Dwell times, like the unnecessary dwell times at Pimpama.
I suspect stop spacing also has something to do with it also. Theyāre pretty tightly packed in some parts.
Express Milton to Darra (stop at Indooroopilly) is timed for 15 minutes (8 stations expressed)
All stations Milton to Darra is timed for 23 minutes.
The express gains a minute per station expressed.
In the good old days of the Darra Flyer it used to do Milton to Darra in a little more than 12 minutes I recall. I think there has been a slowing down of the network due to a number of factors. Safe working, longer dwells more pax, and tighter speed boards.
1 Like
Do think that ETCS2 can speed things up again over time.
Iām hopeful.
2 Likes
ETCS L2 improves network efficiency, and does allow for higher speeds due to it being a continuous digital system.
I get the impression they run a slower timetable with a lot of padding on purpose for on time running and to minimise the flow on effect that would have with other lines. I agree that speeds and running times should be faster.
2 Likes
Fun fact. they are the same speed as in 1970s. One or two new stations compared to then, but its mainly just lower speed limits. I donāt think QR has ever raised a speed limit on a section, only ever lowered it.
2 Likes
Any reason AnyTrip isnāt showing any trains this morning on the app?
1 Like
One thing I have noticed is after using the trains in Melbourne or Sydney, when return to Brisbane and on Citytrain, is how slowed down it seems compared to the southern networks, which seem to have a hustle and bustle missing here in Brisbane.
5 Likes
Perth is much faster too.
2 Likes
Long dwell times even at the Darra-Roma St section? Thatās where train run every 15 min during off peak with the Ipswich and Springfield services combined.
I reckon most lines could have some time shaved off them if trains were allowed to run at higher speeds. For example, the distance between the Mango Hill and Mango Hill East stations is 1.6km and the timetabled running time is 3 minutes. Surely that can actually be done in 2 minutes. There are many other examples like that too - 3 minutes from Eagle Junction to Clayfield, 3 minutes from Bindha to Northgate just to name a few. Also, the 5 minute timetabled running time from South Brisbane to Roma Street could also be sped up. I remember it used to be 4 minutes years ago.
There is a bit of headbutting that happens on the Merivale bridge northbound as the City&Ferny Grove train is followed by the City&Shorncliffe/Northgate only a minute later. CRR would definitely speed it up since the Ferny Grove-Cleveland line will be the only line pair on the bridge.
1 Like
Perhaps because the boarded gauges in Melbourne and Sydney allow for higher speeds than Brisbane, even with the steam-age alignments.
Because most of the lines in Perth were built much later on the 90s with straighter alignments and modern standards and onwards while the steam age lines are built on terrain thatās tamer that Brisbaneās.
We do have the GC and Springfield lines that allow for 140kph running, and the yet-to-be-built DSCRL would allow for 160kph running. If the NWTC would be built, it would most likely have a line speed of 140-160, and would speed up other lines as it would free-up capacity on the NCL.
1 Like
That train crash in Berajondo definitely didnāt help with making trains faster in QLD as a whole. Even with the crash being mostly human error (112kph on a 60kph bend), QLD government probably has that āevery K over the limit is a killerā mentality and decrease the rail speeds along the entire rail network.
Iām pretty sure that the roadways also fall victim to this too, there are these state-of-the-art motorways in SEQ with wide lanes and shoulders and are probably rated for 120-140kph like in Europe and US, but instead, slugged to 90-110kph.
1 Like
Yeah, I suspected that the issue is the number of trains on this section of the network. I would hope (although not too optimistic) that after CRR opens and the lines are more segregated that some of the higher speeds might be revised?
Surely a significant stretch of the line between Northgate and Petrie could have higher speeds than they currently do though? Even 120km/h?
I donāt intend a speed increase from Northgate to Petrie, but more so SC trains being diverted through a significantly faster NWTC (if it ever gets built), and NCL is fine with 100kph tops. There is carseldine-bald hills (edit: as well a bald hills-strathpine) which is pretty long and straight and could do with a 120kph speed limit, but that would probably do jack all to save time.
Or alternatively, we could rip up the NCL and rebuild it to allow 160kpg running (lol).
Edit: perhaps the best candidate for a speed increase on an existing line could be from Petrie to Caboolture, as the stations very spread apart and the tracks are relatively straight or gently curved.
2 Likes
Yeah I wish the NWTC would be built! There are SO many things I wish theyād do. The reason why I was suggesting that there was some speed increases on that stretch of line is because I highly doubt it will ever happen.
Do you happen to know what the speed limits are on the Petrie to Caboolture stretch, and if they could be increased?
Technically part of Beerburrum to Nambour Upgrade (between Glasshouse and Beerwah)involves speed limit being raised by simply realigning the track within the existing rail corridor to reduce the bend in the tracksā¦ not sure if that counts 
1 Like