I hope they eventually extend the 555 towards Beenleigh, as it allow for better access to the Gold Coast for people along the SE Busway/Pacific Motorway corridor
Theyâre clearly doing this Frankenstein thing because itâs cheaper to run than offer express railbuses from Beenleigh.
1 Like
How exactly would it allow better access for Gold Coast people?
It certainly wouldnât be faster - an express train from Beenleigh to Central Station currently takes 48 minutes (currently - CRR should improve on this). By comparison, a 555 from Loganholme to Elizabeth Street takes 47 minutes. Extending it to Beenleigh will add about 10-15 minutes depending on traffic.
There is a peak hour service that runs from Windaroo to the CBD via Beenleigh Station and Loganholme Station (well, there is until the end of the month when it is trimmed down to finish at Loganholme). The 566 takes 69 minutes to get from Beenleigh to Elizabeth Street.
The better option for connectivity to the Busway is to get off at Altandi and get a 130 or 140 up Mains Road to the busway - one bus every 7.5 minutes vs 1 bus every 15 minutes for the 555.
1 Like
Honestly youâre right in terms of connections to stations north of Griffith uni (inclusive) due to the train being less variable than the bus, but I think it could offer connections at/south of Upper Mount Gravatt
Given the current frequency of the Gold Coast line however, for now it would be best to line up busses to leave after the Airport train arrives at Beenleigh to Loganholme/arrive before the Varsity Lakes train departs Beenleigh from Loganholme.
It might be more worthwhile to form such a link to Loganlea Station rather than Beenleigh - while the route to Loganholme does take longer from there than from Beenleigh, there are more major trip generators at Loganlea including the Logan Hospital (and a planned private hospital, Logan TAFE and Griffith University.
Loganlea Station is also being positioned as more of a transport hub going forward - it already anchors the bus link out to Yarrabilba (587), and planned new bus routes servicing both Logan Reserve and Park Ridge are proposed to be anchored to the station as well.
That said, this probably isnât really the right thread for this discussion.
1 Like
Maybe punch a green link through the end of University Dr around the golf course to Murrays Road somewhere. Where it is an extension of the 555 or something else (587 maybe) or just a standalone shuttle, youâd have a route from the Hyperdome interchange to Loganlea Station / Hospital via Mandew St, Murrays Rd, new green link, University Dr and Loganlea Rd.
3 Likes
That idea isnât terrible but it could be a bit easier said then done.
Past the end of University Drive there is part of the Meadowbrook Golf Course, land which is all extremely flood prone thanks to how several branches of Slacks Creek converge and wind themselves around. Any connection across this area would involve multiple creek crossings and would have to be quite high to get above the flood level.
On top of that, you have several areas of environmental importance around there. Griffith University maintains an arboretum directly to the east of its campus, and then across Slacks Creek sections of land along Murrays Road form an environmental conservation reserve due to it being, for a long time, the only known location for the plant Gossia gonoclada - a species that was thought to be extinct from the 1890s up until its rediscovery in this location the 1980s.
If those issues can be worked around, I would recommend lining the road up with Sewell Road, a much better road than the goat track that is Murrays Road.
1 Like
Iâll send an email to Queensland Rail and the Cross River Rail Authority.
Does anybody know why when thereâs these track closures that the trains terminate at Banoon instead of Coopers Plains or Rocklea, and also why they combine the GC services into an all stopper with the Beenleigh line instead of running seperate services?
Something odd going on with the Beenleigh/Gold Coast closure this weekend. Service notice says closure south of Banoon, but journey planner has trains running to Kuraby.
1 Like
Confusing. Error in the journey planner?
I asked Translink on X. This was their response:
the track closer is there which says it starts from Banoon, but as per the latest update on journey planner, you can get the train from Kuraby station, -Mohammad
https://x.com/Translink_QLD/status/1933696289667231895
1 Like
LOL! Crazy that the closure maps donât match the actuality. I can imagine there might be some confusion out there in punter land.
1 Like
The whole affair smacks of incompetence. Like the left hand (QR) doesnât know what the right hand (Translink) is doingâŚ
1 Like
This isnât the first time translink drops track closure info than doesnât coincide with their own GTFS data.
The most common example is occupations in the central core. While TL says southside trains are departing only from Boggo Road, in reality services start and end from South Brisbane.
And speaking of closuresâŚ
Hereâs what a Gold Coaster can expect by the end of the month for three whole weeks: about 40-45 minutes of extra travel time just because of QR running hybrid all stations services.
Comparisons using translinkâs own journey planner between Pacific Fair in Broadbeach and Central, with and without closure.
3 Likes
Not sure why they donât run services express Beenleigh-Loganlea-Altandi-Banoon.
Could it be something as simple as a lack of crossovers near Banoon limiting the number of trains that can operate in the section? I had a quick look on Google Maps satellite view, and couldnât see any between Banoon and Coopers Plains.
In my observations they normally reverse trains at Coopers Plains anyway so I donât know.
I genuinely donât know.
1 Like
Not even a Translink logo on the Bus Station closure!!
1 Like