Time for a proper Sunshine Coast public transport connection

My new boss and a number of my key clients are located up the Sunshine Coast, so I am finding myself up there about once a months for various meetings and workshops that can't be done remotely.

It's a really tedious trip to make, averaging about 1.5 -2 hours by car. This means a typical 90 minute meeting pretty much wipes out a day, once you take into account travel and preparation time.

Unfortunately, the Sunshine Coast is not currently linked to Brisbane by any serious public transport. There are long term plans for a suburban rail extension from Beerwah to Maroochydore (the so-called CAMCOS line) but this is at least 15 years away, if not further. In the meantime, the closest rail link is the North Coast line which passes through the Sunshine Hinterland to Nambour.

TransLink provides a bus service connecting with trains at Landsborough that is the main PT link to the Sunshine Coast. Unfortunately both the train and bus are really not good for business-type trips from Brisbane to the coast. It takes 2 to 3 hours do do the trip and there are also a grand total of 4 services that arrive on the Coast before midday.

It's about time to do something serious about this.

Not only does CAMCOS have to be brought forward (instead of being pushed back as is constantly rumoured) but some decent interim solutions need to be found

• more contra-peak Nambour trains need to be run (if the network can cope - it's a single track line)
• all trains at Landsborough need to be met by a direct bus to Mooloolaba and Maroochydore (not deviating through Chancellor Park back streets, although I guess the University is acceptable)
• in fill express buses need to be provided from Caboolture direct to the Coast at times when the Nambour rail line is at capacity

I can't be the only one who would rather not have to drive.

The bus goes where?

Information in the Brisbane bus system is generally pretty good. The Translink website is pretty comprehensive, timetables are available from most council libraries and various information centres. Buses all have clear route numbers and destinations, with all but the oldest buses having very bright digital displays. Just about every stop in the network has a timetable, bigger stops in the city and at interchanges have maps too. At many major stops and interchanges there are also digital displays indicating the next few bus departures (this is based on a recorded timetable, not real-time, though)

There is one really weird feature of the system that can cause confusion to the new user.

Most bus routes have two "different" destinations depending what form of information you are looking at. If you use the printed timetables or look at the bus itself you get one destination. If you look at the digital displays or on timetables posted on timetables you get a completely different destination listed!

Take my route for example, if you have a look at the printed timetable (or its pdf version) you will be told that it is 433 Kenmore South to City (all stops). When the bus comes along its destination sign will tell you 433 Kenmore via Indooroopilly (or 433 City via Indooroopilly) depending on the direction. Fair enough I guess.

Now, however, if you look at a timetable posted on a bus stop, or at one of the digital displays (see above) it will be 433 Kilkivan. Where? Well the final stop on this route would appear to be Stop 39A ("Kilkivan Av Opp Cromarty St") which has been loaded into the electronic system as "Kilkivan".

Similarly there is no such place as "Centenary". Bus 106 goes to Mt Ommaney Shopping Centre (in Mt Ommaney), which is located just off Centenary Highway.

There is, however, a place called Moggill and as the bus terminus is a turnaround at a corner paddock, it's called Moggill. The destination will be 444 Moggill BUZ.

Confusing? Yes.

Destination Downtown

I was thinking the other day about bus destination signs (sad, I know). I thought it a bit odd how different cities' services label the CBD destination.

Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane all have destination "City". Melbourne's trams often use a combination of "City" and street name or just the street name. Or at least they used to, I don't know what the modern ones do. I *think* Hobart uses "City" too.

Sydney buses are a little different and they use the "district" of the CBD that they terminate in. These are mostly the same as the railway station. Some that I remember are "Wynyard", "Circular Quay" and of "Railway" (for Railway Square/Central Station). I have a vague recollection of "City-Wynyard" as well. I wouldn't mind knowing what some of the longer distance suburban services (e.g. Westbus' services from Castle Hill) say.

Finally there is Perth. For some reason, the default is "Perth", not "City". Older buses will say "Perth" or "Wellington Street Bus Station". Newer buses use "Esplanade Busport" or "Welllington Street Bus Station". Some of the services from the outer Northern suburbs use "Perth City Centre".

Odd. Not important, but odd.

Daily Commute

Inspired by The Age "Management Line" Blog article Daily Commute Blues, here is my typical morning commute, as recorded by me last Monday.

7.15 am leave home, walk to bus stop
7.22 am arrive at bus stop
7.31 am bus arrives at stop (7 minutes late)
7.59 am bus arrives at Indooroopilly Bus Station (12 minutes late)
walk to Indooroopilly Railway Station
8.04 am arrive at railway station
8.06 am train departs Indooroopilly (1 minute late)
8.23 am train arrives Central Station (1 minute late)
walk up hill to office
8.30 am arrive office (dead on time)

The last few days the bus has been arriving at Indooroopilly as late as 8.02 am meaning I get the 8.08 stopping train.

I also recorded it the week after Easter when both schools and universities were on
vacation:

7.15 am leave home, walk to bus stop
7.22 am arrive at bus stop
7.26 am bus arrives at stop (1 minutes late)
7.45 am bus arrives at Indooroopilly Bus Station (2 minutes early)
walk to Indooroopilly Railway Station
7.50 am arrive at railway station
7.51 am train departs Indooroopilly (1 minute late)
8.05 am train arrives Central Station (1 minute late)
walk up hill to office
8.12 am arrive office (18 minutes early)

What a difference education trips make!