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| Improved counter-peak services |
The good:
- Generally less crowded trains
- More frequent train services in weekday peak, counter-peak, and off-peak periods (in particular 15 minute off-peak timetables across most of the inner-suburban network)
- No more hour gaps on Sunday mornings and late at night
The maybe:
- With many reports of stations having run out of new timetables, will train stations actually have the new paper timetables back in stock?
- With many stations having large printed timetables up to 8 months out of date, will train stations have the large printed timetables in place on Monday am?
- Will the new timetables be reliable (particularly the Gold Coast/Beenleigh corridor with precision overtaking)?
- Which peak trains will only have 3 cars, and thus be overcrowded?
The bad:
- Uneven loadings due to uneven timetabling (i.e. 7 to 8 minute gaps or 15 minute gaps) on the Gold Coast and Beenleigh Lines (am and pm peak) and Ferny Grove Line (pm peak)
- Weekend daytime service still at "third world" 30 minute frequencies
- Hour gaps to/from the races on the Doomben Line on Saturdays
- No more improvements until at least 2016
The stupid:
- Outbreaks of selfish "I want an express to my stationitis" expected along the outer Beenleigh and Ferny Grove Lines
- Passengers completely oblivious to the new timetables wondering why their usual train hasn't turned up on time
- Ridiculously high fares will scare commuters off the improved train services
It should be a very interesting week next week! There are a number of other changes within QR along with the timetable changes that will be quite interesting too.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the lack of hourly services on Sunday mornings in particular, it's just a pity the Ipswich/Springfield Central/Caboolture lines weren't adjusted at the same time to completely eliminate the hourly services!
Well QR loosing it's boss (who was quite popular with staff according to insiders) is quite a major change as well!
ReplyDeleteThe 17:26 from Central to Ferny Grove will be overcrowded. It is 15 minutes after the 17:11, the worst time to have a 15 minute gap.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - BrizCommuter agrees re: the 15 minute gap after 17:11pm on the Ferny Grove Line. QR have timetabled consistent 7-8 min frequency in am peak, so why not all the way through the pm peak? BrizCommuter may be on the 17:26pm from Central on Monday, so it will be interesting to observe!
ReplyDeleteThe old CEO wasn't exactly the most liked person throughout traincrew in Brisbane (nor Sydney for that matter), but may have been liked in the offices a bit more.
ReplyDeleteThe PM peak seems to be a real sticking point with the timetablers - Sector 1 has the same issues in PM peak, with no shorter than 12min gaps to Ipswich, Springfield, Caboolture and Petrie in the PM peak, whereas these trains run at 6min intervals in AM peak. Also, the Cleveland express trains finishing by just after 5pm at Central is a joke in itself. I thought the Caboolture/Ipswich expresses finishing by around 5:45pm (through Central) were bad enough!
Sorry, above post was BrizCommuter!
ReplyDeleteRBOT has some information that might cloud the picture on which trains are going to be packed more often.
ReplyDeleteApparently there is not enough rollingstock to go round for the timetables, so in peak hour there is going to be a lot more 3 car trains. So if there is a pattern to the 3 cars, then smart passengers will 'cotton on' to this pattern and might try to avoid the 3 cars, which then will affect your stats.
Now if QR was any smart organisation, it would be fair to say that the 3 cars will be in the smallest time gaps in the time table, but I would hazard a guess that the timetable might not quite work that evenly as trains run back and forth from one end to another.