Brisbane Busway System

[nikko]

Originally Posted by L2

How about just making use of that fucking quad track QR corridor that parallels it?

I know! Convert it to Light Rail!!!

[L2]

If people are suggesting converting the SE Busway to light rail, I'm curious what people's views would be on converting the QR Citytrain network to light rail?

I mean, the SE Busway carries more people than any of QR's lines. If LR is supposedly 'good enough' for it, why isn't it good enough for Ipswich, Beenleigh, Caboolture, Shorncliffe, Doomben and Ferny Grove?

IMO if you bang on about the busway being converted to LR, but say it's "not good enough" for the current HR lines then you make no sense.

Discuss.

[exocet]

The one thing I feel is that the Eastern Busway should be built as heavy rail, and configured with proper feeder bus services along with line-haul along the route.

[L2]

So what would happen to the current slow and indirect Cleveland Line then?

I'm curious if the Eastern Busway will compete or take patronage away from the Cleveland Line, particularly it's further ends. I'll assume the bus will run to something better than QR's 30 minute frequencies..

[joninbrisbane]

I would think that it would put a bit of a squeeze on the current capacity issues on the southside... and besides the busway is already under construction.

I think the Doomben line could be converted to form part of a LR service from Ascot/Hamilton to Eagle Junction via railway alignment.

[Fyver]

Purely thinking out loud here, but, does LMR have to be electrified, is there such thing as diesel/gas LMR units? in hybrid system to the electrified network. You "could" take up extra capacity using small diesel units on the freight lines (is the freight track on the cleveland line electrified?), including the syd/bne line for an example. I'm sure most of the cost for electrified lines is in just that, supplyng the electrical grid system.

Don't flame me, just trying to think outside the square.

[edit]

San Diego Area:
Sprinter Diesel-Powered Light Regional Railway

[crazyknightsfan]

So if you are using the freight lines, where does freight go? On the roads?

[Fyver]

Originally Posted by crazyknightsfan

So if you are using the freight lines, where does freight go? On the roads?

Well, how many freight services operate during a peak commuter hour?

I live a couple streets off the SYD/BNE line and used to live practically on the Morningside train station, they seem to mostly run at night.

[crazyknightsfan]

Originally Posted by Fyver

Well, how many freight services operate during a peak commuter hour?

I live a couple streets off the SYD/BNE line and used to live practically on the Morningside train station, they seem to mostly run at night.

Partly due to curfews and restrictions due to sharing space with passenger services. This is why so much money is being spent, particularly in Sydney, in separating passenger and freight services.

Also, I don't believe a pure peak hour service is worth having - the money would be much better put towards a proper full time service.

[exocet]

Originally Posted by L2

So what would happen to the current slow and indirect Cleveland Line then?

I'm curious if the Eastern Busway will compete or take patronage away from the Cleveland Line, particularly it's further ends. I'll assume the bus will run to something better than QR's 30 minute frequencies..

The only people I know who travel on the Cleveland line are those who are directly either side of the line, or working in the TradeCoast area. Having lived in the Cooparoo/Carindale area for most of my life, very very few people will bother trekking to the nearest Cleveland Line station. Furthermore the Belmont, Chanlder, Gumdale and Capalaba areas are set to grow very soon.

I have no real justification for it but I think that the length of the busway would be better served as a line-haul route linking in with the planned underground tunnels rather than forcing even more strain on the Cultural Centre/QSBS/Victoria Bridge bottleneck that we're facing at the moment.

[Arnzy]

Originally Posted by L2

If people are suggesting converting the SE Busway to light rail, I'm curious what people's views would be on converting the QR Citytrain network to light rail?

Discuss.

I'm gonna stir the pot here and say REPLACE THE ENTIRE AUSTRALIAN RAILWAY NETWORK (Connex, Cityrail, QR Citytrain, Transperth, the lot) with BUSWAYS. Brisbane to Cairns every 5 minutes, and Melbourne to Perth via Adelaide every 5 minutes on buses.

After all the the better frequency, the more people would come right? woot!

[joninbrisbane]

Originally Posted by Arnzy

I'm gonna stir the pot here and say REPLACE THE AUSTALIAN ENTIRE RAILWAY NETWORK (Connex, Cityrail, QR Citytrain, Transperth, the lot) with BUSWAYS. Brisbane to Cairns every 5 minutes, and Melbourne to Perth via Adelaide every 5 minutes on buses.

After all the the better frequency, the more people would come right? woot!

Don't forget Ballina!!!!

[MyFavco]

There is nothing wrong with our Busway !

If you are looking from an improvement then Trolley Buses would be the only thing that should be considered. And even then, these are only for the high frequency spines of the busway. E.g. the 111 Service.

I wish they would just bite the bullet and accellerate construction of the tunnels and Busways, and also make larger nodes.

[L2]

Originally Posted by exocet

The only people I know who travel on the Cleveland line are those who are directly either side of the line, or working in the TradeCoast area. Having lived in the Cooparoo/Carindale area for most of my life, very very few people will bother trekking to the nearest Cleveland Line station. Furthermore the Belmont, Chanlder, Gumdale and Capalaba areas are set to grow very soon.

So basically you're saying, it doesn't have an awful lot of use except for people who live right near it?

Originally Posted by MyFavco

If you are looking from an improvement then Trolley Buses would be the only thing that should be considered

Uhh, why on earth?

[exocet]

Originally Posted by L2

So basically you're saying, it doesn't have an awful lot of use except for people who live right near it?

This is the case for most train lines in Brisbane, surely.

However, its exacerbated because of the absolute stupid lack of foresight to implement feeder busses. For example - take the Bulimba Peninsular (where I live at the moment). The entire area is well covered by BCC busses but once they exit the area (via either Hawthorne or Riding Roads) they travel down an incredibly congested Wynnum Road, only to fight through narrow winding backstreets filled with traffic calming measures before hitting the Busway at Wooloongabba, and then fighting the congestion through the Victoria Bridge leg. The bus ride will take at least 45 minutes, sometimes up to an hour and fifteen minutes.

However, if those busses were to detour slightly and allow passengers to alight at Morningside or Norman Park station (after only 5-10 minutes of travel) they could then transfer onto the Train which takes between 14 and 18 minutes to get to Roma Street.

I don't deny that the line is underutilised but I also don't think that it has the reach to serve Capalabal, Carina, Belmont or Carindale.

[L2]

Yeah, Carindale etc is too far south for the railway to be useful. Will places like Wynnum, Manly, etc benefit from the busway?

I'm assuming the outer part of the line, like around Cleveland would be neutral territory between rail and buses that could join the busway.

Originally Posted by exocet

The bus ride will take at least 45 minutes, sometimes up to an hour and fifteen minutes.

Ouch - but it's less than 5km from the CBD by straight line!? And I thought the rail line between Cannon Hill and Central winding through Buranda, Park Rd, South Brisbane was slow!

[nikko]

Originally Posted by L2

So basically you're saying, it doesn't have an awful lot of use except for people who live right near it?

Exocet does have a point; but it'll be a loooong time before Gumdale etc. see a surge in population.

[nikko]

Originally Posted by L2

Yeah, Carindale etc is too far south for the railway to be useful. Will places like Wynnum, Manly, etc benefit from the busway?

I'm assuming the outer part of the line, like around Cleveland would be neutral territory between rail and buses that could join the busway.


Ouch - but it's less than 5km from the CBD by straight line!? And I thought the rail line between Cannon Hill and Central winding through Buranda, Park Rd, South Brisbane was slow!

Pretty much Balmoral, East Brisbane, Kangaroo Point is just a big mess by road.

[exocet]

Originally Posted by L2

Yeah, Carindale etc is too far south for the railway to be useful. Will places like Wynnum, Manly, etc benefit from the busway?

Not at all - they're too far north of Capalaba to make use of the Busway. Most busses along these routes will travel down Wynnum Road.

Originally Posted by L2

I'm assuming the outer part of the line, like around Cleveland would be neutral territory between rail and buses that could join the busway.

For the eastern busway, yes. But its not slated to reach Capalaba until 2025 or later.

Originally Posted by L2

Ouch - but it's less than 5km from the CBD by straight line!? And I thought the rail line between Cannon Hill and Central winding through Buranda, Park Rd, South Brisbane was slow!

Wynnum Road is often congested as far back as Morningside Station, and as such Riding Road and Hawthorne Road which feed onto it clog. I live just off Carr St, Bulimba - and have seen Hawthrone Road backed up that far. The entire peninsular grinds to a halt when there's an issue on Wynnum Road.

[MyFavco]

L2,

Trolley Busses:

• cleaner,
• quiter,
• larger,
• more energy efficient,
• use same road infrastructure,
• quick to roll out,
• intermingle perfectly with existing buses
• but more expensive