Sydney Trains

[ozbob]

Tweets by @TrainsInfo

[ozbob]

Interesting tweet ...

131500 trains ‏@131500trains

Extreme heat forecast tomorrow: Don't board train if unwell. Ask staff for help. Get off at next station for help if on a train. Carry water

[somebody]

I guess that's because they still have non air conditioned trains down there.

[ozbob]

http://www.131500.com.au/service-changes/late-breaking-news-1/trains-suspended-between-north-sydney-and-wynyard-on-north-shore-line

Trains suspended between North Sydney and Wynyard on North Shore Line

Start: 28/02/2013 06:45 PM

Trains are suspended in both directions between North Sydney and Wynyard on the North Shore Line due to emergency repairs to a loose plate over the railway line across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Train passengers are advised to delay their journey.

Buses are being organised to operate between North Sydney and Wynyard.

Train tickets can be used to catch Sydney Buses and Sydney Ferries services instead.

As a result of congestion on the City Circle, trains on the Bankstown, Inner West, Airport & East Hills, South, Western and Northern lines are delayed up to 10 minutes.

[ozbob]

COMPUTERWORLD --> Transport for NSW to create line-specific Twitter handles

[ozbob]

Twitter

Alice P ‏@alliewonder 27 minutes ago

.@abcnewsSydney Storm in Sydney, Roof off building at Mt Druitt, hit the train lines, missing a coal train by seconds

[ozbob]

Twitter

T7 Sydney Trains ‏@T7SydneyTrains 11 minutes ago

Allow extra travel time due to flooding on the line affecting access to Olympic Park. More: http://ow.ly/L0zbZ 

[ozbob]

Twitter

NSW TrainLink West ‏@TrainLinkWest 22 minutes ago

Please allow extra travel time #BlueMountainsLine this morning due to heavy snow at Mt Victoria.

[ozbob]

Fire at Central..  Seems contained now - started in Hungry Jacks..  Big response from fire services..  Network disrupted at present..

[ozbob]

Trains are now operating through Central.. Concourse evacuated..

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Central Station evacuated after fire

[ozbob]

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Cecelia becomes first woman to give birth at Sydney train station

[ozbob]

Trains in Sydney skipped 1,400 stations last year. @jeloscek reports on passenger frustration. #SydneyTrains https://t.co/Qv0O2dpt2f

— 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) October 22, 2015

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Sydney Trains missed multiple chances to avoid Edgecliff derailment, says ATSB report

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Long Tube ride to Aust for Sydney train king Howard Collins & his Barmy Army

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> The third seat stays on Sydney's trains following bungled trial

[ozbob]

^

Twitter

The Cathy Wilcox ‏@cathywilcox1 3m

The Sydney train seating survey we didn't need. My @smh toon.

[ozbob]

TforNSW --> More seats, extra carriages for Central Coast and Newcastle train customers

The NSW Government will double capacity on a number of Central Coast and Newcastle train services, delivering 3,000 extra seats for customers during the week.

Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance said select services between Hamilton, Gosford, Wyong and Central will be boosted from four to eight-carriage Oscars.

"This is great news for Central Coast and Newcastle customers, who will now have a more comfortable trip to and from Sydney," Mr Constance said.

"By doubling the amount of carriages on select services, there'll be 3,000 extra seats for customers during the week."

Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch said the announcement demonstrates the NSW Government's commitment to delivering better services for the Central Coast.

"We know how frustrating it can be to miss out on a seat, especially for those with lengthy commutes, so today's announcement will certainly provide some welcome relief," Mr Crouch said.

"There's also more good news on the way for locals, with work underway to deliver a brand-new world-class intercity train fleet for customers from 2019."

Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter and Central Coast Scot Macdonald said it's a great outcome for locals.

"We have listened to the people of the Hunter and the Central Coast and have identified the services where extra capacity is needed to support customers," Mr Macdonald said.

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> No end in sight to Sydney trains safety upgrade as yet another deadline missed

A $360 million digital radio system designed to help prevent another Waterfall rail disaster is running five years behind schedule, and transport officials have given up predicting when it will be ready.

The new digital radio system is designed to allow drivers, controllers, signallers, guards and track workers to communicate with each other, and remove "black spots" on the network where the analogue radio cuts out.

Since work began in 2008, the project aimed at helping to prevent rail disasters has been plagued by repeated delays.
The Waterfall accident in January 2003 claimed the lives of six passengers and the train driver.

The Waterfall accident in January 2003 claimed the lives of six passengers and the train driver. Photo: Dallas Kilponen

Officials and contractors missed their most recent deadline of last July despite assurances almost two years ago from then Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian that "this complex project is now back on track" following delays under the previous Labor government.
Advertisement

Transport for NSW's deputy director general for infrastructure and services, Fergus Gammie, declined to give a completion date for the project due to its complexity.

"Clearly this project has been going for a long time. We have been fairly transparent that when this project came to us in 2012 it wasn't in great shape," he said ....

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/no-end-in-sight-to-sydney-trains-safety-upgrade-as-yet-another-deadline-missed-20160122-gmbwig.html

[ozbob]

Twitter

Terry Rawnsley ‏@TRaw_SGS 2h

A great chart showing heavy rail passenger journeys (millions) over a century for Sydney & Melbourne.

[ozbob]

TfNSW --> Shop 'til your stop: new trial to 'click and collect' your groceries at train stations

Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance today announced an Australian first for train customers – a grocery collection trial to save people time after their commute home.

The new 'Click & Collect' trial allows customers to shop online with Woolworths and pick their shopping up from specially designed lockers at the station on their way home.

"Everyone has time pressures, so we thought why not help train customers save time and be able to pick up their groceries at the station on the way home," Mr Constance said.

"We're trying to get customers home quicker and avoid the mad afternoon dash to the shops. Customers will be able to pick up a range of products from fresh food to frozen, even last minute ingredients for dinner."

Mr Constance said Sydney Trains is partnering with Woolworths on the 12-month trial, which is launching at Bondi Junction Station, after the supermarket won a competitive tendering process.

"Click & Collect lockers have been installed at Bondi Junction on a trial basis. Customers can order their shopping online from Woolworths on their mobile before 11am and pick them up before they catch the train or bus, or on their way home," Mr Constance said.

"Bondi Junction is one of our busiest suburban stations, with around 40,000 customer movements each day. It's also a busy bus interchange, so seemed like the logical choice to see if our customers like the idea."

"I am determined to tap into new technology that will improve the transport experience for our customers. This is a great example of the new initiatives customers can expect to see more of."

Kate Langford, Woolworths General Manager Digital Retail said: "Woolworths is always looking for new and innovative ways to serve our customers and make their shopping easier and more convenient."

"Click & Collect is already popular in our stores and at our drive through locations. Now our customers will be able to collect their groceries at the station on their way home which is great for commuters," Mrs Langford said.

Similar services have been implemented on rail networks internationally, including the London underground, however this is believed to be the first at an Australian train station.

Once the trial is complete and evaluated, Sydney Trains will explore the possibility of rolling out the initiative on a permanent basis at other suitable stations.

Today's announcement marks the start of a new 'Future Transport' program that will culminate in the Future Transport Summit 2016, where experts from Surry Hills to Silicon Valley will be invited to come up with the next big technology ideas to improve our transport system.

[verbatim9]

Oh I didnt see this post have also reposted in Station upgrades with Se suggestions. Its a good idea at some stations with Park n Rides and High Density areas. Not just for Woolies but Coles should have an opportunity too. Woolies seems to have the upper hand in NSW with Opal top up now Click and Collect lockers.

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Train patronage soars in inner Sydney but falls in the outer suburbs

[ozbob]

The Daily Telegraph --> 'Pink carriages' for women only draws fire from feminists and commuters

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Overcrowding on Sydney's trains worsens for passengers during morning peak

[tazzer9]

But do they know the pain of the the 7:25 ferny grove 3 car train.
Ironically the only train i've ever been on thats more crowded than that was a weekend blue mountains train.   It was a mumbai express from strathfield.   (also because it 90% of the train were indian tourists).   The mountain bikers at glenbrook were not that pleased.

[SurfRail]

^ Wouldn't be so much of a problem if they could bother running 8-car sets, but they "need" 3 crew members to do that up that way so they don't bother   

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> A fix for Sydney's crowded trains

[tazzer9]

Only in Australia can a mostly underground rail line be shut because of tree's in overhead wiring. 

"Customers are advised that trains have been suspended on the T4 - Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line between Martin Place and Bondi Junction in both directions due to a tree caught in the overhead wiring at Edgecliff. Buses are currently replacing trains between Martin Place (Stand F) and Bondi Junction (Grafton Street). Repair crews are on site and working to restore train services as soon as possible. At this stage we do not have a forecast of when the line can be reopened."

[petey3801]

Well, as you said, it's "mostly" underground, apart from the section around Edgecliffe which is not.. hemce has just as much chance of getting trees etc in the overhead as any other exposed part of railway..

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Sydney trains: Where the worst overcrowding is and how to avoid it

[ozbob]

Government Technology Review --> Sydney Trains selects Quintiq solution

Sydney Trains has selected a customer-centric planning solution from Quintiq to implement a dynamic timetabling system in its new Rail Operations Centre (ROC).

The NSW Government is investing $276 m to minimise delays and ensure that when incidents do occur on the Sydney Trains rail network, customers receive better and faster information.

Sydney Trains will use Quintiq's solution to provide computerised decision support for monitoring services and respond to service disruptions across the Sydney Metropolitan network, which has more than one million customer journeys each weekday and around 2885 timetabled services per day.

Tony Eid, executive director, Future Network Delivery at Sydney Trains, said the ROC would modernise how Sydney's rail network is controlled by incorporating dozens of different systems into a single location and changing the approach to managing trains.

"At the moment Sydney Trains manages the trains and tracks, responds to incidents, communicates with customers and monitors their safety from different locations and in different ways," he said. "The ROC will bring all staff involved in moving and controlling trains together in a centralised and coordinated way.

"Quintiq offers us innovative network optimisation technology that will provide support for our train controllers and signallers in recovering from disruptions on our train network," added Eid. The technology includes an electronic train graph and will help to minimise the disruption and reduce consequential delays."

Quintiq's solutions have been implemented in other major public transport networks, including the London Underground and NTV, Italy's first high-speed rail network. Its latest customer is Queensland Rail, which is also experiencing increasing demand for its services. "A mission-critical system such as the day of operations timetable system requires a strong foundation of trust and commitment from both parties," said Quintiq's CEO, Rob van Egmond.

Read more: http://technologydecisions.com.au/content/gov-tech-review/news/sydney-trains-selects-quintiq-solution-692283145#ixzz4FdD2dRRT

[ozbob]

http://www.transportnsw.info/en/transport-status/alerts-route.page?routeNum=T4&routeDesc=Eastern%20Suburbs%20%26%20Illawarra&mot=Train

Allow extra travel time across the Sydney train network

Updated 05 Aug 10:23

Passengers travelling on trains across the Sydney network are advised to allow additional travel time due to the activation of fire alarm at Sydney Signalling Complex again. Trains are currently stopped across the network. Passengers are advised to listen to station announcements and check indicator boards.
Lines affected:

    T1 North Shore, Northern & Western Line
    T2 Airport, Inner West & South Line
    T3 Bankstown Line
    T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line
    T5 Cumberland Line
    T6 Carlingford Line
    Central Coast & Newcastle Line
    Blue Mountains Line
    South Coast Line
    T7 Olympic Park Line

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Sydney's western rail line packed to full capacity 'within 15 years'

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Sydney trains: rail timetable changed to handle day trippers, different working hours

A surge in day trippers, school children and people working different hours has led to the state government opting to put on more trains on some lines in the afternoon and changing timetables for parts of NSW's rail network.

Under the latest rejig, three extra all-stops trains will run between Bondi Junction and Hurstville in the city's south in the afternoon, doubling services on the Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra Line from Central Station between 3.15pm and 3.45pm.

The extra trains to run from October 17 mean four existing services bound for Cronulla and Waterfall in south Sydney will stop at fewer stations, in an attempt to reduce crowding and trip times by up to eight minutes.

Patronage on Sydney Trains' network is growing at about 8 per cent a year, leading to overcrowding on services during peak hours.

In the wake of a trial, four express services – three in the morning from Kiama and one in the afternoon from Central – will be integrated into the timetable for the South Coast Line next month.

More than 2000 seats a week will also be added to the Blue Mountains Line following a decision to double the size of an afternoon weekday service from Central to Lithgow to an eight-car train.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance said commuters' travel patterns were changing, and more day trippers, school children and people working flexible hours meant passengers wanted to leave Sydney earlier in the day.

"Patronage on our rail network continues to grow and while we get on with delivering major infrastructure projects like Sydney Metro ... we have to look at other ways we can use our existing network more effectively," he said.

The first stage of the $20 billion-plus metro line from northwest Sydney to Chatswood is due to open in 2019.

However, single-deck driverless trains are not scheduled to begin running on the crucial second stage under Sydney Harbour from Chatswood to Bankstown via the CBD until 2024.

As a result of the latest changes, the departure times of 20 services across the network will change slightly. The maximum change will be up to eight minutes.

With demand for public transport surging, the Baird government has promised to increase the number of trains running each hour by two to 20 on the Western Line by 2019. The line is the busiest on Sydney's rail network, and its ability to handle more passengers is forecast to be exhausted within 15 years.

Under a fleet renewal project, the first of 512 new double-deck train carriages for NSW's intercity fleet will begin services to Newcastle, the Central Coast, Illawarra and the Blue Mountains in 2019. The $2.3 billion contract was awarded last month to a UGL-led consortium which will build the trains in South Korea.

Analysts also expect the government to award the contract for a $1 billion-plus purchase of new suburban trains for Sydney's rail network by November.

[ozbob]

ABC News --> Sydney trains almost all over capacity in morning peak hour, transport data reveals

Sydneysiders may take some small comfort in the fact that it is not just their train route that is overcrowded during the morning peak, almost all of them are, new data has revealed.

The Bureau of Transport Statistics considers trains operating at 135 per cent of capacity to be "uncomfortable" and "behind schedule".

But dozens of peak hour trains are running at well over 135 per cent capacity, with one — the Northern Line from Hornsby — reaching 180 per cent.

The Western and Illawarra lines are above 170 per cent.

On average, five of the 14 CBD lines are over capacity in the morning peak (between 8-8:59am), but they are all below the 135 per cent threshold in the afternoon peak (from 5-5:59pm).

All the intercity lines — the Blue Mountains, Newcastle and Central Coast, and South Coast — were under capacity in both the morning and afternoon peak.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance said the increase in commuters was unprecedented.

"Over the last 12 months it's off the charts in terms of increased patronage," he said.

"The Government is going to have to act super quick.

    "We are going to have to acquire new trains very, very quickly in order to cater for the growth that we've seen."

Mr Constance said the Government was working on easing congestion.

"We're going to see the first Metro train in 2019 — Metro North West," he said.

"We are doing everything we can to deliver that as quickly as possible. In the meantime were are going to deliver more trains, more services."

Opposition transport spokeswoman Jodi McKay has called on the Government to outline a plan for the overloading of trains.

"The Government needs to look at signalling, it need to look at what capacity is on the Western Line in particular," Ms McKay said.

"We know that right across the network there is congestion, now we've said this to the Government, they know this.

"But they are moving too slowly to fix this."

Ms McKay also asked for more clarity around the newly announced Metro lines.

"At the moment we have two conflicting plans that are on the table — we want to know how those are going to work together and how it's going to ease congestion on the Western Line," she said.

[#Metro]

It would be great if Sydney converted more CityRail lines to metro lines.

Automation will save both costs on drivers and guards. Easily $150 000 saved per pair.

Electrification is modern for the metro as well.

[ozbob]

ABC News --> Sydney trains to receive $1.5b boost for services to western suburbs

The NSW Government has announced $1.5 billion for new trains, promising to run services between Sydney and the western suburbs every three minutes during peak periods.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance said NSW was expecting a 21 per cent growth in the number of train commuters in the next five years.

"We're going to purchase an extra 24 Waratahs — the train loved by Sydney," he said.

"We'll be able to deliver more express services from Parramatta to the CBD, where we'll have an express service every three minutes during those busy times of the day."

Mr Constance said NSW was dealing with unprecedented demand from train customers, adding that the 24 new trains should be on the tracks by the end of 2018.

"We're going to invest $1.5 billion not only in new trains but also on major upgrades to deal with signalling, platforms, tracks," he said.

The Minister's announcement came on the same day the NSW Auditor-General released a report showing peak-hour afternoon trains in Sydney were late 161 of the 253 weekdays in the 2015–2016 financial year.

Regional trains improve, but state-run buses 'almost never' on time

Regional customers are experiencing better services in terms of punctuality; train lines in country areas reached targets for the first time in 13 years.

But state-run buses have not been running on time for four years, according to the Auditor-General Margaret Crawford.

"Private operators with metropolitan contracts almost never met punctuality targets for the middle or end of a trip," Ms Crawford said.

"State Transport Authority hasn't met any of its metropolitan targets over the last four years."

Ms Crawford recommended Transport for NSW consider introducing fines when buses do not run on time.

"Currently, only private bus operators can be financially penalised if they do not meet punctuality targets at the start of their trip," she said.

But Mr Constance dismissed that idea.

"In terms of the performance of STA and on-time running, we all want to see better," he said.

"What you're asking is the taxpayer to penalise themselves in that question."

He said the STA worked in some of Sydney's most congested areas, so faced obvious difficulties when it came to meeting punctuality targets.

[#Metro]

"Currently, only private bus operators can be financially penalised if they do not meet punctuality targets at the start of their trip," she said.

But Mr Constance dismissed that idea.

"In terms of the performance of STA and on-time running, we all want to see better," he said.

"What you're asking is the taxpayer to penalise themselves in that question."

He said the STA worked in some of Sydney's most congested areas, so faced obvious difficulties when it came to meeting punctuality targets.

Can't penalise a gov't operator - there is no profit to eat into, so it makes no sense. Toothless.

Privates and Gov't operators not delivering - for years- not questioned, failure normalised and allowed to continue.

Lots of excuses. Sydney's bus network is a mess and needs major simplification, like Brisbane.