Less than one week out from the 50 cent Translink public transport trial, Queensland Premier Steven Miles and Transport Minister Bart Mellish visited the Queensland Rail’s Rail Management Centre.
Queensland Rail has set up a special ‘engine room’ team based out of the Rail Management Centre to ensure the successful rollout of statewide trial, beginning Monday 5 August for a period of six months.
The Rail Management Centre, the Translink Operations Centre (TOC), and the Brisbane Metropolitan Transport Management Centre (BMTMC) will watch over the network during the trial.
More than 250 employees including train controllers, security personnel, customer communications officers, engineers, timetabling and support staff are based at the centre.
Bart Mellish, Transport Minister, said the trial will deliver the cheapest public transport fares in the state’s modern history.
“We expect to see more people on the public transport network during the trial, but Queenslanders can rest assured we’ll be monitoring the network closely to ensure a positive experience for both new and existing public transport users,” he said.
“Shifting your travel by as little as 15 minutes if you are able to, can make a big difference when it comes to seating and space availability on services.
“Whether it’s going to save someone more than $100 per week on their work commute, or just a few dollars here and there, this trial means money will stay in the pockets of Queenslanders.”
Travel will be 50 cents no matter how far the journey is, or the mode, including transfers between services.
Customers will still need to ‘tap on’ and ‘tap off’ for their journey using Smart Ticketing, a go card, or by purchasing a paper ticket, in order to access the reduced fare.
The trial aims to reducing the cost barrier of public transport enough to encourage more people to leave the car at home, leading to a reduction in road congestion.
A single bus takes 50 cars off the road and a train takes 600 cars off the road
Translink estimates show someone travelling from the Gold Coast four days a week could save more than $2,100 over the six months.
Additional buses and two trams will be available to respond to increased demand from Monday.
Public transport users can also visit Translink’s upgraded Service Capacity Tracker to view a forecast of the space available on each service based on the day and time they are travelling.
Steven Miles, Queensland Premier, said the team at the Rail Management Centre are busy preparing operations
“I really hope my government’s landmark 50 cent fares trial gets people back on public transport, saves those who are already catching the bus or the train a bit of money, saves those who are driving a lot of money, and hopefully takes some cars off the road as well,” he said.
“Get your 50 cents ready, there’s not long to go.”
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