QR Customer Charter

Today, QR launched their customer charter, amid much fanfare (well some free bottles of water). Link here. This customer charter covers the usual areas such as timely feedback to complaints, clean trains, safety, and information during delays. Whilst QR's efforts at customer service should be commended, the customer charter lacks two things. The first is that unlike on London Underground, there are no refunds for majors delays. The second, and most important, is a decent train service.

There is little point in having "the world's best customer service" if you cannot run enough trains to entice commuters from their cars. Unfortunately, however much QR would like to run a decent train service, they are limited by funding from the Queensland Government and spin outlet TransLink. In 2011, Brisbane commuters will be paying similar fares to commuters in Perth. In Perth there is a train every 15 minutes off-peak, compared to every 30 minutes in Brisbane. In Perth there are frequent and regular peak services compared to a random mess of a peak timetable in Brisbane. Brisbane's rail commuters are sick and fed up of paying ever increasing fares for an infrequent rail service, whilst being bombarded by a barrage of spin from TransLink about how their service is supposedly improving. Delaying the timetable changes by a year, and not having the new timetable ready for the opening of Richlands station have very little excuse.

BrizCommuter would like to see in a review of customer charter, that by late 2011, that there will be a 15 minute daytime and evening off-peak service to Darra, Ferny Grove, Northgate, Manly, and Kuraby, no peak service gaps of more than 15 minutes on major lines, and no late evening and early Sunday am service gaps of longer than 30 minutes. Any passengers delayed more than 30 minutes should be able to claim a full fare refund of that single journey.

A customer charter from TransLink, where by complaints are not fobbed off with the latest network plan and/or spin would also be appreciated. Another charter addition would be for QR not to close rail lines on the weekend before Christmas!