Public transport in South-east Queensland is overloaded. A large part of the reason for this is over-reliance on buses. Put simply, rail can carry far more people far more quickly than buses, even on a busway, can. The main reasons trains aren't used more by SEQ commuters: poor frequency and poor coverage.
As an example, areas as close to the CBD as Fairfield and Coorparoo only get half-hourly train services in the off-peak. Compare this to the bus services available: the route 200 through Coorparoo runs every 15 minutes and is complemented by other routes such as 209 to UQ, 204, 184, 185. In Farfield the 196/197 buses given a combined 15-minute frequency complemented by the occasional 105.
One of the easiest ways to improved train services and therefore overall PT efficiency is to increase off-peak frequency on rail lines to 15-minutes. This would make rail more attractive and encourage mode-shift toward it. However one problem stands in the way: much of SEQ's rail infrastructure is still stuck in the 19th century. Here is a brief list of infrastructure improvements that need to be made to achieve decent frequency (and also allow higher frequency during peak operating times):
1. Cross River Rail - stop postponing/talking about it, just get the job done. Simple fact is, 2 lines from Roma St to South Brisbane serving the Cleveland, Beenleigh, Gold Coast and Greenbank lines just simply isn't adequate. Even at current growth rates, the Merivale Bridge will reach capacity by 2016. Adding more services will bring that deadline forward.
2. Fix Park Rd platform 4 so it's actually usable.
3. Quadruplication Yeerongpilly to Coopers Plains
4. Triplication Kuraby to Loganlea
5. Duplicate all single-line sections of the Gold Coast line & extend to Coolangatta Airport
6. Duplication & Electrification Salisbury to Greenbank
7. Triplication Darra to Redbank
8. Completion of Richlands to Springfield line
9. Duplication Keperra to Ferny Grove (underway)
10. Build the Trouts Rd line
11. Quadruplication Northgate to Strathpine
12. Triplication Lawnton to Caboolture
13. Duplication Beerburrum to Landsborough (and to Nambour in the more distant future, it's a big and expensive project, and there are more pressing matters, from a transit perspective at least, like CRR & CAMCOS)
14. Build CAMCOS from Beerwah to Sunshine Coast Airport
15. Duplication Sandgate to Shorncliffe
16. Duplication of Airport Line
17. Duplication of Doomben line and extend to Northshore Hamilton (either viaduct or cutting)
18. Duplication of all single-line sections of the Cleveland line
19. Quadruplication Park Rd to Lindum
20. Triplication Lindum to Lota
21. Build the Kippa-Ring line (Moreton Bay Rail) and for goodness' sake make it double track the whole way!
22. Actually use the Exhibition loop, Exhibition station could be useful for accessing the RBH precinct.
With those improvements, the following should be possible:
15 minute all stops services Manly - Northshore Hamilton
15 minute service Cleveland all stops to Manly express to Park Rd all stops to Shorncliffe.
15 minute service Beenleigh all stops to Kuraby express to Park Rd all stops to Ferny Grove.
15 minute service Coolangatta Airport all stops to Beenleigh express to Yeerongpilly stopping at Loganlea, via CRR to Airport.
15 minute service Greenbank all stops via CRR & Trouts Rd to Strathpine.
15 minute service Ipswich all to Darra express to Roma St stopping Indooroopilly, Toowong, Milton then express Bowen Hills to Strathpine then all to Caboolture.
15 minute service Springfield all stops to Darra then express to Roma St stopping Indooroopilly, Toowong, Milton then all stops to Strathpine.
15 minute service Redbank to Roma St all stops via Exhibition
30 minute service Maroochydore Airport all stops to Caboolture express to Bowen Hills stopping at Petrie, Strathpine, Northgate & Eagle Junction then all stops Bowen Hills to Milton then express to Ipswich stopping at Toowong, Indooropilly, Darra, Redbank then all to Rosewood.
60 minute service Nambour all to Caboolture then express to Bowen Hills stopping Petrie, Strathpine, Northgate & Eagle Junction terminating at Roma St.
