Maybe the wheels fell off?

Again the question should be asked - how many of those commuters really need to be physically present at a central location each work day or for that matter for the full day?

Rather than spending billions seeking marginal improvements to peak hour travel times government should be working on reducing the need to commute in a variety of ways.

- Working from home arrangements are still rare and often resisted by management.
- Part day work from home arrangements giving people more opportunity to travel at different times.
- Regional/Suburban office hubs.

R0bert

You may not have realised, Maryann, that the new trains the State Government ordered were all to be air-conditioned, and were to replace the older ones, leaving the entire fleet air-conditioned. I am not in a position to comment knowledgeably on the reasons for the delay in the provision of those trains, nor on the prospects of the company contracted to provide them of ever delivering them. But I don't think it was penny-pinching that has caused the problems.

We have air conditioning on most or all of the Brisbane trains I ride. I think it possibly contributes to ill health or discomfort. When the air conditioning is too much lower than the outside temperature one becomes chilled if wearing clothes suitable for the outside temperature. I appreciate air conditioning but think it should be used with discretion. It should not be a great deal lower than the outside temperature.

That would be both energy saving and healthier.

Population growth is so expensive.

In Australia's climate, there just cannot be trains or buses or schools without air conditioning. We need to get basic services right before we contemplate the fancy bits like NBN.