RAIL - Back On Track Forum

Sunshine Coast Legacy Plan Community Reference Group

https://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/Experience-Sunshine-Coast/Events/Olympics2032/Olympic-reference-group


Sunshine Coast 10+10+ Vision  PDF [1375KB]

Vision flip book > here!

Sunshine Coast News --> Plan to create an 'enduring legacy for current and future generations to enjoy'

QuoteSunshine Coast Council on Tuesday launched its '10+10+ vision' for what the region should seek to achieve as a delivery partner in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The document was unveiled at Alexandra Headland with members from the Sunshine Coast 2032 Legacy Plan Community Reference Group.

The group worked with council to develop a shared vision and aspirations for the region.

Sunshine Coast Council issued a press release detailing the outcomes that will be sought:

New and improved transport systems, including the delivery by the Queensland and Federal governments of a passenger rail service from Beerwah to Maroochydore and an improved Sunshine Coast public transport system to cater for the needs of our growing population. ...

Noosa Independent MP, Sandy Bolton, continues to advocate for improved rail service to Gympie North, as part of the Olympics Legacy Projects. Here is an excerpt from her latest newsletter to constituents:

Thought provoking discussions on transport, and how we view it, were had at the QLD Futures Conversations. With the Olympics only a decade away, the key takeouts were around micro mobility solutions, automated vehicles and 'Mobility as a Service' (MaaS), which is a one application solution to get to where you need to go. On the Noosa front, the opportunity the Olympics presents is improved rail services between Brisbane and Gympie North which our office has been advocating for. View our latest Noosa 360 update regarding here:

https://www.sandybolton.com/north-coast-rail-services-including-cooroy-gympie-north-update-january-2023

She used the term 'micro mobility solutions': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micromobility

Interesting.

Has Sunshine Coast and Noosa LGAs rolled out eScooters yet?

Quotetakeouts were around micro mobility solutions, automated vehicles and 'Mobility as a Service' (MaaS), which is a one application solution to get to where you need to go

We're not going to get automated vehicles within the next 10 years.

Quote from: Stillwater on April 06, 2023, 11:12:24 AMNoosa Independent MP, Sandy Bolton, continues to advocate for improved rail service to Gympie North, as part of the Olympics Legacy Projects. Here is an excerpt from her latest newsletter to constituents:

Thought provoking discussions on transport, and how we view it, were had at the QLD Futures Conversations. With the Olympics only a decade away, the key takeouts were around micro mobility solutions, automated vehicles and 'Mobility as a Service' (MaaS), which is a one application solution to get to where you need to go. On the Noosa front, the opportunity the Olympics presents is improved rail services between Brisbane and Gympie North which our office has been advocating for. View our latest Noosa 360 update regarding here:

https://www.sandybolton.com/north-coast-rail-services-including-cooroy-gympie-north-update-january-2023

She used the term 'micro mobility solutions': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micromobility

Interesting.

Is there a reason why the Gympie North service couldn't instead terminate at Gympie Central using the old alignment? I understand the old alignment is slower for through services, but surely Gympie Central would be a better terminus for a service meant to service Gympie.

Well for starters we've *never* run electric trains into Gympie.

Coming in from the south the alignment is really very winding. Almost make you want to come in from the north. I don't think it'd be faster than the coordinated free shuttle bus but at least there'd be no need to transfer.

Yeah I don't know the exact speed but I believe the alignment through the centre of town is abysmally slow, like 10-20kph speed boards or something like that

Electrics have visited Gympie station before. Just not under electricity

QR don't own the station, they also don't own the corridor, it's all manual interlocking along with it not being electrified. That's all before you get to the issues of the alignment and transit times.

Quote from: HappyTrainGuy on April 06, 2023, 17:56:52 PMElectrics have visited Gympie station before. Just not under electricity

QR don't own the station, they also don't own the corridor, it's all manual interlocking along with it not being electrified. That's all before you get to the issues of the alignment and transit times.

Shame really. I don't think the Gympie North train would be all too appealing when you have to travel out of town to catch it.

Quote from: RowBro on April 06, 2023, 18:03:33 PM

Quote from: HappyTrainGuy on April 06, 2023, 17:56:52 PMElectrics have visited Gympie station before. Just not under electricity

QR don't own the station, they also don't own the corridor, it's all manual interlocking along with it not being electrified. That's all before you get to the issues of the alignment and transit times.

Shame really. I don't think the Gympie North train would be all too appealing when you have to travel out of town to catch it.

There was a reason for its location and that was speed. Only problem was it became political, yes men thrusted into positions and the railways turned to run as a profit business which meant future plans never transpired. By that I mean planned realignments and planned rollingstock have not happened while expansion in the coal network skyrocketed instead as that's where the money was. No extra TT's have been ordered. QT's Toowoomba TiltTrain alignment hasn't seen the light of day. Nambour-Gladstone realignments haven't been done (the tt derailment a while back was a section of track that had multiple slow curves that was to be realigned which to this day hasn't). Nambour-Landsborough quad realignment has been erased from government history. Beerburrum-Landsborough duplication and realignment gone.

Yea. I understand the need for a speedy bypass for long distance (and freight to a lesser extent) but for a local 'city' train it's really a p%ss poor location. If you're travelling long distance the extra distance to the station isnt so much an issue since presumably youd have to drive further for an airport regardless but for a commuter train it really takes away a lot of the appeal. The government should have at least retained the old alignment.

Quote from: Gazza on April 06, 2023, 13:18:52 PM

Quotetakeouts were around micro mobility solutions, automated vehicles and 'Mobility as a Service' (MaaS), which is a one application solution to get to where you need to go

We're not going to get automated vehicles within the next 10 years.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-65175447.amp

It's 170km from Brisbane so it was never really a local network commuter station. A lot needed to be spent on the old alignment to bring it up to spec so there wasn't really a need to retain it especially after all the Gympie crews were withdrawn. One of the major problems was the required replacement of the Stewart Terrace bridge as it doesn't have OHLE clearance. From what I recall the planned idea for locals wanting to get to Maryborough or Nambour/Landsborough/Brisbane was to get onto TiltTrains/ICE trains using a setup similar to the ETT Translink paper ticket fare scheme. The plans for increased services never materialised and the ICE trains when absorbed into the CityTrain network only ran as far as Cooroy with only peak hour services going to/from Gympie. Relatively speaking it's only been quite recently that services were extended from Cooroy to Gympie North (off peak) and it looks like it's going to get even worse for Gympie residents when NGR's replace the IMU100/120's once ETCS-L1 works are completed at Gympie North.

Understand that, from the south, the connection to the main line has been severed permanently. Access to Gympie town station from Gympie North runs via Banks Pocket (not electrified) and is still operational, but used mainly for wagon storage these days.

A bit of history, from this forum, posted by Colin W in 2010:

" .......electrification of the NCL between Brisbane and Rockhampton completed in 1989.  As part of the electrification, a high speed deviation bypassing Gympie was built, and Gympie station was moved out of town to North Gympie.  The original line was left as a loop line through town, servicing the Mary Valley branch to Brooloo, local freight trains from Gympie (some Kingaroy runs starting there too), and for a period the Sunlander still used the loop and called at the town station while the electric Spirit of Capricorn ICE train to Rockhampton used the new station.  With the use of 3900 class ELs on the Sunlander, the Sunlander moved to the new route as well.

"Then, in the 1990s, the Mary Valley branch closed after QR ceased hauling pineapples & timber from Melawondi around 1994.  The Mary Valley Heritage Railway was born, with a base at Gympie, and took over operations to Imbil.  At this time, the points from the NCL leading into Gympie were disconnected at the southern end of the loop.  The two lines run parallel for a short distance before the branch diverges off to Imbil, the line through Gympie now taking the form of a very circuitous branch from North Gympie to Imbil via Gympie town.

"At the northern end of the loop line there is a triangular connection at Banks Pocket.  This triangle is electrified, with the wires continuing for few hundred metres towards Gympie town.  This triangle can be used to turn ELs, and I think it is long enough to turn a complete ICE train.    The line through Gympie has been leased to MVHR, but the northern route into Gympie is still QR up to the yard limit at Gympie town.

"I therefore propose that to service Gympie it would be best to avoid taking back the heritage line from MVHR.  Nice as it would be to service Monkland and Nashville, the most practical way to get to Gympie is via the northern route into town.  Only a few km needs to be electrified, and the QR boundary moved south into the yard, with the Gympie station made a shared QR / MVHR facility.

"Electrifying the southern route into town would be much more costly, would involve complexities of taking back a significant length of preserved line, would interfere more with the MVHR's operational base, and would probably also require a significant upgrade to the bridge over the creek at Nashville."

cheers,
Colin

Interesting. Thanks for the info 

Quote from: verbatim9 on April 06, 2023, 19:32:17 PM

Quote from: Gazza on April 06, 2023, 13:18:52 PM

Quotetakeouts were around micro mobility solutions, automated vehicles and 'Mobility as a Service' (MaaS), which is a one application solution to get to where you need to go

We're not going to get automated vehicles within the next 10 years.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-65175447.amp

Didn't read the article lol:

They will have two members of staff on board.

A safety driver will sit in the driver's seat to monitor the technology, and a so-called bus captain will help passengers with boarding, buying tickets and queries.

If it still needs someone in the drivers seat to monitor it and intervene as necessary, then it's not really saving on wages.
That said, i dont mind this tech from the perspective of higher safety (in the same way that ETCS improves safety)

But, we are more than 10 years away from something like a driverless metro where there are zero staff members on board and a remote control room.