I don’t think you can easily gauge the busway in terms of slots, as there is so much more variation in usage that you get on a rail line. You have numerous lines that only use part of the Busway, they have different entry/exit points, some are all stations services, others run express with express patterns that may differ from one another (eg. 130, 140 & 150 skipping Buranda, peak services leaving to over over the Captain Cook Bridge).
Almost all M1 stops are capable of fitting two LighTrams, and most are able to have a conventional bus or two as well. The only exception to this, as far as I am aware, is Mater Hill, which is only long enough to handle a single LighTram and single standard bus.
In terms of the Northern Busway Stations, I’m not too familiar with them, but looking at them with Google Maps (with the exception of Lutwyche which I can’t see), they all look like they should be long enough to easily accommodate LighTrams in combinations with other buses. I think the major issue will simply be what they need to do to connect the segments of Northern Busway, and what needs to be done to the Northern transit way lanes (which feature shared sections to facilitate turning onto side streets) to make the route LighTram-friendly.
Agreed - with Buranda they extended it by digging up O’Keefe Street above the southern end of the station, extending the platforms, then reinstating O’Keefe Street.
On top of the eastern end of Mater Hill Station is… well, I guess that’s the station’s namesake. A bit trickier to remove.
I have experience with that area, once you go up those stairs at the end of the platforms its actually an extremely short street called water street, and by short I mean the busway platforms are about the same length as the street before it intersects Allen street, since that is actually what is directly above the tunnel I could the platforms being at least slightly extended, but they would have to offset the stairways slightly or have dug out bits of the platform be a bit narrower.
Has anyone managed to spot 9059 or 9060 yet? Also, how much longer till 9001 is finally put into service? I understand it spent a few years doing a lot of testing so would require a overhaul, though you’d think it would’ve been done by now. And as for 9024 I’m not entirely sure what council plans to do with that one. My guess is that they’ll get a new one built, but I feel it would be 9061 instead of 9024.
There are rumours out there saying that 9024 was destroyed mid shipment to Australia, but no one has confirmed or said anything about the matter.
9001 was supposed to operate alongside the rest of the fleet out of Rochedale (it even had GPS/ticketing equipment installed and ready) so… That’s another one missing.
In total it’s only 58 out of the actual 60 buses.
EDIT: thanks to the always handy QLD Bus Tracker I can report that we have 54 buses online out of Rochedale, with 53 of them being in service over the last 7 days (9053 either has issues with its GPS/ticketing sys or had a nasty issue because it hasn’t been seen for two whole months).
When Chermside Metro is introduced, would Metro + a 6 bph 330 running artics be sufficient for Chermside-RBWH capacity? If so, instead of having 340 run to the CBD, have it go to Toombl Interchange via Eagle Junction station instead. It would travel via the current 321 route, then up Sandgate Rd terminating at Toombul. This would create a frequent connection between Chermside and almost all rail lines (the exception being Ferny Grove/Cleveland, I’m talking post-CRR here), and also connect with various bus routes (300, 301, 306, 310, 590) at Toombul.
As an aside, it would give Wavell Heights residents a decent, frequent bus route, and they could use it to access either Chermside Interchange or Eagle Junction station to connect to other routes/trains.
In this situation, the 322 would be redirected to 306 frequency improvements, hopefully with a clockface 15-minute timetable, and the 321 northern terminus at Eagle Junction.
Regarding the 330, does anyone with local knowledge know how feasible it would be to build a bus-only road under the Gateway Mwy, connecting Barrett St with Racecourse Rd? Then the 330 could be extended to Sandgate Station, giving residents from Bracken Ridge better access to the Shorncliffe line, and Redcliffe Peninsula buses, rather than the infrequent, poor span, no Sundays/public holidays 326.
You better not make the 330 stop between Chermside and RBWH
Jokes aside, I have not though about rerouting the 340 from the CBD to Toombul/EJ, but there definitely is a tonne of merit with that idea. Sacrificing an express service between Chermside and RBWH would be a valid price to pay for converting the 340 into a decent orbital BUZ route.
I don’t really see a valid purpose of the 326 extending down to Toombul (unless the bus route goes there for capillarity), so I would prefer the 326 terminating at Sandgate and Carseldine stations via Bracken Ridge without going to Toombul. With this shortening the total length of the route, then fewer buses will be needed to maintain a decent frequency for the 326. Then the 325 could then be extended north to Sandgate station from Boondall station while also being cut to Chermside Interchange (unless the 325 needs to go beyond Chermside for capillarity).
If the 329 would get extended to Sandgate, would it make a viable overlay of the 326, except that the 329 will serve the western catchment of Carseldine station while the 326 serves the east?
Edit: Now that I think of it, I feel like the 329 should cover Phillips St instead while the 326 covers Gawain St. I don’t know if BCC has the resources to do considering that the 329 is so pathetic in its current form: there are only 10 services each weekday and the route is less than 6km long!
Honestly, I tend to agree. Generally speaking, I find a 5 minute frequency to be fine at this stage, and see more immediate value in extending the span of it.
Once you’re at five minute frequencies more should really only be for capacity purposes IMHO. More service somewhere else will always make more difference otherwise.
You better not make the 330 stop between Chermside and RBWH 