Select Committee on Train Services Rob Barnett , Chief Executive - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Select Committee on Train Services

Rob Barnett, Chief Executive Officer Ursula McGinnes, GM Stakeholder Relations Greg Wilson, Manager Network Services and Performance 5 October 2009

Select Committee into Train services 5 October 2009 Slide 2

V/Line is Victoria’s largest regional public transport provider

Select Committee into Train services 5 October 2009 Slide 3

We are Victoria’s largest regional public transport

• perator. Our 1382 staff work hard to get people

where they need to go, running 1400 train and 600 coach services every week. We operate 83 stations across the network and run an extensive fleet of trains. We provide access for passenger and freight services and maintain 3700 kms of regional track and infrastructure. We are a state-owned entity and report to the Minister for Public Transport and the Treasurer.

Select Committee into Train services 5 October 2009 Slide 4

Growth of 82% growth between June 2005 and June 2009: unparalleled in any other Australian public transport service

Five year patronage growth 13.17 11.96 9.72 7.64 7.25 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 2008-09 2007-08 2006-07 2005-06 2004-05 million trips

Select Committee into Train services 5 October 2009 Slide 5

Strong growth across the four Regional Fast Rail lines

Gippsland 1.77 1.54 1.05 0.82 0.85 1 2 2008-09 2007-08 2006-07 2005-06 2004-05 million trips Bendigo 3.06 2.78 2.2 1.47 1.32 2 4 2008-09 2007-08 2006-07 2005-06 2004-05 million trips Ballarat 2.68 2.39 1.88 1.37 1.35 2 4 2008-09 2007-08 2006-07 2005-06 2004-05 million trips Geelong 3.38 3.08 2.57 2.03 1.84 2 4 2008-09 2007-08 2006-07 2005-06 2004-05 million trips

Select Committee into Train services 5 October 2009 Slide 6

Regional Fast Rail facts

RFR was a generational change for the regional train network with:

• 38 new award-winning VLocity trains (travelling at speeds up to 160km/h)
• 500 km of upgraded track
• 400 new and upgraded railway signals
• 460,000+ concrete sleepers
• 170 upgraded level crossings
• new rail safety systems
• new fibre optic signalling

Select Committee into Train services 5 October 2009 Slide 7

Origin of success was V/Line’s new RFR timetable

‘More services, more often at times you want to travel’

• more than 400 extra services every week into regional services
• 287 weekday services
• 114 weekend services
• new flagship services to each regional centre
• ‘shoulder peak' services and hourly off-peak services
• late night trains, and
• increased seating capacity on new modern trains.

The timetable drew on extensive community and customer research and feedback.

Select Committee into Train services 5 October 2009 Slide 8

The return of train services to Bairnsdale and Ararat have been incredibly successful. From the first year of returned operations, patronage grew by 71%

• n the Bairnsdale line

and 55% on the Ararat line. Return of services to Maryborough by mid- 2010 will be welcomed by the local community.

Bairnsdale Patronage

• 20,000

40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000 120,000 140,000

• Fin. Year

Patronage (boardings) Bairnsdale 74,236 68,483 75,005 100,484 126,929 2004/5 2005/6 2006/7 2007/8 2008/9

Ararat Patronage

10000 20000 30000 40000

• Fin. Year

Patronage (boardings) Ararat 25473 26178 25774 33663 39529 2004/5 2005/6 2006/7 2007/8 2008/9

Select Committee into Train services 5 October 2009 Slide 9

Extreme heat in January and February 2009 challenged Victoria’s transport network – as it did other utilities such as power and roads. This was not new for V/Line as regional Victoria experiences more hot days than Melbourne every year.

Select Committee into Train services 5 October 2009 Slide 10

32° 36° 40° Bendigo 16 9 6 Shepparaton 20 11 6 Echuca 21 14 6 Swan Hill 22 14 7 January days over Towns

During January and February 2009 parts of regional Victoria were hotter for longer than Melbourne… just as it is every year.

32° 36° 40° Bendigo 10 5 3 Shepparaton 13 7 4 Echuca 14 8 4 Swan Hill 11 10 6 Towns February days over

Select Committee into Train services 5 October 2009 Slide 11

V/Line applies speed restrictions for safe running in extreme heat

• If rail temperature exceeds the stress-free temperature of the rail, the

rails expand and can force sleepers to move sideways creating a buckle.

• The critical components are the ballast quality / quantity and sleeper
• quality. Typically rail is 60 kg/m.
• Speed restrictions are applied to reduce the forces applied by passing

trains and also to allow trains the chance to stop in the event of a buckle.

• Heat speed restrictions are applied by all track managers including

ARTC, TransPerth, West Rail, QR and even in the United Kingdom.

• Speed restrictions are applied to both timber and concrete track but

typically the restrictions are more severe and introduced at lower temperatures on timber.

• Once air temperatures exceed 40°C on all track the restrictions become

quite severe.

Select Committee into Train services 5 October 2009 Slide 12

Communicating heat speed restrictions to travellers

• We explain to customers what to expect on

hot days and that heat speed restrictions between midday and 8pm may mean:

• some longer trips
• some trains may connect with

coaches

• Since program was in place, customer

enquiries on this issue have reduced.

• People knew what to expect because they

have been informed.

Select Committee into Train services 5 October 2009 Slide 13

Under pressure Jan-Feb 2009: We worked together with one unifying principle: getting our customers to where they were going with minimal inconvenience, regardless if this was by train or by replacement coach. We put our operational plan in place and we communicated in advance as much as possible, so people knew the change to their travel arrangements. And people were understanding – they knew the circumstances were difficult and that we were working in their best interests.

Select Committee into Train services 5 October 2009 Slide 14

Extreme weather performance

13 January- 7 February 2009

Train services: put our operational plan into place early

• Scheduled services = 5,341
• Services operated = 4,979 (93%)
• Train services cancelled/replaced = 362
• Coaches Utilised = 1,665

Air conditioning issues – isolated to older trains (N-sets)

• 53 cancellations due to air conditioning failures.
• 93% cancellations were on loco hauled trains – VLocity and Sprinter trains

performed well.

• Fewer customer complaints about air conditioning in 2009 than in 2008.

Select Committee into Train services 5 October 2009 Slide 15

Extreme weather performance (cont.)

13 January- 7 February 2009

Customer communication

• Advanced information through our new SMS notification system (V/Line Inform)
• Regular web updates
• Embedded travel information through the ABC – particularly effective during the

bushfire period

• Communication was difficult at times at Southern Cross Station and other key

stations.

Select Committee into Train services 5 October 2009 Slide 16

Improvements in place for summer 2009-10

• Fire preparations
• Vegetation management and fire plans in place early
• Operational plan
• Ongoing refinement of plan based on the conditions at the time
• Continuous improvement programs and initiatives such as night shift train

maintenance and extra supervision in yard operations

• Internal Communication
• Improved communication flow from yard operations to Southern Cross

Station Control Room, providing better information to frontline staff

• Staff safety
• Heat and exhaustion management
• Bush fire protocols

Select Committee into Train services 5 October 2009 Slide 17

Improvements in place for summer 2009-10 (continued)

• Air conditioning
• Servicing and modifications to reduce failures.
• Strengthening communication to customers
• Wider promotion of V/Line Inform.
• Real time updates on the web.
• Advance communication through ABC, regional news sources.

Select Committee into Train services 5 October 2009 Slide 18

Questions