Subscribe to RSSWestern Line Not Even 50% On Time
February performance stats for Veolia confirm what we knew.
The Western Line is performing shockingly and there’s no sign of any improvement.
46.8% punctuality (within 5 minutes) is just not acceptable.
And that gives no indication how bad and long some of those delays are.
It’s all commuters on the Western Line talk about when I am about these days. And for many, their patience is almost exhausted.
January was 36% but now that the Christmas rail work and opening of Newmarket is past us and students and workers are back into their routine, this is no advertisement for public transport.
Excusing February’s figures for Newmarket signals issues is not helpful. Numerous delays have been officially blamed on other issues, including mechanical breakdowns, operational issues, signals at New Lynn, trains being held up berthing at Britomart because schedules are out of whack.
Thankfully other lines are doing better.
BTW, we’re told to cheer up. It could have been worse. LOL
8 Comments
Even the Eastern and Southern are suffering too — usually these are over 80% at least.
I’ve simply given up taking the Western line train to work (although I sometimes take it home). I’m so tired of waiting and waiting and waiting for a train only to see four or five buses pass by the bus stop nearby while I’m waiting. And then there’s the inevitable slow and delayed trip through the Newmarket junction. New Zealanders are far too nice about this sort of unacceptable service. Since I’ve started taking the bus to work, I leave home at the same time and arrive at work 10 to 15 minutes earlier on average, despite the walk being longer at either end. I’d FAR rather take the train but they couldn’t have orchestrated a better campaign to lose my custom.
Such a shame, do the operators care or is it all brown nose politics?
I think the operators do care, but they may not have the resources (staff, time, or funding or even available parts) to do enough about it.
I think ARTA/Veolia/Kiwirail are all holding out till June when the double tracking will be finished and we will have new timetables which hopefully better resolve the conflicts in the timetable.
On a positive note things seem to have been better in March.
More problems in Wellington this morning - delays of up to 40 minutes on the Upper Hutt line caused by a “telecommunications failure”
Performance figures from Tranz Metro that might be of interest:
February 2010
Overall: 75%
Hutt Valley line: 78%
Johnsonville line: 75%
Paraparaumu line: 72%
Wairarapa line: 69%
(Note that Tranz Metro use “within 3 minutes” as their definition of on time.)
Off peak trains in Wellington seem to be where the problems are. They are always 5-10mins late.
I’ve been working in Wellington city lately and the morning trains have been very reliable! However I’m glad I don’t use the Hutt line as they have had some problems in the last week!