Feedback on new timetable - please post here!

[Mozz]

Undertaking to move 3 car units to 6 car units on cleveland line??

Apparently the 7.20am from Wynnum this morning which was usually a 6 car unit is now a 3 car unit and caused chaos on this train for the poor regular commuters.

Post by Mozz

[ozbob]

Must be still some issues sorting out trains and that.

Report received of gross congestion (> 5 Derwan scale  see here for Derwan Congestion scale) from hapless commuters trying to get on at Enoggera this morning. 

 

There was about 300 pax waiting for the 7.50 City bound train at Enoggera this morning.  About 2/3rds managed to squeeze on to the train.  Absolutely cattle class.  With the new timetable there is now only 5 trains stopping at Enoggera station in the mornings between 7am and 8am.  With the old timetable there was 7.

Still some sorting out to do I think 

[ozbob]

More feedback from FG line ...

Well if the first day of operation of the new timetable on the FG line is any indication it is not a good sign.
One less train leaving FG between 7 and 8 am....

Two less trains stopping at Gaythorne between 7 and 8am with a  22 minute gap from 7.26 to 7.48 am ... platform packed with people.
7.48 completely packed  at Gaythorne, several on platform couldn't get on..  with no room to pick up disgruntled passengers from there on in.... next train 7.54 at Gaythorne similarly packed by Newmarket.. trains more crowded than I have ever seen in 20 years of commuting....

Fantastic so far....

Lets see how the afternoon goes.....

[agent_transport]

I am on the Cleveland line, catching it from Wellington Point

I catch what was the 6:59 part express...it is now the 7:00 no express. When it was the 6:59 it was already overcrowded and now we are stopping all stations it is beyond crowded 

Based on my review of the new timetable there appears to be one less service in the afternoon peak. My afternoon train, which was the 5:19 from Roma stopping all stations is now the 5:22 express...will be interesting to see how that goes today.

[ozbob]

Welcome agent_lilly!   
Thanks for the feedback.

I came in this morning on the now 'famous' 6.44am from Oxley (the 6.14am from Ipswich), a fellow board member and myself actually got a seat this morning     

I think we should not get to comfortable though, bit cooler out west folks probably slept in!

[Derwan]

3 minutes make all the difference!

My usual 7:14 train now departs Boondall at 7:17.  All those who "just missed" the 7:14 are now able to jump on.  And perhaps the slightly later running of the following service has resulted in people deciding to catch the 7:17 instead.

When the train arrived at Boondall, it was already a 3 on the scale.  I had to push past people in the doorway to move down the aisle.  (Why don't people move down the aisle instead of cramming the doorway!!)  Reached 4 at Banyo - 5 at Eagle Junction.  I felt sorry for a school student at Eagle Junction who wandered up one way, then back the other way - but there was no room for him and his oversized school bag, so he remained on the platform.

On the other lines, I find it hard to comprehend that services are actually being REDUCED (fewer trains, 3 cars instead of 6).  I remember a release indicating that the new timetable allows for services to be added as new trains are delivered.  I really hope that this is the case and that people aren't forced to wait another 6 months under the current conditions.

[ozbob]

From Courier Mail click here!

Commuters left stranded by train changes

Commuters left stranded by train changes
Article from: The Courier-Mail

By Neil Hickey

April 01, 2008 11:45am

COMMUTERS have voiced frustration over the new Queensland Rail timetable with some passengers being left behind by overflowing trains.

One of QRs busiest services the Ferny Grove line to the city was packed to capacity by the Enoggera station yesterday morning, leaving an estimated 60 people behind on the platform.

Those commuters faced a further 22min wait for the next train; the former schedule had a nine minute gap between trains.

City worker Stephen Knight, 31, said the revamped schedule had created scores of disgruntled passengers.

"There were definitely a lot of unhappy people, pretty much everyone on the train was talking about it. They were not happy, he said.

"At Enoggera maybe a quarter of the people on the platform managed to get on to the train and after that pretty much no-one got on afet that. Maybe one or two at each stop managed to squeeze themselves on.

"There were a lot of unhappy people and a lot of people said they were going to take the bus or the car the next day.

The complaints represent a nightmare start for QR, which called the timetable overhaul the most significant for more than a decade.

The general manager of passenger services, Andy Taylor, said the performance of the first week would be reviewed but pointed out the number of peak morning trains on that line had increased to 14 and in the afternoon to 16.

He said he was confident the services would work more smoothly once commuters worked out the new times.

And he said while there was a 22min lag between trains, the services had been upgraded from three car sets to six.

My blog comment   

Overall there have been increases but changed running patterns. This impacts locally on certain stations on all lines with significant changes eg. Ferny Grove, Beenleigh, Gold Coast in particular.

There are some gaps for further increases in services in time, that was on the QR Citytrain site a while ago. Best bet is to look at the timetable and perhaps leaving a little earlier or later to suit the changed patterns.

The basic problem is that QR still don't have enough trains to service the growing population. That is a government resource problem. QR need more trains and crew, simple.

Until then, I am sure QR Citytrain will fine tune things. It is a very complicated timetable and passengers need to check out carefully the details too.

I have done that for my line the Ipswich line, but not many changes there at this time. In fact yesterday I got a seat on the 6.44am from Oxley, first time for months.

[ozbob]

We have received advice from QR  that another six car set for the Ferny Grove line  will be added to the services inbound from Ferny Grove between the services at 7.45 and 8.06 into Central which will help to resolve the initial teething problems with the new timetable.

Excellent response.

[ozbob]

Here is the QR Corporate media release:

01 April 2008

            Customer feedback sees positive changes to the Ferny Grove line timetable

Effective tomorrow, Ferny Grove line users will have access to a new service in the height of the morning peak hour.

The new service will leave Ferny Grove at 7:26am stopping all stations to Central and arriving at 7:59am.

Mr Andy Taylor, Passenger Services Executive General Manager said the feedback from customers and stakeholders including

Local Member Geoff Wilson, was overwhelming and changes had to be made.

?The service will depart Ferny Grove at 7:26am which will fill the gap which existed between 7:16am and 7:36am from Ferny Grove,? Mr Taylor said.

?This new service will arrive to Mitchelton at 7:35am, Enoggera at 7:39am, Wilston at 7:45am and Central at 7:59am.

?I want to acknowledge that this new timetable is the most significant change we have undertaken since 1997, and was an extremely complex planning task.

?Regardless of this, we understand customers experienced overcrowding yesterday and today and some were being left behind on platforms ? and that is simply not good enough.

?I am delighted we were able to fit this extra service in to the schedule to help ease crowding during the height of the morning peak hour.

?We also received feedback that Enoggera customers were disappointed with the amount of express services no longer stopping at their station under the new timetable.

?Therefore, we will change one of the express services from Mitchelton to run express from Enoggera instead.

?This will make it more equitable for those at Enoggera ? this service runs from Ferny Grove at 7:06am stopping all station to Enoggera (arriving at 7:19 am) and then run express from Enoggera to Bowen Hills.?

ENDS

BACKGROUND FERNY GROVE CHANGES:

QR has added two extra morning and an extra afternoon peak hour service each weekday on the Ferny Grove line, taking the total morning peak services to 14 and afternoon peak services to 16.

The extra services in the morning are 6:14am from Ferny Grove and 8:21am from Mitchelton.

Express services now operate from Mitchelton station instead of Enoggera station (aside from the 7:06am service from Ferny Grove) to better integrate with the bus interchange being built at busy Mitchelton station.

All services have been upgraded from three-car sets to six-car sets resulting in additional 1525 passenger seats during peak hour each day from Monday to Friday.

We encourage customers to make themselves aware of the new scheduled services by visiting www.citytrain.com.au or phone TransLink on 131230

[Mozz]

Well it's good to see that overcrowding on a train or two on the ferny grove line that hits the news media can result in the introduction of an additional service to alleviate the overcrowding. I saw the news clip, but all I saw were a few people struggling to get onboard. On the Ipswich line I have regularly seen scores of people left at stations, others not even attempting to board the train giving it up as a hopeless task, people faint due to overcrowding, dangerously high passenger numbers in excess of the known maximum limit for passengers for a carriage/train - surely this is more serious than some people struggling to get onboard.

Could the relevant news media please travel on a train or two on the Ipswich line into the city in morning peak in the next few days and perhaps the same result can be achieved.

Obviously those of us slogging away on the keyboards and using the telephone to raise regular overcrowding and very serious safety concerns with both Translink and QR are using the wrong tactics.

But seriously folks, it's great to see that a quick response can be achieved if the right buttons are pushed, let's work out what they are and try to alleviate some of the danger which has been building for years on the Ipswich to City peak period.

[david]

I caught the 5:06pm ex Central Ipswich train at Toowong today and was amazed by the number of people who got on. I would say that it was a 5 on the Derwan scale at Toowong. My guess is that since the train is leaving 2 minutes later, people who usually catch the 5:09pm Ipswich train jump on, leaving that train almost empty. My suggestion is that the 5:09pm train be rescheduled to leave at 5:02pm from Central, so that more people are encouraged to board this service. The 5:06pm Ipswich train could be rescheduled to leave at 5:10pm, leaving space on this service for people at Toowong.

Also, with regards to Mozz's post, I also experience gross overcrowding on the Ipswich line in morning peak. I would say that the 7:32am ex Darra and the 7:40am ex Darra are the worst. The new 7:39am ex Corinda will relieve overcrowding from passengers usually boarding the 7:40am Caboolture express train from Indooroopilly and Toowong, however, more services are required from Ipswich.

[Arnz]

Caught the 4:02pm Nambour train.  Was the usual EMU/SMU.  Meanwhile the Nambour train crosses with the Redbank train at Brunswick Street... and guess what.. the Redbank train was operated by IMU162/169.. 

So a Suburban service gets a train which is meant for INTERurban trips, whilst a Interurban services gets a older Suburban unit with no toilets. 

QR really has to get their priorities right with the allocation of trains. 

[ozbob]

Media Release 1 April 2008

SEQ:  Quick response on Ferny Grove railway line by QR welcomed. More trains still needed!

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 welcomed the introduction of a new morning peak service on the Ferny Grove line with effect 2nd April 2008.  More trains are needed urgently.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

?QR is to be applauded for their quick response to a time table issue on the Ferny Grove as a consequence of the new timetables introduced on the 31st March 2008. The new service will depart Ferny Grove at 7:26am which will fill the gap which existed between 7:16am and 7:36am.  Other minor changes to some other services will also improve outcomes for passengers.?

?RAIL Back On Track has consistently highlighted congestion problems on our suburban/urban rail network for almost two years (1).  We take the view that QR does an excellent job within the constraints of resources at their disposal ? trains, track and crew.?

?We see the failure to keep pace with the enormous numbers of passengers to be transported as a consequence of funding shortfalls to QR passenger trains by the Queensland Government.?

?The outpouring of congestion grief on the Courier Mail web blog this afternoon is further evidence of the urgent need to properly resource our rail network (2).?

?We call on the Queensland Government to immediately fund the further acquisition of another 50 three car trains and crew, additional to the 44 three car trains progressively being introduced. These trains will be needed to ease the congestion being experienced on all lines of the network, and with the looming fuel and environmental costs necessary for an affordable sustainable transport solution for our community.?

?Enough of reactive responses, time for proactive transport solutions.?

Reference:

1.  Congestion ?crushing? commuters http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=603.0

2.  http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23465921-3102,00.html

Contact:

Robert  Dow

Administration
admin@backontrack.org RAIL Back On Track
http://backontrack.org

[ozbob]

Might just have to try to get the Redbank flyer tomorrow Arnz!   
But thanks for the report.

But I am sure it was probably a oncer.  Possibly due to minor maintenance on a unit or something causing some operational changes?

We have been seeing an increase in 200 220 IMUs on the Ipswich/Caboolture line lately.  Although the EMUs are fine by me. 

[ozbob]

From Courier Mail click here!

Extra train added to ease Ferny Grove rail rage

Extra train added to ease Ferny Grove rail rage
Article from: The Courier-Mail

By Neil Hickey

April 01, 2008 10:30pm

ANOTHER train service was yesterday added to one of Brisbane's busiest lines after an unprecedented outpouring of commuter anger about Queensland Rail's new timetable.

The couriermail.com.au was yesterday inundated with emails from more than 100 commuters commenting on the inadequacies of the suburban rail network.

The messages were sparked after a commuter on the Ferny Grove line said as many as 60 people were left behind at Enoggera station on Monday because of an overcrowded train.

Coinciding with the unveiling of QR's new timetable, the commuters faced a further 22-minute wait for the next train, 13 minutes longer than the original schedule.

Had problems on the trains? Have your say

City worker Stephen Knight, 31, said the revamped schedule had created scores of disgruntled passengers.

"There were definitely a lot of unhappy people ? pretty much everyone on the train was talking about it. They were not happy," he said.

"At Enoggera, maybe a quarter of the people on the platform managed to get on to the train and after that pretty much no one got on. Maybe one or two at each stop managed to squeeze themselves on."

The complaints represented a nightmare start for QR, which yesterday called the timetable overhaul its most significant for more than a decade. Opposition transport spokesman Tim Nicholls said the new timetables "wreaked havoc" during peak hour, with reports of hundreds of passengers left stranded at stations.

"Rather than providing commuters with a better service, TransLink has simply chopped and changed services," he said. "This is just a game of smoke and mirrors that is not fooling commuters."

After the deluge of complaints, QR late yesterday added a 15th service to the line to split the gap between the 7.16am and 7.36am trains.

As of today, a service will run from 7.26am arriving at Central station at 7.59am.

"We understand customers experienced overcrowding yesterday and today and some were being left behind on platforms ? and that is simply not good enough," QR general manager of passenger services, Andy Taylor, said.

QR also altered an express rail service from Mitchelton to instead run express from Enoggera.

The service will leave Ferny Grove at 7.06am and arrive at Enoggera at 7.19am before travelling express through to Bowen Hills.

Mr Taylor said the first week would be reviewed and he was confident the services would be smoother as commuters became familiar with new times.

[Zoiks]

The thing is that these chopped and changed service timetables allow for qr to add in more trains as they recieve them from EDI. So things are hopefully going to get progressivly better  until the holy grail that is the September timetable comes in.

[Mozz]

Zoiks - that might well be the case however the March timetable was promoted as the holy grail back early last year in 2007. What happens in September 2008 - do we get told that March 2009 will be the revision which delivers more than a couple of extra services?

[ozbob]

From ABC News click here!

QR says look closely at new timetable

QR says look closely at new timetable

Queensland Rail (QR) is urging commuters to familiarise themselves with new train timetables to avoid long waits.

QR made further changes to morning train services today, after a major timetable overhaul earlier in the week caused congestion on the Ferny Grove line.

Passenger services manager Andy Taylor says the extra service has solved congestion problems on the Ferny Grove line, but he is still urging passengers to look closely at the new timetables.

"We encourage people to look at our website, Citytrain and [the] Translink website," he said.

"Have a look at the times of the new services and make the most of these new six car sets, as opposed to some of the three car services in the past."

[Derwan]

I feel sorry for Andy.  He's copping unnecessary flack - unnecessary because if trains were ordered by the government sooner, we wouldn't see the congestion levels currently experienced.

[ozbob]

I second that Derwan!

[sabinedragon]

I was one of those commuters on the Cleveland line from Cannon Hill, city bound this morning. The trains leaving just after 8am have suddenly become 3 car instead of 6. This morning was a sweaty sardine trip into the city, commuters having to push & shove onto the train and also wrestle with bags,laptops and student parifinalia to get off the train.

I am hoping that this is not a trend? Just to borrow the 6 car trains from a line to cope with another, I hope someone had a more pleasant trip this morning 

[ozbob]

Welcome Sabine!

Thanks for the feedback.  We were under the impression that the 3 car services on the Cleveland line were to be changed to 6 car.

Might see if we can find out one way or the other.

It is possible that there might have been some shortages with rolling stock today perhaps.
Units fail from time to time.

Cheers
Ozbob

[brad C]

If one looked at the Mayne stabling yard on Monday there were no spare units anywhere apart from an odd collection of ICE cars which have been there for weeks.
So where do you think the additional Ferny Grove service came from - a no brainer.

In hindsight, there would appear to have been too many interurban cars ordered in this initial roll out rather than a mix with the proposed SMU 260 cars. I have not seen any 260 series down here at the moment and the most recent IMU set observed was was 176.

For those Clevelend line commuters wondering why their services have been revamped - elementary my dear watson.
With a new 15 minute frequency on the Gold Coast line, it was necessary to create more capacity between Park Road and Roma street.
How was this done, by altering those Cleveland services conflicting with southern services in this section.

This really highlights the urgent need for Merivale Bridge duplication and quadruplication from Park Road to Roma Street.
Where is this on the radar one asks --- burried in a supa nova!!!

If one has a real close look at the INNER CITY timetable leaflet, you will soon get the impression that there is not a lot of capacity left in the system within the inner city.
I have heard alll the arguments about the loop through Normanby, but let's face it whilst people are committed to getting dressed up to come to town each day to work, there will always be a demand for services to arrive in the CBD.

Imagine if the inner city quad had not been completed in the 1990s!!!

And if one thinks that September will be the time for all the problems to be fixed, unless the timetablers who have been responsible for this week's stuff ups are replaced then don't hold your breath!!

Brad C

[Skeetbris]

The Cleveland line didn't get any favours from this new timetable. There are no trains starting at Manly after 7.53 am, they now ALL start at Cleveland and by the time they get half way along the line to about Wynnum North they are a disaster. They took away the 8.33 am train that started at Lindum and canned the train that followed from Manly about ten mins later, so they are packed, it's a joke! We have hourly bus "services" and they are unreliable but this new timetable has done very little to improve the service at all!
    I gave up this morning and took the unreliable 220 at 9.10am to Queen Street Mall, at least taking the bus I get a seat even though the bus takes forever to get to the city. Can anyone tell me why the people currently "running" the public transport system in Brisbane have no idea what the word FREQUENT means? Public transport in this city is really very poor in terms of reliability and frequency, very poor! What did they do to the trains during the day? They fiddled the times a little bit but did zero for commuters, no wonder so many people just give up and take their cars when you have such rediculously long waiting times if you just happen to miss your bus/train! sorry for the rant as my first post but it is very irritating to have to waste so much valuable time waiting and waiting for P/T, doing the right thing by not driving the car to where I want to go.
    The service on P/T once you finally get on is patchy out this way at best! It is made up by generally pleasant bus drivers who are helpful and most of them friendly, same usually goes for the staff at QR but the buffoons running the system should get someone from Europe/Japan where they know how to run P/T
Of course as Brad C has posted the city is now so clogged up because of inaction by successive governments in the past decade and more, the duplication of Merivale St would take ages to build. Why have these idiots let it get to this stage?  There are not going to be any quick fixes is September as the visionless bureaucrats and politicians who apparently cannot read the Commonwealth Governments 5 yearly census that has been showing the enormous groth in the SEQ region.

[mufreight]

Response to Skeetbris.

Yes, you have it pretty right, but it is an unfortunate fact that to operate additional trains that are required requires additional tracks and the system is at present running out of track capacity.

With the government and city administrations preoccupation with tunnels it is obviously time to consider additions to the infrastructure mix with some rail tunnels.

It has been previously mooted but a line branching off from the Beenleigh line at Dutton Park and off the Clevland line at Buranda running underground with a station under Woolloongabba, under the river to a station at Gardens Point (Parliament) continuing to a station under the existing Central Station then continuing under Spring Hill joining the exhibition loop with a new station at Bowen Bridge Road to serve both the RBH and the Exhibition

Trains operating this route would then have the option of turning back through the city or continuing on to Ascot,Shorncliffe,Airport or north possibly as far as Gympie

This rail tunnel alone would carry more people than the underground spaghetti junction of road tunnels presently being constructed to encourage more road traffic.

Perhaps this is one of the solutions that the Premiers new oracle tasked with for relieving congestion in the greater Brisbane area.

They could learn a lot from from the voters but they will have to clean their ears out and have to listen to the voters they represent rather than the vested interests of the political party.

You could remind your local politicians of who voted them and whose interests they are supposed to represent.

Have fun it's all up to you.

[ozbob]

Feedback received, thanks.

There has been a multitude of complaints over the new Ferny Grove line timetable this week and rightly so; it is not merely resistance to change.  The major problem is still the lack of outward bound trains from Central during peak hour in the afternoon. 

The 5.27pm train from Central represents a 24 minute build-up of passengers; part of this is due to the ridiculous decision to change the express service from Enoggera to Michelton, thus cutting out the 2 popular stations Enoggera and Gaythorne.  I realise that QR cop their fair share of unsubstantiated gripes, but honestly, this new timetable is ridiculous and has resulted in overcrowded, unsafe 'cattle trains' and commuters being left behind at stations because they are physically unable to board the train.

[Arnz]

QR really has to get their priorities right with the allocation of suburban and interurban trains.  North Coast Line commuters get screwed over again in arvo peak with EMUs/SMUs on the 4pm and 4:32pm services. 

Yet again, this time on the 4:32pm Nambour train (where its scheduled as a EMU per normal), only to cross a Ipswich train run by the earlier series 100/120 IMUs.   

[ozbob]

I caught the 4.09pm service from Central to Redbank this afternoon ... IMU 106.

Might have to catch this service more often, the other day it was one of the new IMUs 

[stephenk]

Hi, this is my first post here. I was the person who sent the photo into the Courier Mail on Monday after the atrocious new Ferny Grove timetable. At an estimate, about 250 people were unable to board the 07:36 ex FG between Enoggera and Windsor. I wouldn't be surprised if some people chose not to board at earlier stops too!

Now I understand that the new timetable is designed so that extra services can be added when new trains are put into service. However the planners at QR must have seen that the 22min gap at all stations would result in total chaos. Because of this, I think the new timetable should have been held off until the new trains were already available. Asking passengers to alter their journey times rather defeats the object of trying to run an attractive public transport service!

Although I give QR credit for adding (or re-adding) the 07:26 ex FG train to fill the gap at short notice. It seems that if the trains, staff, and slots were already available, then why wasn't this extra service running anyway!

There are still some issues with the new timetable, particularly the 24min evening gap for passengers between Windsor and Gaythorne, and the fact that expresses now do not stop at Enoggera. For the former, I hope that one of these "extra" services will be added when new trains arrive. For the latter, Translink really need to rethink their public transport strategy. Enoggera is a bus interchange, and also one of the busiest stations on the FG line. It makes sense to give it the maximum train service possible. Adding one token express back to Enoggera is not good enough.

I havn't studied the new timetables on other lines in much detail, although I see that there are some odd features, such the 06:39 ex Cleveland which takes the same time to run express from Manly to Park Rd as the stopping train ahead of it. This is just a waste of line capacity, and the express should make extra stops at key stations between Manly and Park Road, as it has the time to! It would then take some pressure off the following service which from reports I've heard is quite busy.

[ozbob]

Welcome Stephen.  Good job!   

Thanks for your comments.  Yes, it is difficult for QR without adequate resources.

The 16 new IMUs that have allowed some improvements are the first new units in around 6 years.  During the past 6 years there has been a huge increase in passenger numbers.

It is essential that more trains are ordered now. 

I think QR will continue to tweak / improve the new timetable and add extra services as resources allow.

I agree there a still some anomalies, but in time this will start to be ironed out.

It is important for all public transport commuters to write to their local political representatives and indicate their dissatisfactions.

RAIL Back On Track has conducted a number of campaigns highlighting the issues on the FG line. 
It all helps.

Cheers
Ozbob

[Derwan]

Oh... 22 or even 24-minute maximum gaps sound wonderful!  Try 26 minutes in the morning - and 35 minutes in the afternoon if you count peak as starting at 3:30pm - or 25 minutes if you think it starts at 4pm.

QR probably had an extra train up its sleeve for eventualities such as the one experienced.  In fact, QR generally doesn't have every single train running - allowing for break-downs and the like to occur without having to cancel services.

[ozbob]

From http://www.citytrain.com.au/about/overview/meet_the_manager_events_april.asp

Dear customers

This week QR introduced a new timetable that resulted in significant changes for our passengers across the network.

There were mixed reactions to the service changes. Please allow me to apologise to you for any inconvenience caused. On behalf of the Passenger Services team at QR, thank you for your patience this week.

We appreciate your comments and we have worked quickly to make timetable adjustments where possible.

I encourage you to visit www.citytrain.com.au to download your timetable, collect a timetable from your local attended station or call TransLink on 13 12 30 for the latest information.

I extend to you a personal invitation to help us develop the next edition of the timetable due later this year.

Over the next eight months, we will be working hard to upgrade infrastructure and welcome new trains to ultimately improve services for you. QR?s major priorities include completing the Brunswick Street station and Indooroopilly station redevelopments.

We are holding a series of ?Meet the Manager? events (details below) at a station near you this month. I encourage you to come along and share ideas and comments to help us plan for the next edition of the timetable.

My team and I are dedicated to providing the best possible customer service to passengers and you can help us achieve that.

I look forward to meeting you on a platform sometime very soon. In the meantime, we welcome your comments and suggestions to citytrain@qr.com.au or through our feedback form.

Regards

Andy Taylor
Executive General Manager
Passenger Services

Meet the Manager Events


    * Ferny Grove Station - 10 April 2008
      6.30am - 8.00am
       
    * Beenleigh Station - 15 April 2008
      6.00am - 9.00am

    * Manly Station - 16 April 2008
      6.00am - 9.00am

    * Petrie Station - 17 April 2008
      6.00am - 9.00am

    * Enoggera Station - 18 April 2008
      6.00am - 9.00am

    * Sandgate Station - 22 April 2008
      6.00am - 9.00am

    * Roma Street Station - 23 April 2008
      7.00am - 9.00am

    * Ipswich Station - 24 April 2008
      6.00am - 9.00am

    * Eagle Junction Station - 29 April 2008
      6.00am - 9.00am

    * Yeerongpilly Station - 30 April 2008
      6.00am - 9.00am 

* further stations will be announced soon

[ozbob]

From Courier Mail 8 April 2008 page 2  not online

Off the rails - from tickets to timetables

[mark_from_briz]

Time table changes on the cleveland line.

I catch the  5;51 pm cleveland service from central every and the recent timetable seems to be quite strange  Can someone please enlighten me as to the thought processes that have
an  express 6 car train  arrive at central at 5:47 , sit there for 3 mintues and leave pratically empty (expressing past stations where people actually want to get off)
followed by a three car train that then  leaves in an over crowded state..

At first i thought it was a one off "oh crap we've run out of 6 car trains " type mistake, but it looks like its here to say.

seems like madness to me,,,Id go back to taking the bus except for the fact that the trains mostly run on time unlike the 210 bus which is regularly 30 minutes late...

Public transport in brisbane is so broken.. Sigh....

[ozbob]

Feedback received, thanks!

A lot of publicity about the Ferny Grove Line deficiencies, but the Cleveland Line is just as bad.

I catch Trains at MorningSide in the morning, and number between 7:30 and 8:00 AM cut by 2 and all now packed, no longer get a seat.
In the evening no Trains to going all the way to Cleveland between 4:45 and 5:15 in the middle of Peak Hour.

The 4:58 to Thorneside and following to Manly packed solid like sardines every night

[ozbob]

Feedback received, thanks!

I have been catching trains from Sandgate for many years, and during this time there have been no extra trains scheduled during peak hours, even though patronage have increased significantly. 

Once again the 7:11 was packed to capacity by Boondall station.  Driving looks more and more attractive.

[Derwan]

Once again the 7:11 was packed to capacity by Boondall station.  Driving looks more and more attractive.

This is the one that I usually catch (from Boondall).  It hasn't been as bad the past few days - but that might be because of school holidays.

Yes - driving looks attractive.  I know of a few people who drive to Northgate to have better options for trains.  The car park still has a lot of empty spaces at that time.

[ozbob]

From Courier Mail click here!

QR timetable talks continue

QR timetable talks continue
Article from: The Courier-Mail

By Neil Hickey

April 11, 2008 12:00am

THE refinements to Queensland Rail's new timetable have continued and will continue following community consultation meetings and an avalanche of comments online from readers of the couriermail.com.au.

Hundreds of commuters attended meetings in stations across Brisbane suburbs with managers of QR, following disillusionment at some of the changes in the new timetable wheeled out last week.

About 350 comments were also lodged from readers of the Courier-Mail online in reaction to QR's service.

QR's general manager of communications and community relations Anna Whybird spent three days this week responding to the concerns on the couriermail.com.au blog.

She said the forum had proven ideal for readers to air their concerns and for QR to address them.

"I'll continue to talk with people and encourage people to be open and share their points of view," she said.

"I think it's only fair we make sure that they're getting answers to there issues.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's just another avenue for their feedback and I hope this whole experience has enabled them to understand the environment we work in."

In addition to extra services on the busy Ferny Grove line announced last week, QR today also rejigged another service, the 5.17pm train leaving Central that faced a three minute delay at Keperra.

The delay has now been erased after QR decided to hold up an empty train returning to the city from Ferny Grove.

Ms Whybird said there were "about a dozen" other modifications being addressed as a result of the commuter feedback.

As a result of an idea raised by one couriermail.com.au reader, QR today also announced that it would hold an eight week feedback session prior to the unveiling of a new timetable in October or November.

Ms Whybird, who was responding to some comments as late as 10.30pm this week, said QR was also considering introducing a "late slip" trial, in which workers - fearful of reprisals at work - can have their tickets stamped as such by a station manager if their train runs late.

As well, an SMS trial is also underway that would enable commuters to subscribe to a particular line and have updates about that service sent to their phone.

More "Meet the Manager" sessions are planned for Beenleigh (April 15) and Manly (April 16).

Sessions will also be held this month at stations at Petrie, Enoggera, Sandgate, Roma Street, Ipswich, Eagle Junction and Yeerongpilly.

For more of Queensland Rail's "Meet the Manager" sessions, visit www.citytrain.com.au

My comment on the blog to this article:

Full marks to QR Passenger services for their community engagement.

QR are improving their detailed management of the timetable.  The fundamental issue is years of neglect by Government which has favoured roads and buses because of the short term nature of electoral cycles (the attempt at a quick fix). As reported yesterday in the mX March 2008 saw 1128 full BCC buses leaving folks behind. Shambles! 

Simply throwing more and more buses at the transport crisis is doomed to fail, simply because the bulk  capacity needed is only going to met by rail (heavy and light) fed by integrated buses.  Now with the looming fuel and environmental crises, the need to ramp up rail has never been more critical.

QR needs a further 50 3 car trains. These must be ordered today to allow some chance of a continued increase in services as the present 44 3 car trains are rolled out (16 already in service).  The aim must be 15 minutes off peak 5am to 8pm all lines.  Peak 7.5 minutes or better.  Outside these times 20 minute frequency and for sat sun public holidays in general.

The spin doctors are already at work with the INB.  300 buses per hour is being touted.  Two lanes, that is 150 buses per hour each direction or a bus every 24 seconds.  Now that doesn't even take into account loading/unloading.  I would like to see that!  Fact is bus in two lanes maximum capacity is about 10,000 pax per hour, heavy rail 30,000 per hour, metro rail 60,000, light rail can easily achieve 40,000 per hour.  What is going to happen to the buses when the fuel crisis bites?

Houston Texas has started to abandon busways for light rail. They can see the light at the end of the tunnel ...

[Mozz]

Woohoo a consultation period and socialisation of the "new" September 2008 timetable with the most important key stakeholders in the process - THE COMMUTERS - once again Woohoo!!!

[ozbob]