Re: Brisbane Airport Rail Link

[Leigh Kirwan <lalkirwa@redback.ins.gu.edu.au>]

MattyQ wrote:

> John Kozak <jkoz@ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
> 5pEV4.38652$PL4.809469@ozemail.com.au">news:5pEV4.38652$PL4.809469@ozemail.com.au...
> > The Newspapers describe the Airport link to be "Light Rail", does this
> mean
> > that there is going to be a "tram" which connects
> > to the QR railway system ?
>
> This is yet another fine example of the media not having a clue what they
> are talking about. The Brisbane Airport (Airtrain Citylink) is a HEAVY rail
> system. The only difference between the Airport line and any other line in
> Brisbane is that it is privately owned. Everything else is the same -
> permanent way, overhead traction, signalling, everything.
>
> It is intended that a 15 minute service will run. All trains will be express
> between Eagle Junction and Bowen Hills. Every second train will continue
> to/commence from Robina using the same stopping pattern as existing Robina
> services.
>

Does this mean that the off-peak hourly service to the Gold Coast will be
increased to a 30 min. headway?  QR was recently crowing in the Gold Coast paper
that they had recorded a 10% increase in passengers in the last year.  This is
evidenced in quite a lot of standing room only trains.

Many destinations in Brisbane are not accessible by train, discouraging use by
Gold Coasters.  Brisbane Airport, however seems to me to be a very marketable
destination for Citytrain.  I wonder how just 4 more 3-car sets which are
currently on order are going to be able to provide a 15-min service if seats are
to be provided.  As it is, on school holidays when 6 car trains are run all day
on the line to Robina, SMUs and even EMUs are forced into service on the line.
The 6 car trains in the usual morning and afternoon peaks run at 30 min
intervals but have standees in every carriage most days now.

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Leigh John KIRWAN  L.Kirwan@mailbox.gu.edu.au
Lecturer in Japanese
School of Languages & Linguistics, Faculty of Arts,  Griffith University Gold
Coast Campus
Parklands Drive, Southport  4215.
PMB 50 Gold Coast Mail Centre, Queensland, Australia 9726.
+61 7 5594 8612   Mobile 0403 169 445
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