With March Madness in full swing it seems that Auckland Transport and Transdev have taken a new approach to dealing with the high demand, driving customers away through rubbish performance.
Train users from across the region – but it seems particularly West Auckland – have been suffering after what feels like daily issues that are putting even more pressure on already stretched services. People can accept one or two issues but when they become an almost daily occurrence the only result will be less people using trains.
Here are a just couple of examples from the last week or so of what we’ve seen happening from AT’s text message service. It is by no means an exhaustive list of issues that have occurred and is only on the western line. There have also been issues on other lines too (the am times are based on services at my local station – Sturges Rd, pm times based on Britomart).
13 March
7:43am train running at reduced seating capacity – a later text states it was full from Avondale
5:36pm train running at reduced capacity
16 March
4:36pm train delayed 10 minutes due to an earlier train fault
5:06 train delayed 20 minutes due to an earlier train fault
5:36 train delayed 15 minutes due to an earlier train fault
5:50 train delayed 25 minutes due to an earlier train fault
17 March
4:36pm train cancelled from Kingsland due to a train fault
4:50pm train delayed 10 minutes due to an earlier train fault
19 March
6:59am train cancelled due to vandalism
5:20pm train running at reduced seating capacity
20 March
7:43am train delayed 10 minutes due to a train crew matter
5:50pm train delayed by 10 minutes due to an earlier train fault
23 March
7:43am train cancelled due to an earlier train fault
The reason these are so bad particularly on the western line is any cancelled train means the next train is at least 15 minutes away. Depending on what station you use that might be only the delay as trains that have been so full thanks to the surge in patronage mean that following services simply can’t cope. As such people from inner stations have been unable to even get on some trains meaning potentially they could be experiencing a 45 minute or longer wait. Even if you’re lucky enough to get on a train in these situations it is going to be a cramped affair.
Of course this wouldn’t be quite so bad if frequency was every 10 minutes like first promised for the western line in 2010 but AT have managed to find a constant stream of excuses as to why it can’t happen.
Earlier cancellation = people can't even get on at Glen Eden. Fun times on the Western Line. @TransportBlog pic.twitter.com/A4p9SAN5zn
— Jerome de Vries (@JeromedeVries2) March 22, 2015
@dewithiel @JeromedeVries2 @TransportBlog the following train (I'm on it) also jammed. Only just took Mt Albert pax pic.twitter.com/OG8rQfqIka
— Andrew W (@aw_nz) March 22, 2015
So what’s causing these delays and cancellations? My understanding – although I’m happy to be corrected by AT and/or Transdev is that it’s a combination of few things. Maintenance is understandably being reduced on the aging diesel trains ahead of the roll out of the electrics that is leading to more of them failing. They also are extremely stretched with their staff numbers and don’t really have enough drivers to run the timetable properly.
At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter what the reasons are for the delays, what’s clear is that all those involved need to get this issue addressed extremely quickly otherwise the great patronage gains that we’ve seen in the last 1½ years will plateau again or even fall away. This is because the two most important aspects of any PT service regardless of mode or what city it is in are always frequency and reliability
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How bout implementing a skip train system where the train only runs to crowded stations or express with limited stops
Because they don’t have (or don’t feel they have) enough trains/slots free to serve the existing demand, so making some trains express doesn’t help – it would only make the shortage of capacity closer to the city official.
Also, express trains can’t overtake on the Western Line, so you’d not be making *anything* better or faster by changing some trains to express….
What text message service is this? Why aren’t they also using Twitter for this?
Maybe both, but not everyone believes in twitter. Data should be provided in the way that the user wishes to consume it, not in whatever the new hotness is.
Hence Kyhwana suggesting they should ‘also’ use Twitter.
I subscribe to all lines/times, I will look at a way to tweet all texts I receive from 5111 and let you guys know… But you are right, these should be tweeted as well as twitter is far more prominent than a SMS service hidden away on their website (when I subscribed it linked you to the old maxx site, not sure if it still does or if they have integrated it now)
NZTA’s alerts are always very nice on twitter, if only AT’s ones could be as detailed and frequent (they only seem to post majors and with very few details).
I haven’t even considered the Western Line trains as a PT option in nearly a year now. At least with the buses there are multiple options running through Avondale for me to catch to the city, and even if they are full (or close to it anyway, frequently standing room only before Avondale) they run more often than the trains.
More importantly they RUN. And actually make it to the destination.
New North Road buses get held up massively in traffic, at least that was my experience last time I used the 221/222 during peak. Not sure about the GNR ones that go from the Avondale town center via Waterview however… might be a different experience.
Avondale > CBD via Waterview/GNR are pretty decent, at 7AM it takes about 25-30mins to get to city. And the prime part there is it ACTUALLY gets to the city. Unlike half the trains. Traffic isn’t usually a big issue, bus drivers are fairly aggressive (occasionally to the point it feels unsafe) but at least they are relatively frequent, and relatively reliable.
“the two most important aspects of any PT service regardless of mode or what city it is in are always frequency and reliability”
Reminds me that last Friday, I skipped the after work drinks at 5.15pm, geared up and pedalled the bike quickly through heavy traffic*
Got to the ferry building just missing the 5.30.. then discovered the 5.45 and 6.15 was cancelled. Had to sit there stewing away for 30 minutes, wondering again just what they are doing with the Kea.
The 6pm ferry ended over seriously overcrowded with bikes and people on an otherwise very pleasant Auckland evening. Bring on the Skypath.
*Quay street really needs a cycle lane heading East – the cyclist ahead of me, and then me, both got squeezed left by the traffic to the point that I had to stop and pull bike onto the footpath and walk the last bit to the ferry building.
Update on Kea Incident – 6 March 2015 – From Fullers
We’d like to say thank you for your patience and understanding following the recent Kea incident.
The repairs to Kea are now underway and we will take the opportunity to do her annual survey at the same time to alleviate the need to remove her from service again later in the year. Her estimated return to service date is mid-April but we will keep you posted with her progress.
Western line trains seem to be 4 car sets, which can’t handle standard passenger loads, let alone the surge if a service is cancelled. Surely there are u used 6 car sets that can be redeployed From electrified lines to the western line.
Bet me to it! Was going to say the same thing! Surely they can either put more trains on (extra cost sure), or they can add on unused carriages from the electrified lines to make 6 car sets (pretty much no extra cost).
I”m just looking at these pics from twitter and I can’t stop thinking that we’re wasting so much capacity by having disproportional amount of seating (vs. standing spaces). I know the new electric trains are better, but why doesn’t AT/Transdev remove some seating to give more space for standees? Wouldn’t that increase capacity with minimal cost & effort?
Yeh more bench style seating like Asian countries. This where pure level boarding comes in. If boarding was level people would be able to squeeze like in Japan or other crowded metros. On a side note its clear people have not tried Japanese trains at rush hour. People pushing people into trains is an official job there
I just spent three weeks in Japan, and A. the guys working the platforms do not literally push anyone and B. even the Tokyo Metro in rush hour isn’t as packed as a Western Line service is, if it happens to get just a 2-car train. Possibly because the Tokyo Metro is four to five times more frequent and a billion times more reliable.
The bench seating is a good idea though. Slight loss in seats for a huge gain in standing capacity.
I was on the 20 minute late 5:06pm train from Britomart on 16th March. The train was full from Newmarket, and a lot of people were left on the platform from there.
I also caught the train in the morning of Round the Bays on Sunday, 8th March. It was a standard Sunday morning service, with small trains running every 30 minutes, so they were packed with all the runners going into town, which I thought was fairly poor planning.
Hi there Team;
The southern side of the Bombays, Pokeno would be a great place to build a new Train Station with parking etc for us Coromandel, Hauraki travelling gurus….Its just a matter of when permanent daily travel from this location will occur? Trains. Then we wont have to drive all the way into Papatoetoe to get a ride on one….Papakura! Its great to see the Trains full….Cant wait till the underground is built…Plus the new clip on bridge extension….
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cycleactionpaeroacap/
Hi Warwick, my kids tell me one of the issues on the southern line / stations is the number of losers or thugs making it uncomfortable for them. Have you noticed this and what is your view re security for passengers?
Pokeno is in the Waikato, AT cannot set up a service there. Talk to Regional Council.
Waikato’s transport plan proposes no changes to the 476 (Tuakau) or 50 (Port Waikato) buses, yet alone a train service, unfortunately, quite sad that a magical border has to prevent a perfectly doable PT service in this area, that benefits Tuakau/Pokeno etc many of whom I know work or study in Auckland.
That is why the land in Pokeno is cheaper. They didn’t have the supply constraints the old ARC imposed within their own area.
P..s These areas argued vociferously to be left out of Auckland Council. I think they may come to regret this decision.
“These areas argued vociferously to be left out of Auckland Council. I think they may come to regret this decision.”
There is no evidence that the “will of the people” had any bearing on the outcome, Stu. Polls at the time indicated that Franklin was 82% opposed but it was incorporated into AC regardless. The Royal Commission produced a poor report in which fringe areas were incorporated (or not) with little or no rationale. It was a rubber stamp job. There was no mechanism to determine the “decisions” of those affected.
In theory the solution to Western Line problems are the new trains, to be in service later this year. Seven new ones on the wharf today. However even they won’t solve operational issues, if that’s where the problems are….?
Based on my data below, SMS alerts in march were sent for the following lines:
Southern line (Papakura/Pukekohe) – 219
Western line (Waitakere/Swanson) – 205
Eastern line (Manakau) – 103
Onehunga line (Onehunga) – 50
Looking at this the electrified lines have the least issues (MNK and ONE), although Onehunga runs at 30 min frequency and has a shorter trip so it makes sense that number is low, and Western line having less issues than the Southern doesn’t necessarily mean the Southern is worse off, as the Western has 15 min frequencies not 10 like the Southern so it actually means the Western is a bit worse imo.
Can they not at least put a few of the 6 car electrics on at peak time on the Western Line asap?
Lack of drivers trained for AM-class and drivers overall.
I think you’ll find there are delays from issues on all lines, as Peter N says and it does not mean just because the service is diesel. My experience is the electric trains are having more than their fair share of issues so this wont be a panacea as such. Co-ordinating larger trains however will help.
And to be objective I think AT/Transdev are caught out when some scum vandalizes a train or someone vomits in a carriage, as I have seen.
Would transit police help solve this – like most large cities have?
I think Transit Police (not Security Guards) are a must if people are to have faith in their safety on certain routes.
Here is the export data of all SMS since March 1st, all lines, all times.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OOeoTzPopgTXf-yL4zoy3s03-IR3YcMaEfTo4ppW_Ls
Another issue seems to be is the 5 and 6 car sets are being put on the wrong trains. In the last couple of weeks have often seen them running Western trains leaving Britomart on the 4.20, 4.36 and 5.50. While these trains still busy they are not in need of 6 cars. Meanwhile the very, very busy trains as the 5.06 and 5.20 are getting 4 car trains. This seems to be very poor fleet allocation from Transdev, smacks of either not caring in the slightest, or just plain incompetence.
Surely the introduction of the electric services on the Manukau and Onehunga lines has freed up some spare hardware to allow longer trains on more services on the existing diesel serviced lines.
Although it sounds like Transdev are seriously short of Drivers with the right qualifications and EMU rollouts are being delayed due to not trained drivers…
Well Manakau and Onehunga becoming electrified didn’t free up any SA’s as upon Manakau going electric train the Southern Line doubled via Newmarket (e.g. all Papakura/GI became Papakura/N) and Onehunga of cause did not normally use SA’s due to platform size restrictions. So until the Southern Line goes all electric, or at least mix run at peak, then there will be no SA’s freed up for the Western Line.
I notice this too at Grafton – between 5 and 6 an empty 6-car set will arrive heading to Britomart; followed by a packed 4-car set arriving, heading west. Madness!!
I’ve had a reasonably good run with Western Line reliability in the last few months, but usually I’ve been well outside peak hours (generally early in the morning and late in the evening), so that may have helped.
The problem over the last few years has always been that the times when I really need to catch a train (in the cold or wet winter months) seem to be the times when it all goes to crap – mechanical problems, delays, cancellations, overloading, et cetera.
You can’t have a quiet kip when travelling on a pushbike, or catch up on work email & news, but at least the travel times are consistent and you’re not paying over the odds for a service that frankly cannot be depended upon.
Are people aware that if you have tagged on and find your train is cancelled after waiting for 15-20 mins and you go to tag off, they charge $1.60, I think it is.
Correct, this happened to me once, tagged off to get a drink from the shop as my train was some time away, I had been waiting on the platform for over 20 min, this was at Newmarket so I had no choice but to tag off to get out to get a drink. Then my card was in debt and I had no money at the time (student back then), luckily my friend had some money for a cash fare for me, imo it should be 30 min or more…
You can dispute the charge and obtain a refund. Don’t let them get away with that.
That happened to me once. I rang to dispute it and they refunded it without much quibbling. The person I spoke to said the cutoff is 20 minutes – I agree it should be more like 30+, because (given Western Line performance) it’d be quite easy to sit on the platform for ten minutes and then on a stopped train for ten minutes without smelling a rat. Or to sit on the platform for 20 minutes and then hear that the train is cancelled, next one in half an hour…
Try it a second time and see the email reply they send you…I was quite surprised.
Huh, so they stop being reasonable if it happens more than once? Or maybe it depends on the person you happen to get. Either way, very frustrating.
Yeah it doesn’t help if your stuck and perhaps don’t have any phone credit or etc, common situation for me back when I was a student. Really got fed up with the system, still am, but its much less of an issue if you are working. I had to walk all the way from the city to te atatu peninsula back in the day, just because my card miraculously got disabled whilst I was at study, and I didn’t have my phone on me and no money (since it was all on the card…).
Maybe they should stop using BritRail as their model.
One of the issues of late has been that they have been scheduling two and sometimes three of the four 6-car SA sets onto the Southern Line. All four are supposed to be running on the Western Line. In their place they have been running 4-car SA sets, but also the occassional single (2-car) ADL, as happened a few days ago on a morning peak service from Swanson. Furthermore, not all SA sets are in service, because as drivers leave or retire a staff shortage has developed (I don’t think Transdev has a locomotive driver training programme, and KiwiRail is no longer contracted to provide drivers).
The growing pains won’t be over until at least the electrification project is finished and then I’m pretty certain that the capacity issues related to not having enough trains or drivers will remain.
Things will slowly get better as more of the services on the southern line are able to be run by EMU, but like most things PT related it will take time.
It’s frustrating that the gains that have been made are looking like they’re in jeopardy, after all of the work, I’m looking forward to the service improvements being sustained in the longer term.
Hi can anyone enlighten me on a rumour I heard that the power grid wasn’t up to scratch to support more electric units running? Sounded like tosh, but you never know…
I did hear that they apparently did want to add an extra terminal/transformer or something into the network to boost it and provide redundancy but that it wasn’t actually needed until CRL is built and have 2 (2?) now.
The EMUs are also having trouble running in multiple.
Matt L, your list of trivial delays 🙂 and the odd cancellation 🙁 make the Western Line look like a paragon of performance compared to the Johnsonville Line in the final months before the Matangis took over. The unreliability of the old English Electrics and shortage of serviceable units meant that they all but gave up on the service for several weeks. A couple of trains provided a skeleton service only, and bus-replacement was organised on a pretty-much permanent basis during the peaks. It was truly chronic.
Happily once the Matangis came the problems went away.
It’s painfully obvious that diesel maintenance has been scaled back, they don’t even seem to bother removing graffiti anymore: http://i.imgur.com/NtSg4ue.jpg
It’s a bad look sending something like that out on the network (and I’m not just talking about the ADL).
I’d rather have a graffiti’d train than no train…
If they actually ran them like that; I think it would encourage more vandals to graffiti trains
Exactly, they’re giving the “artists” a free mobile exhibition.
I’m not really suggesting doing so for long…but if it comes to a choice between providing the service and putting out a train with spray on it for, say, a day I know where my priority is.
The customer is king, and getting from A to B is surely the most important thing AT provides its customers with. I’d be pretty pissed if the platform announcement had to confess that a train had been cancelled due to a bit of paint on the exterior….
I understand, and I agree, it just projects a bad image upon the network when you see something like that going past you. It’d fit right in with Henderson station’s overbridge/concourse, at least.
The Eastern line seems to have quite frequent reliability issues also – and it’s fully serviced by the EMU’s. Hopefully they are just teething issues and go away quickly. Service delays and cancellations will seriously harm patronage growth.
This rubbish situation only prompts questions:
What is the Service Level Agreement between AT and their train operator?
What consequences are there for persistent failure like this?
What escalation measures are there so AT’s owners are aware of this non-performance and can take action?
Has anyone approached AT’s chair and asked him what he makes of this trend?
(and no, handwringing from Mr Lambert does not count as an answer to any of those)
A lot of the issues with fleet are the result of maintenance issues as the KiwiRail contract winds down as CAF is looking after the Electric trains.
Apparently 6 locomotives were out of action this morning which is a massive challenge in March!
Hopefully they will get more drivers trained for AM-class soon. However as they are currently driving SA’s or ADL’s all day… that might not be happening anytime soon, maybe if AT ran a few rail-bus weekends whilst they get trained, but I guess that will have to wait until after the Cricket and any other events…
There is a shutdown over easter – perhaps this is the window period?
Maintenance should be increased on these aging units, not decreased. Particularly as there will be less need for maintenance on the new electrics. Also would it hurt Transdev to do a bit of cleaning of the interiors? Gee they can stink some mornings.
KiwiRail seem desperate to get the trains out of their depot.
Another train cancelled on the western line this morning. This means the next one is going to be PACKED. 🙁
You would think they could run at least SOME 6-car EMU’s on the west right? Clearly they would help significantly, I don’t know whats with AT’s obsession of not running mixed-fleet. I know of at least one AM-class trained driver on the western who is still hauling SA’s…
why would they do that, you need to know what you are doing first right?
Thats what I am saying… AM-class (EMU) trained drivers are still running SA’s (Diesel pulled carriages) on the western.
So my train this morning was cancelled, get to station to catch train home (845pm) to find that one cancelled too! This is just an absolute joke. I dont understand why no-one is being held to account for this?
In all these photos of crowded trains, rarely is there the face of a white Anglo-Saxon male in their 50’s or 60’s – the kind who complain about trains not being used. Instead the train photos show faces that are mainly young, Asian, Islander and female. These are the groups that are under-represented in political discussion.
Yeah that’s generally true, but really the situation with the trains is that it is considered as being dealt with by the EMU roll out. Of course if there’s still a big problem after that then we have to get campaigning for that second tranche of 15 trains that’s planned but not yet funded [planned as post CRL!].
As for the buses…..well other than Light Rail on some routes we need more buses and more buslanes asap…?
Patience, patience, the EMU’s should eventually sort this out….typical teething pains while in the middle of it all…..though easy for me to say, as I work from home.
After the Cricket World Cup, Trains got hundreds from Eden Park to Britomart. Britomart however was a dead centre of Auckland. Taxi necessary.
Yes, Britomart needs to be on the way to other places, not remain a dead end.