected trains. This solution came up.

Move the 5:10pm (ex-Central) Caboolture train to 5:16pm (ex-Central).
Introduce the 5:13pm (ex-Central) Petrie all-stations service.

(Note: Subtract 4 mins for the Roma Street departure time (eg 5:12pm Roma Street, arr Central 5:14pm, dep Central 5:16pm).)

Standees on both the 5:19pm Petrie and 5:22pm Nambour reduced as more people get the option to move across 1 service behind. 

Going by past reporting off this site and people catching that service, the 5:10pm has fewer standees, so moving it 6 minutes later spreads the standees out by removing a estimated 150+ Petrie-Caboolture commuters off the Nambour service. Add in some of the Albion-Nundah commuters on both the 5:19pm Petrie and 5:22pm Nambour and the standees on both services would be less.


Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

So where do the hallowed Ekka loop services fit in?

[ozbob]

So where do the hallowed Ekka loop services fit in?

Certainly another possible option.  Exhibition loop services for the recent Camping and Caravan show didn't cause any issues with the new timetables.

[Fares_Fair]

I wonder how long the counting will continue ? and how long until a course of action is undertaken ?
One of my questions to QR and TRANSLink.

QPetey - they fixed Ferny Grove in 2008 in 2 days.
This is week 3, they have had 3 weeks of problems and it is not diminishing.

I have concerns that school holidays starting next week (some private schools started this week)
will result in temporarily reduced loads and and a lack of will to address things.

Monday 6 June, 2011 - Equalisation at Caboolture -

Wednesday 8 June, 2011 - Equalisation at Burpengary -

Monday 13 June, 2011 - QUEENS BIRTHDAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY
Tuesday 14 June, 2011 - Equalisation at Burpengary - 6:14pm - 52 minutes standing
Wednesday 15 June, 2011 - Equalisation at Burpengary - 6:09pm - 47 minutes standing
Thursday 16 June, 2011 - Equalisation at Burpengary - 6:10pm - 48 minutes standing
Friday 17 June, 2011 - Equalisation at Dakabin -

Monday 20 June, 2011 - Equalisation at Burpengary - 6:16pm - 54 minutes standing
Tuesday 21 June, 2011 - Equalisation at Dakabin - 6:00pm - 38 minutes standing
Wednesday 22 June, 2011 - Equalisation at Morayfield - 6:20pm - 58 minutes standing
Thursday 23 June, 2011 - Equalisation at Caboolture -
Friday 24 June, 2011 - Equalisation at Petrie - 5:57pm - 37 minutes standing (Reported that 4:30pm train a sardine can again, as per last Friday)

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

EDIT: Equalisations added in advance - up to Friday 24 June, 2011 - Data for same as occurs.
EDIT: Data updated 22.06.11
EDIT: Data updated 26.06.11

[somebody]

I wonder how long the counting will continue ? and how long until a course of action is undertaken ?

Hate to be a wet blanket, but how long between the 393 truncation and the 66 extension?

(BrizCommuter says 7 months, in case you didn't know.)

[HappyTrainGuy]

With all respect Ferny Grove is a complete different line compared to the NCL handling TravelTrain, Nambour, Gympie, Caboolture, Petrie, Shorncliffe, Doomben, Airport, express services, additional event services/paths, dead running trains, managing cross over times for other lines/services/stabling, level crossing down times, connecting bus services so there is alot more to consider and to take into account.

[Fares_Fair]

mX newspaper
Tuesday 21 June, 2011
by Torny Miller, p2.

Timetable proposals.

[somebody]

With all respect Ferny Grove is a complete different line compared to the NCL handling TravelTrain, Nambour, Gympie, Caboolture, Petrie, Shorncliffe, Doomben, Airport, express services, additional event services/paths, dead running trains, managing cross over times for other lines/services/stabling, level crossing down times, connecting bus services so there is alot more to consider and to take into account.

Moving the 5:10pm train to 5:16pm would not affect that one bit.

[BrizCommuter]

So where do the hallowed Ekka loop services fit in?

Certainly another possible option.  Exhibition loop services for the recent Camping and Caravan show didn't cause any issues with the new timetables.

But we are discussing modifying these timetables that did allow the Ekka loop services to fit in, with timetables that may not allow the Ekka loop services to fit in.

QPetey - they fixed Ferny Grove in 2008 in 2 days.

Not entirely. Two stations (which happen to have more am peak boarding than the Sunshine Coast Line) still have a 42% worse evening peak service than in 2007.

[mufreight]

I wonder how long the counting will continue ? and how long until a course of action is undertaken ?
One of my questions to QR and TRANSLink.

QPetey - they fixed Ferny Grove in 2008 in 2 days.
This is week 3, they have had 3 weeks of problems and it is not diminishing.

I have concerns that school holidays starting next week (some private schools started this week)
will result in temporarily reduced loads and and a lack of will to address things.

If Translink runs true to form they will use the reduced loadings over the school break as justification to do nothing, as FF pointed out in 2008 they took 2 days to resolve the problems with the FG timetable, this is the third week of Translink/QT mismanagement.
A rumor leaked from within one of these two bodies tells that QR has the additional services all set to go and once again is being held back by other bodies refusing to sign off to allow these additional services to be operated.
It would take the Transport Minister all of two minutes to pick up the phone and instruct these bureaucrats to do their jobs and resolve this further act of stupidity on their part and allow QR to provide the additional services.

[mch]

I have been talking to the previous shadow Transport member for a number of years and each time a suggestion is made, the answer is "too hard".

A suggestion made was to use the up road for the down Nambour train.  Has to be slick to do this, but the 3rd road extension over the North Pine river and some work for a 3rd road between Burpengary and Morayfield would make this easier.

Used to be a very good train (diesel days) that ran express Bowen Hills to Dakabin then all stations to Caboolture. With something like this and extended to Nambour would sort out all those not going beyond Petrie.  Probably the best trip you could get.

[somebody]

Cool.  I wonder if that will be enough to get action though?

[Stillwater]

As Mufreight has posted elsewhere, QR has a solution to roll out, but internal processes (probably revolving around Translink budget and funding) has blocked implementation.  The Minister has seen the problem for herself and is in a position to make a call.  She should trust QR's judgement on this one and instruct the changes to be implemented, as devised by QR.  Fares Fair should be happy that QR has monitored the situation to a point where they have a solution ready to roll. 

The impasse sits elsewhere, and that should be acknowledged.  The process exists for the Minister to give a sign-off.  That should be expedited, or else the option is there for the Minister to say she wants the matter expedited.  That should be sufficient.  A minister should not interfere directly in an operational matter within QR, but should be able to spell out clearly her expectations and the timeframe in which they should be met, with the exact solution left to the appropriate staff.

[BrizCommuter]

A suggestion made was to use the up road for the down Nambour train.  Has to be slick to do this, but the 3rd road extension over the North Pine river and some work for a 3rd road between Burpengary and Morayfield would make this easier.

Slick operation = not reliable = doesn't fit in with the ethos of these new timetables. (However is technically possible unless there is an empty or freight train in the other direction not on the timetable).

3rd road between Burpengary and Morayfield won't be built for years, so little point suggesting it in a thread on how to solve a current issue.

As Mufreight has posted elsewhere, QR has a solution to roll out, but internal processes (probably revolving around Translink budget and funding) has blocked implementation.  The Minister has seen the problem for herself and is in a position to make a call.  She should trust QR's judgement on this one and instruct the changes to be implemented, as devised by QR.  Fares Fair should be happy that QR has monitored the situation to a point where they have a solution ready to roll. 

The impasse sits elsewhere, and that should be acknowledged.  The process exists for the Minister to give a sign-off.  That should be expedited, or else the option is there for the Minister to say she wants the matter expedited.  That should be sufficient.  A minister should not interfere directly in an operational matter within QR, but should be able to spell out clearly her expectations and the timeframe in which they should be met, with the exact solution left to the appropriate staff.

If indeed QR are just waiting for the Transport Minister to sign on the dotted line, then any further delays to the solution are surely heading the Transport Minister towards political suicide?

[Stillwater]

The Minister's role is to request Translink/QR:

to confirm there is a problem and there is a suitable fix, hopefully a simple one
that corporate objectives re nos of people standing after 20 mins and crowding etc are met by this fix
that other costomers won't be disadvantaged, other train paths not interfered with
that crewing and other issues have been squared away
the proposals are within budget, or savings can be made elsewhere, within the overall transport portfolio budget

The Minister should also be able to say when she would like the problem fixed and request there be ongoing monitoring to ensure the fix worked.

Ministers should not say 'switch that train there, run it through these stations etc'.  These are operational matters for QR to decide.  Minister needs to reassure herself that a workable, cost-effective and least disruptive solution has been found and implemented.

And a wise Minister would also ask her department what steps are being taken to plan for passenger growth along the SCL so that a problem such as this does not occur again.

[mufreight]

If indeed QR are just waiting for the Transport Minister to sign on the dotted line, then any further delays to the solution are surely heading the Transport Minister towards political suicide?

The understanding is that the holdup is not the Minister at this stage but rather the bureaucrats at QT and Translink, the Minister does have the authority to instruct them and in this case if the Minister fails to do and the resolution of this failure is further delayed then the it becomes a case of the Minister and the Government being held accountable.  It then becomes another nail in the present Government's coffin.

[petey3801]

I don't think I really need to add very much, as most of it has already been said, but I think it is in the best interests of everyone that QR/Translink etc. have reliable information to make a workable solution, not just throw something in and hope it works.

Things do take time. In regards to Ferny Grove, as was also said, Ferny Grove is a passenger only line. It would be a hell of a lot easier to throw another train in here and let it do its job than for the North Coast Line (20-odd min journey for FG, 90-120min? for NCL), as there are a lot of extra things to consider with Cab/NCL such as freight, traveltrain, other passenger services on the single track, track restraints on the double track to Lawnton and on the mains Northgate-Bowen Hills etc.

[Fares_Fair]

Thank you for your observations petey3801.
You essentially reiterate the primary issues behind all of this and that the forerunner is the infrastructure abandonment at the Beerburrum bottleneck in April 2009.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[wbj]

Obviously Translink or whoever didn't add up their numbers in preparing the new timetable.  The old 5.26 pm Caboolture express was always standing room only when it left Central.  So, they added a preload of about 40% of occupied seats when the 5.22 pm Nambour express pulls into Roma Street and then added the additional passengers traveling beyond Caboolture.  It was always going to be a problem.  And to add insult to injury, they prolonged the journey by 4 more minutes.

Why offer 5.04 pm and 5.10 pm expresses when the vast majority of city commuters finishing work at 5pm don't have time to catch these trains?  Then the city stations accumulate 12 minutes of passengers in the middle of the peak period to cram onto the 5.22 express!  If train availability is the limiting factor, move the 5.04 pm express to 5.25pm express terminating at Caboolture.  I'm sure a large number of Petrie - Caboolture commuters would wait the 3 minutes for a reasonable service.  As it is they have the choice of cramming onto the 5.22 express or waiting 12 minutes for the next express.

[Fares_Fair]

Thank you wbj,

I appreciate your input. 

Kind regards,
Fares_Fair.

[Fares_Fair]

Article (online)
Quest : Sunshine Coast
by Sherine Conyers.

Commuters could get a reprieve
Sunshine Coast commuters could get a reprieve from overcrowded trains with news Queensland Rail is reviewing the train timetable.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/sunshine-coast/commuters-could-get-a-reprieve/story-fn8m0yxo-1226079858514

Wooo Hoooo!

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[somebody]

How's the AM services?  I notice that from the service arriving at 7:11am at Central there are 25, 24, 26, 27 minute gaps.  In the PM from 4:34pm there are 48, 27, 22 minute gaps.

[Fares_Fair]

Monday 6 June, 2011 - Equalisation at Caboolture -

Wednesday 8 June, 2011 - Equalisation at Burpengary -

Monday 13 June, 2011 - QUEENS BIRTHDAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY
Tuesday 14 June, 2011 - Equalisation at Burpengary - 6:14pm - 52 minutes standing
Wednesday 15 June, 2011 - Equalisation at Burpengary - 6:09pm - 47 minutes standing
Thursday 16 June, 2011 - Equalisation at Burpengary - 6:10pm - 48 minutes standing
Friday 17 June, 2011 - Equalisation at Dakabin -

Monday 20 June, 2011 - Equalisation at Burpengary - 6:16pm - 54 minutes standing
Tuesday 21 June, 2011 - Equalisation at Dakabin - 6:00pm - 38 minutes standing
Wednesday 22 June, 2011 - Equalisation at Caboolture - 6:18pm - 58 minutes standing
Thursday 23 June, 2011 -
Friday 24 June, 2011

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

Tonight's train home was the worst overload yet, I counted 80 standing and 84 seated = 164 Passengers in Carriage 3.
That's extrapolated out to 984 passengers on a train that seats 504.
An extra train load, that's why ozbob is spot on - we must have a new service - it is already pretty well full.
Equalisation above for 22 June, 2011 shows the outcome.

[Arnz]

How's the AM services?  I notice that from the service arriving at 7:11am at Central there are 25, 24, 26, 27 minute gaps.  In the PM from 4:34pm there are 48, 27, 22 minute gaps.

I've had reports from other passengers of the first service of the day (early morning) is standing room by Beerwah due to being only a 3-car IMU.  

As for my own experiences, I can only comment on the ex-Gympie ICE (twice weekly commute), there are Standees on this service, though probably not as bad as the other services (You'll have to ask Fares_fair or Stillwater for the other services).  During School terms it can be crowded past Landsborough due to School Students taking the service, before standing numbers drop down past Glasshouse

Though as was said earlier, the IMU utilisation is high (with some units out of service for maintenance, etc).  Hence EMU/SMUs still appear up to Nambour (and Gold Coast) at least twice a day.  The 2nd early morning service of the day got a upgrade to a 6-car unit, but had reports it was a "6-car suburban unit" at expense of the toilet equipped 3-car IMU (the IMU that previously operated this service got moved to the later 6am-7am services coupled as a 6-car IMU)

Edit: Forgot to mention school terms had more standees than school hols.  Also, I'm assuming the 6-car EMU/SMU on the early morning service is short term due to IMU utilisation being stretched.

[Fares_Fair]

I can report from the 6:23 ex-Palmwoods service (6:42am from Landsborough).
It's equalisation generally begins from Petrie and builds up to 30-40 standees by Northgate or there-abouts.

I haven't even mentioned this service as I consider the loads nowhere near as excessive as the 5:20, and standing times are significantly less, viz. 30 minutes max.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.