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Home , Busways, Cable ferry, CityRail, Harris Park Transport, Hillsbus, Hunter Line

January 2005, Num ber 150 RRP $2.95 ISSN 1038-3697

CityRail‘s new timetable is planned for introduction by September 2005. Publicity for it began on 1 December and was badly received; major stories appeared in both the Morning Herald and the Daily Telegraph with headlines such as Cut, cut, cut: the great train robbery, Slashed rail needs to recruit drivers, Term inal dilem m a and Costa's tim e warp: fewer, slower services. A 12 page DL sized brochure was published to explain and detail the changes (cover shown at left). The new timetable has been published on the internet at www..info and was available for view at regional libraries from 29 November until 31 December 2004. To complicate things further CityRail achieved a new low. On W ednesday 1 December only 1.9 per cent of all afternoon services were on time; admittedly due to a sub-station failure but hardly the situation the Government wanted to happen. Table Talk‘s detailed coverage of the timetable begins on page 4. On page 2 are reference maps for the proposed rail clearways project. The top map shows the planned line segregation, whilst the second shows the proposed track changes.

Table Talk January 2005 Page 2

Top Table Talk: • CityRail‘s 2005 Timetable œ page 4 • Baxter‘s, Harris Park and Moore‘s Tours quit Sydney route services œ page 8 • Yarra changed services and timetables for routes 30 and 48 œ Page 8

Table Talk is published monthly by the Australian Association Of Timetable Collectors Inc. [Registration No: A0043673H] as a journal covering recent news items. The AATTC also publishes The Times covering historic and general items. Editor: Duncan MacAuslan, 19 Ellen Street, Rozelle, NSW , 2039 œ (02) 9555 2667, dmacaus1@ bigpond.net.au Editorial Team : Graeme Cleak, Lourie Smit. Production: Geoff Lambert, Chris London and friends. Secretary: Steven W ard, 12/1219 Centre Road, South Oakleigh, VIC, 3167, (03) 9540 0320 AATTC on the web: www.aattc.org.au, email: aattc@ ozemail.com.au Original material appearing in Table Talk may be reproduced in other publications, acknowledgement is required. Mem bership of the AATTC includes monthly copies of The Times, Table Talk, the distribution list of TTs and the twice-yearly auction catalogue. The membership fee is $45.00 pa. Membership enquiries should be directed to the Membership Officer: Dennis McLean, 53 Bargo Street, Arana Hills, Qld, 4054, - (07) 3351 6496. You Wrote… From Roderick B Sm ith to be met. The has negligible historical and aesthetic significance. It obviously has social Chris seems to have merged two Speewa punts significance because the local people have placed into one. Here is the text from the RTA website a lep on the ferry. It is probable that the on the current DMR/RTA one, which Chris has significance is seen to lie more in the convenience described: Speewa , Updated: 15 May 1998 as a crossing than any particular attachment to The Speewa ferry has significance as the only the ferry. Local enquires seemed to confirm this. example of a ferry crossing on the NSW lower The ferry is the only one in NSW on the Murray Murray. The current ferry was built in 1979. It is a below Hume W eir, and provides the opportunity to two-cable ferry running approximately north-south understand the type of crossing which existed across the river. There is a small enclosed cabin before the bridges were built. The ferry would for the operator. The ferry is in very good become of greater significance if the only other condition. ferry across the river (W ymah) were to be taken History: Speewa is a parish in W akool County with out of service. Currently operated by DMR 90. It a short frontage to the Murray on the NSW side. is single lane, carries ~3 cars, and is steel. It is In both Speewa and the neighbouring parish to slipped every 3 years, using the approach the west, Puah, there is an island in the river roadway (which has rails embedded). Recently, called Speewa Island. It seems probably that it is railings were upgraded to meet modern in this vicinity that the Speewa ferry was occupational health & safety rules. introduced. The area was initially grazing and I have a photo of the wooden punt in 1962, but it there were sufficient children around by the 1890s is probably better for AFS rather than TT. for a provisional school to be established upstream from Speewa parish but still call Now Speewa Island is NOT otherwise isolated. It Speewa. This school was closed in 1900, after has many roads and many farms, and is only 8 months, and did not reopen. W ith the connected across the minor Speewa Creek to a village settlement just downstream at Nyah in NSW trunk road. W hen I took my car over the at just this time and a burgeoning dried ferry in 2003, I continued the circuit by road to fruits industry at Koraleigh in NSW to the north, approach Swan Hill from the NSW bank. interstate commerce was more vibrant, and the Chris has confused Speewa Island with Beveridge need for a ferry at Speewa was met and continues Island. This island is part of Victoria, and is Table Talk January 2005 Page 3

leased to the Hazlett family. The northern private punt at 861 km on the Little Murray (the boundary is the Murray, but is very shallow. public one is at 857 km, measured from the The southern boundary is the Little Murray, and is mouth). I have a photo in my collection from a the normal navigation route. The Hazletts have a friend, but not publication rights. For the Record Contributors Tony Bailey, Chis Brownbill, Derek Cheng, Jackson, Matthew Jennings, Peter Jones, Geoff Anthony Christie, Graeme Cleak, Michael Coley, Lambert, Julian Mathieson, Michael Marshall, Ian Cooper, Ken Davey, Adrian Dessanti, Graham John Mikita, Peter Murphy, Len Regan, Graeme Duffin, Noel Farr, Neville Fenn, Paul Garred, Alan Reynolds, Scott Richards, Lourie Smit, Tris Gray, Steven Haby, Craig Halsall, Robert Tottenham, Craig W atkins, Roger W heaton, David Henderson, Michael Hutton, Albert Isaacs, Bob W hiteford

Rail line in early 2006 following the completion of National works at Bondi Junction, estimated to be Australian Train Timetables œ A totally new finished by November 2005. December 2004 version of Victor Isaacs‘ Liverpool or Lidcombe to publication has been uploaded to the AATTC Town Hall via Bankstown website. W eekday morning and afternoon peak: stations between Bankstown and Campsie Sydney will have six trains an hour; all other stations will have four trains an hour. CityRail 2005 Tim etable W eekday off-peak: all stations will have four As headlined on page 1 CityRail announced its trains an hour. proposed September 2005 timetable on 1 W eekends: all stations will have two trains an December 2005. hour. The new 2005 CityRail timetable brochure, Inner West Liverpool to Museum via Regents summarising key changes by line with a feedback Park or Granville form (same info as provided on the website). W eekday morning and afternoon peak: the Dated November 2004. majority of stations will have four trains an hour. Major stations will have additional CityRail is developing a new timetable for services in the peaks. introduction by September 2005. The new W eekday off-peak: all stations will have four timetable will reflect safer running times and trains an hour. improve the reliability of Sydney‘s metropolitan W eekends: all stations will have two trains an train services. hour. Major stations will have additional The new timetable will apply to all lines with the services. exception of the Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra Cum berland Line Campbelltown to and South Coast Lines. New timetables for these lines are proposed for early 2006 following the On weekdays between Campbelltown and completion of the new Bondi Junction turnback as Blacktown there will be two trains in the part of the $1 billion being spent on new station morning peak and three return trains in the and track infrastructure by the NSW Government afternoon peak. under its Rail Clearways Plan. & East Hills Line Macarthur to Town The following summary of changes is taken from Hall via Airport or Sydenham the brochure. W eekday morning and afternoon peak: major Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line W aterfall stations will have between six and eight trains or Cronulla to Bondi Junction. an hour; all other stations will have four trains Services on this line will not be affected by an hour. this timetable change with the exception of a W eekday off-peak: stations between few trains that have been rescheduled for the Macarthur and Holsworthy will have two trains purpose of positioning for the commuter an hour to the city; stations between East Hills peaks. A new timetable is proposed for this and Turrella will have four to six trains an Table Talk January 2005 Page 4

hour. Stopping patterns will be simplified and up to eight trains an hour; all other stations contain fewer variations, making the timetable will have a minimum of four trains an hour. easier to remember. Continuation of construction of the Epping œ W eekends: East Hills, Padstow, Riverwood Chatswood line, four morning and two and Kingsgrove will have four trains an hour; afternoon peak trains starting and terminating all other stations will have two trains an hour at Epping will continue to start and terminate to the city via the airport. at Eastwood. South Line Campbelltown to City via W eekday off-peak and weekends: all stations Granville will have two trains an hour. W eekday morning and afternoon peak: the Olym pic Park Sprint Olympic Park to majority of stations will have six trains an Lidcombe hour. Canley Vale and Yennora stations will The Olympic Park Sprint service between have four trains an hour. Lidcombe and Olympic Park stations will W eekday off-peak and weekends: all stations continue to have a 20 minute service. will have two trains an hour. All South Line trains will stop at W arwick Farm Station on Bomaderry (Nowra) or weekdays and weekends. Kembla to Central Services on this line will not be affected by North Shore Line Berowra to via this timetable change with the exception of a City few trains resulting from rescheduling of W eekday morning and afternoon peak: major services on other lines. A new timetable is stations will have eight to ten trains an hour; proposed for this line in early 2006 following all other stations will get up to six trains an the conclusion of works at Bondi Junction, hour; Mount Kuring-gai and Mt Colah will get estimated to be completed by November two trains an hour. An increase in frequency 2005. of services in the morning and afternoon peaks for customers at Artarmon, Goulburn to W ollstonecraft and W averton. Campbelltown and City W eekday off-peak and weekend: stations This timetable is still under development. The between Hornsby and W averton will have four summary of services for this line will be trains an hour; stations between Berowra and advertised early in 2005. Asquith will have two trains an hour. Lithgow to Central Western Line Emu Plains or Richmond to There will be very few changes to Blue North Sydney Mountains Line services. Some services with W eekday morning and afternoon peak: spare capacity will make an additional stop at Blacktown and Parramatta will have 12 trains Emu Plains/Penrith in the morning and an hour; major stations will have up to eight afternoon peak. trains an hour; smaller stations will have four Newcastle & Central Coast Line Newcastle trains an hour. to Central W eekday off-peak and weekends: major stations will have four trains an hour; smaller W eekday morning and afternoon peak: stations will have two trains an hour. and W oy W oy stations will have up to six trains an hour, all other stations will have Richm ond branch line between two to four trains an hour. W eekday morning and afternoon peak: all W eekday off-peak and weekends: all stations stations will have two trains an hour. will have between one and two trains an hour. W eekday off-peak: stations between Scone or Dungog to Newcastle Richmond and Vineyard will have between one and two trains an hour; stations between This timetable is still under development. The summary of services for this line will be Riverstone and Marayong will have two trains advertised early in 2005. an hour. W eekends: all stations will get a half-hourly services may change to connect with service from around 7.00am to 8.00pm. An altered train services. hourly service will operate at other times. W hat the brochure didn‘t say was what the Carlingford Line Carlingford to Clyde reductions were. The 2 December‘s Sydney There will be no changes to the service Morning Herald summarised with: frequency on the Carlingford Line. The State Government has slashed another Hornsby to North Sydney via 1355 train services a week in its latest attempt Strathfield to make the system run on time, taking the W eekday morning and afternoon peak: weekly total of services cut to more than 3500. Eastwood and W est Ryde stations will have

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More commuters will be forced onto fewer 1 December as many as 99 per cent of trains on trains as about 20 per cent of all weekday all suburban lines and 86 per cent on intercity services vanish under a new timetable to be lines were late. introduced next September. Figures supplied by CityRail show that 51 services Only four months after it tried to fix the will be cut from the Airport and East Hills line next railways by cutting one in three weekend year, as well as 31 trains on the W estern line, 18 trains, the Government yesterday announced on the Illawarra line and 45 on the North Shore it would cut a further 270 services a day from line. On the latter line - which carries an average off-peak periods to bring order to the chaotic 1500 passengers an hour - the Chatswood-to-city afternoon peak hour. service will be cut from eight to four trains an hour For example, the Chatswood to the city in off-peak times. The Doonside-to-Penrith service service will be halved from eight trains an will also be halved. hour to four off-peak, meaning passengers will have to wait on average an extra 7 The new timetable will slow the system by 10 per minutes for a train between 10am and 2pm. cent, adding up to six minutes to an average 60- minute CityRail trip, and the cuts to services will The AATTC gained prominent coverage with The mean that by late next year Sydney's rail network Times‘ editor Geoff Lambert being interviewed by will have 2636 fewer services between Monday the Sydney Morning Herald. He said bringing in a and Friday as well as 1000 fewer trains on the new timetable is a dangerous task. The weekend. extraordinary complexity of the task - with thousands of services interacting as they pass Meanwhile a trial of a 17-train shuttle service on around dozens of different sets of tracks across the Inner W est line will start today, replacing "low- Sydney - makes it an exercise in chaos theory. patronage off-peak services" going around the Geoff was also interviewed by Angela Catterns on . Off-peak services from Homebush will ABC Local Radio. terminate at the country platform of Central Station. Passengers will have to change trains for Amongst other reductions noted by Geoff daily inner-city services. services from Parramatta would be reduced from 160 to 140, with several terminating at Central's RailCorp's chief executive, Vince Graham, said country platform rather than continuing to the City the shuttle service should help improve afternoon Circle. services by reducing congestion on the City Circle. Off-peak services in the middle of the day would also be reduced, from seven an hour to five, while Trains will also be slowed by 10 per cent. W hen between 0800 and 0900 there would be 11 trains combined with July‘s cuts by September 2005 an hour instead of 14 now Sydney will have lost close to 20 per cent of its weekday services, equating to 527 daily trips - Half as many services will operate in the early 2635 a week - as well as 1000 weekend trips. The morning before peak hour starts, and some train equivalent of only seven new trips will be added trips will take several minutes longer. Off-peak during peak times. services face even longer times. Just in case the publicity wasn‘t bad enough a two —The new timetable won't make things any worse, week trial of a part of the new timetable was but it is hard to predict if it will make things much introduced without much warning. From Monday 6 better" December 14 "low patronage off-peak services" According to Geoff‘s analysis there will also be that normally go around the City Circle were more stops on intercity lines, which will mean replaced with 17 shuttle services terminating at fewer express services for commuters travelling Central. Passengers had to get off at Central's from areas such as the Blue Mountains or Central country platforms, walk 100 metres, go down one Coast. set of stairs and up another to get to the suburban platforms. The intent being to reduce congestion At least one early-morning train from North on the City loop. Sydney to Emu Plains would take 92 minutes under the new timetable, compared with 72 CityRail services between Bondi Junction and minutes it is meant to take now. Edgecliff Stations will be suspended between Sunday 26 December 04 and Sunday 9 January "There will be a reduction in service frequency in 05 inclusive, to enable construction works for the off-peak hours, which is supposed to improve the Turnback project at Bondi Junction. ESR/Illawarra reliability of the afternoon peak, but we won't trains will continue to operate as far as Edgecliff know if that will actually happen yet," Mr Lambert only, with filling the gap between Edgecliff said. and Bondi Junction. Sydney Buses will operate The afternoon peak has continually plagued direct peak hour services from North Bondi, Rose CityRail, with reliability so bad that on W ednesday Bay W est, Bondi Beach, Coogee and North

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Clovelly to Edgecliff Interchange on the weekdays • Upper Ferntree Gully (Belgrave Line) version affected by the closedown (exc public holidays), 2. between 7:00am and 9:30am. All route 313, 314, • W est Footscray, Middle Footscray 360, 361, 381 and 387 trips that normally arrive at (Sydenham Line) BJI between 7:00am and approx 9:30am will Jan 2004 continue to Edgecliff, while those trips on route • Berwick 389 that normally terminate at BJI (short workings) will continue to Edgecliff also. Booklets: Belgrave/Lilydale œ version 2 edition of the Oct 2004 timetable. The line map now Newcastle Station to close The Minister for correctly shows Box Hill as Zone 2 only (not the Transport Services Michael Costa, has given an end of the 1+2 overlap) as well as the early Christmas present to the residents of the connection at Box Hill. The ”Local Premium Hunter by announcing the intended closure of the Stations‘ phone number index has been updated Broadmeadow / Islington Junction to Newcastle and corrected. All numbers now appear to be the Railway and the conversion of the right-of-way to same as that shown in the Connex listing on page a bus-way. W hilst no date for the discontinuance 268 in the current 2004/5 Melbourne W hite Pages of rail services was announced, the "full benefits" (Business & Government). would not be available until the conversion of the rail corridor into a bus-way was completed in an V/Line estimated 36 months. Pocket timetable 1/9/04 Geelong - Ballarat (Sth Basically, Hunter Valley rail-car services would be W est) large pocket timetable diverted to a new interchange terminal or dock From Monday 13 December until further notice to platform at the northern end of Broadmeadow's help improve punctuality by reducing congestion Platform 1 to become Platform 0, with Platform 1 at Spencer Street Station, V/Line have replaced becoming a de-facto terminal for electric inter- the 1640 Geelong train with an express five star urban services and providing cross-platform coach service. Changes are: connections. The Down Main platform (2) and • 1640 - Coach departs Spencer Street Station the Back Platform (3) would become peak period coach terminal directly to North Geelong. overflow platforms for both electric and railcar • 1643 - Coach departs North Melbourne services, as well as servicing Countrylink trains. Station directly to North Geelong. From the reports it would appear that passengers • 1655 to Geelong extended to South Geelong transferring to the Newcastle CBD from the • 1655 - Train departs Spencer Street Station Broadmeadow Transport Interchange would be and is extended to South Geelong arriving at required to use existing bus services, although it 1802. was admitted that it may be necessary in peak hours to provide some additional buses. The Down Relief Line between Adamstown and Broadmeadow would be converted into additional AirTrain further to last month‘s mention of new stabling for up to 32 electric cars. Citytrain timetables services on the Brisbane One would guess that the conversion would be in Airport service were reduced from 51 trains a two stages - firstly, the construction of the new weekday to 35. The service which used to run railcar terminating facility at Broadmeadow, every 15 minutes now runs every 30. The offpeak together with the modifications to the Down Relief Airport to Roma Street services have been Line, which would allow for the discontinuance to virtually eliminated and most services are now rail services into Newcastle; then the removal of operated as the links through to Robina on the the rail tracks, demolition of infrastructure, etc., Gold Coast. A 15 minute service is maintained and the construction of the bus -way on the former between the Domestic and international terminals. rail corridor. Some mention was made of Patronage on this line has never been published possible in lieu of buses, but this option and the slow increase has never covered the was not included in the Minister's Media Release. private company‘s costs. Citytrain amongst the service changes introduced Melbourne on 18 October all weekend and weekday offpeak Gold Coast trains now stop at Yeerongpilly and Pocket timetables: Loganlea and take one minute longer for the October 2004 southbound journey taking 1h 13m for the trip. • Auburn (Belgrave/Lilydale Lines) • Glen Iris, Gardiner (Glen W averley Line) Railway Digest (December) notes that the new • Hughesdale, Murrumbeena, Carnegie timetable leaflets feature a darker typeface which (Cranbourne/Pakenham Lines) is easier to read but the small font size still • South Kensington (W erribee & W illiamstown presents a challenge to sight impaired customers. Lines)

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QR As a result of a serious accident on 16 November involving a Tilt Train near Bundaberg the other Tilt Train was withdrawn from Friday 3 A new Grange line timetable is dated November December until further notice. The inquiry into the 2004. train crash found major structural flaws in the wheel housing of the derailed train. Tasm ania Derwent Valley Railway timetable effective from November 2004 to March 2005 - A4 sheet.

Tram / Light Rail Yarra Tram s During the Christmas holiday From Monday, 20 December 2004 a temporary season the following changes to regular change was made to tram route 30 which no timetabled services occurred from Saturday 25 longer travelled to and from Market Street during December 2004 to Friday 7 January 2005. the interpeak service (0900 to 1600, Monday to Friday). Interpeak services terminated at the On Christmas Day, Saturday 25 December 2004, intersection of La Trobe Street and Harbour services will operate according to the Sunday Esplanade. Peak hour services continued to timetable (with the first and last trams as per the operate as normal, with trams terminating at La normal weekday timetable). The free City Circle Trobe Street W est. A change was also made to service does not operate on Christmas Day. route 48 from Sunday, 19 December 2004. The On Boxing Day, Sunday 26 December 2004, timetable was adjusted by only a couple of services will operate according to the Saturday minutes at each . The reason for these timetable. Extra Flinders Street trams will cater for changes was that Yarra Trams had originally cricket fans. planned to open the Docklands Drive Line as of first tram Sunday 19 December, but testing only From Monday 27 December 2004 to Monday 3 began on 16 December. January 2005 weekday services will operate according to the Saturday timetable. From Tuesday 4 January 2005, route 30 and 48 tram services operate on the new tram extension New Year‘s Eve services will operate according to along Docklands Drive, Docklands. Between the Saturday timetable, and services will be peak hours, all trams on route 30 (St Vincent‘s extended to 2am. Plaza œ Docklands) travel down La Trobe Street, New Year‘s Day services will operate according to turn right onto Harbour Esplanade and left into the Sunday timetable (with the first and last trams Docklands Drive. Route 30 no longer extends to as per the normal weekday timetable). Market Street. During peak hours and will continue to terminate at the corner of La Trobe From Tuesday 4 January to Friday 7 January and Spencer Streets. There will be no Route 30 2005 weekday services will operate according to service to Docklands Drive during peak hours. adjusted Saturday timetables, with additional Instead of terminating at the Harbour Esplanade services in place during the morning and evening terminus, Route 48 (North Balwyn œ Docklands) peak continues along Harbour Esplanade and turns left Normal timetabled services will resume on into Docklands Drive. From 4 January 2005, new Saturday 8 January 2005. frequency fliers and route maps were available for routes 30 and 48 onboard trams, from the New tram timetables both in latest Yarra Metshop or they can be downloaded from the Trams/Metlink style: Timetables & Tickets section of the Yarra Trams • 1 South Melbourne Beach to East Coburg, website Effective November 2004. • 112 W est Preston to Fitzroy St/St Kilda, Effective October 2004.

Bus and road closures (City of Sydney publication with Sydney 131 500 logo) Sydney NYE 2004 Transport and Events Guide - Baxter‘s Bus Lines From Saturday 1st January DL size brochure outlining NYE 2004 transport routes 818, 817, 902, 903, 904, 905, 910, 930 and 932 will no longer be under the operations of Table Talk January 2005 Page 8

Baxter's. Routes 902 / 903 / 904 / 905 / 910 will first service both on weekdays and Saturdays be transferred to Connex NSW whilst routes 818 / deleted. Previously there were two buses used 817 / 930 / 932 will be operated by Transit First. during the weekdays peak and one during the These changes are the beginning steps to the offpeak. Now except for a small overlap at 0855 newly proposed Bus Reform and the improvement which requires a second bus only one bus is of in and around Sydney. required during the morning peak while in the Baxter‘s services throughout the Holroyd area afternoon peak there are three trips which appear (Parramatta, Merrylands, Greystanes, to require a second bus but it is possible these are W entworthville and W estmead) will still be misprints as the time between Lansdowne St and operating as usual and without disruption. Hurstville for these three trips is 15 minutes while for all other trips it is only seven minutes. I It is understood that these transfers are a result of suspect an error somewhere. The timetables are operators in the combined contract areas not not dated œ ”Timetable edition 1‘. The school being able to agree on a single set of processes specials which cluttered up the old Moore's Tours such as accounting. It seemed easier for them to timetable are not included in the pdf documents quit route service than run two sets of processes. but are available separately in html from the Punchbowl timetable page on the web only (or by have issued a number of new phone). And to think that not so long ago this was timetables for the Blacktown area all dated 18th three separate routes. December 2004. They contain changes to times Sydney Buses on weekends (supposedly to meet trains) as well New timetables: as minor changes of route in the Minchinbury • area. 422 Tempe to City, Version 7 Effective • November 2004 Route 744 Glendenning-Norwest Boulevard • (Bella Vista) ceased a while ago 461 Strathfield to City, Version 6 Effective • December 2004 Route 741 now goes to Kellyville Ridge. • New timetables published for 470 Lilyfield to City, version 3, effective • November 2004 South Blacktown routes 721 722 724 725 726 • 727. 480/483 Strathfield - City via Ashfield, version • 7, effective December 2004 Minchinbury, Eastern Creek routes 737 738 • 739. 534 W est Ryde to Chatswood, version 7, effective December 2004 • Glenwood, Stanhope Gardens, Rouse hill and Riverstone routes 740 741 741R 741S 746 • North W estern Region Guide, Issued • Quakers hill, Glendinning , Doonside routes November 2004 754 755 756G 756 757 761 762 A new Northern Beaches Late Night pocket • Mt Druitt (north side) routes 751 752 753 timetable has been introduced, effective 3 753W 753-6 754 755 756 756G December 2004, covering all late night services is quitting route service on the Northern Beaches. The timetable covers operation and all local routes except the Hurstville routes 151/184/188/L88/190/L90 between the City ones went to W estbus‘s after 21 and Mona Vale, as well as the Pumpkin Bus route December 2004. See W estbus article following. 130 between Manly, Dee W hy and Narraweena The Hurstville service was transferred to loop service (which over Christmas operated on Punchbowl Bus Co as route 953. Fridays as well). A map and PDF of the pocket timetable appear on the STA website. Moore's Tours ceased route 954 operation as from 21 December 2004. Routes transferred to Other new pocket timetables: Punchbowl Bus Co next day effective 24 July 2004: • Marrickville Metro to Bondi Junction, route Pleasure Tours routes 446 and 447 timetables 355 are now dated August 2004. • South Bondi to Bondi Junction, route 361 Punchbowl Bus Co has introduced temporary • South Head Cemetery/Vaucluse to Bondi new timetables for routes 953 and 954 from 22 Junction, routes 386, 387 December 2004. Both are now available as pdf effective September 2004: documents on the Punchbowl website. The route • route 374 pocket timetable is out, STA No. 953 timetable is virtually the same as the previous 174524 timetable. The weekday evening services are still • Little Bay to City, routes 392/X92, STA combined between routes 953 and 954. On No.174599 Sundays separate services are operated with trips • Maroubra to City, routes 396/X96, STA No. leaving Hurstville on the hour on route 953 and 30 175455 minutes past the hour on route 954. The route 954 service has been reduced considerably with the Eat Streets No 1 - Newtown and Enmore - A Restaurant Guide by Sydney Buses (August 2004 Table Talk January 2005 Page 9

Edition) Standard DL size fold out full-colour • 150 œ Broadmeadow where it connects brochure listing a number of cafes and restaurants with XPT to/from Sydney daily at Newtown and Enmore, with UBD map showing • 151 Sydney œ Tuncurry daily coloured bus routes 352-5, 370, 422-428 along • 152 Newcastle œ Hawks Nest weekdays Enmore Road and King Street. Unlike the Foreshadowed route no 154 Taree œ Buladelah is Broadway guide this one does not appear to be only a school service and not a coach service and produced by TG. as such is not included in this timetable. has acquired ex- Harris Park Transport Greens W ollongong route 15 œ New timetable routes which will now operate under the brand dated 13 December 2004 name Hillsbus. Hillsbus operates in the and provides local, city, school and charter Pocket size timetable titled 'The Nightowl Bus' bus services. with a set of the new timetables. It appears to be a joint production by From W ednesday 22 December 2004, Hillsbus the Gosford and W yong Councils together with will cover sections of Glenhaven, Cherrybrook, the NSW Police and contains the Friday and Pennant Hills, Beecroft, W est Pennant Hills, North Saturday night timetables for services from Rocks, Carlingford, Epping, Mobbs Hill and Gosford to Ettalong and W oy W oy plus Gosford to Oatlands. Terrigal and The Entrance. Diagrammatic route Hillsbus now operates the following services: maps are included, and the timetable is dated July • 623, Parramatta to North Rocks and Beecroft 04. • 624, Parramatta to Epping via Carlingford • 625, Parramatta to Pennant Hills via Melbourne Carlingford Airport Shuttle Express, a new operator • 626, Dural to Pennant Hills operating a service to Melbourne Airport from the • 627, Dural and Cherrybrook to Parramatta Beaumaris and Brighton areas with two timetables • 628 & 629, Carlingford and North Rocks to dated December 2004. Epping Station via Ray Rd • Port Phillip œ Airport: Runs from Elwood to • CityBus Direct Service 620 from Dural and Tullamarine via Middle Park and Port Cherrybrook to the City Melbourne. Trips ex Elwood (Elwood Sands To avoid confusion, passengers are advised to Hotel) at 0555, 0825, 1125, 1425, 1725 and watch out for a Hillsbus, a Glenorie bus, or a 2025 taking anywhere from 35 to 45 mins for Harris Park bus until late 2005. The fleet made a one way trip. • available from Harris Park, are older, non air- Beaumaris œ Airport: Runs from Beaumaris to conditioned vehicles. Hillsbus will implementing a Tullamarine via Black Rock, Sandringham, fleet replacement plan which will see these older Hampton and Brighton. Trips ex Beaumaris vehicles replaced with environmentally friendly (Concourse) at 0530, 0800, 1100, 1400, Euro 3, air-conditioned, wheel chair accessible 1700, 2000. low floor buses, the most modern and passenger Cardinia Transit. Route 841 Narre W arren Nth - friendly buses available anywhere in the world Cranbourne finally been reprinted includes minor today. Hillsbus are expecting to take delivery of timetables change as mentions earlier from the first new generation of vehicles during October October 4th, 2004. Timetable date is 13th 2005. December, 2004. Orange and white format with metlink route map (Same as route 840). Newcastle Grenda‘s From Saturday 1 January, additional Newcastle Buses has issued two new timetables. trips will operate on the 888/889 timetable on • Routes 224, 225: November 04, v7. Arrival Saturdays, Sundays & Public Holidays up to & times at W allsend on route 224 on Saturday including the last weekend of the April School evenings: running times corrected. Holidays 2005. • Route 226: November 04, v8. 1522 trip from • Saturdays The 1822 trip from Nunawading to Charlestown on weekdays now runs 5 Keysborough continues on to Chelsea arriving minutes later. at 1940. An extra trip departs Chelsea on route 888 at 1948 terminating at Glen W averley Interchange at 2041. The 1953 trip New South W ales from Nunawading to Keysborough continues Busways North Coast has issued a on to Chelsea arriving at 2110. An extra trip TransitGraphics version 1 timetable for the Taree- departs Chelsea on route 888 at 2115 Newcastle-Sydney Coach Services. Date shown terminating at Springvale at 2148 is Effective October 1996 reprinted December • Sundays and Public Holidays the 1742 trip 2004. See page 15. from Nunawading to Keysborough continues New routes are used as follows:- on to Chelsea arriving at 1859. This trip Table Talk January 2005 Page 10

operates as route 889 in lieu of route 888 to The following Ventura Nightrider services are give better coverage in the Chelsea Heights now numbered, as follows: area. An extra trip departs Chelsea on route • 950 City œ Dandenong; 888 at 1908 terminating at Springvale Shops • 951 City - Bayswater/Knox at 1940. The 1822 trip from Nunawading to • 952 City œ Croydon Keysborough continues on to Chelsea arriving at 1939. An extra trip departs Chelsea on route 888 at 19:48 terminating at Springvale ACT Shops at 20:20. ACTION made slight changes to several timetables in late October which was mainly Melbourne Bus Link route 215 will be further adding accreditation details (government extended into Caroline Springs as of 29 requirement under the new Statutory Authority December 2004. Hourly services operate initially standing) as well as a few time changes and from approx. 08:00 to 18:00 on weekdays adding some service notes about Expresso terminating at the new Caroline Springs Town services. Centre. This extension, which provides a direct • Intertown œ Version 5.1 link between Highpoint Shopping Centre and the • Caroline Springs Town Centre, also provides Gungahlin Link œ Version 5.1 • improved travel options for residents and students 35 œ Version 5.1 • within Caroline Springs and adjacent areas. 38 œ Version 5.1 • 36/39 œ Version 5.1 Following an extensive review of timetables • 43/243/45/46 œ Version 5.1 across MBL‘s network, new timetables • 49 œ Version 5.1 œ now in Express format incorporating the latest traffic and passenger • 53/153/54 œ Version 5.2 loading trends will be introduced on Monday 24 • 56/156/256 œ Version 5.2 January 2005. Printed copies of these timetables will be available for distribution early in the New Year. The changes will include the 215 service Victoria extension to Caroline Springs Town Centre From Monday 13 December, Portsea Passenger mentioned above. Service commenced operating The Bus for the Northern Bus Lines a revised timetable for 542 Mornington Peninsula Shire Council. The new (Oak Park - Roxburgh Park), still dated 19 service offers connections with the Sorrento Ferry December 2000. Train connections details have and route 788. As well the service extends to been updated from the first version of the 19 Safety Beach from Dromana with a Terminus at December 2000 TT. Meanwhile the cover, while Nepean Hwy near Country Club Dr. still in the dark green scheme, now shows the via Monday to Fridays the service operates as three points as "Meadow Heights, Broadmeadows & separate routes. These are Sorrento to Rye, Rye Glenroy" instead of the first edition listing of to Rosebud & Rosebud to Safety Beach. On "Coolaroo, Broadmeadows & Glenroy" Saturdays it operates as one route. Peninsula Bus lines (Grenda Corp). Route 773 Other features include an extension to the Rye Frankston - Frankston South bus timetables had Shops on Dundas St near Avon Rd and a non been reprinted dated 11th October, 2004. new stop service between Rosebud Library and look format still orange and white format. Rosebud Plaza which reduces the journey time by Peninsula also have a new timetable for routes more than 20 minutes. 772/774 Frankston - Eliza Heights/Delacombe Park dated 18th October 2004. Brisbane Sunbus (Sita) timetable for their Avalon Airport Shuttle, valid 31/10/04 - 30/11/04. DL Format. Brisbane Transport updated timetables: • Main change to timetable is that buses now depart 200/201/205/206/207 Effective 26/07/04 Avalon Airport 20 mins after the Jetstar flight • 321 Effective 26/07/04 arrives - previous it was 30 mins. As well, the bus Logan City timetables are all effective 01 July no longer departs Franklin St from the bus 2004 and are in the TRANSLink format. terminal, but as of July 21st it has departed • 5 W indaroo to Logan Hyperdome - local outside Hotel Bakpak. Sunbus Avalon Airport • 6 Beenleigh to Logan Hyperdome - local Shuttle, Effective from 1st December 2004 to 4th • 7 Browns Plains to Logan Hyperdome - local January 2005 • 8 Kingston to Logan Hyperdome - link Tullam arine Bus Lines have issued a • Craigieburn nightrider TT dated 1st August 2004 12 Browns Plains to Springwood - link in a blue version (rather than brown) of the style Multi-route timetables also dated 1 July 2004: currently used for route services. Previously Melbourne Bus Link ran this route. Table Talk January 2005 Page 11

• 42, 44: 42 - Loganlea to Brisbane City - all to other connecting services including direct stops; 44 - Marsden to Springwood loop - access to Stockland, University and the Hospital. local • Surfside Gold Coast residents have extra bus 53, 65, 66: 53 - Springwood to Brisbane City - services from Monday, December 13 when all stops; 65 - Logan Hyperdome to Brisbane services between Pacific Fair and Harbour Town City - all stops; 66 - Logan Hyperdome to were doubled. The extra services were part of a Brisbane City - all stops $500,000 Government election commitment to • 62, 70, 82, 84, 90, 94, 95: 62 - Hyperdome to progressively increase bus services between Brisbane City via Daisy Hill and Shailer Park; Pacific Fair and Harbour Town and cater for 70 - Beenleigh to Brisbane City via Daisy Hill increasing numbers of passengers travelling and Shailer Park; 82 - Hyperdome to Brisbane between Pacific Fair and Harbour Town and to City via Pacific Motorway & SE Busway; 84 - Griffith University and Benowa TAFE. Hyperdome to Brisbane City via Pacific Motorway & SE Busway then to Logandale - Since October 4, when TransLink introduced all stops; 90 - Beenleigh to Brisbane City via additional early morning weekday and Saturday Pacific Motorway & SE Busway; 94 - services to Harbour Town, patronage on this route Hyperdome to Brisbane City via Pacific has increased a significant 10% . Motorway & SE Busway then to Logandale - Surfside route numbers will be progressively limited stops; 95 - Beenleigh to Brisbane City changed to a unique three-digit 700 series by mid via Pacific Motorway & SE Busway then to Mt 2005. Surfside route 18B will be renumbered W arren Park & W indaroo. route 738 from December 13 to help passengers • 64, 84, 94: 64 - Logandale to Hyperdome distinguish between routes offered by different Loop œ local; 84 - Logandale to Brisbane City operators. Route 738 will operate every 30 - limited stops; 94 - Logandale to Brisbane minutes on weekdays and extend to Harbour City - limited stops Town Shopping Centre Monday through to Saturday. Queensland Service improvements to Townsville Sunbus Adelaide commenced on Monday 6 December. Fairfield New Timetable for routes 111, 112, 113 Torrens W aters, Kirwan, Fairfield W aters and the newer Transit City to W est Lakes Mall/Grange South areas of Kirwan will get a bus service for the first dated November 2004. Changes are: time. Monday to Friday - From City Route 8 includes the city, Townville Base Hospital From Stop R1 North Terrace and James Cook University and will operate 4:43pm 112 now 4:45pm hourly from Monday to Friday, and about every 90 4:50pm 113 now 4:52pm minutes on Saturday. 4:58pm 112 now 5:00pm 5:13pm 112 now 5:15pm More frequent services City - Stockland - 5:23pm 113 now 5:25pm University/Hospital route. Services are currently All still arrive at W est Lakes at same time provided every 30 minutes weekdays on route 1A. To City: Saturday A limited stops service Route 9 gives commuters 118N 6:47am from Grange Road Stop 17 deleted more frequent and faster services. This new route from this Timetable. also services Riverside Gardens. It operates New Timetables: hourly from Monday to Friday and every two hours November 2004: at weekends. The service connects with the new • 197, 198 Route 1 (Stockland and City) service every 30 • 197G, 198G minutes to provide an express service. • 197J, 198J More frequent services City - Stockland - W illows • 197L, 198L - Upper Ross route. To improve the current • 197M, 198M service provided every 30 minutes on weekdays • 228, 228F, T228 on Route 1, a limited stops service Route 1X wias December 2004: added and operates hourly Monday to Friday and • 164, 164F, 165M, 166M, 840F every 2 hours at weekends. The services connect • 840X with the new Stockland and City Route 9 every 30 • 860 minutes to provide an express service. Ferry connections: a new morning and afternoon Tasm ania peak service, Route 9, connects with the Magnetic Island ferry. Island residents will then have access Metro Tasm ania Burnie timetable dated 20th September 2004 - still 2 x A4 sheets stapled.

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Hobart Coaches Perth • 67/70/80/88/89 (-Kingston-Blackmans Bay) Effective 21st March 2004 - A4 double Perth Timetables. sided. • ; 7 November 2004 • 130/134/138 (Hobart-Glenorchy-New - • Southern 124 125 127; 28 November 2004 Fairview) Effective 25th August 2003 - A4 • W estern: 35 37 38 39 40 46; 28 November double sided. 2004 • W estern: 31; 12 December 2004 Metro Tasm ania Hobart Camelot Park Routes • Southern: 116 117 118 119 120 122 130; 19 Effective 26/07/04. December 2004

Air Air Pacific (FJ) has introduced additional Sydney- service by the end of January. Jetstar expects to Nadi services over the December and January in reach its fleet target of 23 planes by July when it response to increased demand. The now will begin swapping out its Boeing 717s, some of operates daily Boeing 747-400 services and will which will be transferred to sister company supplement these with a 118-seat B737-700 Qantaslink, with plans to be all Airbus by mid- which will fly on December 26 and 31 as well as 2006. January 1, 2, 7, 9, 14-16, 21-23, and 28-30. The The timing of services to Perth will depend on the supplementary flights will depart Sydney at 2000 outcome of Jetstar's bid to continue operating and and arrive Nadi the next day at 0315. maintaining the Boeing 717s for Qantaslink. It is Effective 29 March, Em irates will operate a new competing for the contract against incumbent three weekly service linking Dubai, Bangkok and Qantaslink operator National Jet Systems (NJS). Sydney. Flights will operate every Tuesday, A colour-coded process being rolled out Thursday and Saturday. The departure time from across the network is more structured, and Bangkok is 2140, arriving in Sydney at 0925 local designed to address confusion about the boarding time. The flight takes eight hours and 45 minutes process. on 364-seat Boeing 777-300. Jetstar Asia, Qantas Airways' no-frills carrier, Phuket also plans to revive efforts to fly announced seven new destinations it will serve to Sydney 1 April 2005. The airline spokesperson out of Singapore, including Shanghai, in a move confirmed, it intends to offer four flights a week. sure to raise the stakes in Asia's cutthroat budget However, the actual schedule and have yet aviation market. The company - which took to the to be finalised. Earlier this year, Phuket Air skies on 1 December - will also touch down in announced it would fly Bangkok œ Sydney by June Hong Kong, Taipei, Jakarta and Manila, plus the using a Boeing 747-300 but the service was East Java port of Surabaya and the Thai beach postponed. town of Pattaya. Three of those seven routes will Six months after Jetstar's first aircraft took to the open from December, with the rest to be added in skies, chief executive Alan Joyce says he is stages from next year, the company said in a happy with the way the fledgling carrier is statement without saying which would be the first performing and ready to take on new challenges. or the exact dates the services would start. Load factors since the launch have averaged in Jetstar Asia's planned route network is ambitious the mid-seventies - with bookings sometimes compared with those of its Singapore-based rivals exceeding that by more than five percentage Valuair and Tiger Airways, both of which started points as passengers grab cheap tickets but fail to operations earlier this year. It also underscores show on the day. Jetstar is meeting expectations the growing competition in Southeast Asia for in terms of performance, and doing well in terms discount air travellers. of operational reliability and our on-time performance. Jetstar Asia would be the first international carrier to serve Pattaya, a Thai resort about two hours' Jetstar has announced daily services from drive south of Bangkok that is known for its Adelaide to three destinations from its first new exuberant and lurid nightlife. port since June 2004. The new services to and from the Gold Coast, Victoria's Avalon and Hobart LAN Airlines (LA), the national carrier of Chile, is from February 1 herald a westward expansion that expanding its services between Australia and will see the carrier fly next year to Perth, Darwin South America, with a fourth weekly service from and possibly Alice Springs. Sydney to Santiago starting this month and a fifth weekly flight from July 2005. The low-cost Qantas offshoot flies 17 aircraft, and another three 177-seat Airbus A320s will enter Table Talk January 2005 Page 13

The airline, a member of the oneworld global Saturdays - a total flight time of 18 hours. And alliance, has just added a Saturday flight to its from July there will also be a Sunday evening existing schedule of Monday, W ednesday and departure. Friday - and from 5 July next year, there will also LAN Airlines is represented in Australia by W orld be a Tuesday flight. Aviation Systems, with offices in Sydney, The new services, operated with 259-seat Airbus Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. A340-300 aircraft, have been introduced to meet United Airlines (UA) has unveiled strategic plans soaring demand for travel to South America, one to accelerate its international expansion, of the world's fastest growing destinations for both particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. United‘s tourism and business. All of the aircraft have international service will increase by 14 per cent personal video screens in every seat in each of and will account for over 40 per cent of the their three classes. airline‘s global capacity. Flight LA 800 departs Sydney each Monday, UA has launched 30 new international routes W ednesday, Friday and Saturday at 10.30am, since February 2002, with 70 per cent of those flying via Auckland and arriving in Santiago at new flights announced this year. 12.45pm the same day - a journey time of 16.5 hours. The new Tuesday flight will also follow this From Australia, United is adding three round trips schedule, and connections are available to each week between Sydney and Los Angeles destinations throughout South America, and to from mid-December until the end of March. The Havana, Cuba. new services will increase United's weekly seating capacity between the Australia and United States The return service, flight LA801, departs Santiago by about 20 per cent during Australia's peak at 11.25 pm every Saturday, Monday, W ednesday summer travel season. and Thursday, arriving in Sydney, via Auckland, at 7.25 am on Mondays, W ednesdays, Fridays and

Ferry vessels were available. All four Manly vessels are Sydney available and at Circular Quay crowd control barriers and additional ticket booths have been Sydney Corporation Another reprinted installed to prevent the queuing problems. timetable in the new style is Taronga Zoo, Version Passengers arriving by train are direct around by 1, 2004 (SF0126/1004) Alfred Street to the entrances to wharves 3 for Manly Special Summer Ferries Timetable. Over Manly and 2 for Taronga. Spare vessels have the summer period Corporation been paced on standby in case larger crowds will operate special summer services between than can be coped with by the service ferry Manly and Circular Quay. Between the hours of appear at wharves such as Luna Park and the 1000 and 1900 a four boat, twenty minute, service Zoo. will be provided, only operating on the days when Current Matilda timetables are: it is expected to be busiest on this route. These • Manly Rocket Express July 2004 days are: • Daily Sightseeing Cruises September 2004 • Sat 18 and Sun 19 December 2004 • Rocket Harbour Express plus 1 page insert • Mon 27 December 2004 to Mon 3 January with time table and fares June 2004 2005 (Inclusive) • Sat 8and Sun 9 January 2005 • W ed 26 January 2005, Australia Day Brisbane An Eastern Suburbs Special Summer Timetable A new CityCat timetable was introduced on 4th will operate on holidays and weekends to December - in addition to the previously reported W atsons Bay, Rose Bay and Double Bay. This new timetable for the Inner City Ferry services on starts from Monday 27th December 2004 and 6th December (see page 16). It is noted that the runs through until Monday 31st January 2005. continued improvements on the CityCat service Services will depart every hour from Circular Quay along the river has slowly replaced some of the commencing at 9.15am. individual cross river services SFC has taken steps to avoid the chaos which occurred last summer when only two Manly

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The Busways Taree timetable œ see story on page 10.

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Part of the latest Brisbane ferry timetables œ see story on page 14

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