When some faulty trains go out of service for maintenance, QR compensates the reduced rollingstock fleet by running 3-car units on the network.
But why are the 3-car units run on the suburban lines that see more patronage (like Shorncliffe, Ferny Grove, Cleveland, etc). It would be more reasonable to have the 3-car units to serve the Doomben line from Roma St or Boggo Road, I mostly see the Doomben trains to be quite empty compared to other trains on the network (during peak and off-peak). Rosewood trains run 3-car units possibly for the same reason as well (correct me if I’m wrong).
It’s quite odd that QR runs 3-car units on the busier lines that resulting in overcrowding, all while the Doomben line has 6-car NGR trains that only have 30% of passenger capacity used during peak-hour?
Don’t get me started on the regular 3 car that was running CAIP/IPCA return services smack bang in the middle of the AM peak for a while. Just insane to be standing squished up against people for over an hour at times.
I imagine maybe they struggle moving units around when the network is busy, but you can’t help but wonder whether planning and scheduling could be improved.
It was recently pointed out to me that a number of the Rosewood line platforms are only 3 carriages long.
As for Doomben remember a bunch of the time (especially in peak, right) that it’s being run with a train which has just come from the Gold Coast or something.
I’m assuming one of the Gold Coast Line trains that continue to Doomben in the morning peak is effectively rostered on Doomben Line runs all day following that service.
I feel bad for you if you every have to endure a 3-car journey on the Ipswich or Caboolture lines during peak-hour. I often observe that those trains are full to their capacity even with the 6-car NGR units.
There are four morning peak services from further south of Boggo Road (2 Gold Coast, 2 Cleveland) and two afternoon peak services to further south of Boggo Road (1 Cleveland, 1 Beenleigh).
I wonder why QR runs these services from the Beenleigh/Gold Coast/Cleveland lines all the way to Doomben? Is it because their departure time at Roma Street perfectly aligns with the departure time of northbound Doomben trains, all while the slots on the Ferny Grove/Airport/Shorncliffe line have been taken up?
Is it possible for QR to move those 6-car trains out of the Doomben service into other services (e.g. Cleveland-Shorncliffe, Gold Coast-Airport) and move 3-car trains onto the Doomben line?.
When the rail network undergoes a resectorisation after CRR, where Doomben trains run to Indooroopilly, will the same thing will happen when 6-car trains from Ipswich or Springfield Central will terminate at Doomben, and said 6-car trains will run a rostered service between Indooroopilly and Doomben?
My understanding was that every platform on Rosewood line is too short for 6 car trains, and using the Google maps’ measure distance tool you can confirm this. I checked a few 6-car platforms in the city and they’re all ~160m long, while all of the Rosewood line platforms are a lot shorter (majority are ~75m)