The previous Labor Government plan was for all new Translink SEQ buses to be electric from 2025.
Does anyone know if the new LNP government is continuing with this, or are diesels back on the menu?
The last update on the page was the 26th of November last year. This is after the state election, so it appears that the LNP are continuing with the program for now.
At 3:24 in Video Review: Volgren Optimus/Yutong E12 - Australasian Bus and Coach, there is a new TMR (translink branded) bus in the background that appears to have batteries on the roof, looks like a volgren body, presumably with a volvo or maybe even yutong chassis?
This lines up with the statement at the bottom of the TMR page you linked from about a year ago where they mention they are evaluating EOIs from manufacturers to build a fleet of 400 state owned zero emission buses*. If I had to guess, we will start seeing these roll out this year similar to the diesels that TMR are leasing to operators.
*I havenât heard any updates on this in a while - is this 400 in addition to the 400 diesel rail buses?
I am not so sure about the âmandateâ for BEV buses to be rolled out from 2025 though, there are still new diesels being delivered to the Gold Coast, although perhaps these were âprocuredâ pre-2025 so technically fine? Time will tell.
I believe it was always intended to be a mandate on procurement. Buses procured prior to 2025 that arenât electric would be fine. Im interested to know whether hybrid electric buses would satisfy the mandate. I would assume so?
Those buses would be the 2 WrightBus Hydrogenâs, which are going to CDC eventually.
I doubt the âAll zero emissions by 2025â is still happening, as there has been lots of operators (CDC, Kinetic, BusQLD, Kangaroo Bus Lines, etc) which are still getting buses which are diesel.
Apparently it was legislated and effective from 2025. The bus companies who are getting the Euro 6 diesels or equivalent may have put their order in before the cut off date. If they order now it has to comply with the new zero emission rules.
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Unless itâs a different video I canât see any other buses except during the first 15 seconds, all of which look like diesels to me.
There was a King Long electric knocking about in the green livery some time ago but Iâm not sure if it was actually demonstrated anywhere in Queensland, or where it has gone. It might even be the one being exhibited in the video.
Itâs 200 diesels - it was meant to be 165 Volvo Volgrens and 35 Scania Bustechs. 127 of the Volgrens have been delivered (numbered 0078 to 0204) with more to come. Given Bustechâs ongoing troubles it is not clear if their portion of the order will actually be built by them.
No doubt TMR have taken the view it is better to get buses on the road ASAP to expand the fleet and replace older stuff than waiting until the necessary depot upgrades have been undertaken to allow electrics to operate. This is the opposite of the NSW approach where there are piles of electric buses sitting around that have not entered service after 2 years or more because the charging infrastructure still doesnât exist. The approach up here should prevent such a silly outcome by ensuring electric buses are sent where they can actually be used as the infrastructure is gradually upgraded, rather than being stockpiled.
I expect the current Gold Coast order(s) will be the last big batch of diesels except for the end of the TMR order for 200. The policy was no new diesels after 2025 (ie still perfectly fine to procure them until the end of this year). Even then, the directive is only as mandatory as the government feels like making it - it isnât enshrined in law and even if it was the current government can change it virtually overnight.
The Wrightbus vehicles arenât shown in the video. Those 2 are in the blue livery. (I had been told these were for Transdev but that could have been speculation.)
Diesels will keep being rolled out until the end of this year, and it might be they will continue to appear into next year if ordered by the cut-off. Even then the government could just change its mind if there is going to be some sort of roadblock to rolling out nothing but electrics.
On current tech they are going to struggle if they want to roll out articulated buses if straight diesels are banned, unless they are hybrids or full electrics with very circumscribed operations (eg opportunity flash charging at depots or along routes at bigger stops or terminating locations).
Putting up trolley wire along the busway would have made the Hess vehicles a lot more robust operationally, they donât need to be in place for the whole route given in-motion charging technology, so any space constrained areas like the tunnels in the city could be left as-is. Even standard electric buses could âplug inâ to trolley wire while on the busway.
That is not quite correct. In any event, practically no operators are actually buying their own new buses at the moment. Most metropolitan Brisbane operators have been given new TMR-owned buses. BCC is gradually cascading existing buses off the M1 and M2 routes. The remaining Brisbane operators are smaller and getting a handful here and there to replace life expired fleet, except for Clarks (who have taken about 30 diesels recently). Kinetic Gold Coast is taking a large number of new diesels which are also replacing life-expired buses or limited life buses. Kinetic Sunshine Coast is getting hand-me-downs from the Gold Coast because the new Gold Coast buses have been found to be suitable for operations up there due to (as I understand it) NCL bridge clearances being a bit too tight.
In future, I would be astonished if any SEQ operator purchases its own fleet. There is no reason to if TMR is supplying the gear, and it is to everybodyâs advantage that this keeps happening so things start to get standardised and procurement costs come down.
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The hydrogens can be seen at 2:12 in the background and at 3:06 In the reflection.
There has been multiple media releases recently saying the hydrogens will be going to CDC, unfortunately. Was hoping it would be Transdev because itâs a lot easier to get to for me.
So they are, just missed those - and yes, they are going to basically be schoolbuses / maybe make appearances on rail replacement.
Wrightbus prepares to re-launch into Australia through hydrogen model
I was under the impression Transdev was originally picked for logistical reasons (ie the hydrogen was to have been produced by Lion Energy at the PoB). Maybe that is no longer important.
FYFE - Hydrogen buses and Lion Energyâs Port of Brisbane hydrogen generation and refuelling hub
Makes you wonder if they will eventually move to a model more like rail with OEM fleet as a service and state managed operations.
Thatâs what the USA does and itâs very limiting. You end up with the same model of vehicles for years and less innovation. We are lucky that we have agencies with flexibility that can search the world for new and modern vehicles.
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Works fine for rail rollingstock, trams, ferries? Why would buses be different?
Because it doesnât as examples have shown, plus you donât get the best value for money.
Spot on, although to be honest TMR are in a bit of a pickle. At 3.3m, the current NCL bridges that the 610, 612, 631 and 637 pass under are incompatible with pretty much any other bus model, the new GBV bodies donât fit, a volgren optimus wonât fit, and any EV platform has no chance. The bustechs are the only thing readily available that will fit which is obviously hugely limitingâŚ
The long term solution without a doubt is going to be permanent changes to those 4 routes, diverting them via either the bridge on National Park Road or the heavy vehicle underpass at Arundell Avenue, both of which are only about 800m north and south of the interchange. Not a huge deal but will result in the closure of 2-3 bus stops near the station.
I personally have no issue with TMR taking over ownership of urban buses in SEQ, a standardised fleet would be fantastic and in some regions provide real benefits. I certainly will not miss the bustech fleet one bit.
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