Rail boss defends against commuter criticisms

THE boss of Queensland Rail has defended his organisation against criticisms the Cleveland line through Manly is the worst in Brisbane, with poor infrastructure and unreliable services.

Queensland Rail CEO Nick Easy has responded to criticisms of the Cleveland line through Manly, which commuters have dubbed the “misery line”.

THE boss of Queensland Rail has defended his organisation against criticisms the Cleveland line through Manly is the worst in Brisbane, with poor infrastructure and unreliable services.

The Herald this morning reported the line had become so bad that long-suffering commuters have christened it the “misery line”.

Many have reportedly abandoned rail services, opting for buses or private cars to travel to the city for work while others are looking at quitting their jobs in the CBD so they no longer have to travel on the line.

Queensland Rail CEO Nick Easy has responded to the criticisms, saying the on-time running of services was a top priority and every effort was made to ensure that services ran to the published timetable.

In the 2017-18 financial year, Queensland Rail exceeded its on-time running targets, with more than 95 per cent of trains running on-time and a service cancellation rate of only 0.29 per cent, he said.

“From Cleveland to Manly, Queensland Rail’s services utilise a single track and, as a result, trains travelling this area must wait for clearance to safely pass another train.

“In some cases, train controllers may make a decision to run a train express through stations to minimise or prevent delays to other services on the network.

“These decisions are about achieving the best possible outcome for our customers and the network, by ensuring the effects of disruptions are minimised.

“Generally, Queensland Rail only runs a service express through some stations if the next service is less than five minutes away to minimise disruption to customers. In most cases, changes to stopping patterns only affect one to three stops.

“Overall, in 2017-18 less than one-half of a per cent of services were reported having skipped one or more stops, representing a very small portion of Queensland Rail’s services.”

Mr Easy said Queensland Rail was aware of the impact express running could have on Cleveland line customers and was “actively seeking” to minimise the need to take this action.

“We are focused on achieving an improved timetable for our customers, which is why we are delivering upon the recommendations of the Strachan Inquiry including increasing our traincrew supply through the accelerated recruitment and training of additional train drivers and guards.

“Timetable planning is complex and is not just dependent on train crew numbers. In addition to crewing requirements, timetabling involves a number of factors including rollingstock availability, stabling capacity and management, and network capacity.

“We are continuing to actively listen and monitor customer feedback regarding our timetable and we will be working to implement additional services once we are in a position to sustainably do so.

“Queensland Rail’s Electrical Multiple Unit (EMU) trains will be progressively retired as the New Generation Rollingstock (NGR) fleet are rolled out on the Citytrain network. EMU trains are being safely operated and maintained and meet all Queensland Rail rollingstock standards.

“Each train is subject to a rigorous safety inspection prior to entering service each day, with a comprehensive inspection of each train occurring every 12 weeks.”