Brisbane Public Transport (Part II)

[Svartmetall]

Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Stockholm - four cities that I have visited recently that pretty much required everyone to purchase pre-paid cards to use their public transport. London too makes it easier to use the Oyster card these days than travelpasses. Don't feel that tourists won't take advantage of pre-paid cards on the citycats. Most people will be quite happy using them.

[Trawler]

Originally Posted by Svartmetall

Don't feel that tourists won't take advantage of pre-paid cards on the citycats. Most people will be quite happy using them.

Exactly. When overseas I'm far happier buying a PT card with pre-paid credit than messing around trying to buy tickets (potentially each trip) with currency/coins I'm not familiar with.

It's really no different than a travel card concept, just using credit instead of a time limit.

[joel1986]

Well needed and well deserved for the area. See below.
http://city-north-news.whereilive.co...ction-station/

[SoulvisionQ1]

This is a massive project for even some of the largest cities in the world. Go Brisbane!! Quite positive poll results too with 72% supporting the project even with the big price tag. Clearly people realise this city needs more then just road tunnels.



Four new subway stations (Park Rd, Woolloongabba, CBD South, CBD North Station)

Underground train stations in Brisbane to cost $100m each
Source: The Courier-Mail
FOUR underground train stations planned for Brisbane's inner city will carry a price tag of more than $100 million each.

The city's second cross-river rail line – which will include a 7km tunnel from Fairfield to Bowen Hills running beneath the CBD – will be capable of carrying 30,000 people an hour in both directions.

The head of the $8.2 billion Cross River Rail project, Luke Franzmann, told industry leaders at the Valley Chamber of Commerce lunch yesterday that a final decision on the location of the southern CBD station would be made within the next month.

The 30m-deep station will be situated at the southern end of the CBD, near the Botanic Gardens, on either George, Edward or Albert Sts.

Three other underground stations will be in the CBD north, at either Central or Roma Street stations, Woolloongabba and Park Rd or Boggo Rd in Dutton Park.

Results: Today's poll

Does Brisbane need an underground metro system?
Yes
74.29% (234 votes)
No
25.71% (81 votes)
Total votes: 315

But Mr Franzmann said the cost of the stations – which will each have 225m platforms capable of carrying nine-carriage trains – would be hefty.

He said they involved "a lot of infrastructure", with the price tag for each in excess of $100 million.

"Really to get good value out of that we need it to be an active space," said Mr Franzmann, alluding to the possible creation of retail hubs to offset some of the cost.

"As we start to move into the next phase, we need to think about what are the opportunities to deliver these stations and how we might finance these stations," he said.

"Things like commercial opportunities in and around the stations is all a component for the business case."

Mr Franzmann said the project would investigate the existing underground infrastructure in the CBD, such as rock anchors for large skyscrapers.

Transport Minister Rachel Nolan said yesterday the project required significant input from the Federal Government.

A draft Environmental Impacts Study for the 19km-long surface and tunnel rail line from Wooloowin to Salisbury will be completed by year's end, with construction finalised by 2016.

Urban Futures Brisbane chairman Bevan Lynch said Cross River Rail would enhance urban renewal across the city.

"The two that are really exciting and give enormous commercial retail opportunity are the Woolloongabba and Boggo Rd stations and, of course, the RNA station (slated for development as part of surface upgrades)," he said.

Mr Lynch said the infrastructure would bolster the development of South Brisbane and the Valley into the city's other CBDs.

[Fyturis]

So I suppose the Cross River Rail project pushes back any moves towards the previously touted Toowong/St Lucia -Hamilton "real" Metro line because face it CRR is a new heavy ral line not a dedicated metro line but the Cross River Rail project is wonderful i just think we need both it and the touted Cross city line being developed around the same time to minimise both cost and disruptions.

But I still love The Cross river Rail project, I just think we should be expanding our rail much to the same extent that road infrastructure has/is been developed.

[beastjim]

Technically the wrong thread, this one is about the plan for something after the project talked about in that article, which is currently slated to be a true independent Metro line from Toowong to Hamilton. Not sure where the thread is for this new underground line extension of the current system, best one I found was this one: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=382388 Although I think we have just generally used the Brisbane PT thread.

[TOCC]

that article about the Valley bewilders me, it doesnt make sense to include the Valley in the cross river tunnel, are you going to drop Roma Street off to include the Valley?

Anyway, interesting that they point out that the stations will be long enough for 9 cars, maybe this points to a future where we might see express 9 carriage trains from places like the Gold Coast/Sunshine Coast with the smaller 6 carriage trains filling the gaps in between.

This tunnel is absolutely essential, the Merivale Bridge cant increase capacity much more, if we want to see higher frequencies then we need another river crossing.

[17 floors up]

The station locations make perfect sense. Interchanges at Park Rd and Roma St. Major trip generators at the Gabba and Gardens Point. The Valley's already got a high frequency train station - if you want to get from the new line to the Valley - change at Roma St!
Some of the reader's comments on the C-M site leave me speechless...

[Brissy Phil]

Originally Posted by joel1986

Well needed and well deserved for the area. See below.
http://city-north-news.whereilive.co...ction-station/

I know this has been brought up before... but why are railway station designs all so different... it's like there is a different brief, budget, designer, builder and of course outcome for each separate project (cringe)... results range from good to as expected to God that is awful. Busway stations generally look better, sharing many similarities. Many suburban railway station revamps still include those horribly ugly, heavy metal weave like panels. I guess they are there for safety but you can have safety and aesthetics at the same time. Is it just money then? How on earth did Indro get upgraded as it did when you had the valley and Varsity being done at the same time?

The Eagle Junction impressions look pretty good... a move away from the ugly suburban station upgrades of the past (?)

Saw for the first time last night the new QR train branding... it actually really impressed me. Given that I saw a Ferny Grove train with red... does this mean Ipswich and Caboolture trains have green or are they all red? If the former, does that mean that QR are keeping particular units on particular lines ie London Underground?

[Fabian]

I am not impressed with some of the comments by those in the 'Place & Time' section of The Courier Mail saying reasons such as we 'don't need it' and even NIMBY views of disruption.

I like the fact that it frees up capacity on existing lines but also enables services to continue if they are disruptions at existing city stations

[yuma]

My understanding with the designs is that they keep using different companies to design them. Because they are intent on giving work to alliance consortiums they keep being made up of different contractors and designers.

Indro station was a little bit different. The Alliance that did it was the S2K alliance which did the stations between Salisbury and Kurraby. But because it was an upgrade and not an extension of track they were limited in the space that they had so they had to redesign it to fit in with this. Hence why it looks nothing like these stations.

[beastjim]

Nah it's all red across the board Phil, it is the new colour for Queensland Rail.

[BrizzyChris]

State Govt is going to fund 25 new buses and give them to BCC. Routes will be Indro - CBD, Garden City - CBD, Eight Mile Plains - CBD.

State Govt wants the buses to be colour coded and distinct from other buses though, and minimal stops.

Why the hell would they put a Indro-CBD route though?? Does it not occur to them that a boost in the train frequency would be far more effective??

[bwistle]

Jeez those CM readers are so freakin stupid.

[nathandavid88]

Originally Posted by bwistle

Jeez those CM readers are so freakin stupid.

You got that right! They have no clue.

Many of them are just saying put in more trains...can't have more trains on a track almost at full capacity. Another group are after a light rail system for inner Brisbane, and while it would be cool, where could you fit it in without causing chaos by closing down the whole CBD to cars?

And then there are the claims that this is not a "subway", which although true, it isn't what QR needs. We need another rail line crossing the river! We need more rail capacity to service the outer suburbs!

[SM247]

Originally Posted by BrizzyChris

Why the hell would they put a Indro-CBD route though?? Does it not occur to them that a boost in the train frequency would be far more effective??

My reaction exactly.

My theory at the moment is that it is a cheap way of saying 'Let's run a high-frequency trial to a major centre relatively close to town because there are only 25 buses'.

You would think that if they were going to run the second one anywhere it would be either on Gympie or Old Cleveland Roads, but that would require a bigger fleet.

[SM247]

Brisbane Promises Google Maps Transport Integration By Year End

Every time we talk about a new city getting public transport data added to Google Maps, we can’t help but ask when Australia’s big three cities — Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane — will join the party. A Lifehacker reader from Queensland also asked the question, and got a surprisingly positive answer.

Lifehacker reader Jon was inspired to write to Queensland transport authority TransLink after reading on Lifehacker about the lack of timetable integration for Google Maps users. Having asked when integration could be expected, this is the reply he got:

"TransLink has been working hard on this project as we do recognise that it is a beneficial tool for our passengers to utilise when travelling on the network. We are planning to roll out the Google Transit by the end of the year."

Combined with plans for free Wi-Fi on trains, this could potentially make travelling in Brisbane a lot easier. Sydney and Melbourne transport planners, take note. Thanks Jon!

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2010/07...n-by-year-end/

Interesting.

Given TransLink's response I expect it will be operational by about 2013.

[TOCC]

what transport data actually gets added to Google?

[Svartmetall]

Originally Posted by TOCC

what transport data actually gets added to Google?

Service number + next services from that stop usually when you look at other cities. Tokyo Metro shows full timetables in their info when you click on their stations for example.

[BrizzyChris]

While that is a great step forward, I was also hoping for real-time GPS tracking of buses/trains etc so you could have an idea of how long you will have to wait.

Something like this (note: It won't look too interesting while it's midnight over there):
http://transport.wspgroup.fi/hklkartta/defaultEn.aspx