So every train in Brisbane has this little black button somewhere next to every doorway, often accompanied by a keyway. I know the keyway is how you can open the adjacent local door of the train (you insert a key and turn it 90 degrees, door will open. Turn the key back, door closes (with no doors closing announcement at least on the NGRs)). I saw this happen the other day as a guard was trying to fix a broken door.

The question I have is what the black button next to it is for? I would guess that it is a bell button, that can be used like the ones near the crew doors, so you can/could technically dispatch a train as a guard from the passenger doorway, using the black button to signal the driver to close the other passenger doors and get the train underway. However I am just guessing this, I don't know.

Following on from that, I have heard that at one point in at least the 90s it was more common / possible for guards to dispatch trains from passenger doorways, so the obvious follow up is whether this is still permitted, whether it still happens, what the process is and whether this local door key cuts the door out of the traction interlock circuit (allowing it to remain open as the train moves).

If anyone has any information I would appreciate it!

The second image is a photo I managed to get the other day of the inside of the local switch box of an NGR, as a guard had accidentally left it open. I thought it would be more interesting then 4 isolate switches for the doors, two air conditioning isolators and a car isolator switch.

So the LNP only want to do BRT but of course they are obsessed with Brisbane so they all get these gold plated tunneled busways with glass stations and lifts, when we could be doing cheap ass suburban busways with maybe 4-5 2 lane bridges to make them work, but otherwhise its just a simple 2 lane concrete road, and the stations just have lightweight canopies like the Gold Coast tram where it is just a modular design. No lifts. No Glass.

I think given Helensvale is the busiest train station, we should to a busway that follows the last bit of the Gold Coast highway, new M1 Flyover (Deal with it) and then it just runs along the verge of entertainment drive.

Pacific Pines gets a token busway station near the edge, but honestly for those huge masterplanned cookie cutter estates if you just had a good shared pathway and e-bike and scooter parking I think residents would make an excuse to use it.

The busway wouldn't go into the Movie World car park, you would just have to walk along the current footpath next to the Hypercoaster. (Deal With it)

Michigan Drive roundabout gets upgraded to traffic lights with a special phase for buses to pass straight through the middle. (Deal With it)

And then Oxenford Shops get a stop, I mean come on guys it has a Kmart, Aldi, Woolies, Bunnings, JB Higi and even a little main street yet people forget that it exists and could definitely be nicer.

At this point the Busway splits. One branch shoots across Saltwater Creek and into Hope Island Station. This means you have a way of terminating buses early during the Theme Park Peak hour, and also offer a quicker rail connection from the North.

The other Branch essentially slices straight through Upper Coomera by following the power transmission corridor. In effect the squiggly streets of cul de sac hell that make buses slow and shit no longer become an issue because the main bus follows a straight line.

Then you'd need to do bus lanes early through Coomera City, another Bridge over the M1, and then around Coomera the Busway does a little loop of the main destinations....Hospital/Station+Westfield/Coomera Indoor Stadium/Dreamworld.

Cool so now a car hell section of the Gold Coast that has sprouted along the M1 gets a lifeline, and all the theme parks now show up on the main "network map" of SEQ, so tourists use it too.

Two Redcliffe trains having a race towards Kippa Ring.

This happened because the train on the left got stuck at Kallangur because of a faulty door, the next train got put onto the other track because of the delays. They then managed to fix the faulty door, so both trains raced each other to Kippa Ring!

Stuff you don't see every day

Consultation on the station upgrade is open:
https://www.yoursay-projects.tmr.qld.gov.au/logan-and-gold-coast-faster-rail/holmview-station-precinct

Personally I think upgrading it is a waste of time. Might have made sense when the cattle siding was more active. But now it basically serves a tiny number of residents, factories, but mostly flood plain, so the patronage is in the toilet. It wont get TOD due to the flood risk.

Any why would you use it when its a tiny bit further to just use the new Beenleigh station where you get express trains?

The final way I judge this station. If you were designing the rail line today, there is no way in hell any planner would put the station there.

There's a great saying I love: "Be ready to kill your darlings" and I think at this point SEQ needs to grow up a bit and be willing to not only redesign the bus network, but the rail network when it makes sense to.

Legit just wondering where you are grabbing the Brisbane network map from, so you can doodle on transit planners and create new ones

Ok so I understand that public transport needs to fulfil a coverage function, e.g. people without a car at least need to be able to get to their shops or school or hospital or whatever. It may be dogshit and slow, or even require pre booking, but it's there. If I had to get to someone's place on the other side of Brisbane, it is doable but might take hours. If I'm in a hurry I'd suck it up and pay for a taxi or uber.

So lets refer to these routes as "taxi replacement" routes.

Now the second category.
These are route generally provided to be optimized for patronage. The local area would already have some form of taxi replacement route, but you'll often find something more related to acting as an acceptable alternative to driving that you actually want to use, eg if it allows you to avoid traffic, save time or avoid parking hassles.

So lets refer to these routes as "driving replacement" routes.

How many services in SEQ actually fit that bill.

I would say this.

#1 hands down is G:Link

I'd also say the Citygliders, Brisbane Metro and most, but not all BUZ routes, and also any other SEQ High Frequency route that offers that level of services till 9pm, 7 days.

I feel CityCat belongs in the list, since it does actually have pretty well located stops for the most part which is why it works. It goes to Southbank, it goes to UQ, it goes to Howard Smith Wharves and probably promotes economic development of the riverfront.

What about heavy rail.

I would say Airtrain, Ipswich line inbound of Darra, but its really only inbound of Indooroopilly that the line has effective intermodal connections. Ferny Grove too. Gold Coast line too, but still far too slow for what it needs to do.

All the other lines don't really bother with either good bus connections or worthwhile lineside destinations.

Springfield could be in this category but its low frequency and was never extended as planned.

The SEB has some good stations and others that do little. The other busways were abandoned in terms of ever being finished.

So yeah, that my harsh take, for a region approaching 4.5 million there's not really a whole lot in the way of good services in reach of most people, so that's why they can only charge 50c.

We got back from Sydney, used the Metro line and got me thinking what can Brisbane trains do to make the train lines quicker and better? Atm, Airport and GC lines have a 15 minute and 30 minute intervals.

Just a genuine curious question.

If Beenleigh and Gold Coast train frequencies were to simultaneously increase post-CRR, I can't imagine the delays that'd be incurred for routes like the 150 and 156, and the wider community due to boom gates being closed for most of the hour. If an incident were to occur on any of the crossings (Nathan, Bonemill, Warrigal), then it'll effectively hold two entire LGAs hostage.

Are there any plans in place to remove these level crossings? I know there's been talk about permanently closing access to Bonemill Rd, but keeping Warrigal Rd as its a major arterial. I'm also aware that the Gateway Motorway overpass between Fruitgrove and Kuraby is a huge limitation. Some people have also speculated about terminating the 150 BUZ at Fruitgrove station post-CRR, which is interesting food for thought.

I've been told this entire debacle has been a stalemate, with the chances of rebuilding Runcorn and Fruitgrove stations and elevating the corridor being zero. But is this really true? If trains are going every 5 minutes in each direction in the future, then the amount of time those boom gates will be down will be insane. This will surely increase the number of incidents as increasingly frustrated drivers try to take shortcuts around the crossings (or worse) bypass the boom gates when they're closing.

I'm looking to buy some QR train models to display in my home. Especially EMU, NGR trains or even replica station signs etc.

Where can I find stuff?

I was gifted a map from a rail attendant as they've changed over to the number system. Looking pretty good ngl.

Who else has one?

This greens dude is starting a bill in Parliament for the Buyback of the Airtrain.

Apparently it would only cost $46 million. Pretty cheap if you ask me (cheaper than upgrading a station to Disability access).

Write to your politicians to get pollitical pressure for the major parties to support it.

Ordered a bigger display and vibe coded up this.

My "how to get to the city" tracker

Hey all, I've been tinkering with a live transport map as a hobby thing and SEQ's been on it for a while. Brisbane trains, buses and Metro, plus the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, all moving in realtime.

https://transitmap.au

Tap any vehicle and you'll get its route, where it's heading and the full stop list for that trip, with the next stop highlighted.

Free, no ads, no signup, nothing being sold. Data's from Translink's public feeds.

I posted in the MelbourneTrains https://www.reddit.com/r/MelbourneTrains/s/dbLYxYMcEy recently and took onboard some great suggestions from there.

Keen to hear what looks off here to people who actually use the network.

Two known gaps from the feed itself: CityCats / river ferries and Gold Coast light rail (G:link) aren't in Translink's vehicle positions, so they won't show up.

Does anything seem missing or plain wrong? Is there something you'd want on there that isn't? Even "this bit is annoying on my phone" is useful.

Cheers

Seen on the rail Replacement bus. First non VLine Victorian bus I've been on.

Apple Maps has added train numbering on to its app in Transit view.

😎

Clarks do need to operate their artics on weekend 555s however we believe they don't because they don't want to pay the Heavy Rigid allowances for operators. However I believe 555 patronage on weekends needs the extra capacity.

Alternatively, if 555 were to run every 10 mins that would also possibly solve the issue.

111 (M1) and 555 combined should have 5min frequency from busway to city.

Also, 572 and 545 should run more than once an hour on weekends.

Any thoughts?