Translink Tracker Q1 2011-12 + Queensland Rail Passenger Load Survey Q3 2011

[Set in train]

Media Release -> http://translink.com.au/about-translink/reporting-and-publications/media-releases/release/443

Peak train numbers up, crowding down

Crowding down because less are using?

[Set in train]

"Detailed load and performance data for public transport in south-east Queensland is not made publicly available as in other states.  This suggests that the authorities are more interested in maintaining a cloak of secrecy and non-transparency, and covering up failure."

"We call on TransLink to make publicly available timely and accurate performance data for all railway lines, bus and ferry routes."

"Why is necessary to resort to Right To Information requests for data that is made readily available in other states?  Is there something to hide?"

"Taxpayers and the public transport community are tired of being treated with contempt!"

Yes, yes, yes and yes - my next post was going to ask when the counterpeak and off peak services would be disclosed. This shows a network with a focus only on the commuter rather than a wholistic approach to increasing PT use.

[Set in train]

"But in a sign of how desperate and panic-stricken this failed Bligh Labor government has become, Labor has now 'reviewed' last year's official figures, altering the numbers  to claim train patronage is up compared to last year," Mr Emerson said.

And the LNP wouldn't do that??? We're not all silly.

"Now is the time for change. Time to get Queensland back on track."

Are you getting royalties for this Ozbob?!!!!!!!!

[ozbob]

From the Couriermail click here!

Standing-room only on peak-hour trains in southeast Queensland, according to Translink survey

Standing-room only on peak-hour trains in southeast Queensland, according to Translink survey

    by: Robyn Ironside
    From: The Courier-Mail
    December 15, 2011 12:00AM

MORE than a third of southeast Queensland's peak hour trains are standing-room only.

The passenger load survey released by Translink shows commuters on the Ferny Grove, Ipswich-Rosewood and Nambour lines are the worst off, with some having to stand for almost the entire journey on eight morning services.

Two-thirds of the Gold Coast's peak services are standing-room only, as are more than half of those going to Cleveland.

Caboolture-line commuters are almost no chance of all getting a seat on 18 of the 46 morning and afternoon peak services. The survey was based on data collected from a physical headcount on peak-hour services in the July to September quarter.

A timetable review is currently under way to add more capacity on the Ferny Grove, Ipswich, Beenleigh, Gold Coast, Cleveland, Shorncliffe and Doomben lines.

But commuter advocate Robert Dow questioned whether that would ease the seat shortage.

"We don't have the rolling stock to add too many more services," said Mr Dow.

"We certainly won't see an outcome like we did in Darra, with frequency upgraded to every 15 minutes."

Outside the Brisbane CBD, the busiest stations in the southeast were Bowen Hills with 5707 peak-period passenger movements a day, followed by Indooroopilly with 4552 and Petrie (4363).

The Airport stations of Domestic and International recorded just over 1000 peak-hour passenger movements while Karrabin on the Ipswich line was the most poorly patronised with only 19.

More than 65,000 passengers passed in and out of Central station at its busiest, 26,840 used Roma Street and 12,586 arrived or departed from Fortitude Valley in peak periods.

Translink acting CEO Matt Longland said timetable changes introduced in June were driving "positive change for train customers".

"Some of the most significant growth occurred on our two busiest lines during the morning peak period with Ipswich/Richlands line growing by 7.3 per cent and the Caboolture line by 9.9 per cent," said Mr Longland.

He said at the same time "both of these busy lines have more than halved the number of crowded services as a result of the 11 additional peak services on the Ipswich/Richlands line and eight additional peak services on the Caboolture line".

Mr Dow said there might be a case to amalgamate some Citytrain stations in the future to improve service times and avoid costly upgrades.

"All stations have to be upgraded to full disability access standards in the next 20 years and in some cases the patronage may be too low to warrant spending the money," he said.

A Translink spokesman said there were no plans to close or amalgamate any stations.

[ozbob]

From the Queensland Times 15th December 2011 page 11

Rail line on right track, says expert

[ozbob]

From Couriermail 15th December 2011 page 38

Editorial

Transport must be LNP's first priority to fix

[david]

From the Couriermail click here!

Standing-room only on peak-hour trains in southeast Queensland, according to Translink survey

I find your non-biased and level-headed views very refreshing in this article Bob, an article that is dominated by inaccurate reporting of statistics, sensationalism and lunancy in general.

[Jonno]

From Couriermail 15th December 2011 page 38

Editorial

Transport must be LNP's first priority to fix

They do. It is called TransApex and the Bruce Highway Upgrade.  Campbell Newman was taught engineering when more roads was the ONLY solution to traffic congestion and his views have not changed since.

[Stillwater]

This wording comes straight from the LNP website:

Queenslanders didn't need another glossy report to tell them the Bligh Government had failed to deliver on public transport and main roads, the State Opposition said today.

Shadow Minister for Transport, Scott Emerson said Labor had had 20 years to improve our transport and roads systems, but their report Connecting SEQ 2031: An Integrated Regional Transport Plan for South East Queensland released today, revealed they've continued to let Queensland commuters down.


"Despite providing 144 pages of glossy document and a press release suggesting this is a 'plan', buried on page 139 is the admission the 'plan' is in no way a commitment to infrastructure spending or any particular piece of infrastructure," said Mr Emerson.

"What exactly is this document if it's not a commitment?

"It's a pre-election gimmick from a tired, 20 year old Labor government.  It's a disgrace.

"This is another taxpayer funded, colour brochure from Labor that withholds the disastrous truth before an election, only to reveal the real extent of the crisis after an election.

"The Connecting SEQ 2031 transport report unveils an estimated $227 billion unfunded wish list to try to spin the Bligh government's way out of the fact that under them, public transport has become used less and more expensive.

"We already know Labor has a $150 billion infrastructure shortfall now.

"The fact is, Labor has failed to increase public transport usage," said Mr Emerson.

So, Mr Emerson, how will an LNP government ensure that it won't fail when it comes to improving and funding SEQ's PT system?

[#Metro]

So, Mr Emerson, how will an LNP government ensure that it won't fail when it comes to improving and funding SEQ's PT system?

Dear Mr Emerson. Where is the LNP's glossy brochure?
Oh, that's right. You guys don't even have that...

[Fares_Fair]

Excellent story in today's Courier-Mail, by Robyn Ironside their Transport reporter, and posted by ozbob, highlighting the Caboolture line situation. 


Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[#Metro]

Mr Dow said there might be a case to amalgamate some Citytrain stations in the future to improve service times and avoid costly upgrades.

"All stations have to be upgraded to full disability access standards in the next 20 years and in some cases the patronage may be too low to warrant spending the money," he said.

A Translink spokesman said there were no plans to close or amalgamate any stations.

I reckon some stations should disappear. Rocklea for example- could be deleted safely. When Cross River Rail is opened, rather than upgrade it, maybe they should
bulldoze it. Delete Banoon as well (very close station spacing) and put a bus on.

[Cam]

I reckon some stations should disappear. Rocklea for example- could be deleted safely. When Cross River Rail is opened, rather than upgrade it, maybe they should bulldoze it.

I think that you would have to sell the idea to the community that currently use the station. What will they receive in return for the loss of their railway station? I have previously mentioned some of these ideas in the "What would you miss" topic.

The following could help sell the idea to those that currently use Rocklea station:

1)   A new Salisbury station could be built between the current location & the Nyanda platform under Beaudesert Rd i.e. the new Salisbury station would be closer to Rocklea than its current location.
2)   A walkway/bikeway along the railway corridor to the existing Rocklea station could be built to reduce the time it takes to walk from those houses near Rocklea station.
3)   A pedestrian bridge could be built from Moorooka towards the southwest to Fairfield Rd & across to Cambridge St to provide better access to Moorooka station for those travelling to/from the Brisbane Markets & Sherwood Rd commercial area that currently use Rocklea station.
4)   A proper interchange could be built adjacent to the new Salisbury station for buses using Beaudesert Rd as well as cross town services.
5)   The new station would also become the interchange between the Flagstone, Beenleigh & Gold Coast lines.

I've been informed that the community is not happy about losing the railway crossing under Beaudesert Rd as part of CRR.

[#Metro]

The Perth data is quite clear. The Joondalup and Mandurah lines get twice the patronage that the older, stop-everywhere lines get.
I agree with the need for some compensatory measures. Frequent feeders?

[ozbob]

http://www.scottemerson.com.au/media-releases/standing-room-only-on-peak-hour-trains.html

Opposition statement

Standing room only on peak hour trains

Thursday, 15 December 2011 11:34

For 20 years Labor has been price gouging public transport fares while delivering fewer services.  Now they're also robbing commuters of seats, the State Opposition said today.

Shadow Transport Minister Scott Emerson said the Translink passenger load survey revealed commuters on the Ferny Grove, Ipswich-Rosewood and Nambour lines were the busiest with passengers forced to stand for almost the entire journey on early morning services, while two-thirds of Gold Coast peak services had standing room only.

"Oppressive overcrowding will not encourage more commuters to use public transport," Mr Emerson said.

"Under Labor, Queensland public transport users have had their fares doubled.  In return for their hard earned dollars - commuters are standing for almost the entire journey from Nambour to Brisbane.  That's a two hour trip, and it's hardly value for money.

Mr Emerson said passenger numbers were far greater than seating capacity on South East Queensland train networks, with more than a third of commuters being forced to stand.

"It's no surprise that patronage numbers are down, while complaints have gone up.

"This inept Bligh government's strategy has gone off the rails - and Labor continues to stumble along making public transport an unappealing option," he said.

"Commuters have completely lost confidence in the incompetent government's ability to plan and deliver reliable and affordable public transport.

"The LNP will be passenger and service focussed.

"That's why the CanDo team introduced a policy for Go Card users to get free journeys every week after nine trips.

"The LNP is focussed on getting public transport back on track and we'll make sure there is a choice – a viable choice for Queensland commuters," Mr Emerson said.

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

"That's why the CanDo team introduced a policy for Go Card users to get free journeys every week after nine trips.

Really?  I think you mean after nine journeys ....

[ozbob]

Above statement has now been updated, to read:

"That's why the CanDo team introduced a policy for Go Card users to get free trips after nine journeys in a week.

[colinw]

Ok, we get it LNP, you're "one upping" the ALP on freebies.

Now can we have some SUBSTANTIVE public transport policies please, not just a dumb auction?

Something, anything ...

[Mr X]

Bruce Highway action plans anyone? 

[Stillwater]

What is this 'choice' of which Mr Emerson speaks in the last parapraph of his media release?  Is it the choice between ALP and LNP or a choice between taking the car and catching a bus or a train?  The vague promises are starting to wear thin .... Labor has failed the people of SEQ and a CanDo LNP team will do better.  Well, what will happen under the LNP, how will it be better?

I think it is the lack of choice (between policies of one party and the next) that has people concerned.

Looking at Colin's pic, it could be that the LNP will ensure the tumbleweeds will move faster, or there's more of them. 

PS:  Maybe we will see a ressurection of the concept of an extra carriage on each train to relieve over-crowding.  That went down so well last election.

[petey3801]

Looking at Colin's pic, it could be that the LNP will ensure the tumbleweeds will move faster, or there's more of them. 

Yep! We'll go from 2tph (tumbleweeds per hour) to 3tph! 

[somebody]

Petrie Represent! Take that Ferny Grove haha.

Look at the all day data from last year's PT survey

Ferny Grove where are you?  Indooroopilly and Toowong represent!  Take that Petrie!

I think that shows the value of parking with respect to all day patronage, which is surely what it is all about.  Interestingly, this was before the weekend/evening frequency was upgraded, and Ferny Grove is behind both Darra and Oxley which had the same frequencies at the time.  Ipswich and Goodna are ahead as well.

Helensvale is good, but there are a large number of bus connections there as well as the large car park.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Council, government trade barbs as commuters abandon network

Council, government trade barbs as commuters abandon network
Bridie Jabour
December 16, 2011 - 3:49PM

Tempers are flaring between the Brisbane City Council and the state government over the city's buses with fighting over patronage numbers and funding.

The council issued a release this morning saying since July, bus patronage in Brisbane has fallen every month, its worst performance since modern recording methods began in 1999.

Public and Active Transport Chairman Julian Simmonds blamed the falling patronage on the government's plans to hike fares by 15 per cent each year until 2014.
Advertisement: Story continues below

But the government has hit back, saying for every $1 a passenger spends on a bus ticket the government is subsidising the ticket by $3 and Translink figures show patronage has risen over the past year.

According to the council, bus patronage figures fell from 6,249,981 in November 2010 to 6,191,626 last month, a drop of 0.93 per cent.

Cr Simmonds took credit for the previous "record" bus patronage numbers but blamed the government for the recent falls.

"We've seen Brisbane's buses go from record patronage growth in line with council putting record numbers of new buses on the road to their worst performance in recent history," he said.

"Council is still putting record numbers of buses on the road and there hasn't been a flood in 2011-12, so the only thing left is the state government's double-digit fare hikes. Translink's own figures support this.

"It therefore beggars belief that in a couple of weeks the state government will jack up fares by another 15 per cent, which will see the cost of a single inner city trip rise to over five dollars."

A Translink spokesman said its figures show patronage between February and September up by 700,000 trips on the record 53.75 million trips in 2010.

January of this year is not recorded in the figures because of the floods and the eight free days of travel offered during them.

Translink have not yet released their figures from September onwards but their month by month figures show a rise of 170,000 trips from July to August before a fall of 80,000 to September.

The council and Translink use different methods to measure bus patronage with council counting the amount of people catching the bus and Translink counting the number of trips taken.

Acting Transport Minister Craig Wallace said the state government had increased their contributions to the bus network over the years while the council had cut theirs.

"Cr Simmonds seems to have forgotten that the Queensland Government provides a significant contribution to the Brisbane bus network," he said.

"In fact, the state government keeps increasing its subsidy contribution because the council is continually cutting its share, down from 49 per cent in 2004 to 33 per cent in 2012."

The Translink spokesman said the fare increases are being implemented to improve public transport in southeast Queensland.

He said some of the projects being funded by the fare increase were: the new stage of the northern busway from the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital to Kedron; stage two of the Rail Timetable Review which includes the review of bus services to meet new train timetables; more than 125 new buses for the TransLink network; new CityCat services; a review of bus services as work begins on the Gold Coast light rail project; new bus stations at Logan Central, Maroochydore, North Lakes, Peninsula Fair and Redbank Plaza; and new park 'n' ride facilities across the network.

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/council-government-trade-barbs-as-commuters-abandon-network-20111216-1oyek.html

[#Metro]

Oh not this cr*p again. 

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

According to the council, bus patronage figures fell from 6,249,981 in November 2010 to 6,191,626 last month, a drop of 0.93 per cent.

Are you kidding me! How do we know this is not statistically insignificant variation?

"In fact, the state government keeps increasing its subsidy contribution because the council is continually cutting its share, down from 49 per cent in 2004 to 33 per cent in 2012."

The fact that Brisbane City Council contributes *anything* to PT operation is a MIRACLE, I'm not aware of any other council outside Queensland that does this or comes close to the scale of the BCC subsidy!

[somebody]

TT, compared to the year on year growth of 8%p.a. which was previously applying, it most certainly is statistically significant.

[#Metro]

TT, compared to the year on year growth of 8%p.a. which was previously applying, it most certainly is statistically significant.

Really? 8% / 12 months = 0.6 % growth per year (and there would be + / - deviations from this from month to month)

[BrizCommuter]

http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com/2011/12/translink-tracker-q1-201112.html
BrizCommuter's review of the TransLink Tracker Q1 2011/12.
Sorry it's a few days in waiting, as BabyCommuter has been unwell.

[#Metro]

Core Frequent Network

Now just imagine what would happen to patronage if these principles
were applied to trains.

TransLink has been rolling out the HFP network to introduce
significantly increased frequency on some of our most popular
bus routes.
And the approach is working. On nearly every occasion that a bus
route has been upgraded to a HFP service patronage has doubled.

The HFP routes are also helping to create a more efficient
public transport network allowing for the redesign of routes
to minimise duplication.
With the savings achieved, TransLink is reinvesting in rolling out
new HFP routes and improving local bus services to connect with
the HFP trunk routes.
"We've designed the HFP network to operate on our busiest routes,
for example, between train stations, on busways and on major roads,"
Dan said.
"Moving forward, the HFP routes will form the backbone of
TransLink's trunk and feeder network.
"Under this type of network, customers will use local buses feeding
into transport hubs, where they will transfer onto a High Frequency
Priority service with little or no wait.
"It's helping us to create a more efficient network, freeing up resources
and funding to put even more buses, trains and ferries on our network.
"More importantly, we have seen massive increases in patronage on
weekends proving that public transport can be competitive with cars
even outside of the peak.

[somebody]

TT, compared to the year on year growth of 8%p.a. which was previously applying, it most certainly is statistically significant.

Really? 8% / 12 months = 0.6 % growth per year (and there would be + / - deviations from this from month to month)

Dividing by 12 isn't valid here.

If you don't want to see that +8% is much more than -0.9%, I don't know what to say.

[Gazza]

Oh not this cr*p again.  

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

According to the council, bus patronage figures fell from 6,249,981 in November 2010 to 6,191,626 last month, a drop of 0.93 per cent.

Are you kidding me! How do we know this is not statistically insignificant variation?

"In fact, the state government keeps increasing its subsidy contribution because the council is continually cutting its share, down from 49 per cent in 2004 to 33 per cent in 2012."

The fact that Brisbane City Council contributes *anything* to PT operation is a MIRACLE, I'm not aware of any other council outside Queensland that does this or comes close to the scale of the BCC subsidy!

Read properly. November 2010 till 'last month' which of course. November 2011
2010, to 2011, Thats 12 months. -0.0775 drop per month


So basically, PT usage over the last 12 months has been stagnant/dropping, whereas the year(s) before it was going up and up.

Oops for you I guess.

If it were a -0.9 drop for just one month, then yeah it would be statistically insignificant, but this is the drop over a whole year.

[somebody]

Fare per trip increased to $1.98 from $1.64.  That's an increase of over 17%, which is more than the fare rise.  My explanation is that more of the shorter PT trips have been deterred by the fare rises as compared to the longer trips.  It is possible that the rate of interchange has dropped, although I doubt it.

I guess fare revenue did increase by more than the 8% which it could have if the fare rises never started.