Newcastle Transport

[Newcastle Flyer]

What idiots. Claiming that the previous network was better. So they don't want 15 & 30 minutes services, BUT the existing network does need SOME additions and adjustments. Both the new & old networks have good & bad points.

But their is a theory of why a so called 5% increase. The transport minister said they can protest as much as they like.

They DON'T have a right to protest if they've never used a bus service. And I wonder HOW many of that 200 or so were REAL passengers. Again, it was just as a political stunt by Labor.

Edit: http://www.theherald.com.au/story/52903 ... nsport-fix
Anyone that signed that petition that has NEVER used a bus, or used a bus in Newcastle should be removed from the petition.

Note: Moved from the combined Newcastle & light rail thread to this thread.

[ScaniaGrenda]

I would've attended so I could capture it on video and document it but being a Sunday, train replacement being on, the hot weather and just having returned from Sydney was a bit of a turn off for me

[Newcastle Flyer]

You didn't miss anything, and was nothing more than a Labor political campaign to try & get (excuse me cough, UR cough, UR cough) NSW Labor elected next year.

I made sure I wasn't near them, as I didn't want to be part of that group. I'd estimate only around 250 or so. Just adjust the new network & it could come close as being fine.

But if I'm correct, a number of those people have never caught a Newcastle bus or even a bus.

Cracker's claim a crowd of about 600 that grew to about a 1,000. Not from what my pictures show.

Edit: Does this like a crowd of 600, then 1,000?
(In both cases, the approximate width of the "protest" is roughly where I've circled that sign on the right middle. - Click on pictures for larger picture.)


& just a bit more spread out:-


Note the contradiction (highlighted) here:

But Mr Markey said the network that private operator Keolis Downer introduced in January has left them “stuck inside”, without a service along Park Avenue to either shopping centre.

Mr Markey was among hundreds who attended a Labor rally at Gregson Park on Sunday

[Swift]

There is always going to be someone who is not happy. Going by that turnout, the changes are a success!

[Newcastle Flyer]

Here are the photos in the Newcastle Herald from the political march: http://www.theherald.com.au/story/52903 ... ix/?cs=305

And here is NBN TV's version: http://www.nbnnews.com.au/2018/03/18/ca ... he-streets

Again does that look like 600 to 1,000?

But they can still make the new network work better.

But did you note the contradiction?

[ScaniaGrenda]

After all these months it's finally been spotted and photographed. I've been after it since I first heard last year it was transferred down here. I've seen it two other times in the past in person in Newcastle but couldn't get the camera out in time to get a decent shot of it before it took off. Yesterday I was back in the CBD to pass the time and it decided to show up for a change in an area I don't see it frequent often (I've seen it on the tracker and don't see it going down Queens Wharf way much)

Newcastle Transports Scania L113CRL Ansair Orana, the only one of it's kind down here (*that I'm aware of)


It rotates between Depots I've been informed (Not sure if I've posted it before) Sometimes it's at the Belmont Depot, other times Hamilton depot

[mk2n75]

I'm sure it's the only one up there ,but not for much longer .
I have heard six new Bustechs have been ordered, Scania and five MANs going ,
I m sure drivers and mechanics will be sad to see the MANs go

[Swift]

Why don't they just return it? A one off like this would be more of a burden than help.

[gld59]

Scania and five MANs going

Are they going strictly by age or something? I would have thought they'd be most eager to get rid of the (non-ac) ex-N&W Volvos first.

gld

[Swift]

Are they going strictly by age or something? I would have thought they'd be most eager to get rid of the (non-ac) ex-N&W Volvos first.

gld

MAN misfits ..sorry midis have always had issues and the formerly Gladesville stabled Volvos have parts commonality with their low entry relations. Plus school kids generally get by without a low floor saloon.

[Newcastle Flyer]

Question: Would I be correct that the following is incorrect?

Many people are claiming that the reason Keolis Downer Hunter now has more interchanges, such as Belmont, Lake Fair, Cardiff (if using Route 44), so it's to count the same passenger twice or more times.

But each person's Opal has a 16 digit number, so wouldn't it be easy to work out how many times the SAME passenger changes for one trip?

[Glen]

What would that achieve even if it was the reason?

[Fleet Lists]

I think he is trying to recalculate how many journeys are made where there is more that one trip ie change of bus required as opposed to the same thing under the old system where he believes there would be more such journeys under the current network.
Counting trips only would increase the figures which would make them sound good if actually there is no more travel because interchanges required.

[Newcastle Flyer]

What would that achieve even if it was the reason?

They are claiming that produces MORE passengers so Keolis Downer Hunter can "UP their passenger numbers", by counting the same number more than once, for a trip that use to only have one bus. For example, they are claiming Kotara to Glendale passengers are now counted three times: (Routes 14 or 25, then 44, then 13).

With the 44 not going all the way to Glendale & having to change at Cardiff, a lot of people (including Crackenthorp) believe that is the case.

I think he is trying to recalculate how many journeys are made where there is more that one trip ie change of bus required as opposed to the same thing under the old system where he believes

Fleet Lists, I (edit: partly!) didn't say it was me.

[Newcastle Flyer]

https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Hansa ... 9/link/128

[crimsontide]

Changes to Newcastle Region Bus Timetable.

https://www.theherald.com.au/story/5353 ... le/?cs=305

[Newcastle Flyer]

You got in before me, but also found this: https://www.theherald.com.au/story/5354 ... ay/?cs=305

[ScaniaGrenda]

Nice to see Newcastle Transport operating Shuttle buses outside of Newcastle during today's emergency Bus replacement train shuttle run around Maitland. Seen a Few Volgren CR228L's and a few Bustech VST's operating the shuttle in Maitland from them this afternoon along with PSC.

[Newcastle Flyer]

The 110 are TRAIN REPLACEMENT buses.

110 bus on weekdays is meant to run every 5 minutes. At King & Perkins we waited from 07:45, to just after 08:00 for a 110 to show up. At Wickham Interchange, I saw more than 100 passengers (yes over 100) waiting for the one 110 bus that we got off. On a weekday, you shouldn't wait anymore than a few a minutes for a bus to the train.

I had to rush pass these passengers just to get my train, due out at 08:23.

Our train from Central arrived at Wickham Interchange was only four minutes late. Their was no bus waiting for our train (N151 due at 16:01, arrived 16:05), unless the bus driver left BEFORE our train arrived.

What I'm annoyed about is that the 110 is a train replacement bus, yet both the station staff & bus driver say that the 110 does not wait for trains. Yet again, we had to wait for 15 minutes for the next 110 bus. It is a dedicated train bus, therefore it's meant to wait - for a reasonable time anyway.
What if the train arrives & it's the last 110 bus for the day?

[Edit: Corrected some times.

[ScaniaGrenda]

That issue you're talking about above Flyer happened a month or two ago for me but I never got around to posting it since the day it happened I got home late and forgot to post my story about it. This was when Rover was still running the 110 service after NT had stepped back in.

I'd gotten off a train at Newcastle Interchange and what I usually do is catch a 110 bus from the Interchange to Customs house but one had just left and Rover's CB80 had pulled in only for the driver to tell me and another passenger we couldn't board because he was going out of service. I asked him if he's going out of service why doesn't he's sign say that? and say's he's going to change it but didn't get around yet and says the next bus will be 10 minuets (I think it was 1:30 PM at the time) Anyway 10 minuets had passed and no other train replacement bus had showed up. At this point me and the other passenger are getting a bit annoyed another bus hasn't showed. We see a Newcastle Transport bus pull in but with "NOT IN SERVICE" on it's desto. I was using the tripviewer app I think it's called and it said one was due out now but both buses are NIS like i said but rovers still says "110 Newcastle Interchange loop" even after the driver said he'd change it. I'd later come to realise that Rover's buses aren't fitted with "Not in Service" in their destos. They just go blank so either this driver didn't know he could do that or the bus (which was their new Demo Merc CB80) is lacking the proper files for the desto controller.

So I flag down the Marshall who's talking to another drive or someone from NT and I ask why a shuttle bus hasn't started again..He gives me some spill that they run on their own time now and aren't part of the train replacement service anymore and that my application is wrong even tho it's pulling data directly from what NSW Transport. I was a bit disgusted and questioned him on a few things but couldn't get him to budge.

I didn't get to Customs house till around 2:00 with the next bus leaving from Newcastle Interchange at 1:50 PM. Almost half hour! I should've documented it but at the time I was just trying to get on a bus and get to Customs House and luckily I got there at the right time because I ended up seeing the Scania L113CRL orana I'd been trying to get a proper photo of for months.

Apologies as I should've posted that this has been happening for a while. I'll see if I'm able to head out on Monday and speak to a Marshall and document this on tape (Heh video)

[ScaniaGrenda]

Today I observed a Volvo B12BLE Custom Coaches CB60 (m/o 1418) operating the Newcastle Interchange loop service. This is not the first time a CB60 has operated the route, It's happened twice in the past (Both times I wasn't there to witness it only seeing it on Anytrip at the time) Today I was lucky enough to witness it leaving the interchange so got a parking space around the back and went to the entrance of the Interchange & waited for 15 minuets or so for it to come back hoping by the time it did that it wouldn't be going out of service.

[Swift]

Loath that NT logo on the old STA livery. Just looks so tacked on.
Cute Kia hatch next to it.

[kypros1992]

Special event buses for the A-league final

http://mcdonaldjonesstadium.com/media/1 ... _A3_v2.pdf

http://mcdonaldjonesstadium.com/media/1 ... _A4_v1.pdf

[Fleet Lists]

No Mention of such routes in https://transportnsw.info/events/2018/0 ... ne-victory

[Fleet Lists]

After looking at http://www.newcastletransport.info/late ... ial-events it appears that 11x refers to the extra route 11 services which operate direct and so on.