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Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has met with Queensland Rail to get an update about the rollout of the back-to-work train timetable.
Queensland Rail Acting Chief Executive Officer Neil Scales confirmed to the premier that the timetable that will come into force from January 23 will be the same reduced timetable which was put in place in November last year.
There will be 330 fewer train services each week in 2017 with Queensland Rail re-introducing a cut back timetable from last November. 7 News Queensland
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There will be 330 fewer train services each week in 2017 with Queensland Rail re-introducing a cut back timetable from last November. 7 News Queensland
That timetable had been a response to ongoing rostering bungles at QR, as a result of a driver shortage caused partly by the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula rail line.
The premier said the meeting had given her a clearer picture of how QR was responding to the issues.
"In my meeting with Mr Scales this afternoon, he advised Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe and I that the timetable to operate from Monday was sustainable and would provide reliable services for the travelling public," Ms Palaszczuk said in a statement on Wednesday.
"Mr Scales also advised there was continued progress being made to deliver on the five-point plan and the recruitment of additional 200 drivers and 200 guards approved by the government."
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The Premier earlier defended embattled Mr Hinchliffe, saying he had been "working his guts out" to ensure the timetable was introduced smoothly.
It comes as the government faces dissent in the ranks over the issue, with member for Nudgee Leanne Linard voicing her disappointment with the new timetable on her Facebook page.
The timetable coming into force on January 23 will be the same reduced timetable that was put in place in November last year. Photo: Jorge Branco
Ms Linard said she was disappointed to see QR had failed to "address the concerns of local commuters" who lived in the northern Brisbane suburbs of Nundah and Toombul.
"Timetable changes that took effect last year have resulted in reduced services to both stations, with many express trains now bypassing these busy stations," she said.
Ms Palaszczuk said Ms Linard was entitled to her views.
The premier is waiting for the recommendations of the Strachan report into the ongoing issues at QR, which is due to be handed to her on January 31.
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