TransLink Does It Again

Like most Sunshine Coast Commuters, I was appalled by TRANSLink's blatant disregard for, not only the commuter, but the commuters' families when they compiled the 2011 "draft" timetable.

Translink are proposing to put the current Roma St 5:14pm service back to leave at 5:02pm [earlier than the current 5:14pm service].

No extra service at peak (soon to be our rush) hour. The existing services have just been spaced further apart! Now it's a 45 minute wait between 5pm services !!

QR staff working in the building overhead may make the platform in time, but not 5pm knock-off city commuters who have more than a 2 minute walk to the station.

Translink also propose to change the timetable so that Sunshine Coast commuters will have an even longer day away from family. A minimum 1/2 hour longer no matter which end of the day you look at.

Under the new regime, 5pm knock-off city commuters will have to wait until 5:47pm [later than the current service] to catch a 20 station express service home.

20 station express services will be reduced from the current 5 down to just 4.

Many commuters already have to stand all the way to Caboolture (45min.) before a seat becomes available. The logic of adding further stops to an over-subscribed service on the longest route in the network defies belief.

How will this encourage the take up of public transport?

The locked in 15% price hikes for the next 4 years (2011-2014) probably won't do much to encourage it either. Will they?

This blog has been launched to give one voice to our grievances and allow each person affected, the opportunity to share the toll which these decisions will take on their family life.

Send contributions to planstink@hotmail.com



Nolan

Nolan

What Can I Do?

Make your feelings known by contacting the following:

TransLink
https://forms.translink.com.au/site-information/contact-us-and-help/feedback


State Members of Parliament

Andrew Powell MP, Member for Glass House
glass.house@parliament.qld.gov.au


Peter Wellington MP, Member for Nicklin
nicklin@parliament.qld.gov.au


Fiona Simpson MP, Member for Maroochydore
Maroochydore@parliament.qld.gov.au


Glen Elmes MP, Member for Noosa
Noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au


Mark McArdle MP, Member for Caloundra
Caloundra@parliament.qld.gov.au




Saturday, November 27, 2010

Show Your Support

There is an information session re: the Draft 2011 Timetable for the Sunshine Coast.

Where: Nambour Community Centre, Cnr. James St. and Shearer St. Nambour.
Date:   Saturday 4th December, 2010.
Time    10:00am to 12:00pm

I would invite all affected parties to please attend this session (if possible) and have your say.

Please contact TransLINK via their online feed-back form and voice your concerns.
https://forms.translink.com.au/site-information/contact-us-and-help/feedback

Please also contact the office of Andrew Powell MP, Member for Glass House on 07 5435 2013
and let his office know if this timetable adversely affects you.
Email contact may be made using the link below.
http://www.andrewpowell.com.au/get-in-touch/

If we get our situation as well supported as possible, we may make a difference and win changes.
Our major issues are itemised below.
Thank you.

Kind regards,
Jeff Addison  0435 987903

Source: Rail Back on Track Media Release 23/11/2010.
Major issues identified are:

1. Moving the 5:16pm Nambour service ex Central back to 5:04pm means no 5pm office worker can catch it.

2. Moving the  current afternoon 5:43pm service to later still (5:47pm) for the longest haul commuters in the entire network, so that there is now a 50% longer (3/4 hour) gap between this and the previous (5:04pm) service.

3. Moving the morning service such that it used to arrive in the CBD from Nambour at 8:16am now arrives at 8:26am with no time for an 8:30am starter to get to work in time.

4. Moving the morning service such that it used to arrive in the CBD from Nambour at 7:42am now arrives at 8:02am with no time for an 8:00am starter to get to work in time.

5. Reducing the express pattern from 20 stations by passed down to 13 on most services to those who travel furthest and by far the longest, with two services (during peak times) in each direction which only pass 9 stations.

6. Failure to schedule a Nambour service from Central each weeknight between the 7.34pm and 9.34pm services. This is a two hour gap!  A Nambour service is needed to depart Central at 8.34pm.

7. A failure to guarantee trains with toilets on all services north of Caboolture. The Sunshine Coast line should have the priority for IMU trains.

"The new early morning services out of Nambour at 5:10am and 5:38am (which replace the current 5:26am) are welcomed by those who need to arrive in the CBD early, by 7:02am and 7:36am respectively.  The extension of the weekday Cooroy service to Gympie North also means that there are now two daily return services to Gympie North Mondays to Fridays."

"It is critical to note that the limited number of rail services north of Caboolture means that those services that are available need to be very carefully timed to ensure the maximum utility to commuters.  The draft 2011 timetable does not do that."

"In the medium term, another innovation that would allow even more frequent services between Brisbane and Nambour on the restricted  'third world' rail infrastructure between Nambour and Beerburrum would be be to put shuttle services on between Nambour and Gympie North.  This would allow a higher frequency of service between Nambour and Gympie North and allow more express services south of Nambour as more train paths would be available. The ICE trains would be removed from the peak timetable through the rail choke points and this would then allow more uniform operating patterns hence improved frequency and capacity."

"The failure to continue with the duplication of the railway line from Beerburrum to Landsborough is now impacting severely. Another major transport bungle in south-east Queensland."
There is also an e-petition for the Beerburrum to Landsborough and Nambour rail duplication to be brought forward from 2031 to 2021. Go to the following link to sign.
http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/view/EPetitions_QLD/CurrentEPetition.aspx?PetNum=1565&lIndex=-1

Make your travel calamity known on the PlanSTINK blog by emailing planstink@hotmail.com

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