What’s In Veolia’s Plan For Tonight

 

Veolia are taking no chances with their bid to put things right for tonight’s Eden Park RWC match and future matches there - after the official and public caning after last Friday night’s fiasco.

A copy of the Veolia’s operation plan, sighted by AKT, and said to be far more extensive than anything offered up on Friday shows:

  • There will be much “corralling “ of passengers into “holding pens”
  • Improved communication including use of megaphones
  • 34 contingency buses on standby from 4.30pm until 1am to assist with overloading issues on the network
  • And even an emergency crane on standby between Westfield and Newmarket if a derailment occurs.

“The use of the train PA system will be vital for correct communication to customers, “says the plan. “Frequent clear concise messages should be broadcast on trains to advise customers.
And an internal memo to staff from management says: “We are looking into the communications system we currently have in use on the trains. The newly purchased Kor Kor radios potentially may be able to be used as a cell phone, radio and portable mic for the PA system.”

The plan will be in place for all future Eden Park games.

Following Friday’s problem of passengers falling ill and getting desperate in the overcrowded carriages, Veolia tells staff: “ Event Control (not to be confused with the Central Train Control, which is based in Wellington) will assist with train movements to ensure that where possible trains either do not leave the station they are at or are able to set back to the platform they have left in the event of train stoppages on the network. This will assist in managing customers by allowing them to vacate for other transport or gain fresh air etc.”

It says:

  • There will be at least 2 Maori wardens on trains on game days. “We will, where we can, have a Maori warden per carriage.”
  • There will be a person on each train to assist the Train Manager in managing the PA messages to customers – Veolia staff on the DMU trains and MAXX staff on the SA trains. The TM can also make normal announcements.
  • Auckland Transport is putting at least one security person at each station on the network.
  • There will be over 50 buses at key stations around the network to assist in any overflows at Kingsland and Britomart.
  • “We are looking to strengthen our early Sunday trains to assist with the removal of extra people who have been out all night in the city from Britomart.”

On the Britomart to Kingsland services, Veolia staff will manage customer flows from the platform area and will stop customers enterting the platform area if platform overcrowding occurs. Barriers will be used to halt the movement of passengers onto the platforms.

No more of this?

Post game, Britomart modelling has indicated there’s a need to clear all arriving passengers from Eden Park through the CPO end of Britimart station.

Passengers will be corralled into holding pens allocated to each line until their train is confirmed, whereby they will be directed onto the platform by the Customer services team. Signage will be provided directing passengers from the CPO end of Britomart station to Takutai Square.

Signage will be provided outside of Britomart station directing passengers to the rugby entrance. Control onto the platforms will be provided by way of corralling and barriers.

Passengers will be held in two specific locations by security guards. Up to 500 passengers can be held on the concourse short of the platform until confirmation has been provided that the next rugby special has arrived and a crew is ready for the service., Once confirmation has been received Veolia staff will open the gate onto the platform and the 500 passengers will be allowed to move onto the platform to a waiting train. Passengers will also be held on the upper level of Britomart until authority has been received to release another 500 passengers onto the concourse.

AT will run the corralling operations above the platforms at the Takutai square. At the Westpac level passengers will be corralled into holding pens allocated to each line until their train is confirmed. Staff will ticket passengers waiting to depart.

“Good signage and customer information must be provided to customers who detrain at Britomart after the match; passengers will need to walk from the CPO end of Britomart to Takutai for a transfer to other lines. Customer announcements will be made by MAXX ambassadors with the use of megaphones informing them of the correct corralling for stations.”

Four trains will be used to form a queue on the down main at Kingsland ready for return loading post match. Three trains will be from Britomart and one train from Morningside.

At Morningside, the first four trains will depart every ten minutes followed by a 15 minute frequency until timetabled services are reinstated. There will be capacity for 4650 over the first 70 minutes after the game. From 11.50pm, timetabled services from Britomart to Waitakere has capacity for a further 3600 passengers to the end of service. The last timetabled service from Britomart will be 1.20am.
The newly installed crossovers at the west end at Morningside will allow the ability for trains to be loaded from both the up and down lines.

From half time a coraaling operation will be in place coinciding with a complete closure of Morningside Drive. Passengers will be directed into corralling pens after the game and held off the Morningside Drive level crossing which will be closed to cars from 9pm..
A disability van will be situated at Morningside on New North Rd to assist passengers with disabilities who wish to travel past Morningside to Britomart.

The Henderson stabling facility will be used to store up to six SA train sets.

The emergency Strand stop which comprises two platforms and three at grade crossings will be used as a contingency if required . If congestion occurs at Britomart trains may be diverted there or if there is a need to remove a diabled passenger service between Kingsland and Britomart into the Strand platforms, passengers would disembark the train and the disabled train removed.

Sounds promising. Let’s hope it all works.

* 66 people have registered to say they could not make it to Eden Park because of the train issues on Friday and 630 others say they missed the opening ceremony.

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7 Comments

 
  1. aucklander says:

    In theory it sounds fine, but anything can go wrong on the night, especially with using inexperienced staff from different organisations, but a least they are trying to get every right as humanly possible !

  2. Ben says:

    @Aucklander, the theory does sound fine although it seems the trains had hit a small speed wobble this morning http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10752417

    On another note I see the Minister (McCully) s stated that heads will roll http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/mccully-heads-roll-if-new-rwc-plans-fail-4405310

    Lord hope it doesnt and tonight turns out to be a major success

  3. Wasp says:

    Maybe just maybe after all the vitriol of the last week and National having to annex parts of the Auckland Council territory just to avert a John Key photo opportunity disaster, this government will finally wake up and realise what a substandard public transport system Auckland has for a city of its size.

    And then they might be a bit more receptive to initiatives to fix it.

  4. San Luca says:

    Last night (Friday) there were multiple security guards at most stations on the Western line. Clearly not needed and over cautious. But I guess they are making the effort

  5. Pete says:

    Good to see them making a real effort security wise. Over cautious be darned…this is Auckland after all (eg thinking of latest at Middlemore). Noted a much improved presence and diligence by plod, and pleased to see the maori wardens re assert a profile. We still have a ways to go to deal with boguns compared to the aussies. I recall many years ago trouble on trains from Perth to Fremantle impacting on tourism etc and they put an armed policeman in every carriage. Overkill ?..maybe but what price a single incident on the ethos of PT.

  6. Matt says:

    Can you keep him it is bad enough with the people we have in Sydney and now we are going to get a sheep farmer to move the cattle !
    http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/new-transport-boss-goes-from-rails-to-ropes-20110917-1kex7.html

  7. Simon C says:

    If there`s an area which still needs to be improved and where the govt needs to be criticised now that they are in control is alcohol consumption at Queens Wharf.

    I went down there for the Japan v AB game and there were still numbers of intoxicated, abusive young people there. Infact a security threw one out right in front of me when I was leaving.

    How about McCully and Joyce do something about that - particularly the service of alcohol in shed10 and start sorting out proprietors who are breaking the law by serving already intoxicated members of the public or maybe there will be another fail, this time not transport, but someone being killed or beaten up, stabbed and so forth.

    The message should be spelt out very clearly. If you can`t serve alcohol responsibly, I`m going to fine you and close down your operation for the rest of the tournament.

 

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