RAIL - Back On Track Forum

Quote from: ozbob on October 19, 2022, 00:22:58 AMSunshine Valley Gazette 19th October 2022 page 26

https://www.sunshinevalleygazette.com.au/read-paper-online

Agreed.

Fast rail to Maroochydore - definitely blowin' in the wind ..

In fact heavy rail to Maroochydore, most likely blowin' in the wind ...

Still waiting for the track amplification north of Beerburrum! 

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1582381472019025921


Paying attention        ? 

You and the spin army in Big Willy need to do a lot better hey ...

https://twitter.com/7NewsSC/status/1583373080264482816

Couriermail Sunshine Coast --> Sunshine Coast heavy rail: ministers say government must commit to project $

QuoteA community group and two Liberal ministers are demanding the government support the heavy rail line from Brisbane to Maroochydore in the October 25 budget.

The former Morrison government promised $1.6bn for the rail line, and Sunshine Coast ministers Ted O'Brien and Andrew Wallace want the federal government to make the same funding assurance this week.

The $3.2bn heavy rail line project needs federal and state government funding to become a reality.

Mr O'Brien said in the lead-up to the election earlier this year, infrastructure minister Catherine King expressed enthusiasm for the project.

Mr Wallace said when federal treasurer Jim Chalmers visited the Sunshine Coast in August, he promised projects slated for communities that would deliver an economic benefit would go ahead

A community group and two Liberal ministers are demanding the government support the heavy rail line from Brisbane to Maroochydore in the October 25 budget.

The former Morrison government promised $1.6bn for the rail line, and Sunshine Coast ministers Ted O'Brien and Andrew Wallace want the federal government to make the same funding assurance this week.

The $3.2bn heavy rail line project needs federal and state government funding to become a reality.

Mr O'Brien said in the lead-up to the election earlier this year, infrastructure minister Catherine King expressed enthusiasm for the project. ...

There is a fair chance the incoming Federal Govt will continue to support the heavy rail committment made by the previous Federal Government ($1.6 billion).  The issue will be when and what the State will do.  Duplication north of Beerburrum needs to get cracking pronto first.

Quote from: ozbob on October 24, 2022, 16:49:54 PMThere is a fair chance the incoming Federal Govt will continue to support the heavy rail committment made by the previous Federal Government ($1.6 billion).  The issue will be when and what the State will do.  Duplication north of Beerburrum needs to get cracking pronto first.

Take the wasted $ from Bruce Highway Upgrade and fund this now plus also save 100 homes and poilce/ambo station from destruction.

https://twitter.com/Jeffrey_Addison/status/1584366672324202497

The Hon. Catherine King MP, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government liked my tweet within minutes of it being re-issued today at 12:00pm.
It was first tweeted on 31 May 2022.

Good news the feds, (having liked my tweet thanking them for saying they will fund Maroochydore rail), will honour the $1.6 billion to fund (50%) it.
Question is, will the state be dragged kicking and screaming again to fund a Sunshine Coast rail project?

https://twitter.com/Jeffrey_Addison/status/1584485651357274113

Interview at around 5:15pm, Monday 24 October 2022.

Quote from: Fares_Fair on October 24, 2022, 20:31:09 PMhttps://twitter.com/Jeffrey_Addison/status/1584366672324202497

The Hon. Catherine King MP, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government liked my tweet within minutes of it being re-issued today at 12:00pm.
It was first tweeted on 31 May 2022.

Good news the feds, (having liked my tweet thanking them for saying they will fund Maroochydore rail), will honour the $1.6 billion to fund (50%) it.
Question is, will the state be dragged kicking and screaming again to fund a Sunshine Coast rail project?

I hope that was not an accidental Like by a staffer!!

We will know for sure tomorrow night.
It is still up tonight - if it was an error I reckon they would have 'unliked' it before now.

Ms King, the Minister is definitely on my Christmas card list from here on in.

I'd like to explain to her the benefits of duplicating the North Coast Rail rail to Landsborough North since the current Queensland Minister seems unable to achieve anything up here to date without Federal money.

This from the National Faster Rail Agency website.
It's a go-er.

https://www.nfra.gov.au/projects

Project funding
2022-23 Budget Commitments

Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast (Beerwah to Maroochydore Rail Extension)

The Australian Government has committed $1.6 billion to deliver a new 37km rail line from Beerwah to the key regional centre of Maroochydore, including new proposed stations at locations such as Kawana and Caloundra.

The Sunshine Coast region is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. The new line will open up mass transit accessibility to the Sunshine Coast and deliver a step change in public transport services. This will reduce congestion on road transport corridors along the Sunshine Coast and to Brisbane. The project will be built along the Caloundra and Maroochydore Corridor Options Study (CAMCOS) corridor that was preserved in 2001 by the Queensland Government.

The Sunshine Coast will be a key centre of activity during the 2032 Olympics. Faster rail to the Sunshine Coast will play an important role in the fast and efficient mass transit movement of athletes, media, spectators and officials during the Games.

It's going to be very funny if the feds go "here's 1.6 billion, start building next year" and state is basically blindsided.

Interview ABC SEQ Drive (Sunshine Coast) with Host Annie Gaffney and Jeff Addison RBoT

Topic:  Possible funding in Federal Budget for DSCL (CAMCOS) heavy rail

Interview --> https://backontrack.org/docs/abcsc/abcsc_ja_24oct22.mp3 MP3 2MB

====

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1584556027592445953

FF, do you know if this a recent web page update?

I had a look at the source code and it is undated unfortunately.

Quote from: Fares_Fair on October 24, 2022, 21:28:31 PMThis from the National Faster Rail Agency website.
It's a go-er.

https://www.nfra.gov.au/projects

Project funding
2022-23 Budget Commitments

Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast (Beerwah to Maroochydore Rail Extension)

The Australian Government has committed $1.6 billion to deliver a new 37km rail line from Beerwah to the key regional centre of Maroochydore, including new proposed stations at locations such as Kawana and Caloundra.

The Sunshine Coast region is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. The new line will open up mass transit accessibility to the Sunshine Coast and deliver a step change in public transport services. This will reduce congestion on road transport corridors along the Sunshine Coast and to Brisbane. The project will be built along the Caloundra and Maroochydore Corridor Options Study (CAMCOS) corridor that was preserved in 2001 by the Queensland Government.

The Sunshine Coast will be a key centre of activity during the 2032 Olympics. Faster rail to the Sunshine Coast will play an important role in the fast and efficient mass transit movement of athletes, media, spectators and officials during the Games.

I tried to find the date to no avail...
however an internet archive search shows it was changed on the 5 March 2022 and the 18 October 2022.
The election was on 21 May.

It's in the bag!

 

Quote from: aldonius on October 24, 2022, 23:33:40 PMIt's going to be very funny if the feds go "here's 1.6 billion, start building next year" and state is basically blindsided.

State being blindsided by the Feds to build rail is like how everyone was just blindsided by the State to widen a highway. What goes around comes around hey?

It wouldn't be the first time.
Gillard put up funding for the MBRL which forced the state to come up with funds to build it and duplicate the Pine Rivers bridge.

Sunshine Coast News --> Will political disconnect impact Olympics success on the Coast?

Discussion re Federal Budget see --> https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?msg=263796

No funding in the budget for the DSCL, although some vague commitments.  Follow the link.

Neither the Qld State govt nor new Fed govt have any interest in taking Qld public transit [particularly RAIL] seriously...have a snooze and check back in a few years, maybe something may have changed....but given the lack of quality opposition, I have grave doubts....sad times for Queensland!

Having a Qld based Treasurer sure amounted to ZIP...both Vic and NSW took most of the coin last night, every other state in real tems did better too.....even Tassie did proportionlly heaps better than Qld!

  

https://twitter.com/Jeffrey_Addison/status/1584873314656616449

Hon Minister Catherine King's reply (Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government)

https://twitter.com/CatherineKingMP/status/1584997881127514112

I have the utmost and highest respect for this Labor Minister.
She was true to her word.
I value that more than anything.

My concerns..

https://twitter.com/Jeffrey_Addison/status/1585024303636283392

I don't think length correlates with construction time though, you can have multiple works packages a longer project.
Just a matter of how busy the industry is. Hopefully with CRR winding up they could have crews go onto this and LCGFR.

Quote from: Gazza on October 26, 2022, 16:32:56 PMI don't think length correlates with construction time though, you can have multiple works packages a longer project.
Just a matter of how busy the industry is. Hopefully with CRR winding up they could have crews go onto this and LCGFR.

I respectfully disagree.
I work in the Engineering Construction industry.
Both Springfield line and Redcliffe Peninsula line took 3 years to build (construction time only - not planning) around 13km of track, both at 4.3km/year.

MBRL was 6 years total including planning time, from when Prime Minister Julie Gillard signed off on it in 2010 to opening in October 2016.
The first tranche of Federal money is due in 2026 FY.

You reckon this mob could build 37km of track in less than 6 years at 6.2km/year.
B2N heavy rail works haven't even started 4 years after it was first funded.

It would take a miracle of manpower and skill.

Ted O'Brien one month ago:

Mr Bailey seems to sometimes fudge the term 'Sunshine Coast' so that when he talks about rail to the 'Sunshine Coast' that could be Caloundra ... good enough, hey. Mr Bailey also uses the term 'the extension towards the coast'. It may be that when the Olympics rolls around Beerwah-Caloundra is all that realistically can be built, with shuttle buses running from there to Maroochydore / Olympic venues.

Sent to all outlets:

Re: Federal Budget is a flop for rail in Queensland

26th October 2022

Update: 

Minister King has responded to a query from RBoT Member.

With respect to the heavy rail Beerwah to Maroochydore:

" The money remains in the budget. First appears in last year of forwards as realistically it will take time to do. We will work with the QLD a state Government on business case and actual costs of the project. "

https://twitter.com/CatherineKingMP/status/1584997881127514112

Quote from: ozbob on October 26, 2022, 04:05:34 AMSent to all outlets:

Federal Budget is a flop for rail in Queensland

26th October 2022

Good Morning,

The 2022-23 Federal Government's Budget ( https://budget.gov.au/index.htm ) leaves heavy rail, and particularly the Sunshine Coast out of the picture in Queensland.

There were hopes of a real commitment to heavy rail from Beerwah to Maroochydore.  Some confused commentary suggesting it is in the budget, but it is not in the budget.

It would be good if the Hon. Catherine King MP Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government would clarify the situation.

Time is ticking by, unless things start to occur to address the significant infrastructure deficit with rail and public transport in Queensland ( 2032 Olympics & Public Transport - No, there is not plenty of time ...  https://railbotforum.org/yourls/21 ), the Olympic Games will be a flop as we grind to a halt in SEQ.

Farce!

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

Quote from: Gazza on October 26, 2022, 16:32:56 PMI don't think length correlates with construction time though, you can have multiple works packages a longer project.
Just a matter of how busy the industry is. Hopefully with CRR winding up they could have crews go onto this and LCGFR.

I'm not sure where Logan Gold Coast Faster Rail is at at the moment.

Courier-Mail
October 26, 2022 - 5:11AM

Two major rail projects — the $1.6bn Sunshine Coast rail extension and the $1.1bn Kuraby- Beenleigh Faster Rail upgrade — were not mentioned in the budget.

But Treasury bureaucrats on Tuesday said the project to connect Beerwah to Maroochydore remained in the budget, though no further detail has been provided.

The fate of the Kuraby-Beenleigh Faster Rail upgrade, noted in the March budget as "critical to meet the demand of projected population growth" and for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, is unknown.

Labor's budget razor gang noted it had saved billions by killing the National Faster Rail Agency.

Rail investment funding allocated to Queensland into 2025/26 is $300m less than it was in the March budget.

https://collections.slq.qld.gov.au/viewer/IE2847565

Landsborough Railway Station, 1907

What Infrastructure Australia says:

"The challenging terrain in sections of the proposed route, the presence of environmentally sensitive sites within the project area, and the level of design detail present project delivery risks."

It is not just a question of laying track, but building tunnels too:

"A total of 650 metres of tunnels, including a tunnel at Little Mountain, north of Caloundra."

QuoteWhat Infrastructure Australia says:

"The challenging terrain in sections of the proposed route, the presence of environmentally sensitive sites within the project area, and the level of design detail present project delivery risks."

It is not just a question of laying track, but building tunnels too:

"A total of 650 metres of tunnels, including a tunnel at Little Mountain, north of Caloundra."

Could it be SkyRail?

Quote from: #Metro on October 26, 2022, 19:20:54 PM

QuoteWhat Infrastructure Australia says:

"The challenging terrain in sections of the proposed route, the presence of environmentally sensitive sites within the project area, and the level of design detail present project delivery risks."

It is not just a question of laying track, but building tunnels too:

"A total of 650 metres of tunnels, including a tunnel at Little Mountain, north of Caloundra."

Could it be SkyRail?

If its a mountain, how does skyrail help?

The idea with rail is to reduce gradients, not increase them.



Note this drawing is not to scale.

Oh wait, did you mean Skyrail like the one in cairns going over the hill?
But why would you do that either. There is no possible way to match heavy rail capacity if you introduce a skyrail ride over the mountain.



Can you clarify if you meant a very tall and long bridge over little mountain, or a cableway?

Quote from: Gazza on October 26, 2022, 20:24:50 PM

Quote from: #Metro on October 26, 2022, 19:20:54 PM

QuoteWhat Infrastructure Australia says:

"The challenging terrain in sections of the proposed route, the presence of environmentally sensitive sites within the project area, and the level of design detail present project delivery risks."

It is not just a question of laying track, but building tunnels too:

"A total of 650 metres of tunnels, including a tunnel at Little Mountain, north of Caloundra."

Could it be SkyRail?

If its a mountain, how does skyrail help?

The idea with rail is to reduce gradients, not increase them.



Note this drawing is not to scale.

Does it link into the Geebung maglev?

Ok, time to go outside and play 

I was mainly referring to environmentally sensitive areas, but hey...

Quote from: Stillwater on October 26, 2022, 17:23:02 PMMr Bailey seems to sometimes fudge the term 'Sunshine Coast' so that when he talks about rail to the 'Sunshine Coast' that could be Caloundra ... good enough, hey. Mr Bailey also uses the term 'the extension towards the coast'. It may be that when the Olympics rolls around Beerwah-Caloundra is all that realistically can be built, with shuttle buses running from there to Maroochydore / Olympic venues.

He is very careful with what he says about the project.
That's why it was renamed the Direct Sunshine Coast Line - the less precise the better.
I fear that they will only want to build to Caloundra - for Jason Hunt MP's sake.
Tough bickies to the MP for Nicklin Robert Skelton or will they duplicate to Nambour now that they have a seat there. I hope they do.
Not to do so will be bye bye Nicklin.
It was won by 84 votes.

QuoteI fear that they will only want to build to Caloundra - for Jason Hunt MP's sake.

I mean, I don't want to put the idea in anyone's head that they should stage it to Caloundra and Maroochydore.
The mayor is rightly going to want it all the way to Maroochydore to support the CBD and the new entertainment/convention centre.

But, if the Government said that they can do the first stage cheap to Caloundra, and the next stage with the tunnels etc they dont have the money for.....I could live with that for a few yearas, since it at least prevents Aura becoming a car dependent sh%thole, and it would immediately cut 20 mins off journey times for everyone, which is a good try.

But in the meantime, the messaging should be to build all the way to Maroochydore, and let any ideas for staging come from within government.