A couple of days ago I wrote Auckland Transport padding out the Western Line timetable. Today the Herald picked up on the story. AT have sent me a response to the story which is in full below.

AT is committed to running reliable peak services and achieving this through the introduction of a world class all-electric fleet.

In order to address the recent decrease in reliability and performance, the decommissioning of the diesel fleet has been brought forward to July from a planned August / September date. This will remove one variable of on-time performance – aging diesel train breakdowns that have seen a spike in recent months.

As with any timetable change, the most recent being on 8 December with a +22% increase in services, tweaks are required following introduction. The 3 minute earlier departure times on the Western Line are needed to support the 8 December increased services while diesel and electric trains share the network, to ensure time slots at Newmarket junction and Britomart are met.

As part of the original electric train rollout plan and in accordance with that plan, run-times of the electric trains on the Western Line are being tested and optimised currently prior to introduction in July as part of the existing timetable. Continuous improvements in run times, signalling and track testing to optimise electric train run times are a priority and further run-time testing and optimisation will follow the bedding in of full electric train operations from July, leading to more timetable improvements later in 2015. This work involves looking at reducing dwell times and optimising the ETCS (European Train Control System) safety feature on the electric trains.

AT is committed to providing the peak 10 minute frequency on the Western Line as early as possible and will be dependent on progress over coming months.

The historic run times relate to when run times were increased to accommodate the SA train sets. To place this in context, the improvements on the rail network since 2003:

Train Changes 2003-2015
I think it would be good for AT to actually specify exactly what the impediments are to faster and more frequent services and what steps they are taking i.e. how much do they need to reduce dwell times, what are the changes that need to occur for 10 minute frequencies etc.

As often happens when AT release data like above it manages to highlight a couple of other important points. In this case that a few things I noticed:

  • Patronage has increased well above the increase in the number of services per week. This is a good things and shows suggests we’re not only getting better services but also more utilisation out of them.
  • At 30 arrivals at Britomart over a two hour period it highlights just how much more capacity the CRL has the potential to contribute. Although first a quick count suggests the actual number of AM Peak (7am-9am) arrivals is 36 trains which would go to 40 if the western line moved to 10 minute frequencies. My understanding is the CRL allows for up to 48 trains an hour (24 trains per direction) so that’s up to 96 over a two hour window. In other words the CRL more than doubles the capacity of the rail network.
  • Back in early March AT said that on average weekdays in February there were 51,500 trips. For March that has increased to almost 60,000 per weekday
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69 comments

  1. “more timetable improvements later in 2015”

    While I understand the high demand at peak and need for 10 minute frequencies, I hope these improvements include later services too, as this is causing rail to be unusable at all for some, the current latest service is 22:06 from BRT Westbound Mon-Thurs, to make it more comparable with the NEX in terms of running times; services at 22:36, 23:06, 23:36 and maybe 00:06 could be added to the Western line and similar city-bound and for other lines as suggested here: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B9_dhDcCAAAWC67.png

    As I said the NEX runs to 00:00 Mon-Thurs, but at 15 minute frequency, so it would be reasonable for the rest of Aucklands rapid transit (the trains) to run to the same time but at perhaps at lower frequency’s (30-mins) as they are higher capacity.

  2. I mentioned this once before, but perhaps a departure warning chime would help get the passengers moving faster on the platforms and reduce the dwelling time?

    Also, I guess we are all definitely looking forwards to saying goodbye to the DMU’s

    1. And people can pre-push the door open button in advance so there is no lag.

      During peak hours in main stations all door should open by default so there is no messing around.

      During off peak time there is a bell for people who needs to get off, so if no one gets off and no people waiting the train simply wont stop.

      1. Surprised CaF didn’t implement this by default, not very thought out… Button should light up when the train becomes stationary and be press-able from then (for pre-order), but not actually open until doors released by TM or Driver (depending on whats set).

        The other thing that upsets and irritates me is that the new trains have already been vandalized, as with most-everything along the rail network, usually by way of graffiti painted or scratched in. Seriously need more enforcement and youth discipline in this country or something… Nice to see security at stations now; but most of this stuff happens after-hours when they are not present I am guessing.

        1. I could imagine pre-ordering the door open would be meddled with by those youth you mention, like anything else possible, I suspect why they didn’t have that programmed that way.

        2. Why’s that a problem? What’s the worst that could happen? The doors would just open every stop, just like they do today. And said youths would need to roam the entire carriage between each station, pushing the buttons. That’s going to get old fast.

        3. Pre-ordering of doors happens in every train in EU that I’ve seen with opening doors (most non-metro trains).

          Never seen it abused once. Worse case, the door opens!

        1. They knew how to run railways in the 1860s. These days I am not sure I trust AT to competently spell “railway” (actually I do notice they tend to use ‘train’ a lot more than ‘railway’).

  3. The push-button doors seem to open very slowly…….that must add up. Plus, I’ve seen doors open with passengers inside eager to get out…and then people are boarding through those doors….and then someone walks up to a door not already open and pushes the green flashing button…..waits for it to open…..and then gets on…..while all other passengers have been done for close to 30 seconds. Those fragments can add up across a dozen or more stations.

    1. In terms of staff/maintenance costs right (due to extra services)? The cost of running each service should be less since no diesel has to be purchased right?

    2. Once all EMU’s, I can imagine at peak times the service being swamped with extra pax…”We are going to need a bigger boat!”

  4. I’ve noticed that the Western Line seems to have gone back to less cars during peak hour services. Could the break downs be related to the bigger hauls?

    I was a little excited to see an electric train running on the Western Line into the city last night.

    1. Not in service though I am assuming? I do hope AT announce the first passenger service on the Western unlike they have done on the Southern, running a couple of midday services in each direction without any proper announcement.

      1. Yes, in service. It was roughly around 9:30pm in Mt Albert. It stopped at the station and did all that stuff, and there were people aboard.

        1. Grr… so AT gave the Onehunga and Eastern the announcement treatment but the Southern and Western get random first passenger services, how un-exciting.

        2. A 3-car EMU was used on the scheduled 16:50 Britomart to Swanson service yesterday and on a return journey. Must have confused some people. PA announcements were made to stations out west advising passengers with bikes, etc, to use the middle carriage.

    2. Yes I noticed the 7:31am Waitakere service is a 4-car SA set. Has previously been a 6-car. Passengers standing from Glen Eden onwards is less than ideal

  5. I think it might be a stability issue.
    I’m not sure what the west line is like, but i used an emu on the Eastern line and found it very rockey, at one time It felt like the wheels on one side had gone air born and then a violent sway sent me into the window.
    that is the only time I have used a train in Auckland as I live on the shore.
    But my only other commuter rail experience in Sydney was way smoother.
    I think they need to replace all the rail before they can go any faster.

    1. I’ve been on the EMU’s on the Eastern line all the way from BRT to MNK dozens of times, felt very smooth and comfortable to me each time, not much diff to the Onehunga except there are more speedy bits which I like.

    2. Sydney has a broader gauge of rail than Auckland. Will always be smoother sailing overseas, the narrow gauge we have here is generally a bit bumpier.

      1. Broader gauge doesn’t necessarily mean smoother ride. It’s more to do with the quality and upkeep of the track. Melbourne has an even broader gauge than Sydney, yet I think ride quality is better in Sydney. I think they maintain their track up there to a higher standard, as there always seemed to be frequent weekend trackwork on all lines, where as down here in Melbourne I’ve noticed it’s very rare and they rarely close lines (good and bad thing). Also probably down to higher use of concrete sleepers in Sydney, and the much heavier trains up there can make it feel smoother, at least if you’re sitting on the top deck. I’m sure it’s possible for a narrow gauge railway to feel as smooth as a standard gauge.

        1. Agreed, aucklanderinaus – on good bits of track the ride in the AK cars on the Northern Explorer is superb, at least the equal of trains in Europe. You have to look out of the window to check that you’re moving!

          Gauge is clearly not a determining factor with respect to ride quality.

    3. Beyond having to sit for extended periods in disabled units, I can’t say I’ve experienced any discomfort travelling on the EMUs so far. I find them to provide a far smoother ride than the diesels. Their aircon is great, too.

  6. Only the doors on the trailer cars (centre car) take a while to open, because of the wheelchair ramp that rolls out……the rest of the doors open pretty much straight away….and passengers can close the doors they open as well, the red button can be used by passengers.

  7. At the signing of the EMU contract the Mayor said the trains would slice 10 minutes off a trip to the city from Papakura and from Swanson. That’s why we spent a billion dollars on this project. If we don’t get a 10 minute savings heads should roll!

  8. The western line should be prioritized ahead of all the other lines to have all services (or at least peak) 6 car once it goes electric. The other lines have large sections which are served by 2 services, so can more adequately cope with 3 car sets. The western line is pretty much on its own, so to speak.

  9. The Western line users complaining about smaller sets better not drop by Westfield. Lot of rolling stock just parked up.

  10. The timetable will probably get tightened up once the whole network is electric, right now the DMUs and SAs are holding the EMUs up

  11. The CRL, by itself does not double the network. It should be pretty obvious that you cannot run a train every 2.5 minutes out South. More work needs to be done before the CRL is even remotely able to make a viable difference.

    1. “More work needs to be done before the CRL is even remotely able to make a viable difference”

      Untrue. The CRL would make a huge difference if it was there today, though parts of the network might struggle to cope.

    2. Andrew the plan is to run 2.5min freqs in the high demand heart of the network where the lines overlap, not out at the fringes. 2.5 on the southern eastern and western would mean impossible freqs in the city.

      1. So if capacity on the rest of the network remains the same, then what exactly does the CRL do? Yes I am fully aware of the Britomart constraints, but seriously, the CRL doesn’t do very much except reduce travel time from various destinations. It does not, nor can increase capacity if the rest of the network cannot support it.

        Don’t get me wrong, I really am all for the CRL, but it seems to be lost on a lot of people that the CRL is ineffective unless the rest of the network can support it. We are a very long way from that and I have seen very little in the way of tangible methods of addressing the shortfalls of the entire network as a whole, even with the CRL.

        1. > So if capacity on the rest of the network remains the same, then what exactly does the CRL do?

          The CRL allows all that capacity to be used! At the moment, Britomart is the bottleneck. Because each train enters and leaves on the same tracks, two tracks have to support all the trains coming in and out on every line. Although we could run any one line at, say, a 5 minute frequency, all the lines join at Britomart and thus we need to share the capacity between all 4 lines.

          With the CRL, however, Britomart becomes a through station. Trains come in one side and leave through the other, just like most other stations on the network. This effectively doubles the capacity – or to think of it another way, allows us to join our 4 lines together into 2 pairs, each of which can have double the frequency. As a bonus, we get to add a couple more stations in the central city, which doesn’t add capacity, but makes the system more useful.

          See http://greaterakl.wpengine.com/our-analysis/city-rail-link/crl-benefits/increasing-rail-capacity/ for an explanation

        2. Knock out Westfield and Te Mahia and suddenly you make a life in Pukekohe more realistic too. Ideally even further south but that’s a whole new issue

        3. Stephen, I think you are still missing the point. Believe me, I KNOW what the issues are at Britomart. As I keep saying though, you cannot double the capacity of the network itself without doubling the frequency. The infrastructure outside the CRL CANNOT support that. It struggles to support the timetable that operates now!

          I reiterate, I fully support the CRL, but the CRL by itself does not solve much except travel times. The infrastructure of the rest of the entire network needs serious Capital Expenditure in order to make the well publicised benefits of the CRL even remotely possible to achieve!

        4. Andrew the CRL is not the final act on the rail network, but the necessary next one. The mid section of the Southern line where service overlaps with the eastern is already 5min freqs [12tph]. The Third main will enable capacity on this section increase further, and the remaining sections can clearly can already take more capacity. The CRL takes all the western line trains out of Newmarket which is another point of constriction for Southern and O-Line services.

          Post CRL then it becomes possible to upgrade and extend the O-Line through Mangere to the Airport. The CRL makes room at Newmarket, the NM junction, and Britomart and beyond.

          And it’s not just train slots we need but space for humans too. Britomart itself can only take 10k people an hour [fire rating], it will hit that limit soon on current growth rates, the network needs new stations in high demand city locations. Sure we could spend millions trying to funnel everyone through one slot or we can solve both the train and people capacity limits in one go with a much better whole of network fix: CRL. Then we add more capacity elsewhere where needed.

  12. Despite what AT says about “unreliable diesels” and breakdowns, in all my years on the trains, five-days per week, I’ve never had any issues with the diesels. The spike in system failures has coincided quite noticeably with the introduction of the AM EMUs. The weak link seems to be the EMUs. Being stuck on one of those for 90 minutes is quite unpleasant, while the driver tries what they can to get it running. I’ve been on four which have failed in the past four months; not once with the diesels in 18 years. They also seem to always bleed pneumatics at the platform, often have P/A system failures, lighting and aircon issues and AM103 in particular is hard-running. One train manager claimed he’s often had 60% door failure rates on the EMUs. I can’t say I know anyone who’s been on a fault-free one.
    The time between Britomart and Newmarket has also increased by two minutes. Can’t blame that on the diesels: they did it in 8. EMUs are about 10min. The ADL DMUs in particular seem to handle it better, mainly the tight turns out of Britomart. Guess the timetables will stretch again with Parnell getting a station. They may be a bit noisier inside, but the DMUs get the job done. The older ADKs also rode well. Hopefully MOTAT takes one now that they’re retired.
    The electrification needs to happen, but something’s not going quite right. Hopefully AT/Transdev sort it out before they cut all diesel capacity.

    1. Never been on a broken down EMU, been on several broken down diesels though, mostly DMU’s, usually overheating or failing to start.

      1. Great to hear that about the EMUs. Hopefully my luck with them picks up soon! Every new piece of equipment has bugs, but the rapid phase-in mightn’t be helping resolving such entry-to-service issues. Hopefully AT, CAF (and suppliers) and Transdev can iron out any bugs before the diesels go, as it helps to have a back-up of a different mode. Once everything’s smooth, there must be huge scheduling flexibility gains to having one standard unit across the network. Maybe timing gains can be made elsewhere to make up for handling corners, as they can accelerate well.
        Fingers crossed for the future of the AMs. They certainly have a nice look to them.

  13. I took the train out of Kassel Germany today, arrived at main Kassel station at 12:15 to find rail information office closed, 3 staff arrived back from lunch at 01:00
    The DB rail (red trains) workers are on strike and only a third of ICE trains running, luckily the 01:45 cantus trains were not on strike and we could get back to where we are staying. Auckland rail sounding quit good.

    1. AT ordered the things and are in charge of running them — how can they not be blamed for unsatisfactory service?

      1. They maybe, but they don’t run the network or the rules, including the curiously slow running speeds, so that isn’t entirely clear. Wouldn’t it be more productive if all parties; AT, Transdev, KR, MoT, and the unions, worked together on solutions?

    2. Guess you don’t use the trains Patrick.? Some of us do, and we’re are sick of being held up for up to 60% of our trips in recent weeks.

  14. And it’s funny that one of the mouth pieces of AT (Patrck Reynolds) jumps to that conclusion!
    Can’t have anyone in charge held accountable can we eh?

    1. Prickly bunch the trainspotters. Know everything too.

      Actually I think heads should roll if electrification ends up delivering a slower service. I just don’t know whose heads and that’s the point. There’s an awful lot of finger pointing and a great deal of certainty by anonymous experts. Until they front with something real and not just sly assertions they are pissing in the wind.

      Who is in control of the rail network? Who mandates the speeds? Who wrote the ETCS limits?

      1. Boarding operations are mostly what people appear to be complaining about here, I don’t see what KiwiRail have to do with that.

        1. There are two separate problems. Over long dwell times due to boarding issues. And slow train speeds due to safety restrictions. Both are contributing to slower journey times. Both need sorting with effort from all parties.

        2. The “boarding issues” is very easily explained. EMU pulls in and stops. Doors don’t open, because AT mandated that EMU’s must have passenger-operated doors, but passengers stand there waiting for doors to open by themselves. After 20 seconds or so of passengers staring blankly at closed doors, the Train Manager comes to their rescue and opens the doors for them.

          The issue can be squarely placed on AT who for some bizzare reason wanted to take us back decades to an era before automatic doors were invented. Perhaps they could take away the door sensors at Britomart station as well, and put handles on the doors instead, or a cute green button beside the door?

          Solution: Get rid of the ridiculous semi-manual boarding and make the doors automatic.

        3. The “passengers staring blankly at closed doors” thing is a definite problem, but one that should disappear over time as people’s habits change. AT could improve communication in that area by providing signage on the train doors and station platforms.

        4. Every single stop a EMU makes triggers the onboard PSA announcement to “push the green button when lit to open the doors” – of course might not be obvious or audible to those on the platform.

          So to deal with that there should be a big sign pointing to the green button that should say “Press here to open doors” on the outside of the trains will make it clear what to do.
          Since the train doors are unlocked by the time the train stops, those on the outside don’t need to be told to wait for the button to light up.

          As for the ETCS and other issues with the track and stuff, thats KR and NZTA to sort out – they collectively agreed the rules and how they work.
          I don’t see why EMUs should work any different from how the Diesels work now as to line speed, even at level crossings or other “danger points”.

          We seem to spend a lot of time trying to make these level crossings idiot proof – meanwhile ignoring all the other idiots on the roads driving their cars and running into things and each other nowhere near any railway lines.

          A sense of proportionality is need on the “safety everywhere” that KR and NZTA are espousing even when its simply not appropriate.

        5. The problem, Geoff, is not “passengers stand there waiting for doors to open by themselves” but, rather, passengers waiting for it to be possible to open the doors! Until the button lights up the doors cannot be opened, but the button is not lit the moment the train becomes stationary. I’m poised with my finger pretty much on the button every time there’s not someone else there before me, and every time I have to wait after the train has come to a complete stop before the light comes on and the button will respond.
          The problem is not passengers who don’t know what to do (well, not on the Southern which is the line on which I reside), but ridiculous delays in the time taken for the the doors to be released for opening.

        6. The doors should be set up so that they are released by the driver as soon as the train has stopped – I believe Wellington’s Matangis are being changed to this method of working.

      2. Part of the problem with the manual door things, is that they don’t sit in your direct line of sight. They sit off to the right and so people aren’t drawn to the colour change. It’s a design flaw and its not one Ive seen in any other country.

  15. ETCS belongs to siemens, ask them who put heavy restrictions on and why!
    Dwell times would be CAF made door operating system. Gotta be other onboard elements in the mix.. Maybe ask AT/ Transdev why the delay from train stoping and ability to open door!

    1. Why not do as they do in the likes of German and Soviet metros, door starts opening automatically just before the train comes to a complete halt. Sure cuts dwell times. Why have any delay at all? What does the driver actually need to do before he releases the door?

      1. I don’t believe the doors are capable of opening until the train has come to a complete halt. It’s a safety feature.

        1. A safety feature? What does it save us from? It seems to me it’s like restraining people when they walk down the street in case they fall over.

          I can’t find a video of it, perhaps i am mistaken about German doors opening early, or perhaps it’s only certain lines / train designs. But found this example of how we should do it. 6 minutes in.
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1Ac9jsWnBg

          Stops at 6:16, doors open instantly, people get out, people get in, moving again at 6:40, 24 second dwell time.

          Seems my memory of doors opening just before it fully stops must be from the Soviet block http://www.publictransit.us/ptlibrary/Moscow_2010.03.27_.htm a train every 90 seconds would be nice!

        2. It’s quite possible to set up doors to start the opening sequence in the last couple of seconds before the train stops. The timing is such that the train has stopped before the door has actually opened far enough for someone to get out.

    2. It was AT who ordered the trains, and chose to opt for those ridiculous ramp doors. Bad mistake. CAF has simply made what was ordered. Maybe they sounded good on paper. No other network I know has these. Should have just stuck to the old fashioned portable ramps, which are much faster and less complicated.

      Those doors may be great for the likes of a Hamilton-Auckland service, but when they start to turn the network into a more ‘metro-style’ operation (will never be a true metro), with fast and frequent service, those doors are going to be a nightmare and slow everything down.

  16. # Geoff Blackmore 24 April

    Push button doors are very common and cause no problems on well managed rail systems. advantages at low use times: less wear and tear on doors, less draughts and noise for passengers, lower heating and cooling costs.

    Of course, when they are first introduced to a system, it will take time for people to get used to them. But they will. I’m sure Aucklanders are no more stupid than all the hundreds of millions of people around the world who have learnt how to open a push button door.

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