Double the trains to Ferny Grove

[ozbob]

Yes, just too difficult without adjusting the rest of the TTs.  Polyticks ...

Metro Trains Melbourne (the one that is giving me 10 minute trains all day at the moment) does 2 major timetable reviews each year. QR struggles with just 1 in 13 years!!

June 2011 was 15 years ... 

[somebody]

Unable to terminate trains at stations beginning with Y?

I think standing on a running line at Yeerongpilly isn't a very reasonable suggestion.

Rocklea would need a platform built at the train refuge.

You mean something for the crew to get in & out of the cabs?  I presume you don't mean a full length platform.

I guess you could also double head the train to perform this manoeuvre.

Don't Cityrail just have crews climb up a ladder below the cab?

[BrizCommuter]

http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/merivale-bridge-at-capacity-myth-or-not.html
Is the Merivale Bridge preventing peak service improvements on the Ferny Grove Line?

Unable to terminate trains at stations beginning with Y?

I think standing on a running line at Yeerongpilly isn't a very reasonable suggestion.

Just because a train terminates there, does mean it reverses there. Re: Rocklea sidings, or Corinda.
Stop being pedantic.

[somebody]

More logical to continue to Corinda in service than go somewhere out of service.

Perhaps in the sector 2 review there will be an extension to Coopers Plains.

[Set in train]

Griffith Uni's Jago Dodson said bringing back daily, weekly and monthly tickets, or "all you can eat" tickets, would help drive people back to public transport.

Sorry to derail the thread onto fares, but the simplest way for fares to be charged for regular users adapting the current structure would be to charge 9 x 1 zone fares at cheapest rate entitling the card holder to endless transport across the network.

Of course there's no money for that and there appears to be a mindset that public transport has be paid for directly unlike hospitals, schools, police etc.

Well... how keen is any govt to really shift people to PT? There are ways of doing it and if money has to be cut from other areas, such is life, no budgetary requirement is safe anyway.

[Gazza]

Of course there's no money for that and there appears to be a mindset that public transport has be paid for directly unlike hospitals, schools, police etc.

Well it should be paid for directly in part, because of the benefit to the user.
And a lot of govt provided things are paid for directly.

For a fare:

The 70% the Govt pays for is for the benefit to society, lower pollution, congestion, enabled agglomeration, avoided road construction, social equity benefits etc.

The 30% you pay the benefit to you...The fact you are able to travel to work, or school, or a theme park, or lunch with friends....No different to paying a taxi driver, or an airfare or so on.

Obviously TL really stuffed up their price elasticity modelling, and we lost more revenue from lost passengers than we did gain from higher fares.

So, I'm all for bringing fares down to reasonable levels, but free/over discounted travel is a foamy suggestion IMO.

There are ways of doing it and if money has to be cut from other areas

Which could well be cuts to planned frequency increases 

[HappyTrainGuy]

Which could well be cuts to planned frequency increases 

Users of the 314 must be shaking in their boots.

[somebody]

Which could well be cuts to planned frequency increases 

Users of the 314 must be shaking in their boots.

Should that be user?  What's the correct term when it amounts to zero. 

[HappyTrainGuy]

Which could well be cuts to planned frequency increases 

Users of the 314 must be shaking in their boots.

Should that be user?  What's the correct term when it amounts to zero. 

ABindha 

[ozbob]

Minister for Transport and Main Roads
The Honourable Scott Emerson

28 new daily train services are rolling

Monday, October 08, 2012

An additional 28 new train services will be running on the Ferny Grove line from today.

Transport Minister Scott Emerson said passengers can now simply 'turn up and go' with a train arriving every 15 minutes during the weekday off-peak period.

"Today we are delivering another LNP election commitment to improve train frequency on the Ferny Grove line," Mr Emerson said.

"This is a two-year, $18 million trial and I would encourage anyone thinking of driving to the city to avoid the congestion and take the train.

"The substantial ramp up of off-peak frequency is an important part of the Newman Government's plan to encourage more people to catch public transport."

The first new inbound train will leave Ferny Grove station at 8.42am weekdays, with a train departing every 15 minutes until 3.12pm. The first new outbound train will depart Central at 8.21am, with trains departing every 15 minutes until 3.18pm.

As part of the trial, there will be some minor changes on the Shorncliffe, Doomben and Cleveland lines.

Several bus routes that service stations on these lines have had their timetables upgraded to ensure bus-train connectivity.

Updated train and bus route timetables are available on the TransLink website. For more information on public transport, visit www.translink.com.au or phone 13 12 30.

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

7th October 2012

SEQ: Ferny Grove line - turn up and go trains

Greetings,

Increased train frequency between the peaks, Mondays to Fridays commences tomorrow on the Ferny Grove line, between Ferny Grove and Park Road stations.

New Ferny Grove line timetable  --> http://translink.com.au/resources/travel-information/network-information/timetables/121008-ferny-grove-line.pdf

Bus changes:  Changes to routes 303, 367, 397/398 from 8 October -->  http://jp.translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/details/1347430316

Best wishes
Robert

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

Media release 18th September 2012

SEQ: Ferny Grove line - turn up and go trains

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport passengers has welcomed the announcement of increased train frequency - 15 minutes on the Ferny Grove line weekdays between the peaks (1).

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Public transport must be fast, direct and frequent. The Ferny Grove line is ideally placed to have an increased train frequency (2).  This will drive patronage increases and cuts down on waiting time with bus/rail connections particularly."

"The Ferny Grove line has now been duplicated and will be able to support the increased train frequency.  This is a sound policy and will be welcomed by the community."

"It would have been a great outcome had the extra trains ran through to Yeerongpilly rather than Park Road. This would have then given a 15 minute rail service from Ferny Grove to Yeerongpilly, Northgate to Darra.  A major boost for the network."

"RAIL Back On Track has long called for improvements in train frequency on all lines. In time further incremental improvements will need to be made on the rest of the network (3)."

References:

1. http://www.scottemerson.com.au/media-releases/double-the-trains-to-ferny-grove.html

2. 10 Jan 2012 SEQ: Trips and frequency? http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=7440.0

3. 24 Jan 2012: SEQ: Core Frequent Network: Get Rail Back On Track! http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=7530.0

Contact:

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

[aldonius]

Caught the train departing Park Rd at 2:04 today, front carriage.
It was waiting on platform 3 there when I arrived, the Airport train used platform 2.

Definitely much less people than I'm used to on the 2:19. I mostly attribute this to the newness. Another factor might be the time to get there from the more distant parts of UQ (classes finish at ten to).

Again, less people through the city.

Seemed like there was a guy counting passengers at Windsor. If they keep this up over the next couple of weeks, that data would be quite interesting, I think.

[ozbob]

Plan to head out to Ferny Grove later today ...  see what is happening ..

[ozbob]

Twitter

2m Robert Dow Robert Dow ‏@Robert_Dow

Heading out to Ferny Grove on board EMU10 a champion! A 15 minute frequency railway between the peaks ... ;-) #moretrains

[ozbob]

At fg looking good quite a crowd waiting on arrival guess about 50 or so on board for this 9.12 am service ..still a lot of minor works going on

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[ozbob]

Had a look around mitchelton arond 60 pax onboard at alderley

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[ozbob]

Just left Newmarket.  Good load on board around 150 pax.  Quite interesting travelling along the line, trains passing everywhere!

[ozbob]

Windsor, counters on the platform doing a pax count  ...

[ozbob]

At Central, chatty guard, train is scheduled to depart in two minutes ...

Heading to Park Road to see what happens there ...  this is a Park Road service ...

[somebody]

Just left Newmarket.  Good load on board around 150 pax.  Quite interesting travelling along the line, trains passing everywhere!

Phew!

Was this just in the one unit?

Had a look around mitcellton arond 60 pax onbard at alderley

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Seems a little low.

[ozbob]

Seems to be rising and falling with the old versus the new.  Still think locals are not quite used to the additional trains. I have NOT noticed any advertising on stations about the new frequency ... pathetic.
Darra repeated.  Do they have a problem advertising better train frequency?

This morning, a passenger asked me why the the train was early?  Didn't know that there was now 15 minute frequency ...

[ozbob]

Outbound, platform 3 South Bank.

[ozbob]

Crossed over from the dual gauge at the crossing before Park Road, into platform 3 Park Road.  Train just reverses from here to form the next Ferny Grove service, due to depart in 5 minutes.

[ozbob]

Departed Park Road on time.  Some pax asked if this was a Beenleigh train?  lol 

No City and Ferny Grove I said, guard announced same on leaving as well.  Inbound platform 2 South Bank.

[HappyTrainGuy]

Seems to be rising and falling with the old versus the new.  Still think locals are not quite used to the additional trains. I have NOT noticed any advertising on stations about the new frequency ... pathetic.
Darra repeated.  Do they have a problem advertising better train frequency?

I still think the issue is QR doesn't want to advertise free of charge for something that Translink should be or other advertisers willing to pay for. There must be something in the contracts for when it comes to advertising/promotion as the same is repeated with other operators in regards to advertising translink services. I'm guessing its because the operators (Vieola, QR, BT, Sunbus etc) are only providing private services resuested for Translink who make them public under the intergrated ticketing scheme. Maybe even a liability clause as Translink says yay or ney to services.

[petey3801]

It'll probably take a few weeks (if not even a couple months) for people to get used to the higher freuqncies.. Give it time and things will grow quite well!

[ozbob]

Some photographs from travels today ..

Ferny Grove






















Mitchelton
















Alderley - The Alderley Ave bridge is to re-open by the end of this year (report North-West News October 10).













Photographs R Dow 10th October 2012

[BrizCommuter]

I still think the issue is QR doesn't want to advertise free of charge for something that Translink should be or other advertisers willing to pay for. There must be something in the contracts for when it comes to advertising/promotion as the same is repeated with other operators in regards to advertising translink services. I'm guessing its because the operators (Vieola, QR, BT, Sunbus etc) are only providing private services resuested for Translink who make them public under the intergrated ticketing scheme. Maybe even a liability clause as Translink says yay or ney to services.

QR have one of their "politeness" ads on a billboard at Alderley, viewable to passing traffic. This would be a prime spot for an advert!

[ozbob]

Just left Newmarket.  Good load on board around 150 pax.  Quite interesting travelling along the line, trains passing everywhere!

Phew!

Was this just in the one unit?

Had a look around mitcellton arond 60 pax onbard at alderley

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Seems a little low.

Yes, hard to judge from where I was, but certainly pax around.  Gee I reckon once they (punters) realise what is happening it will be gold ...  Sure beats the roads ...  need a TT TUZ campaign ...

Crews appear to be swapping at FG and Park Road btw ...  probably a good idea in case of delays and that ..  train arrives, crew swap over ...

Forgot, good load from Central to South Bank as well, not that many went through to Park Road.  And guess who I bumped into at Park Road?

mufreight, good to see you cobber ... 

The other thing I noticed was the feeling of frequency, we have it from Darra, but on the quite cute FG line it is accentuated of sorts.  It just seems as though when ever you look there is a train passing by ...

Very pleased today ... does it tell?   

[petey3801]

Yeah, crews swap at Ferny Grove (mainly so they didn't have to change all the jobcards i'd say.. So the crews that would normally take the beenleigh train from ferny still take the beenleigh train.. Its just a different unit.. New ferny trains have crews that take over the next park rd train etc) but I don't think they swap at Park Rd, just change ends and head back AFAIK.

[ozbob]

Yeah, crews swap at Ferny Grove (mainly so they didn't have to change all the jobcards i'd say.. So the crews that would normally take the beenleigh train from ferny still take the beenleigh train.. Its just a different unit.. New ferny trains have crews that take over the next park rd train etc) but I don't think they swap at Park Rd, just change ends and head back AFAIK.

Yeah you might be right, just seemed to be a crew waiting on three when we arrived at Park Road, might have been something else.

[techblitz]

great job Bob and others.

it would be great to see the numbers on this, but TL/QR have previously not circulated the Off-peak data. FOI act any good here?

Xmas holidays coming up will probably be the big step change.

If they are running dedicated 3 car sets FG-PR on the 15min, could have been an idea to slash the trains with eaily removal advertising. ie "This is your new 15min service, brought to you by......" And agree the platforms on the route should have the signs up as well, who ever should have paid for this, should have paid for it.

I think there will be only one downside for the govt on this, there maybe a call by other MP's or voters at least to ask for same. Certainly opposition MP's will make a noise about it.

was wondering the same thing with regards to FOI act and off peak patronage figures.
Are they still doing announcments about new services?...i caught the 5.59pm from ferny grove this evening and not one announcement of the new services by the driver.

[HappyTrainGuy]

QR have one of their "politeness" ads on a billboard at Alderley, viewable to passing traffic. This would be a prime spot for an advert!

There are plenty of advertising options at stations, surrounding stations, onboard trains and along the corridor but I don't see QR giving Translink free advertising space when another sponsor is willing to pay them $$$ for that same space. C'mon Translink. Publicly advertise railway services for once instead of your usual cr%p about how many extra seats you are providing every week.

but TL/QR have previously not circulated the Off-peak data. FOI act any good here?

IIRC QR has limited data (outside of the stats counters via CCTV/persons/observations etc) in regards to offpeak services due to Translink (Cubic) maintaining the ticketing systems. Any release of off peak data would have to be made via Translink. If QR was to publish any of its data in depth it would first have to get Translink to sign off on it.

not one announcement of the new services by the driver.

Guard.

[petey3801]

If they are running dedicated 3 car sets FG-PR on the 15min, could have been an idea to slash the trains with eaily removal advertising. ie "This is your new 15min service, brought to you by......" And agree the platforms on the route should have the signs up as well, who ever should have paid for this, should have paid for it.

Nah, they're 6-car trains running both Beenleigh and Park Road terminators.

Basic flow goes (city) - Ferny Grove -> Beenleigh -> Ferny Grove -> Park Road -> Ferny Grove -> Beenleigh etc.

[Golliwog]

After I asked QR in a facebook message about the signage, and then complained that the current setup with A4 pages near the ticket office (I've since noticed extra ones have been put up at Park Rd on the side of the small canopy covering the seats closest to the go card reader on platform 2/3 at Park Rd, not sure about elsewhere) isn't very effective as not many people go to the ticket office these days so you need something attention grabbing. This was their response:

Hi xxxx
We use a variety of messages including audio announcements, media and signage.
With regards to A-Frames, they're not a preferred method of signage as they can be a potential trip hazard to customers.

I have since pointed out that it's easy for people to miss those types off announcements as they require people to pay attention to something. I also pointed out that if the frame of the a frame is the problem, then stick the a frame sized poster on the wall.

[ozbob]

Media release 11th October 2012

SEQ: Train Upgrade Zones: Why hide the good news?


http://backontrack.org/images/tours/10oct12/fg1.jpg

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport passengers has again called for the marketing of train upgrade zones and a Core Frequent Network Map

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"In continuing the bizarre convention of the previous administration, there has been little proper marketing of train upgrades to the Ferny Grove Line nor distinctive branding.

"Contrast this to the BUZ buses and CityGlider which have a strong, distinctive branding that distinguishes it from the general bus network.

"Our members have previously suggested 'Train Upgrade Zones' such that it is complementary to the Bus Upgrade Zones (BUZ) high frequency bus routes run by Brisbane Transport."

"Proper marketing builds patronage and is cheap compared to many other improvements like more services or new infrastructure. Private companies routinely market their products - so what is wrong with the State Government? Don't they want people to know about and use the improved system? Don't they want more fare revenue? There seems to be no issue marketing toll tunnels..."

"We have also called for a decent, mode-indifferent core frequent network map that simply and clearly show where the all day high frequency services are, regardless of whether they be a bus, train or ferry or whether they run on a guide way (busway, railway) or not (i.e. high frequency BUZ services, ferries)."

"This is a simple task that would have a very immediate and significant effect on making it easier for people to use public transport, in particular, new residents, prospective residents and tourists."

"Many overseas places now have mode-indifferent frequent network maps (e.g. Vancouver), and Brisbane could well do with one once the Bus Network Review is complete and recommendations implemented (1,2,3)."

"Train Upgrade Zones - Super Simple Stuff!"


http://backontrack.org/images/tt/tuz1s.jpg

References:

1. Vancouver publishes frequent network map
http://www.humantransit.org/2012/05/vancouver-publishes-frequent-network-map.html

2. basics: the case for frequency mapping
http://www.humantransit.org/2010/08/basics-the-case-for-frequency-mapping.html

3. Brisbane Frequent Network Maps (not official)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46479845@N06/7987877171/
http://transitmapsetc.blogspot.com.au/

Contact:

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

[Gazza]

In paint could we modify the image to reflect the FGY TUZ times.

[somebody]

Why do the PIDs display Park Rd bound as green?  Shouldn't they be the same colour as the weekend trains from South Bank (light blue IIRC).  Green means IPS/RCH.

[petey3801]

Why do the PIDs display Park Rd bound as green?  Shouldn't they be the same colour as the weekend trains from South Bank (light blue IIRC).  Green means IPS/RCH.

Looks like the colours in the photo aren't quite right, in reality it is the light blue colour, same as Roma Street/Bowen Hills/South Bank etc.

[SurfRail]

Just on that - I'd prefer it if we could look at reviewing the colour profile for all lines and updating the PIDS and timetables accordingly:

Green for Ipswich, Caboolture and Richlands
Red for Ferny Grove and Beenleigh
Purple for Cleveland, Shorncliffe and Doomben
Orange for Gold Coast and Airport - shows up better than yellow, and matches the bus timetables
Blue for Sunshine Coast - to match the bus timetables
Teal for inner city terminating trains

When Kippa-Ring opens and there is a through-route from Kippa-Ring to Springfield, it could be brown and depicted as a separate line instead of just merging with Ipswich-Caboolture.

I'd also look at having single timetables for certain groups of lines to reduce costs and give a more accurate picture for people travelling on the common portion of shared lines, eg a single timetable for Doomben and Shorncliffe.