Commuters across South-East Qld will face more disrupted rail services next week with a weekend timetable to apply from Tuesday, May 5.
Queensland Rail says the disruption is due to protected industrial action by unions as a maintenance backlog takes more trains off service.
The reductions will apply “until further notice”, it says and will also affect travel, freight, coal and mineral services.
CHANGES FOR COMMUTERS
- From Tuesday May 5, trains will run similar to a Saturday timetable with extra services in the morning and afternoon peaks (300 fewer services each weekday) for commuters.
- 15-minute services during the morning and afternoon peaks on the Gold Coast, Cleveland, Redcliffe Peninsula, Springfield, Ferny Grove, Caboolture and Ipswich lines.
- 30-minute services on the Shorncliffe and Beenleigh lines and the Sunshine Coast line between Caboolture and Nambour.
- 30-minute services between Rosewood and Ipswich and Doomben and Eagle Junction.
- Outside peak times, most trains will run roughly every 30 minutes instead of the usual 15-minutes.
- Airtrain services will be unaffected.
Queensland Rail CEO Kat Stapleton wants the union to call off their action.
“We know our customers are frustrated – I am frustrated too. We want the unions to come back to the table and consider the … offer that we have presented,” she says.
“However, with members of the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) and the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) refusing to conduct maintenance on trains, it means we simply do not have enough trains to run our full timetable.”
She also says Qld Rail will not pay workers who do not complete rollingstock maintenance from tomorrow (Saturday, May 2).
“Queensland Rail wants to run a full timetable but we can’t do that … a reduced timetable is the best way to ensure as many services as possible can operate with the limited number of trains that we have available.”
Stapleton also says the track between Banoon and Boggo Road has reopened for commuters after it closed on April 3 for major project work.
To stay up to date, visit Qld Rail’s social media channels or visit the Translink website.
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