Equalisations - What's your story ?

[Fares_Fair]

'Equalisation' of train services.
This is a term I have coined, borne out of the Sunshine Coast 5:20pm train crush saga.

It is the point where the number of spare seats available equals or exceeds the number of standing passengers.
It is a relatively simple and easy tool to assess passenger loads without having to count passengers crowded in like sardines (a difficult task).

The carriages' seating capacity is known and the ability to assess standees and empty seats is much easier when the crowds have exited the carriages.
The time noted at the point of initial 'equalisation' indicates the standing time from that point, through to when 'equalisation' again occurs.
Of course this does not replace counting individuals for actual passenger loads.

By noting the times at the start and end of 'equalisation' the standing time lengths can be assessed to enable quick checks against QR (20min.) standards.

What are your thoughts about this as a simple scientific method ?
I would like to see the data, using this method for all the other lines in the QR network - in particular the longer lines where standing times may be greater.
It would be an interesting way to fairly assess and compare all rail lines.

e.g.
Initial Equalisation Station     Time        Post Equalisation Station     Time    Standing Time
Central Station                       5:20pm    Burpengary                           6:16pm       56 minutes

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[Zoiks]

Just quickly. Translinks guide is for no one standing outside of 20 min from central. As such you can't found the inbound time from Milton Only the outbound from central in the example listed above

[Fares_Fair]

I didn't know that.
Thank you Zoiks.

I shall revise the example.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[SurfRail]

Just quickly. Translinks guide is for no one standing outside of 20 min from central. As such you can't found the inbound time from Milton Only the outbound from central in the example listed above

And to further qualify - services from the Gold Coast are only considered overcrowded if there are standing passengers at Beenleigh, and (at least under the previous timetables) the same treatment for Sunshine Coast trains arriving at Caboolture.

[dwb]

Train crush saga?

Come on, enough with the language already, do you really expect a peak service (for all those who finish at 5pm) such as this not to be crowded.. living in a dream, or a nightmare rather.

This is too me me me!

I recommend you seek more flexible work hours from your employer rather than comlaining about Translink's overcrowded trains.

[Arnz]

Just quickly. Translinks guide is for no one standing outside of 20 min from central. As such you can't found the inbound time from Milton Only the outbound from central in the example listed above

And to further qualify - services from the Gold Coast are only considered overcrowded if there are standing passengers at Beenleigh, and (at least under the previous timetables) the same treatment for Sunshine Coast trains arriving at Caboolture.

There is the habit of people on all lines that stand in the doorways, yet there are either a few sideway or backward seats available too.  

Match them to the few seats available, and it still equals a few standees in the doorways.

[Fares_Fair]

Train crush saga?

Come on, enough with the language already, do you really expect a peak service (for all those who finish at 5pm) such as this not to be crowded.. living in a dream, or a nightmare rather.

This is too me me me!

I recommend you seek more flexible work hours from your employer rather than comlaining about Translink's overcrowded trains.

Not to be OVERcrowded dwb, yes I do.
and your reaction is as expected.

It isn't me, me, me, it's them - the one's who support and encourage me to work for change.
I assure you I have a lot of people behind what I do.

That's all that counts.

[ozbob]

Yes, the definition of overcrowding for the Gold Coast line, and presumably the Sunshine Coast has been changed from the present 20 minute from Central for the rest of the network because the interurban services are not able to deliver that standard, to one of south of Beenleigh, and soon no doubt north of Caboolture.  So conveniently modified, rather than fix the network and services, just simply change the definition. This in itself well highlights the meaningless data that is churned out in the TransLink tracker and so forth.  Garbage ... and lets pretend bus OTP is > 94 %  LOL  Oh dear ...

[Arnz]

The ironic part is that there is still some standees south of Beenleigh (on some services), and to a lesser extent (on some services) standees north of Caboolture. 

This is also taking into account the "I'm not sitting in a sideway/backward seat" behaviour that some commuters on all lines do.  Match some standees to a sideway or a backward seat, and you'll still have a few standees.

[Fares_Fair]

'Equalisation' takes that into account Arnz.

Kind regards,
Fares_Fair.

[Stillwater]

So the solution to calculating 'overcrowding' on GC and SC lines is to change the goalposts?  Talk about a moving feast.  This way, it is hard to get QR/Translink to settle on parameters that all can agree upon and understand as 'absolute'.

[SurfRail]

Train crush saga?

Come on, enough with the language already, do you really expect a peak service (for all those who finish at 5pm) such as this not to be crowded.. living in a dream, or a nightmare rather.

This is too me me me!

I recommend you seek more flexible work hours from your employer rather than comlaining about Translink's overcrowded trains.

That is a cop out.  We shouldn't have to accept services that aren't exactly at world-beating frequencies or capacities.  Interurban services do need something of a different benchmark to inner metropolitan work - part of the gradual process of unravelling what has in Australia historically been one basic product (ie "train travel") into more appropriate sub-types.

And for that matter, not everybody has the luxury of perfect freedom of movement in their employment, or the option of simply packing up and going to work for the firm next door.

For the record, I actually think the Gold Coast metric is appropriate, but I doubt the Sunshine Coast one would be.

[dwb]

FFs logic is EXACTLY the same thinking that demands all roads are designed for a 2hr peak. I think it is bad logic.

No choice in employment? Um who do you work for? This is a free country full of opportunity - look/think harder.

[somebody]

I think the idea that you cannot get up and move your employment is fair.  It is often not that easy.

But as for the standard changing, I thought that the standard was still 20 minutes standing for GC & SC.  Tracker notes some additional info about services which still have standees south of Beenleigh and North of Caboolture.

[Stillwater]

I think that all FF is asking for is that the 2-hr peak services work for SC commuters, as well as others.  The argument about moving closer to the city is not applied to GC commuters and would create as many headaches as it seeks to solve.  I bags sleeping in your spare bedroom.  It is about as silly as advising workers from Caboolture to move to Ipswich so that the SC line is free for more commuter expresses further north.  The inference is 'all you folks stay up north and the problem is solved'.

Let's not forget that the state government wants to develop a new city at Caloundra South - not all those people will be able to find work locally.

The critical factor is the infrastructure, or lack of it, or making it sweat harder.  Better infrastructure leading to increased capacity is the way to go and should be the focus here.

[SurfRail]

FFs logic is EXACTLY the same thinking that demands all roads are designed for a 2hr peak. I think it is bad logic.

No choice in employment? Um who do you work for? This is a free country full of opportunity - look/think harder.

Why should somebody have to move jobs just because the government is failing to provide crucial services when required, and at greater cost than before?  Or for that matter, are you suggesting people should just go back to driving?  Because that is exactly what they will do., and what they are doing.

FF's logic is that we deserve better, and I agree with him.

Better services are achieveable with the gumption and planning to deliver better infrastructure, which needs to replace political opportunism.

[#Metro]

The reason why Sunshine Coast Services are cr*p is because the single track problems, alignment and so on.
Enough said.

[ozbob]

Train passenger load  services which exceed bench mark

http://translink.com.au/resources/about-translink/reporting-and-publications/2010-11-quarterly-report-jul-to-sep.pdf  page 16

The actual text from the Tracker is

* Considers passengers standing north of Caboolture (Sunshine Coast only) and south of Beenleigh (Gold Coast only).
only) and south of Beenleigh (Gold Coast only).
# Considers passengers standing outside 20 minutes of the CBD.

So a train that is going to Caboolture that has passengers standing for 40 minutes is not meeting the benchmark.

A train that is going to Caboolture and Nambour that has passengers standing for 40 minutes is considered acceptable.

All together now F A R C E!  LOL


The root problem is a failure of adequate service provision.  Which is a long standing consequence of neglect of the network.

[somebody]

Yes, but services which exceed the 20mins benchmark are also shown.

[ozbob]

Yes, but services which exceed the 20mins benchmark are also shown.

Indeed, which further highlights what an inane assessment tool is ' 20 minutes standing  ' actually is ...

One of the reasons for the 'perfect record' of the Ferny Grove line in the Tracker, none of the services are ever overloaded, which from personal experience is not the case.  There are often gross overloads.

[Arnz]

Gotta wonder where the counters for the morning peak services are, find it hard to believe it was only one early morning service that was crammed north of Caboolture.  

The 2 early morning services were usually crammed by Glasshouse Mountains due to those services only being 3-car units.  This may have changed since June 6, as one service was upgraded to 6-car (but that service had a comfort downgrade from a IMU to a EMU/SMU, that IMU being moved to the busier 6am-7am runs as a 6-car unit).

Afternoon peak is fairly correct, most trains leave Caboolture with a fully sitting load to few standees on most services.  The 4pm and 4:30pm do gets standees north of Caboolture from time to time.

This video I posted earlier in regards to the 4pm (ex Roma Street) still has standees around Beerwah (This taking into consideration the "I'm not sitting a sideway/backward seat" behaviour).  I was sitting in the 6th carriage (quiet carriage).  Not much has changed since this video, apart from the extra crowding to Northgate courtesy of the extra inner city stops.

[ozbob]

With go card reliable loading data should now be available, rather than 'tummy rubbing and it does appear too many folks are standing'.