Article: Train driver snaps over Roar fans' singing

[ozbob]

From Brisbanetimes click here!

Train driver snaps over Roar fans' singing
Darren Cartwright
December 28, 2011 - 12:56PM

A cranky driver stopped a train and called police after his plea for Brisbane football fans to stop singing fell on deaf ears, passengers say.

The Queensland Rail driver halted the train about 30 seconds after leaving Robina train station, on the Gold Coast, about 10pm on Monday.

On board were about 400 enthusiastic Brisbane Roar football fans who had just attended the Boxing Day clash with Gold Coast United.

A fan who was with his two young daughters and son said the driver had warned them to stop singing or he wouldn't continue the journey to Brisbane.

When they arrived two stops later at Helensvale, the platform was swarming with police and sniffer dogs.

"We pulled up at Helensvale and there were 15 to 20 cops with sniffer dogs barking," the man said.

"There was no foul language, no trouble. We were singing and having a bit of fun.

"The train driver went a bit over the top and there was no call for it."

Police confirmed they had been called to a disturbance at Helensvale station but said no one had been arrested.

The father said the sight of police dogs and so many officers had scared some children on the train.

"It's heavy-handed, especially with kids on the train," he said.

"This comes at a time when we hear there are not enough police on the Gold Coast.

"There is too much crime and here we are, 15 to 20 of them waiting for us at Helensvale train station because we are having a bit of fun.

"It was over the top."

Most of the Roar fans had left on a train that departed an hour earlier.

The trains going to the coast before the match would have been even livelier - as Brisbane lost the contest - but the drivers of those services apparently took no issue with fans singing.

Queensland Rail has been contacted for comment.

AAP

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/football/train-driver-snaps-over-roar-fans-singing-20111228-1pcal.html

Very one-sided yarn, would have liked to see Queensland Rail's viewpoint published as well.  It is possible that something went on besides singing ...  and we know there was another major incident. 

Cheap shot BT.

[HappyTrainGuy]

It might all have been in good fun but I wonder if it had anything relating to the noise inside (being able to hear radio coms, hearing passenger emergency coms, annoying other passengers with the noise level etc) as some rollingstock really does amplify the noise inside. Especially the sealed walkway and plug door IMU160s and SMU260's due to their outside noise reduction, linked carriages and plastic based interior.

[ozbob]

As I suggested, very poor effort with the lead article BT ...

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

QR defends 'heavy-handed' driver

QR defends 'heavy-handed' driver
Darren Cartwright
December 28, 2011 - 7:58PM

Queensland Rail has defended a driver who stopped a train because of rowdy soccer fans, and claim he wasn't the one who called police.

The driver halted the train about 30 seconds after leaving Robina train station, on the Gold Coast, about 10pm on Monday.

On board were about 400 enthusiastic Brisbane Roar soccer fans who had just attended the Boxing Day clash with Gold Coast United.

A fan who was with his two young daughters and son said the driver had warned them to stop singing or he wouldn't continue the journey to Brisbane.

When they arrived two stops later at Helensvale, the fan said the platform was swarming with police and sniffer dogs.

He said there was no foul language or trouble and the driver's behaviour was "over the top".

A Queensland Rail spokesman said it did not take issue with sports fans singing or cheering on trains, "as long as they are considerate of other customers and adhere to instructions given by Queensland Rail staff".

"The train crew have advised that the crowd in the lead car of a train that departed Robina station on Monday night were banging on the driver's cabin door and windows while using offensive language and singing loudly," the spokesman said in a statement.

"An announcement was made asking for those involved to cease their behaviour - they did and the train continued without incident.

"... We will not tolerate behaviour which could impact on the safety and comfort of others."

The spokesman said that neither the driver nor the guard contacted police or security.

Earlier in the day the driver of a train en route to the match from Brisbane had dismissed the complaint of a passenger who pushed an emergency button and complained about rowdy fans using the train's intercom.

The driver told the middle-aged female passenger that he could not stop fans from singing and to move to the designated quiet carriage if the behaviour bothered her.

Police on Wednesday confirmed they had been called to a disturbance at Helensvale station but said no-one had been arrested.

The soccer fan said the sight of police dogs and so many officers had scared some children on the train.

"It's heavy-handed, especially with kids on the train," he said.

"This comes at a time when we hear there are not enough police on the Gold Coast.

"There is too much crime and here we are, 15 to 20 of them waiting for us at Helensvale train station because we are having a bit of fun.

"It was over the top."

AAP

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/qr-defends-heavyhanded-driver-20111228-1pcx7.html

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

29th December 2011

Media beat up re singing on train - where is the apology to Queensland Rail?

Greetings,

Yesterday, both major media outlets in Brisbane ran stories which suggested a Queensland Rail train driver had over-reacted to fans singing on the train.

That was not the case, basic investigative reporting would have lead to the correct interpretation of the circumstances.  The lead articles were very unbalanced.  Unfortunately this story went National as well.

Don't you think you need to write a formal apology to Queensland Rail and publish the same?  So much hysteria and unbalanced reporting.  Would have to be one of the worst efforts for 2011!

Best wishes
Robert

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

[Gazza]

If they were banging on the drivers door etc they weren't really obeying the quiet carriage rules anyway....

[STB]

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/qr-investigates-rowdy-roar-fans-stoppage-20111229-1pdvj.html

QR investigates rowdy Roar fans stoppage

Darren Cartwright
December 29, 2011 - 1:59PM
Read later
Queensland Rail will review audio and video recordings as part of an investigation into a driver halting a train in frustration at singing football fans.

Queensland Rail's acting chief Martin Ryan said the stopping of a passenger train on Monday night between Gold Coast stations was a safety breach and would be fully examined.

The driver halted the train about 30 seconds after leaving Robina station about 10pm (AEST) on Boxing Day.

Advertisement: Story continues below
On board were hundreds of Brisbane Roar fans who had just seen their side lose in the local derby with Gold Coast United.

Passengers claim they were just singing, but in defending the driver's actions in refusing to move until calm was restored, Queensland Rail claimed doors were being rattled and passengers were using foul language.

The department claimed its staff didn't call police to meet the train two stops later, when officers as well as security guards with sniffer dogs questioned fans about the racket.

Mr Ryan said video recordings from each carriage and audio recording of conversations between the driver, the main control room and the guard would be examined.

"We will investigate the whole situation," Mr Ryan said on Thursday.

"It was a safety breach as far as we are concerned."

However Police Deputy Commissioner Ross Barnett contradicted Queensland Rail's claims its staff didn't call for police support.

"There were several police, the fact is they were called there because the driver had concerns," Mr Barnett told reporters on Thursday.

"The police were called, assessed the situation and no one was charged and everyone went on their way."

Transport Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk said she would wait until a report was filed before deciding whether to approach the Brisbane Roar, their supporters or A-League officials about the incident.

She said singing was permitted on passenger trains.

"The train was not stopped solely for singing, there were some other incidents as well," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"I don't have problem with singing on a train but it's where people are feeling unsafe (that it's a problem)."

A fan who was with his two young daughters and son said the driver had warned them to stop singing or he wouldn't continue the journey to Brisbane.

He said there was no foul language or trouble and the driver's behaviour was "over the top".

Ms Palaszczuk on Thursday announced the first of 10 new railway squad officers would start patrolling south east Queensland's passenger network early next year.

It increases the number of railway officers to 64.

AAP

[ozbob]

there were some other incidents as well," Ms Palaszczuk said ...

Pity, the lead article didn't do their homework properly ...  no, lets bash the railways ...

Still struggling to admit they got it wrong ... lol 

[ClintonL94]

Don't forget about the Quiet Carriages!

[HappyTrainGuy]

The courtsey quiet carriage.

[Stillwater]

The singing wasn't world class, so it had to stop.

[#Metro]

She said singing was permitted on passenger trains.

Actually

http://translink.com.au/tickets-and-fares/fares/conditions-of-travel

Conditions of travel
decrease text size reset text size increase text size Print


Travel using any TransLink train, bus and ferry service is only permitted with a valid go card or TransLink paper ticket or pass.

All TransLink ticketing products remain the property of TransLink and are not transferable from one customer to another.

The following are examples of passenger conduct which may constitute a breach of the Transport Operations (Passenger Transport) Act 1994 (this list is not exhaustive and other conditions apply).

    A passenger must ensure his/her go card is touched on when travelling.
    A passenger must not evade, or attempt to evade, payment of the required fare for the intended journey.
    A concession/child paper ticket holder, or a concession, seniors or child go card holder must be in possession of a valid concession entitlement card.
    A passenger must produce a valid ticket or go card and a valid concession entitlement card (if applicable) when requested to do so, by a driver, ticket seller or authorised person.
    A passenger must not smoke in a public passenger vehicle.
    A passenger must not consume food or drink in a public passenger vehicle.
    A passenger must not interfere with a public passenger vehicle, service equipment or a public passenger service.
    A passenger must not bring an animal on to a public passenger vehicle unless it is an approved guide or assistance animal.
    A passenger must not create a nuisance or disturbance on a railway or public passenger vehicle.
    A passenger must supply his/her name, address and age to an authorised person when requested.
    A passenger must not obstruct an authorised person in the exercise of a power.

[BrizCommuter]

Lets hope this train driver never wants a train driving job in the UK (or any other European or South American country) if he can't cope with singing soccer fans!

[ozbob]

Singing was the not the problem, despite the hysterical media bleats.  There were some other issues.

[O_128]

Lets hope this train driver never wants a train driving job in the UK (or any other European or South American country) if he can't cope with singing soccer fans!

We all know what the stereotypical bogan is like after 2 drinks, they would have been screaming and yelling, banging on the drivers door, pushing buttons etc. these "casual" travellers have no consideration for train or bus ettiquette

[ButFli]

Lets hope this train driver never wants a train driving job in the UK (or any other European or South American country) if he can't cope with singing soccer fans!

We all know what the stereotypical bogan is like after 2 drinks, they would have been screaming and yelling, banging on the drivers door, pushing buttons etc. these "casual" travellers have no consideration for train or bus ettiquette

No offence, but Brisbane Roar fans are not the stereotypical bogan. Perhaps you are thinking about NRL or Cricket.

[meh]

Ok im not necessarily a train enthusiast but I do use them regularly and usually have a pleasant experience on them, however this time that was not the case and there were several reasons for this.

Firstly there were somewhere around 2000 fans who travelled to the match on the Coast from Robina- official attendance was 6900 odd- so that's quiet a high % who travelled from Brisbane, and were encouraged to use the train network to do so. So why weren't sufficient trains running to meet demand? I wont buy any excuse based around 'no way of knowing how many would travel' because in the previous two derbies at the venue 2000+ Brisbane fans made the trip on both occasions. So it would be logical to expect big demand for the services no? So why have them every hour- a move which caused caos both before and after the game.

For the record, due to a public holiday trains were only running every hour, which if you plan ahead shouldn't be an issue on the way down, just leave earlier, but on the way back it was just plain stupid. There was 400-500 people stuck on that little platform for an hour waiting til 9.50pm waiting for a train, and these weren't just adults, I saw kids probably as young as 5 on that platform.

I'll get to the 'incident' in a minute but the delay at Helensvale meant a further 30 minute delay – I timed it- and as a result the train didn't reach Central until 11.40, some 35 minutes after the scheduled arrival time. This resulted in many people missing connecting trains on the Ferny Grove, Shorncliffe, Caboolture, Doomben and Cleveland lines- again including families. Some people I know didn't get home from the game until 1.30 am (keep in mind it finished at 8.30pm), that's a complete disgrace no matter which way you look at it, especially given the government encourages people to commute via the public transportation network.

Now for this incident that the media is banging on about, yes when the train left Robina there were some cheers, which morphed into a few people –I wasn't one of them- who started singing songs about wanting to go home, Brisbane clap clap clap  ect. THERE WERE NO CHANTS THREATENING ANY OPPOSITION FANS, OR THE DRIVER, NOR DID I SEE ANYONE BANGING ON ANY DOORS OR WINDOWS, at least in the carriage I was in.  The train driver immediately got onto the PA system and said 'If you want to keep chanting I'll stop the train and call the police. The people ignored that and he stopped it to say 'you think im joking' before taking off again. The train stopped as planned at Nerang, but at Helensvale the train was stationary for a solid 30 minutes. The platform had multiple police officers accompanied with sniffer dogs, a sight which made the kids sitting behind me on the train very nervous.

Eventually after about 25 minutes of picking one or two people out to lay the law down an officer boarded each carriage to lay the law down issuing some pretty strong worded warnings. Idk if they were so heavy handed due to a scuffle that occurred at the stadium earlier or not but it was very heavy handed and wasn't required. From my vantage point there were probably about 10 young guys standing up singing, clapping ect between Robina and Helensvale, it wasn't overly loud and certainly didn't offend anyone on the train that I saw. Infact before the driver issued his warning most of the people on the train were joining in.


I should also add in here that on the train ride down there were several members of the Brisbane supporter group 'The Den' who were chanting on and off for the entire journey and there was not a single word mentioned asking them to stop.

Now that I've outline what actually occurred on the train, allow me to pick through some of the lines uttered through the media since Monday night.

"The train crew have advised that the crowd in the lead car of a train that departed Robina station on Monday night were banging on the driver's cabin door and windows while using offensive language and singing loudly,"

Initially it probably was loud because 2/3 approx of the people in that car were singing, but about half of them stopped after the warning.  I didn't see anyone banging on the cabin door either. In summary- singing loudly- yes, offensive- no. 

The spokesman said that neither the driver nor the guard contacted police or security.

The above quote could not be more wrong, and when you consider the facts it makes no sense, but let's go through it anyway. So, the driver who got on the intercom within 30 seconds of the train leaving asking them to stop but was ignored twice then just accepted it and moved on? Im not buying that, it makes no sense especially given the 25 odd police officers with sniffer dogs that showed up. Are Queensland Rail really trying to suggest that they just so happened to be there? They should just come out and admit- yes the driver called the police- it might give them some credibility in this case.

Finally- this quote sums up my very 1st thoughts on the debate.

"This comes at a time when we hear there are not enough police on the Gold Coast.
"There is too much crime and here we are, 15 to 20 of them waiting for us at Helensvale train station because we are having a bit of fun."

I won't add to this one too much, but when you consider that the Gold Coast has more crime that the rest of Queensland, it's amazing they have 25 odd cops free to pursue such a trivial matter, especially given the fact nobody was arrested.

[ozbob]

G'day Meh, Welcome!

There was another incident not related to the events you describe and you are not aware of.  That is why the police were involved.  The police were not called because of the singing per se.

It is a great shame that the media did not wait for Queensland Rail's response before embarking on a beat up.

Also there is a heightened sensitivity at the moment on the Gold Coast line due to this incident viz.  Gang of youths terrorise driver after stopping train on Gold Coast, 24 Dec 2011, and other security / safety incidents of late e.g rock throwing,  and is why the police etc. were in the area.  They weren't there because of the 'singing' as many think, particularly after this beat up.  Don't blame Queensland Rail, blame the general deterioration in behaviours all over for the police response.

The way it is going, Gold Coast trains are going to have to be escorted armed conveys.  Please give some consideration to the Queensland Rail train crew who are constantly forced to run this gauntlet of social dislocation and aberrant behaviours.  

TransLink is responsible for scheduling the trains and so forth, particularly for special events.  Please express your issues re poor service frequency etc. direct to TransLink, it is the only way it will be resolved.

Cheers!

Footnote.  When I arrived at Goodna on train last evening at around 6.25pm, there where three QPS rail squad, three Transit Officers on the platform.  Pleased to see them out and about ..

[somebody]

So why weren't sufficient trains running to meet demand? I wont buy any excuse based around 'no way of knowing how many would travel' because in the previous two derbies at the venue 2000+ Brisbane fans made the trip on both occasions. So it would be logical to expect big demand for the services no? So why have them every hour- a move which caused caos both before and after the game.

I thought some extra trains were run?  Can't re-check it any more.  Hourly is the regularly scheduled frequency, which is pretty poor.

[mufreight]

So why weren't sufficient trains running to meet demand? I wont buy any excuse based around 'no way of knowing how many would travel' because in the previous two derbies at the venue 2000+ Brisbane fans made the trip on both occasions. So it would be logical to expect big demand for the services no? So why have them every hour- a move which caused caos both before and after the game.

I thought some extra trains were run?  Can't re-check it any more.  Hourly is the regularly scheduled frequency, which is pretty poor.

Typicaly of anything Translink is involved in not enough additional capacity and especialy following the event when most problems arise so much for the abilities and competence of their transport planners.      

[BrizCommuter]

So we can blame this one on TransLink and lack of frequency?

BrizCommuter travelled to a Roar game at Skilled Park last year. A 15 min frequency was being run for this game, however due to operational incompetence (i.e. reversing a Beenleigh Line service in platform instead of siding at Beenleigh) the train was delayed for 10 mins between Holmview and Beenleigh anyway.

[ozbob]

So we can blame this one on TransLink and lack of frequency?

BrizCommuter travelled to a Roar game at Skilled Park last year. A 15 min frequency was being run for this game, however due to operational incompetence (i.e. reversing a Beenleigh Line service in platform instead of siding at Beenleigh) the train was delayed for 10 mins between Holmview and Beenleigh anyway.

The abysmal frequency didn't help Briz ...

[STB]

So why weren't sufficient trains running to meet demand? I wont buy any excuse based around 'no way of knowing how many would travel' because in the previous two derbies at the venue 2000+ Brisbane fans made the trip on both occasions. So it would be logical to expect big demand for the services no? So why have them every hour- a move which caused caos both before and after the game.

I thought some extra trains were run?  Can't re-check it any more.  Hourly is the regularly scheduled frequency, which is pretty poor.

Typicaly of anything Translink is involved in not enough additional capacity and especialy following the event when most problems arise so much for the abilities and competence of their transport planners.    

I'm not sure on the exact setup in this case, but in the past extra trains are added based on a contract between TransLink, Queensland Rail and the event organizer who provides the number of pre-booked ticket sales prior to the event so that trains can be planned, authorized to run and crews rostered on.  Basically with the setups in the past, the event organizer pays for the extra trains which is covered under the ticket (if free travel is given - not actually free, just added inside the ticket price itself).

How do I know this?  This was my job working on these events and knowing all this background information for approximately 6 months, it may of changed since the split from QR National and QR Passenger.  I'm not sure.  But what I've stated above is what has been the setup in the past, and may still be the setup for adding extra trains to the event.

Mufreight, with all due respect, I don't think you know exactly what goes on behind closed doors with respect to these sorts of things - which I have been exposed to in the past.  But I do agree that it was an unfortunate situation regardless with what transpired.

At an educated guess, based on those numbers, I don't think it met the minimum amount of expected patronage to the event to meet the thresholds of adding extra trains as per the contract.

[STB]

So we can blame this one on TransLink and lack of frequency?

BrizCommuter travelled to a Roar game at Skilled Park last year. A 15 min frequency was being run for this game, however due to operational incompetence (i.e. reversing a Beenleigh Line service in platform instead of siding at Beenleigh) the train was delayed for 10 mins between Holmview and Beenleigh anyway.

Sounds like a Day of Operations (Train Control) screw up.  That certainly would not of been timetabled.

[petey3801]

The above quote could not be more wrong, and when you consider the facts it makes no sense, but let's go through it anyway. So, the driver who got on the intercom within 30 seconds of the train leaving asking them to stop but was ignored twice then just accepted it and moved on? Im not buying that, it makes no sense especially given the 25 odd police officers with sniffer dogs that showed up. Are Queensland Rail really trying to suggest that they just so happened to be there? They should just come out and admit- yes the driver called the police- it might give them some credibility in this case.

This is really starting to annoy me. TRAINCREW DO NOT CALL THE POLICE! We do not call emergency services at all. We advise Control of the situation and request whatever assistance we deem is required and Control takes it from there.

Just because you didn't see people baashing on the crew door etc or swearing etc. in the other set of the train doesn't mean it didn't happen. Until the CCTV etc. is reviewed, I will reserve my complete judgement. There have been a number of incidents of late, not just involving the Gold Coast Line with several traincrew being assaulted just for being there doing their job. Crew are getting nervous about the regularity of these incidents, as well as the increasing severity of them, so may be taking more precautions than normal. You say heavy handed, I say covering their backside to avoid having things escelate.

The platform had multiple police officers accompanied with sniffer dogs, a sight which made the kids sitting behind me on the train very nervous.

Didums. Hopefully it might mean those kids might think twice in coming years before doing stupid crap like a large amount of people around today.


The people were warned to keep it down beforehand, a warning which was completely ignored. They got what they were asking for. And before people go on about how NRL/AFL/whatever other code sports fans are worse, when I have been on a footy special from Suncorp, everyone has generally been quite well behaved and quiet, sounds basically like a peak hour train. Just like the Soccer/Football trains I have worked. Generally all pretty good. If these people had of heeded the warning from the driver/guard and simply toned it down somewhat, all this would have been avoided. Simple.

MOD EDIT: Second "quote" should have been "/quote"
<Mod hat off>Can we get these quotes right please?

Edit: Apologies about quote stuffup... Should preview before submitting 

[#Metro]

I don't understand what the fuss is.

It is good that we have police etc on the network. There was a big crowd, and officers are often present at big crowds to ensure the public good order.

The train driver was within their rights afforded by the conditions of travel. It says that you can't be a nuisance or a disturbance on PT and huge singing of whatever
squarely falls into that. How can they concentrate and hear things on the radio.

Let it be.

[STB]

The above quote could not be more wrong, and when you consider the facts it makes no sense, but let's go through it anyway. So, the driver who got on the intercom within 30 seconds of the train leaving asking them to stop but was ignored twice then just accepted it and moved on? Im not buying that, it makes no sense especially given the 25 odd police officers with sniffer dogs that showed up. Are Queensland Rail really trying to suggest that they just so happened to be there? They should just come out and admit- yes the driver called the police- it might give them some credibility in this case.

This is really starting to annoy me. TRAINCREW DO NOT CALL THE POLICE! We do not call emergency services at all. We advise Control of the situation and request whatever assistance we deem is required and Control takes it from there.

Just because you didn't see people baashing on the crew door etc or swearing etc. in the other set of the train doesn't mean it didn't happen. Until the CCTV etc. is reviewed, I will reserve my complete judgement. There have been a number of incidents of late, not just involving the Gold Coast Line with several traincrew being assaulted just for being there doing their job. Crew are getting nervous about the regularity of these incidents, as well as the increasing severity of them, so may be taking more precautions than normal. You say heavy handed, I say covering their backside to avoid having things escelate.

The platform had multiple police officers accompanied with sniffer dogs, a sight which made the kids sitting behind me on the train very nervous.

Didums. Hopefully it might mean those kids might think twice in coming years before doing stupid crap like a large amount of people around today.


The people were warned to keep it down beforehand, a warning which was completely ignored. They got what they were asking for. And before people go on about how NRL/AFL/whatever other code sports fans are worse, when I have been on a footy special from Suncorp, everyone has generally been quite well behaved and quiet, sounds basically like a peak hour train. Just like the Soccer/Football trains I have worked. Generally all pretty good. If these people had of heeded the warning from the driver/guard and simply toned it down somewhat, all this would have been avoided. Simple.

+1 to that post.  Ahh, blame the other half but never your own self, human psychology 101.  Petey is 100% correct! There are other pending issues that are yet to be resolved by CCTV investigations so like Petey I reserve a judgement on those other issues, however, you sir 'meh', need to sort out your 'facts'.

EDIT:  Not sure why it's posting the post in a quote box  
MOD EDIT: Fixed this quote as well, as it quoted the previously incorrectly quoted message, which causes continuing errors as the Simple Machines software doesn't insert close quotes when an open quote is not matched with a closing quote.  It closes the quote at the end of the messge.
I hope I haven't upset anyone.  /MOD.

[HappyTrainGuy]

meh... Where to start haha 

[somebody]

The above quote could not be more wrong, and when you consider the facts it makes no sense, but let's go through it anyway. So, the driver who got on the intercom within 30 seconds of the train leaving asking them to stop but was ignored twice then just accepted it and moved on? Im not buying that, it makes no sense especially given the 25 odd police officers with sniffer dogs that showed up. Are Queensland Rail really trying to suggest that they just so happened to be there? They should just come out and admit- yes the driver called the police- it might give them some credibility in this case.

This is really starting to annoy me. TRAINCREW DO NOT CALL THE POLICE! We do not call emergency services at all. We advise Control of the situation and request whatever assistance we deem is required and Control takes it from there.

If Train crew called the police, Control or other QR staff or Translink called the police, who really cares?  It seems impossible to escape the inference that the transit provider or an agent called the police.

I don't think stopping between the stations was appropriate either.  That makes police assistance further away!

[Set in train]

I'll get to the 'incident' in a minute but the delay at Helensvale meant a further 30 minute delay – I timed it- and as a result the train didn't reach Central until 11.40, some 35 minutes after the scheduled arrival time. This resulted in many people missing connecting trains on the Ferny Grove, Shorncliffe, Caboolture, Doomben and Cleveland lines- again including families. Some people I know didn't get home from the game until 1.30 am (keep in mind it finished at 8.30pm), that's a complete disgrace no matter which way you look at it, especially given the government encourages people to commute via the public transportation network.

This is the biggest problem, that they delayed the train causing services to be missed. If alternative transport at Central was not arranged by QR for legitimate passengers, then this discourages patrons trying to do the right thing - off peak public transport. This really should have been the central story, that a delayed train caused connections to be missed.

I can imagine the scene, the typical throwing up of hands by staff at Central with no flexibility given. The alternative is to have a senior person in an operations centre authorise staff to work late and make trains available - a truely customer focussed QR rather than customer PR focussed would do this. Does this happen? Keen to hear the procedure.

ETA: I have travelled citybound on the Gold Coast line at night on weeknight occasions this year and found the journey to be trouble free, no problems with 'regulars' etc.

[STB]

I'll get to the 'incident' in a minute but the delay at Helensvale meant a further 30 minute delay – I timed it- and as a result the train didn't reach Central until 11.40, some 35 minutes after the scheduled arrival time. This resulted in many people missing connecting trains on the Ferny Grove, Shorncliffe, Caboolture, Doomben and Cleveland lines- again including families. Some people I know didn't get home from the game until 1.30 am (keep in mind it finished at 8.30pm), that's a complete disgrace no matter which way you look at it, especially given the government encourages people to commute via the public transportation network.

This is the biggest problem, that they delayed the train causing services to be missed. If alternative transport at Central was not arranged by QR for legitimate passengers, then this discourages patrons trying to do the right thing - off peak public transport. This really should have been the central story, that a delayed train caused connections to be missed.

I can imagine the scene, the typical throwing up of hands by staff at Central with no flexibility given. The alternative is to have a senior person in an operations centre authorise staff to work late and make trains available - a truely customer focussed QR rather than customer PR focussed would do this. Does this happen? Keen to hear the procedure.

ETA: I have travelled citybound on the Gold Coast line at night on weeknight occasions this year and found the journey to be trouble free, no problems with 'regulars' etc.

I don't know if there is a procedure, but I very much doubt that something like this could realistically exist given constraints such as crewing rules, safeworking, unit balancing, any scheduled overnight maintenance closures that have tight timeframes etc.  It's not simple like getting a bus out on the road, although I suppose that perhaps could be a back up option if they can source enough buses and taxis  in the middle of the night.

[mufreight]

The above quote could not be more wrong, and when you consider the facts it makes no sense, but let's go through it anyway. So, the driver who got on the intercom within 30 seconds of the train leaving asking them to stop but was ignored twice then just accepted it and moved on? Im not buying that, it makes no sense especially given the 25 odd police officers with sniffer dogs that showed up. Are

I won't add to this one too much, but when you consider that the Gold Coast has more crime that the rest of Queensland, it's amazing they have 25 odd cops free to pursue such a trivial matter, especially given the fact nobody was arrested.

I think that you will find that the number of police officers that attended at Helensvale would have been engaged on attempting to catch the ferals down there who have been engaging in practices such as rocking trains and the recent stopping of a train so that they could grafiti it and recent assualts on train crew.
Regardless there is no need for socer followers to emulate the actions of the overseas footy hooligans using public transport.
A little respect for the comfort and convenience of others goes a long way.

[Cam]

This is the biggest problem, that they delayed the train causing services to be missed. If alternative transport at Central was not arranged by QR for legitimate passengers, then this discourages patrons trying to do the right thing - off peak public transport. This really should have been the central story, that a delayed train caused connections to be missed.

I agree 100%. However, the headline wouldn't have been as catching.

[HappyTrainGuy]

Its just not as simple as clicking your fingers and having an extra train pull out of Mayne to pick up the missed connection, to continue a journey or force someone to work a little later. For example crews that are based out of the terminus might handle the last few shifts as they can drive the train into the stabling yard then go home for the night, rollingstock positioning/maintainence, crews might be at the limit of their permitted working hours, additional time spent doing the route (say an extra Caboolture train is ran that's an extra 1h50m the crew has to do as an all stopper then dead running back to Mayne via Roma Street/Normanby). Anyway, the service was only 30 minutes late which doesn't apply for bus/taxi travel even though some might have missed their final connection (Pretty sure there is a different set of rules regarding the final services on public holidays due to the hourly frequencies across all lines).

And good luck getting buses at midnight on boxing day/following public day holiday. Winning Lotto would be easier  

[somebody]

I've had the (my) last Ipswich train delayed 5-10 minutes to allow connections from something at Doomben.  Seemed like a perfectly reasonable proposition to me at the time, and still does.

HTG does raise a good issue with crews timing out, but perhaps they should ensure crews operating the last services on these nights do actually have some time left.

[HappyTrainGuy]

It can apply to times inbetween shifts too IIRC.

[ozbob]

G'day Meh, Welcome!

There was another incident not related to the events you describe and you are not aware of.  That is why the police were involved.  The police were not called because of the singing per se.

It is a great shame that the media did not wait for Queensland Rail's response before embarking on a beat up.

Also there is a heightened sensitivity at the moment on the Gold Coast line due to this incident viz.  Gang of youths terrorise driver after stopping train on Gold Coast, 24 Dec 2011, and other security / safety incidents of late e.g rock throwing,  and is why the police etc. were in the area.  They weren't there because of the 'singing' as many think, particularly after this beat up.  Don't blame Queensland Rail, blame the general deterioration in behaviours all over for the police response.

The way it is going, Gold Coast trains are going to have to be escorted armed conveys.  Please give some consideration to the Queensland Rail train crew who are constantly forced to run this gauntlet of social dislocation and aberrant behaviours.  

TransLink is responsible for scheduling the trains and so forth, particularly for special events.  Please express your issues re poor service frequency etc. direct to TransLink, it is the only way it will be resolved.

Cheers!

Footnote.  When I arrived at Goodna on train last evening at around 6.25pm, there where three QPS rail squad, three Transit Officers on the platform.  Pleased to see them out and about ..

Reality ...

[O_128]

Didums. Hopefully it might mean those kids might think twice in coming years before doing stupid crap like a large amount of people around today.

Chances are none of these kids will be future offenders on the rail network. Maybe send an officer to every school in the state with a giant dog and educate them on rail safety.

[meh]

This is really starting to annoy me. TRAINCREW DO NOT CALL THE POLICE! We do not call emergency services at all. We advise Control of the situation and request whatever assistance we deem is required and Control takes it from there.

Direct sequence of events.

-Train leaves Robina station
-Passengers begin to sing
- Driver gets on intercom saying stop or i'll contact the Police
- Passengers keep singing
- Driver stops train, says 'you think im joking' then starts driving again
- Passengers stop chanting at this point, but a minority keep going.
- Train delayed at Helensvale as Police board train.

Just because you didn't see people baashing on the crew door etc or swearing etc. in the other set of the train doesn't mean it didn't happen.

I said more or less that in my post above 

Hopefully it might mean those kids might think twice in coming years before doing stupid crap like a large amount of people around today.

So people should stop supporting their team because 1 driver took offence at them showing passion for their club? What an absurd arguement.

[Set in train]

I don't know if there is a procedure, but I very much doubt that something like this could realistically exist given constraints such as crewing rules, safeworking, unit balancing, any scheduled overnight maintenance closures that have tight timeframes etc.  It's not simple like getting a bus out on the road, although I suppose that perhaps could be a back up option if they can source enough buses and taxis  in the middle of the night.

This is what I mean, organise buses or taxis, whatever alternative transport possible if there is no alternative to train late at night when there are unforseen circumstances.

[HappyTrainGuy]

Mate, once again, you do not have full visability over a 6 car train or any internal communication between the driver, guard and train control. It was a crowded train, IMU160/SMU260s do amplify the internal noise due to their design with lack of carpet/hard plastic/linked carriages and external noise reduction via plug doors, loud singing would have drowned out the noise of anyone hitting the wall/door. While there might have been people singing in your view of sight for the 3 cars that still doesn't guarantee that people in the other 3 cars weren't misbehaving. Maybe it was the guard that forwarded a message to the driver that people were hitting the doors/windows from the CCTV screen in the cab. For all that you know it could have been people at the far rear of the train banging on the door where there could have been a QR employee sitting in the cab off duty which does happen (The 3 kids fatally hit on the Ipswich line back in 2006 was first alerted or information was relayed from a driver who had finished his shift and was sitting in the cab at the end of the train). The other month I was witness to 3 ferral grubs that were mouthing off to some poor woman who had told them to quiet down in the quite carriage only for the driver to get verbally abused when he stuck his head out and told them to be respectful to others in the carriage and to knock it off.

Just because the driver said he'll contact police doesn't mean that he would have. It would have been a threat to get said people to stop what they were doing. No different than a mother could say to their child misbehaving that she'll get the police to give him a stern talking too.

The large police presence could have been any number of reasons. Internal miss communication. Maybe someone was spotted in the corridor. Maybe they had information about something similar happening that night. Maybe something previous had happened at the station or nearby. Some would have been members from the railway squad which patrol the corridor and assist at stations during sporting events. Random drug searches/emforcement. It could have been a firm stance about there sick and tired of employees getting abused/damaging rollingstock by rude/drunk passengers.