Train trip from suburbs to city ‘to cost $15 in 2014’
A one-way train trip from Richlands to the CBD will cost almost $15 in 2014* according to a leaked state government strategy document.
The shock figure was revealed at yesterday’s Brisbane City Council meeting by public transport chairman Julian Simmonds, who quoted an internal Translink document projecting big increases in all public transport fares in the next few years. The current fare from Richlands to the city is $4.14.
“Translink has announced a five-year fare strategy to continue to build the public transport network and wind back the Government’s subsidies for public transport,” he said.
Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said this increase in fares would deter families from using Brisbane’s public transport, instead opting to drive.
“Since 2003 the cost of fares has increased by 117 percent,” he said.
“But what is concerning is that in three years to come, between now and 2014, we are going to see a 15 percent proposed fare increase each year.”
Cr Quirk said he feared the price hike would limit the growth and improvement in other forms of public transport, such as Citycats.
Both councillors took aim at the state government over the projected fare hikes.
“It is the Labor state government who is responsible for public transport,” Cr Simmonds said.
According to the last TransLink annual report fare increases and subsidy decreases are necessary to achieve financial sustainability.
“These fare increases will enable TransLink to continue to roll out services to meet growing demand, whilst gradually reducing state subsidies to a more sustainable level,” the report said.
Asked to comment on the Council claims, transport minister Annastacia Palaszczuk did not deny the scale of the increases. She issued a statement that for every one dollar spent in fares in south-east Queensland, the government invested another three.
“We’ve added 110,000 weekly bus seats in 2010/11 and, next Monday, the Queensland government will deliver another 100,000 when the eastern busway is officially opened for business,” she said.
“Instead of picking on a successful and growing bus service, the Brisbane City Council should take a long look at their CityCycle scheme, which has seen a sharp decline with more than two-thirds of the bikes sitting unused in April.”
*CORRECTION: Newsbytes has been advised that Cr Simmonds was referring to a return trip, not one-way. We apologise for the error.
There are a number of inaccuracies in your article regarding planned fare increases on the TransLink network.
TransLink’s Five Year Fare Strategy is not a ‘leaked State Government strategy document.’ It is a publically-available public document easily located on the TransLink website: http://translink.com.au/tickets-and-fares/fares/planned-fares
In October 2009, TransLink’s Five Year Fare Strategy outlined fares prices from 2009 until 2014, this information has been publicly available on TransLink’s website since being released in 2009.
In 2011, the go card fare for a train journey between Richlands (zone 4) and Central (zone 1) is $4.14. By 2014, this fare will be $6.32. Not $15 as stated explicitly in your article.
By making the fare strategy publicly available TransLink has been upfront and honest with customers about planned fare changes.
Fare increases will continue to be reinvested back into the regional public transport network with the rollout of new and improved stations and services, which has included the addition of 600, 000 weekly seats in the last two years.
So, who made the statement, the Councillors or the reporter? I have looked on the link at Transinfo and the spokesperson seems to be correct. It appears for the article above that it was the Lord Mayor Quirk who was misinformed. Anyone?
The fares travelling from the Gold Coast (Varsity Lakes) to Brisbane (South Brisbane) are out of control now…and in 2014 are just scary. A break down of costs for return travel for a 5 day working week…
2012 – $128.40
2013 – $147.70
2014 – $169.90
I am not travelling by train ever again next year, I will be driving my car. As the expense for petrol will be the cheaper option, thankfully I don’t have to pay for parking which I guess makes this option viable for me. In the end am I happy in 2014 to be taking $339.80 out of my fortnightly pay to public transport. No way.