AUSTRALASIAN TIMETABLE NEWS No. 267, November 2014 ISSN 1038-3697 RRP $4.95 Published by the Australian Timetable Association www.austta.org.au NEW RAIL TIMETABLES ARTC WTT 26 October 2014 included, although passenger services on it will not A graphical version of the ARTC Working Timetable of commence until January. It is not clear if the trains are 26 October 2014 is now available on their website at running for crew training, car storage or points cleaning. www.artc.com.au/Content.aspx?p=187 This is in addition Transport for NSW Passenger WTTs cover Sydney Trains to the tabular version, mentioned in last month’s Table Talk services plus NSW Train Link services to Nowra, Goulburn, and available at www.artc.com.au/Content.aspx?p=303 Newcastle, Dungog and Scone, ie, the former CityRail area. As noted last month, a new John Holland Rail NSW Country Regional Network was also introduced from 26 October. Transport for NSW Freight WTT 25 October 2014 Transport for NSW Passenger WTT A new Transport for NSW Freight Working Timetable has 25 October 2014 been issued valid from 25 October (Weekends, Book 6) and A new Transport for NSW Passenger Working Timetable has 27 October (Weekdays, Book 5). Transport for NSW Freight been issued valid from 25 October (Weekends, Book 2) and WTTs cover services as far as Nowra, Macarthur, Lithgow 27 October (Weekdays, Book 1). In general, there are no and Islington Junction (near Newcastle). significant changes. The new Glenfield-Leppington line is RAIL AND TRAM NEWS ARTC: Network Control Queensland Rail CityTrain: G20 meeting The ARTC advertised on 25 October for expressions of More information is now available concerning altered train interest for the provision of rail planning and operation arrangements during the G20 summit of world leaders in systems. The project “seeks to upgrade the existing network Brisbane from 14 to 16 November. Gold Coast and control centre to provide optimization functions, such as Cleveland trains will be diverted via the Yeerongpilly- dynamic planning tools, electronic train graphs, automatic Sherwood line. Beenleigh trains will terminate/start at route setting and live run optimisaiton.” Southbank. NSW Train Link XPTs will terminate/start at Casino, but will spend the intermediate time a few kilometres ARTC: Hunter Valley closedown north at Nammoona loop “due to noise issues.” The next of the regular scheduled closedowns of the Hunter Valley network will be from Monday 17 until Friday Aurizon: Open Access in Queensland 21 November. NSW Train Link trains to NW NSW will be On 30 September the Queensland Competition Authority replaced by buses throughout. issued a draft decision concerning Aurizon Network’s Maximum Allowable Revenue (MAR) for its 2014 Draft Sydney Trains: Auburn and Leppington Access Undertaking (2014 DAU). The MAR will determine the revenue Aurizon Network is allowed to recover from its depots open access customers from 2013–14 to 2016–17. The QCA Auburn Stabling Yard and Leppington (on the new south said it was releasing the draft decision to allow parties to test west line) will be established as suburban train depots from the QCA's analysis and provide additional information. the introduction of the new timetable in January 2015 - which Submissions on the draft decision were invited, with a will also see introduction of train services on the south west closing date of 12 December 2014. A final decision is due to line. At that time, Liverpool will cease to be a train depot and be released in May 2015. Flemington depot will be reduced in size. The QCA indicated that it could not, at this stage, approve STNs (Special Train Notices) 1424-2014 and 1952-2014 some elements of the draft access undertaking. "The QCA provide for crew training runs on the Glenfield-Leppington considered that the MAR proposed by Aurizon Network as line from 25 October. too high. On the evidence before us, our draft decision is that a MAR of $3.88 billion would be more appropriate. The Sydney Trains: Rabbitohs Express, Sutto draft decision is on QCA’s website: qca.org.au/2014-DAU Express and more Named special trains operated to the Sydney Rugby Grand Aurizon responded by stating it was disappointed by the Final at Olympic Park on 5 October 2014 – Rabbitoh draft decision. Aurizon Network is concerned that this sends Express, Sutto Express, Burgess Express, GI Express, a negative signal for future investment in the Central Des’s Direct, Reynolds Rattler and Bupa Bandwagon. Queensland Coal Network, together with the impact it could have on the level of maintenance activities required to provide a safe, reliable and high-capacity network for customers. NSW Train Link: Shellharbour Junction Sydney Trains: Christmas closedown In recent years, there have always been major closedowns station of part of the Sydney rail network over the Christmas/New Shellharbour Junction, a new station on the Kiama/Nowra Year period for major civil engineering works. This year from line at 109 km from Sydney, will open on Sunday 15 26 to 28 December lines between Hornsby-Eastwood, November. On that date, the existing station at Dunmore Flemington-Blacktown & Merrylands, and Clyde-Carlingford (Shellharbour) at 111km will close. Buildings at this station will be closed. It appears that trains from the City will run into are heritage listed, so it may not be demolished. The Olympic Park to make bus connections. “Junction” in the title of the new station is not used in a railway sense, but refers to the locality. At times during Then in the following days, there will be closedowns from construction the new station was going to be named Wynyard to Hornsby and from Blacktown to Lithgow. “Flinders” or “Shell Cove”. NSW Train Link: The Curse of the ATA NSW: Maldon-Dombarton line AGM strikes again The long-planned Maldon to Dombarton freight rail line is a On Saturday 18 October, the day of the Australian Timetable step closer with a callout for private investors by the NSW Association’s Annual General Meeting in Canberra, and on government. The registration of interest process to construct Sunday 19 October, all passenger trains between Sydney the remaining sections of the 35km line will open on 13 and Canberra were replaced by buses for scheduled October and close on 24 February. Construction on the line maintenance, thus preventing members from travelling to the first started in 1983 but was halted amid an economic meeting in comfort. Sydney-Melbourne trains were also downturn and doubts over the amount of coal that would replaced by buses between Sydney and Goulburn, as were require transport to Port Kembla. The State government is suburban trains between Liverpool and Macarthur. now confident demand for freight services will increase significantly over the coming years. The Federal government There is a significant history of travel to ATA AGMs being has committed $25.5 million to the project, should it generate disrupted. In 2000 our Association held an AGM in Moss market interest and official planning approvals. Roads Vale on a day when all trains were bustituted, and another Minister Duncan Gay says the registration of interest is the year’s AGM was at Lindfield (North Shore, Sydney) on a day vital next step that will provide a clear understanding of the when trains on that line were bustituted. On another commercial viability of completing and opening up the freight occasion, some Canberra members were returning home on rail line. the evening train after an AGM in Sydney. The train had been re-scheduled via Granville because of trackwork. ARTC: Melbourne-Sydney line repair However, at Granville, it was incorrectly signalled on to the The Federal Assistant Minister for Infrastructure, Jamie western instead of the southern line, and the driver accepted Briggs, said on 2 October that “Significant progress has the misdirection. There was considerable delay to reverse been made on the condition of the track between Melbourne the train and gain the correct route. and Sydney” and “This is supported by the excellent performance of the corridor.” He added that “Much work is to NSW Train Link & Sydney Trains: Snow, be done” in the next 18 months. rain and floods 14-15 October A severe storm on the night of 14 October caused late Victoria: Regional Rail Link progress season, heavy snowfall which brought down overhead wiring On 29 September and 6 October locomotives ran on the between Katoomba and Lithgow in the Blue Mountains. Regional Rail Link line from Deer Park West to Werribee Train services were suspended all day on Wednesday 15 West, 25 km, to check signal sightings, followed by test runs October and Thursday 16 October. On the first of these with VLocity DMUs on 6, 7, 8 and 9 October. Then special days, there were no substitute road services as roads were trains for driver training commenced from 10 October. also closed by the snowstorm. A limited service ran between Katoomba and Central. The Sydney Dubbo and return XPT V/Line: Albury line slowdowns services were cancelled. (One year ago, on almost the same From Sunday 27 July the 1205 Melbourne-Albury passenger day, the Blue Mountains were ravaged by bushfires.) train was slowed down by ten minutes by the insertion of ten minutes recovery time between Wodonga and Albury, and As part of the same weather event, ferocious storms lashed the 1245 Albury–Melbourne train slowed by fifteen minutes across Sydney. At Bardwell Park station, floodwaters rose to by the insertion of five minutes recovery time between platform level. An Explorer train from Sydney to Canberra, Avenel and Seymour and ten minutes between Sims St only 10 km into its journey, was stranded there by the flood Junction and Melbourne Southern Cross.