Queensland Rail Citytrain network
Citytrain is the operator of urban, suburban and inter-urban electric passenger railway services in South East Queensland, Australia. Its network, centering in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, is approximately Template:Km to mi in route length.[1]
Corporately, Citytrain is a part of QR's Passenger Services Group business segment.
Citytrain network
Citytrain operates 10 suburban lines and three interurban lines. Centering in the Brisbane central business district, it extends as far as Gympie in the north, the Robina in the south, Rosewood in the west, and Cleveland in the east to Moreton Bay. Each line is ascribed a colour and name on all Citytrain signage and marketing collateral including timetables, posters, and maps.
Suburban railway lines
North of Brisbane
- Airport Line – between Brisbane City and Brisbane Airport
- Caboolture Line – between Brisbane City and Caboolture
- Doomben Line – between Brisbane City and Doomben
- Ferny Grove Line – between Brisbane City and Ferny Grove
- Shorncliffe Line – between Brisbane City and Shorncliffe
South and west of Brisbane
- Beenleigh Line – between Brisbane City and Beenleigh
- Cleveland Line – between Brisbane City and Cleveland
- Ipswich Line – between Brisbane City and Ipswich
- Corinda via South Brisbane Line – between Brisbane City and Corinda via Tennyson
Inner Brisbane
- Exhibition Line – loop line between Brisbane City to the Brisbane Exhibition Ground
Interurban railway lines
North of Brisbane
- Nambour and Gympie North (Sunshine Coast) Line – between Brisbane City and Gympie
South and west of Brisbane
- Gold Coast Line – between Brisbane City and Robina
- Rosewood Line – between Ipswich and Rosewood
Railbus services
Citytrain operates several bus routes along corridors where the railway line has been closed to passenger traffic or supplements low-patronage lines at specific times of the day. These bus services are operated by companies contracted by Citytrain and TransLink.
These Railbus services are:
Supplementing/replacing the Corinda via South Brisbane line
Supplementing/replacing the Doomben (Pinkenba) line
Replacing the Brisbane Valley line
Supplementing the Sunshine Coast line
Citytrain railway stations
There are 143 stations in the Citytrain network.[2]
Operations
Citytrain employs 1,200 staff[citation needed] and operates under the TransLink public transport scheme, the operational, marketing and financial manager of all public transport in South East Queensland.
Citytrain operates approximately 3,000 services per week,[obsolete fact] carrying an average of 1.1 million passenger journeys with a yearly patronage exceeding 57.9 million. In the 2006-2007 financial year, Citytrain reported a patronage increase of 9%, and a 93.6% rate of on-time running, where services arrived at their destination within three minutes and 59 seconds of the time they were scheduled.[2]
The hub of the Citytrain network is Central railway station in the Brisbane central business district, generating approximately 80,000 trips each day.[obsolete fact] Unlike many rail systems that terminate their services in the CBD, Citytrain services typically travel from one side of Brisbane to the other via Central with a three minute layover – mostly to assist in on-time running. For example, a train from Beenleigh, south of Brisbane, will pass through Central after waiting at the major station for three minutes before continuing to Ferny Grove, north of Brisbane.
Citytrain uses reinforced narrow gauge track. The line between Brunswick Street and Roma Street stations run underground to some degree, through two sets of tunnels and two stations, Central and Brunswick Street, built-over to harness the airspace for commercial opportunity. The rest of the network is suburban rail, with interurban services running to Nambour and Gympie in the north and between Beenleigh and the Gold Coast in the south. The privately-owned Airtrain service runs to and from Brisbane Airport using Citytrain rollingstock in a commercial agreement with QR, and connects seamlessly with the rest of the network.
As well as the direct interurban services, shuttle services also operate on some interurban lines during off-peak periods. Most Rosewood line services normally operates between Ipswich and Rosewood stations, with connections at Ipswich. The Sunshine Coast line has supplementary Railbus services that operate between Caboolture and Nambour stations.
Rolling stock
All of Citytrain's rolling stock is electric, air-conditioned, were constructed locally in Maryborough, and are no older than 45 years:
- 87 Electric Multiple Units – EMU
- 12 Suburban Multiple Units 200 Series – SMU
- 30 Suburban Multiple Units 220 Series – SMU220
- 10 Interurban Multiple Units 100 Series – IMU
- 4 Interurban Multiple Units 120 Series – IMU120
- 16 Interurban Multiple Units 160 Series – IMU160
- 8 InterCity Express – ICE, power pairs of two cars, with four additional trailers.
All trains are electric multiple units with a driver cabin at both ends, with the exceptions of EM60 through to EM79 having only one cab at one end. All are configured with three cars, except for the ICE sets that are usually configured with four, five or six cars.
Due to increasing demands, suburban trains may occasionally be used on interurban lines. The Sunshine Coast line frequently suffers the use of the older, though serviceable, EMU sets. The Gold Coast line, predominately serviced by IMU trains, is occasionally serviced by SMU220 trains that have had a software upgrade to allow them to operate at 120km/h on high-speed parts of the line (identified by the letters "HS" located on the front-left face of the train at either end). While this increases operational flexibility, the trains are not provided with the creature comforts of the IMU or ICE sets, such as toilets or high-backed seats. This predicament will be remedied somewhat with an order of 16 new interurban and 8 new suburban sets being progressively delivered since early 2007.
Growth and extensions
The Brisbane and south east corner of Queensland has experienced significant population growth, with approximately one million more people living in the area over the last 20 years[3] and a forecasted population of more than 3.8 million by 2026.[4] This growth, along with a heightened awareness of the environment and increasing petrol prices, has placed an unprecedented demand on public transport and its infrastructure; Citytrain has reported successive patronage increases of 9% in both the 2005-2006[5] and 2006-2007[2] financial years.
To respond to this demand, the Government of Queensland created the South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program to manage the investment in new transport infrastructure, amongst other areas. QR, in response, created the SEQIPRAIL office to manage and deliver rail components of the plan.
Increased capacity
Beenleigh line
A third track was laid between Salisbury and Kuraby stations, a length of Template:Km to mi. Previously two tracks, the added capacity allows Gold Coast line services to operate with less chance of delays. Seven railway stations along the section were significantly upgraded. The project was commissioned on 2 March 2008.[6]
Ferny Grove line
Work is underway on the Ferny Grove railway line to duplicate the track between Mitchelton and Keperra railway station, including the upgrade the intermediate stations, Oxford Park and Grovely. Upgraded with two platforms, this upgrade will allow additional services to operate on the line during peak hour, and will also remove waiting times outbound from Mitchelton and inbound from Keperra. Other improvements include lifts and footbridges, to meet the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport, and new, modern station buildings.[7]
Gold Coast line
The line between Ormeau and Coomera stations, Template:Km to mi in length, was duplicated in October 2006, allowing for additional capacity.[8] Similarly, the Template:Km to mi length between Helensvale and Robina stations is being duplicated, and should remove the need for a four-minute layover at Helensvale for Robina services to wait for the Brisbane service due to the single track either side of the station. It is expected to be completed by August 2008.[9]
Ipswich line
Template:Km to mi of track between Corinda and Darra stations is to be triplicated. Currently four tracks to Corinda then two to Ipswich, the triplication will allow for greater capacity, especially with the proposed Springfield railway line to branch from Darra station. The project is in the design phase, with no construction start date at present.[10]
Sunshine Coast line
Template:Km to mi of track north of Caboolture station to Beerburrum station is being duplicated and straightened, along with the upgrading of Elimbah and Beerburrum stations. Construction work is underway, and an estimated completion time is mid-2009.[11]
From Beerburrum station, Template:Km to mi of track to Landsborough is proposed to be similarly duplicated and straightened. This project is in the concept stage, with no construction nor completion dates at present.[12]
New lines
Gold Coast line
A Template:Km to mi extention of the Gold Coast railway line from Robina to Varsity Lakes is under construction. This is the first stage of the proposed progressive extension of the line to the Gold Coast Airport, with an extension to Elanora completed by 2011, and to Coolangatta by 2026.[13]
Maroochydore line
The Maroochydore railway line (or CAMCOS, Caloundra and Maroochydore Corridor Options Study), is a proposed single track line due for construction and progressive completion in stages between 2015 and 2020. It will branch from the existing Sunshine Coast line after Beerwah railway station, with completion to Caloundra by 2015, and Maroochydore by 2020.[14]
Springfield line
The Springfield railway line is a proposed $300 million, Template:Km to mi extention of the Citytrain network, south-southwest from Brisbane. It is in the preliminary construction phase. The line will branch from the existing Ipswich line after Darra railway station, and extend to the Springfield area. The planned stations are Richlands and Springfield, with Ellen Grove and Springfield Lakes regarded as future stations.[15]
CBD underground access
On 26 August 2007 the then-Minister for Transport and Main Roads, The Hon Paul Lucas, announced the Inner City Rail Capacity Study to look at underground rail access under the Brisbane central business district. Dismissing a City Loop-style scenario similar to Melbourne, citing the the relatively small size of the CBD and "technical and operational constraints", Lucas imagined an underground line from Park Road station to Woolloongabba, then across the Brisbane River to connect with the Exhibition railway line, with major new stations at Woolloongabba, Gardens Point/QUT, and in the CBD. The study will also investigate the feasibility of the Exhibition line operating all year with new stations, and the upgrading of existing lines with additional tracks. Lucas allocated $A5 million to the study and appointed Parsons Brinckerhoff Australia as consultants to "look at options for boosting rail capacity in the city centre, including potential for an underground tunnel".[16]
References
- ^ QR Network Access (22 March 2002). "Brisbane Metropolitan System Information Pack" (PDF). QR Limited. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ a b c QR Limited (2007). "Meeting Challenges – Annual Report 2006/07" (PDF). QR Limited. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "History of regional planning in South East Qld". Queensland Government Department of Infrastructure and Planning, Office of Urban Management. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
- ^ Office of Economic and Statistical Research (2006). "Queensland Government, Population Projections to 2051: Queensland and Statistical Divisions" (PDF). 2nd edition. Queensland Government. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ QR Limited (2006). "QR Annual Report 2005/06" (PDF). QR Limited. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Salisbury to Kuraby Third Track". SEQIPRail. QR Limited. 2008-01-11. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
- ^ "Mitchelton to Keperra Duplication". SEQIPRail. QR Limited. 30 November 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Ormeau to Coomera Duplication". SEQIPRail. QR Limited. 29 November 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Helensvale to Robina Duplication". SEQIPRail. QR Limited. 30 November 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Corinda to Darra Third Track". SEQIPRail. QR Limited. 2007-11-29. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
- ^ "Caboolture to Beerburrum Duplication". SEQIPRail. QR Limited. 2008-01-14. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
- ^ "Beerburrum to Landsborough Track Duplication". SEQIPRail. QR Limited. 2007-12-29. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
- ^ "Robina to Varsity Lakes Rail Extension". SEQIPRail. QR Limited. 14 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Caloundra South CAMCOS Realignment study". Queensland Government. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
- ^ "SEQIPRAIL - Darra to Springfield Transport Corridor - Overview". SEQIPRail. QR Limited. 2007-11-10. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
- ^ "Future rail connection in study's sights" (Press release). Government of Queensland. 26 August 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
{{cite press release}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
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