Redcliffe Peninsula Line - Winners, Losers, and the Incompetent

After more than 100 years of waiting (well, for the only person who lived that long), the Redcliffe Peninsula Line officially opened for regular service on Tuesday 4th October 2016. After the first day of operation, who are the winners, and losers from the changes to train services? Also, what has TransLink stuffed up this time?

Winners

• Redcliffe Peninsula Line users - the obvious winners, are those who live along the new Redcliffe Peninsula Line. Lots of positive comments on Queensland Rail (QR) and TransLink's social media from users of the new line today. There were more than 2,100 boardings in the am peak, which is a great start. 
• Commuters from North of Petrie - as outer Caboolture Line services now run express from Petrie to Bowen Hills (calling at Northgate and Eagle Junction), there are generally much faster journeys for passengers travelling on Caboolture and Sunshine Coast Lines north of Petrie.  Lots of positive comments on social media from these users - yes, even positive comments from the usually whinging Sunshine Coast Line commuters.   

Losers

• Commuters from stations between Petrie and Northgate (excl.) - the Redcliffe Peninsula Line services are just extensions of the previous Petrie all stations services. Due to 2,100 extra passengers boarding trains from Redcliffe Peninsula Line stations, there were multiple reports of trains (in particular to the 6:46am from Kippa-Ring) being full and leaving passengers behind at stations south of Carseldine (incl.). It is unknown of any of services were dreaded 3-car trains. Whilst loads may balance out over the next few days, BrizCommuter is concerned about future chronic and long term overcrowding on these services, which was predicted by BrizCommuter many years ago. There may a more detailed article on this issue soon. 
• Commuters from Nundah, Toombul, Wooloowin, and Albion - as Caboolture and Redcliffe Peninsula Line services now express past these stations, there has been a more than 50% reduction in train services at these stations.  As recently predicted by BrizCommuter the 6:54am and 7:09am 3-car services from Shorncliffe were overcrowded and busier than usual. There are extra Northgate services, but communication of these services has been poor (see the incompetent section below). Again, loads may even out, but the 3-car unit services are a concern until QR have enough trains, which won't be until at least early 2017. 
• Passengers who now need to change trains - due to the new stopping patterns along the Caboolture Line corridor, there are a small number of inconvenienced commuters who have been quite vocal on social media. For example, a commuter from Lawnton to Toombul, or Nundah to Milton, would now have to change trains whilst previously it was a one seat journey. 
• It is too early to say how many 6-car trains have been cut to 3-car trains. However, the 4:00pm Roma Street to Nambour train is already a known casualty of the QR's lack of trains, with overcrowding reported this afternoon (replaced with 5-car low seating capacity ICE train). 

Incompetent

Based on past experience, TransLink always have to stuff something up. This time, TransLink (and maybe QR) forgot to add the new Northgate to CBD services to any final .pdf or printed timetables. The new line map, shows the Shorncliffe Line now serving Nundah and Toombul.  So you would expect the Northgate to CBD services to be on the Shorncliffe Line .pdf timetable?

Nundah and Toombul on Shorncliffe Line

The new Caboolture and Redcliffe Peninsular Line timetables, also make a note to refer to the Shorncliffe Line timetable for services from these stations. So, again, you expect the Northgate to CBD services to be on the Shorncliffe Line .pdf timetable? 

"Refer to Shorncliffe trains..."

Unfortunately, this isn't the case. Whilst the Shorncliffe Line .pdf timetable shows the existing off-peak Northgate to CBD services, the new peak Northgate to CBD services (which alternate with most peak Shorncliffe services) are bizarrely not shown!

So where are the new Northgate to CBD trains?

Just to confuse passengers further, if you look in the html timetable on TransLink's website, the new services are shown under the Caboolture Line, despite the Caboolture Line services not stopping at these stations any more. 

Not the Shorncliffe Line html timetable

During the draft timetable consultation, the new Northgate to CBD services were shown on an Inner North Stations timetable. However, the final version of this timetable is not listed on the list of train timetables on TransLink's website. (The draft timetable can still be found if you go digging deep in the depths of the website). 

So no Inner North timetable then?

The failure of TransLink (and maybe QR) to add these new Northgate to CBD train services to the Shorncliffe Line timetable is completely incompetent. Queenslander!