Slow Train Comin'

Yes please!

2006-03-23T19:14:00.000+12:00

This report says Plans are in the pipeline for a commuter rail link between Auckland and Hamilton. The Hamilton City Council and Waikato's regional council are funding a $25,000 feasibility study on such a service. It is envisaged the train would stop at up to five Waikato stations on its journey from Hamilton to Papakura, where it would link with other city bound trains.
A similar service failed five years ago but the Council says this one would be different, as it would be directly related to user demand. A study on the project has been initiated and will be put to Land Transport New Zealand as part of an application for funding.

Time for some public protest

2006-02-26T18:58:00.000+13:00

The Herald's excellent commentator Brian Rudman wrote a disturbing piece about how past plans and promises about the rail have simply not been kept giving us little hope anything will ever change.

Take the appalling state of the Newmarket platform (above) and the bizarre way the train has to backout of the station, the dis-used Onehunga line that is just waiting to be activated the state of platforms everywhere and the fact that the growing number of passengers mean most of us now spend our travelling life having to stand in cramped smelly hot carriages.

Local and government politicians that promised much about the rail and seem now to be going to deliver nothing need to be warned: we will dump them all next election. Maybe it's time for a petition.

Hear My Train A Comin'

2006-02-21T22:06:00.000+13:00

Good to read in this morning's Los Angeles Times that after years of retrenchment, railroads across North America are reporting record profits and rolling forward with massive expansion projects of the kind that haven't been seen in decades.

The growth has been fueled by a flood of cargo containers filled with Asian products, which ended the coal industry's 102-year streak as rail's biggest revenue generator in 2003 and has surged further ahead since then. Railroads are gaining ground on the rival trucking industry, which has been suffering from sharply higher diesel costs and a shortage of long-haul drivers. But companies that move their goods by train are complaining about increasing rates and delays.

The long wait home...

2006-02-21T21:39:00.000+13:00

Due to a technical fault the 8.08pm train service from Waitakere has been replaced with taxis for connecting Britomart train service at Henderson.
Due to a technical fault the 7.47 train service from Britomart has been delayed by approcx 10 minutes.
Then there are the signs on board. Tonight as we headed out of Brit for Waitakere the sign said we were approaching Glen Eden. There was some panic on board assuming we were on the wrong train!

Auckland's best kept secret

2006-02-21T21:34:00.000+13:00

This is a wonderful free outdoor exhibition -and the outdoor space at the back of the Brit is so nice and relaxing. I hang out there when I arrive too early for a train. No-one I speak to has ever heard of this place. Is it Auckland's best kept secret?

No busking, no fun!!!

2006-02-21T21:25:00.000+13:00

So it is OK for some clown to scare tourists with a very bad Richard Clayderman impersonation outside the ferry buildings in the morning but no busking is allowed at the Brit.
Look it is so-o-o-o boring waiting for a train. Platforms in other countries add some colour by allowing busking. Why not the Brit?

Waterwater everywhere

2006-02-21T20:58:00.000+13:00

The water leaks continue in the Brit concourse and the word on the street is they still have no idea what is causing them.
Were the same engineers /firm responsible for the Aotea Centre carpark leaky building crisis?

If so this is a major public scandal.

Someone should be asking questions.

Angry people going nowhere

2006-02-16T23:22:00.000+13:00

I always envy the Sydney rail service but everytime I check in on the Sydney Herald, there are screaming headlines saying how bad the train service is -and they say it never gets better despite offical promises and government "concern."
Today under the headline Angry people going nowhere
the paper reports:

SIX months after it introduced a new timetable to fix massive delays on the rail network, CityRail is still battling to run trains on time, new figures show.

More than half of the weekday peak hour trains were late in November, December and February, despite cuts to services and an increase in travel times.

The revelation came on a disastrous day for Sydney commuters. The aim of the timetable was to have 92 per cent of trains arriving at their destination within five minutes of the scheduled time. To do this CityRail cut services to improve efficiency, slowed travel times and extended the definition of "on time running" by more than a minute. Afternoon peak hour is the worst, with one in 10 trains late this month. On the Illawarra line - which does not have a new timetable yet - only 53.9 per cent of afternoon peak hour trains arrived on time last week. Over the entire week, just 82.3 per cent of peak hour trains were on time. (The Tansport Minister spin doctor says): CityRail's new timetables are not a cure-all for reliability because they do not prevent incidents impacting on train services - from police operations to signal failures, electrical storms to sick passengers."

Hmm... glad I live in Auckland!

The trains were packed tonight but it would have been helpful for the guard to tell people when they arrived at Eden park (for the cricket). Perople had no idea in the standing room only train what was going on.

On the iPod: Organic Audio Presents Hi-Life: An Uplifting Selection Of Afro-House Grooves

The best train trip in Auckland

2006-02-15T21:41:00.000+13:00

Watercare run this cute train through the Waitakeres to get to the dam.

What will tourists think?

2006-02-15T21:30:00.000+13:00

For a week or so, high tech looking electronic info booths have been around Brit. High tech? Yeah right. Someone has written on the screen ..coming soon all you need to find your way in Auckland.

The whale of a train

2006-02-15T21:29:00.000+13:00

I didn't know this. And what has it to do with trains? These are planted on Morningside platform.

Train fares rise

2006-02-15T21:12:00.000+13:00

Train fares went up this week.

No surprise and the fares are still reasonable.

The good news is that Auckland trains are busy - there has been a 30 percent increase in usage in the six months to the end of December.

I caught a train around 8 Saturday night and there were lots of patrons.

More trains are on time - but there are still problems. That Saturday train was about 10 minutes late and a few other trains I have caught recently have also been late. The 6.04pm from the Brit last night was cancelled.

Melbourne has big train problems!

2006-01-04T15:44:00.000+13:00

The Melbourne Age has an interesting front page story today about the problems in that city.

OVERCROWDING on Melbourne's trains has worsened dramatically, resulting in contraventions of load limits and raising questions about how the State Government can achieve its goal of increasing public transport use. High petrol prices and population growth along rail corridors have led to booming train patronage in the past year — and regular breaches of passenger limits on major suburban lines, Government figures have confirmed.
Public transport advocates have accused the Government of having no immediate plan to alleviate the crisis, and have called for urgent action to expand the suburban fleet.
According to the franchise agreement under which Connex runs the system, a six-carriage train should carry a maximum of 798 passengers. Department of Infrastructure figures reveal that between 7.30 and 8.30am, average passenger loads on most train lines are near or above that limit — indicating that some services during that period are exceeding the load standard. On four lines — Broadmeadows, Dandenong, Pakenham and Sydenham, the average number of passengers per train during the peak hour is above the limit. On the Sydenham line it is 950.
The news comes as city commuters are being hit for the first time by increased parking fees, the result of a new tax designed to encourage a shift towards public transport. The cost of all-day car parking in the city rose yesterday by as much as $4, while rises of about $2 were seen across the city.
The breached train load standards are evidence of what many commuters have long suspected: that carriages are becoming more crowded. They also raise questions about whether the train system is ready to cope with a new influx of passengers if the parking tax succeeds in prising commuters from their cars.
The Government says the car park tax could cut congestion by 10 per cent and that this would remove 5000 cars from the road. Louise Perry, a spokeswoman for Transport Minister Peter Batchelor, said she was confident that the train network — which carries 150,000 commuters each morning peak — could absorb such an influx.
"In the longer term, however, the increasing trend towards public transport will require substantial investment in rail infrastructure, and this Government is determined to meet the challenge," she said.
Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said extra services were already badly needed to reduce peak-hour overcrowding.

Holiday nightmare

2005-12-30T21:16:00.000+13:00

Took a train up to Henderson today to get something from the Warehouse there. I had forgotten what a flipping nightmare the trains were!
The train was late because of a breakdown in the Brit tunnel.
Then the train bellowed in smoke near Henderson so passengers had to alight and the train be abandoned.
Then finally after much confusion and numerous conflicting stories among the guards, taxis were called for those heading west.
The rest of us hung about for nearly an hour.
Eventually it was decided to hitch the dead train and take it back to the Brit.
Except a train heading west had broken down so there were more delays.
The adults on board who were trying out the train were bewildered.
"Is it always like this," they asked?
What can you say!
4.47 Due to technical problems the 3.15 from Britomart has been replaced with taxis from Henderson.
4.54 The 5.08pm service from Waitakere has been cancelled due to an earlier technical fault. Next servuce from Waitakere at 5.38
5.03 Due to an earlier technical fault the train services on the western line in both directions are running late by 30 mins
5.13 Due to technical problems the 5.15 western line servie from Britomart has been cancelled. The 5.45 will replace the 5.15 service.
5.43 Due to an earlier technical problem the 6.08 from Waitakre (sic) has been cancelled. 7.08 service to replace this service.
6.00 The 5.45 service to Waitakere from Britomart has been delayed by approx 20 mins.

Ahh, yes, the txt messages. How I have missed them.

Best blog! Wow!

2005-12-21T21:23:00.000+13:00

I'm told Metro in its best of Auckland awards named this as the best blog and dubbed it like Waiting for Godot.
Thanks!!! Great way to end the year along with the Government's new money into the trains.
But watch out: 2006 starts the push for electrification in earnest!

Happy Christmas etc

2005-12-17T12:29:00.000+13:00

Now uni has finished for the year I am out of town but will be back in force late Jan.
Have a nice holiday season ,thanks for your support and let's keep fighting in 2006 for better transport,
Miles

Clean up the homeless Mr Mayor

2005-11-16T18:45:00.000+13:00

SO I take some friends along to show them the wonderful Brit and the train service. We go to enter the Brit at only 5.3opm and there lies a homeless right across the entrance.
People are having to literally step over him.
So much for security at the Brit.
Finally some guy goes and tells a security dude on the platform.
The guard wanders over and speaks to the homeless and calls for backup.
Anyone else notice how the homeless are lying around Queen St during the day now?
Mr Mayor, if they need social services get them organised. My friends were appalled and thought the Brit must be very unsafe if this happens in bright sunshine during rush hour.
On the iPod: Nothing, My iPod is broken. It won;t go. I feel like I have lost a close friend.

Keep terrorists away from here, please

2005-11-15T19:49:00.000+13:00

What a pain it must be living in Sydney or Melbourne and having to put up with clowns every few hours ringing up the terrorist squad with claims the trains are about to be bombed -resulting in train services being stopped for hours.
Photo from Crater@Flickr

The strange case of the 5.54pm west-bound

2005-11-10T19:38:00.000+13:00

The train heads off west-bound but just a few minutes after leaving the Brit, just beyond a tunnel on a bend, it comes to a sudden halt.

Nothing happens. The carriage is hot and steamy.

The train guards continue to collect tickets, pleased they have time to get through all the carriages before Newmarket.

Sorry read Train Ambassadors or TAs as they should be know. Makes them sound like something out of the UN or at least diplomatic.

The theory develops the sudden stop has been caused by the emergency brakes being applied. The TAs come through each carriage inspecting the brakes’ button to see if they have been activated and looking at us suspiciously as if someone is the culprit.

That theory ruled out, we are told it is a “technical” fault.

The TAs sit down as the hot closed train gets hotter.

A long time later the train slowly begins. “We don’t know why –some malfunction,” is the official explanation.

Will these trains ever be fixed, asks one hot exasperated passenger, who has now finished his sudoku puzzle book.

“We’re getting some more trains from Australia,” says the TA.

Yeah right. From which museum will they come?

On the iPod: Billie Holiday

More trains,. more delays

2005-11-08T08:30:00.000+13:00

How would Air NZ survive if it was as unreliable as the trains?
Those with end of year exams at this time of year can not afford to see their whole year's work disappear because you couldn’t make it to the exam on time.

Due to a mechanical fault the 710 Western line train from Britomart has been delayed by approx 15 mins.

Due to an earlier mechanical fault the 7.52am train service from New Lynn has been cancelled.

I love how the approx 15 mins delays delay becomes a cancellation.
I’m taking the car. This could become a habit!

Stranded in Paradise? Yeah, right

2005-11-07T18:38:00.000+13:00

SO tonight the electronic sign at the Brit says the next train to Waitakere leaves just after 5. People take their seats, the train leaves, the guard comes and clips the tickets and the scenery flashes by.
And flashes by.
The onboard sign mentions the usual train stations but it seems to be taking foreever to stop.
When you use the trains a lot, you adjust to the rythm. Even if you are head down, reading you somehow are quietly counting down the stops in your head and recognise the subtle twists and turns of the track to know just when your station is coming up.
But a look out the window resembled unfamiliar scenery.
It looked like Avondale.
It was Avondale.
You could tell the look on the passengers who were unaware they had got a non-stop express to New Lynn. Confusion, shock and later - as we waited around the New Lynn station -much anger.
Why didn't the sign at Brit make it clear it was a non stop to New Lynn?
Why did a guard at the Brit encourage everyone to get on board without telling us?
Why did the onboard signs continue to count down stations the train never stopped at?
Why didn't the guard question us when we had 2-section tickets yet the first stop was New Lynn ( a three stager)?
Why did the guard on the eventual train Brit-bound for New Lynn (after a half hour rain-soaked wait on the platform at New Lynn) have the cheek to argue with us all that it was our stupid fault and we should have asked for transfer tickets if we expected a free ride back to our proper intended destinations.
While I am fuming, we had another major grizzle: The signage itself at New Lynn is woeful. When a train stops no sign, no-one tells you if the train is going on to Waitakere or back to the city.
Connex, listen up.
I am the only passenger of the stranded who plans to keep using the trains. You have lost the others- because of poor and rude communication.
Hire a communication expert. Sort out your signs, your messages, your treatment of your passengers.
Otherwise you don't deserve the support we are all trying to give you.
On the lap: Stranded in Paradise John Dix

Rod Donald

2005-11-06T16:05:00.000+13:00

The news of Rod Donald's untimely death is very sad. He was a great supporter of Auckland's trains and seemed a very nice honest guy. We so need politicans like him.

Out come the freaks

2005-11-05T18:41:00.000+13:00

Train security in California (left) and Auckland (below)

In London muggings are up 40% and iPods are the prime target.

In Merseyside, muggings were up 35% with young people targeted for iPods and phones.

In San Francisco there have been at least 20 people robbed of their iPod on buses in the last month.

The other day on the train a guy with faraway cold drug-fuelled eyes kept eyeing my iPod.

One of the good things about the trains –so far- has been that you don’t strike the smelly drunk people you find swaying down the aisle on the buses at night and trying to engage people in rude conversation.

But trains have get more popular – and there are lots of new faces since the new timetables were advised in a junk mail drop (oddly some of the regulars have vanished. Did they want to keep the trains exclusive to their club or have they given up?)

And as night services start, the oddballs are now using the trains.

The other night a strange man sitting by himself in one of the side seats kept talking to himself, then to imaginary people, then to those standing demanding someone had to sit next to him. Finally someone did to shut him up and was subject to odd questions everyone in the train could hear. Like his full name and address and where he had bought his clothes and why.

The guard, a woman, looked a little nervous as she went through the carriage wondering what might happen and whether she was equipped to handle it.

Then last night a man also sitting on one of the side seats kept asking the guard odd questions like why chickens cross the road (actually how one gets from one side of the tracks to the other) and demanding phone numbers to ring if you lose something. He might have been legit but it all went a bit strange. An odd mating ritual if you ask me.

So it’s good to see Connex putting guards now on night trains and at certain rail stations like Kingsland.

There around 10pm, gangs of 14 years come out of the bushes to do tagging or rob the odd person waiting for a train.

Thankfully private security firm, First Security is now watching over the area nightly and during the weekend.

In Sydney, night trains in the last year have seen their share of muggings, and even women being followed and raped.

In parts of the US, security cameras are being placed on the trains recording people getting on and off – a move funded to watch for “terrorists.”

Let’s hope the trains keep safe. It’s a shame we live in a time such security guards are needed and it’s good they remain reasonably inconspicuous unless needed.
On the iPod (until its stolen): Was Not Was Out Come the Freaks

Connex reply why the 5.45 got axed

2005-11-03T19:53:00.000+13:00

I wrote to Connex asking why the 5.45pm Westbound rail service has been axed . Here's Connex's reply:
The new timetable represents an important step forward for Auckland rail, offering an overall service increase of 25%. This includes extra peak and off peak services, new Sunday services and extended late-night Friday and Saturday services.
One of the key focuses for the new timetable is to increase the frequency of services across the network and make efficient use of the available rolling stock. Services on all lines have been re-timed and some express services will now stop at all stations. The new sectional running times better reflect the current operating conditions on the Auckland network. We understand from your comments that some changes in services may not longer be as convient for some individuals but the changes are part of a wider plan of improvement which will continue to permit further development on the network.
Thank you for you comments with regards to the 5.45pm service from Britomart to Waitakere. Your concerns have been forwarded to the Connex operations department for consideration.
Your understand during this period of upgrading and improvement is greatly appreciated.
Yours sincerely
Craig Inger
Train services manager
Connex

Auckland City replies re the Newmarket Toilet saga

2005-11-03T19:41:00.000+13:00

Dear Miles
I am writing to answer to your query re the toilet removal, and the provision of toilets in Newmarket. As well as provision of toilets at train stations generally.
The Newmarket toilet was removed as the land on which it was sited was not owned by Auckland City Council and our lease had expired and not been renewed because the property owners wished to develop their property.
As you will understand Auckland City cannot impose a condition on a private property owner to provide public toilets unless there is an associated use on that site which requires toilet eg a bar or restaurant. Auckland City Council can impose a condition of consent on a new development that public toilets be provided as a means of mitigating the effects of the development which is the case here in Newmarket, it would not be consistent with the Resource Management or Local government Legislation to require the toilets to be provided before any effects were created by the development. Nor are Auckland City Council able to force a private property owner to let us site toilets on their property, as I am sure you will agree this would be undesirable for any property owner.
Hence we had no choice but to remove the facility at the request of the owner. The toilet was nearing the end of its useful life as well, the electronic components were regularly causing trouble and a major failure of the door mechanism had also occurred, there was no significant loss of economic value in closing this facility early.
Unfortunately this has left Newmarket without a public toilet (other than those provided by local businesses such as 277). We are currently investigating sites for the provision of a replacement facility for Newmarket.
The provision of toilets for train users is not a role which Auckland City Council has agreed to undertake. There are toilets in the train stations on the rail platforms most of which were closed when the stations were closed by NZ Rail.
The provision of toilets specifically for train users should be addressed through the Auckland Regional Transport Network Ltd (ARTNL) or through ARTA or the ARC I have included some information for you
Regards
Daren Day
Asset Manager
Parks and Streetscapes
Level 1 UDC House 35 Graham St
Auckland City