RAIL - Back On Track Forum

We will never know a breakdown of costs so long as the state government uses the 'commercial in confidence' get-out card.

Quote from: Stillwater on March 11, 2024, 21:17:37 PMWe will never know a breakdown of costs so long as the state government uses the 'commercial in confidence' get-out card.

Yo, the secret state rolls on sadly.  The big plan to release Cabinet-In-Confidence documents after 30 days is rather meaningless in these contexts, they just play the 'commercial in confidence' card.

The political optics appear to be this: With the state election approaching at the end of the year, the ALP will come out with a whole lot of infrastructure promises around the Olympics and also re the DSCL. They will say something like "only Labor has money on the table and a firm plan to build heavy rail to the Sunshine Coast" (in reality to Caloundra only). If IA gives the nod to the project and recommends more fed money, state Labor will be in a position to say the project is 'shovel ready'. And I suppose voters will have to endure yet another dirt-turning ceremony photo opportunity with Marty Hunt front and centre. Clearly the ALP believes Nicklin is lost, given its lack of spruiking about the NCL rail upgrade to Nambour.

Things roll on as they are should IA postpone its decision until after the state election, saying something along the lines of "this is a complex project that requires detailed analysis and more time" ....

What if before the election IA says the project is a dud (low BCR) and should not receive additional federal funding? The state should pay for the cost, less the $1.6 billion the feds have reserved/promised already. This then becomes a bit of a fed Labor versus state Labor dust-up, which would suit the LNP. It could say 'Labor gets the line to Caloundra maybe one day. WE can get it all the way to Maroochydore."

There is a lot more to play out here without a single sleeper or rail being put down.

Meanwhile, back at Beerburrum to Beerwah ...... . The sound of crickets.

Maybe the strategy was to submit a poor business case, cause IA to reject it, which will trigger another decades long funding battle drama with another level of govt.

https://x.com/yitgordon/status/1767191126090383387?s=46&t=EDszjTErsxTIqAna7yuP-w

Just not listening or caring are they!!

From the Business Case summary:

"Yards for stabling and maintenance of trains have been designed at Beerwah South and Birtinya."

Seems to be first mention of 'Beerwah South'. How far south, I wonder ... and what is entailed. Will we see same issues as occurred at Woombye?

The Pineapple --> Questions raised about business case for Sunshine Coast Rail Line

Could I suggest this feature on the Rbot facebook page? 

Quote from: #Metro on March 13, 2024, 11:23:21 AMCould I suggest this feature on the Rbot facebook page? 

It has been added to the relevant post.

Quote from: ozbob on March 13, 2024, 10:53:05 AMThe Pineapple --> Questions raised about business case for Sunshine Coast Rail Line

This article has been updated with Minister Mellish's comments, and a correction to mine.

Pineapple News story.

Qld Govt committed 'an initial $2.75 billion,' not $2.5 billion.

monestised is a typo, second occurrence in Mr Mellish's comments.

Hansard 7 March 2024
A call to release the FULL business case for the Direct #SunshineCoast Rail Line (#dscrl) (#dsc)

Mr BLEIJIE: Mr Speaker, I rise to a point of order. I seek leave to move a motion without notice
requiring the minister to release the full Sunshine Coast direct rail business case.

Mr SPEAKER: No. Member, you will need to seek leave to move a motion.

LEAVE TO MOVE MOTION
Mr BLEIJIE (Kawana—LNP) (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (11.23 am): I seek leave to move
a motion without notice—
Mr SPEAKER: No. Member, you will need to seek leave to move a motion before going into the
motion. It is not an opportunity to try to get that on the record.
Mr BLEIJIE: I seek leave to move a motion without notice.
Division: Question put—That leave be granted.
AYES, 30:
LNP, 26—Bates, Bennett, Bleijie, Boothman, Crisafulli, Gerber, Head, Janetzki, Krause, Langbroek, Last, Leahy, Lister,
McDonald, Mickelberg, Millar, Minnikin, Nicholls, O'Connor, Perrett, Purdie, Rowan, Simpson, Stevens, Watts, Weir.
KAP, 2 —Dametto, Knuth.
PHON, 1—Andrew.
Ind, 1—Bolton.
NOES, 45:
ALP, 45 —Bailey, Boyd, Brown, Bush, Butcher, Crawford, de Brenni, Dick, Enoch, Farmer, Fentiman, Furner, Gilbert,
Grace, Harper, Healy, Hinchliffe, Hunt, Kelly, A. King, S. King, Lauga, Linard, Lui, Martin, McCallum, McMahon, McMillan, Mellish,
Miles, Mullen, O'Rourke, Power, Pugh, Richards, Russo, Ryan, Saunders, Scanlon, Skelton, Smith, Stewart, Sullivan, Walker,
Whiting.
Pairs: D'Ath, Camm; Howard, Molhoek; Pease, Hart; Tantari, Robinson.

Resolved in the negative.

Does the Infrastructure Australia review require the release of the full business case at all?

I also wonder if the low benefit-cost ratio is related to the interurban or regional rail character of the proposal? There haven't been lots of these lines on the East Coast in a while, compared to more suburban and shorter extensions. Also a smaller target market to win modeshare from as well.

Quote from: Beams Road Motorway on March 16, 2024, 01:28:54 AMDoes the Infrastructure Australia review require the release of the full business case at all?

No, IA never publish the full business case or require its release.  That is the domain of the referring jurisdiction.

QuoteI also wonder if the low benefit-cost ratio is related to the interurban or regional rail character of the proposal? There haven't been lots of these lines on the East Coast in a while, compared to more suburban and shorter extensions. Also a smaller target market to win modeshare from as well.

Partly, also the present market mode share is a factor.  The ' formula ' for doing the Cost Benefit Analysis which includes the BCR is not very favourable for a situation like PT on the Sunny Coast. For this reason additional measures were done as part of the business case submitted to IA, including case studies.  This is mentioned in the DSCRL Detailed Business Case Summary.  I am hopeful it will get IA support despite the low BCRs.

The dominant / main benefits are generally time savings to both the user and motorists.

This in turn depends on speed, frequency of service, and all-mode total passenger catchment.

Do we know what basic frequency they used?

See, the main difference between Perth projects and us is that basic service frequency. The engineering/high car use/low density is not exceptional in Perth.

I'd be curious to know what they used, and they would have that because to calculate time saving, you need a patronage, which in turn depends on that service frequency.

The low BCR could reflect QLD's tendency to not use infrastructure assets intensively, or connect them with bus/P&R well.

As for mode share, could they use the Gold Coast figures?

Quote from: Stillwater on March 18, 2024, 18:48:56 PMThe most important sentence in Graham Quirks Olympic venues report should be printed in red, the type bolded and underlined. It reads: "At this time of high-cost escalation, quicker delivery means much lower cost." Don't Sunshine Coast residents waiting years for the CAMCOS/DSCL project to be delivered know that to be true.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/leave-it-to-the-experts-lnp-plans-to-take-stadium-decision-making-out-of-politicians-hands-20240318-p5fddd.html

" ... Bleijie said a Crisafulli government would leave such decisions to a newly established independent infrastructure delivery authority.

"This must be taken out of the hands of the politicians and put in the hands of people with expertise that will be able to get value for money and ensure all Queenslanders can go on a positive journey to the Olympic and Paralympic Games," he said.

"We also must ensure, as we have promised, infrastructure delivery, like the Sunshine Coast heavy passenger rail – not finishing at Caloundra, but right the way through to Maroochydore.

"... So we will say to the independent delivery infrastructure authority that we set up, that is our priority for Queenslanders, that is our priority to make sure these Games deliver generational infrastructure that has not been and will not be delivered under the Labor government. ... "

Quote from: #Metro on March 16, 2024, 11:06:42 AMThe dominant / main benefits are generally time savings to both the user and motorists.

This in turn depends on speed, frequency of service, and all-mode total passenger catchment.

Do we know what basic frequency they used?

See, the main difference between Perth projects and us is that basic service frequency. The engineering/high car use/low density is not exceptional in Perth.

I'd be curious to know what they used, and they would have that because to calculate time saving, you need a patronage, which in turn depends on that service frequency.

The low BCR could reflect QLD's tendency to not use infrastructure assets intensively, or connect them with bus/P&R well.

As for mode share, could they use the Gold Coast figures?

For frequency they would have done varying levels. Nothing that would have locked them in. CAMCOS copied a lot of the original Gold Coast theories. Single track vs dual track. Internally some within QR wanted dual but treasury and the yes men that were coming through were wanting single track on costs as the state had several other projects running such as the inner city upgrade, ncl upgrades and new rollingstock (already having issues with total fleet numbers). When CAMCOS came around it had a similar problem and the original design consultation redlected this with single and dual track planning.

Couriermail --> 'Poor location': No funding for transport to Premier's chosen Olympics stadium $

QuoteImproving public transport to the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre would cost at least $400m amid new revelations the state government has little idea how it would be funded. ...

... Public transport advocate Robert Dow of Rail Back on Track said QSAC was in a "poor location" with no high-capacity transport.

"Local governments and the community got behind the Olympics with the implicit understanding that we were going to get a visionary infrastructure boost to support the growth of southeast Queensland," he said.

"So far all we have seen is cutbacks.

"We're not even getting rail to Maroochydore after decades of government procrastination, and little else is on the table either."

https://x.com/JarrodBleijieMP/status/1770680117066608656?s=20

Is building to Maroochydoore by 2032 even possible?

Quote from: Habitant on March 23, 2024, 00:53:25 AMIs building to Maroochydoore by 2032 even possible?

Highly unlikely IMHO.  We are still waiting for the track amplification north of Beerburrum that was going to be completed in 2012!

As Bob said highly unlikely. And that goes for whatever party is in Government. The lnp have chosen their words wisely as they know this. Even if you did you also need the trains and associated infrastructure to stow, run and maintain them. You also start getting to the point where you might also consider 9 car trains to boost capacity with less rollingstock and crew usage which only further adds fuel to the total cost fire as stations get extended (which has been planned for already and can be done with temp platforms).

https://x.com/ozbob13/status/1772378053823619162?s=20

" The LNP's unfunded promise to build Sunshine Coast Rail to Maroochydore will leave a $6bn black hole that will require savage cuts to other critical, congestion busting projects."  Mellish Transport Minister.

In effect we won't deliver rail to Maroochydore, so let's attack those who might ' !

https://couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/nightmare-queenslands-schoolzone-highways-create-gridlock/news-story/77c202ca43f0470300902f69a89815f6

#qldpol  #owngoalbyLabor

If blue team promise for the *same* project that red team is promising is unfunded, doesn't that logically also mean that red team's proposal is also unfunded as well?

I mean, it is the same project were are talking about, right? Same alignment, same trains, same stops.

 

https://x.com/railmaps/status/1772395270283677798?s=20

Sent to all outlets:

Easter Sunday 1st April 2029 - Beerwah to Caloundra railway opens!  A future look ...

RAIL Back On Track (https://backontrack.org) has welcomed the successful opening of the Direct Sunshine Coast Line (DSCRL) to Caloundra.

"The public open day last weekend and the first day of revenue operations yesterday have so far gone very well." RBoT spokesperson Robert Dow said.

The line is built to maintain a high average speed (about 160 km/h) and has widely spaced stops to maintain a train speed competitive against cars on motorways. We welcome the frequent feeder bus network and paid Park and Ride facilities at Nirimba and Caloundra.

A high-frequency limited stop express feeder bus Route 696 will travel from Caloundra to Maroochydore every 15 minutes or better from 7 am - 7 pm to act in place of Stages 2 and 3 of the train line until these stages are built as rail.

"We love the fact that commuters can go to the future train station sites at Aroona, Birtinya and Mountain creek, park in the future station car park which has already been built ahead of time, and catch the express bus to Caloundra to connect to the train."

Unlike the experience with the Redcliffe Peninsula line many years ago, we are also very pleased that services today have run smoothly with no disruptions. The signalling is working as it should, there are adequate train crew and new trains to run the actual services.

The engagement of the staff from the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia in a paid consultant capacity has also been very helpful. They have suggested starting with a higher service frequency from Day 1 and ways to improve the overall benefit-cost ratio for the project.

We are very appreciative of the 15-minute all day train frequency that the Queensland Government has adopted from Day 1. We strongly commend the Transport Minister for announcing that this frequency will also apply on Saturdays and Sundays, similar to how Perth's longer-distance Mandurah and Joondalup lines run.

Unlike Greater Brisbane, Perth runs trains to every train station every 15 minutes all day, including on weekends (except Thornlie on Sundays). Perth has achieved higher train patronage than Queensland Rail in Brisbane and public transport use is also higher in Perth on a per-capita adjusted basis as well.

The total cost of Stage 1 of the project was $1.9 billion to Caloundra, a per-km unit cost of $100 million/km. The overall BCR was 1.1. We believe this represents excellent value for both the taxpayer and the people of Queensland.

Well done Queensland Government on the DSCRL which has been delivered on time, on budget, and with a high all day service frequency as promised. We look forward to the opening of Stages 2 to Birtinya and 3 to Maroochydore as rail, and a successful Brisbane 2032 Olympics that this line will support.

Reference:
 
Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line
A new rail line to connect our communities
https://www.yoursay-projects.tmr.qld.gov.au/direct-sunshine-coast-rail

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

Facebook ...

https://x.com/railbotforum/status/1774157329271001194?s=20

  

Couriermail --> Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to 'work cooperatively' with states, but refuses to commit $

QuoteDespite visiting Queensland yesterday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has refused to commit to chipping in more cash to save under-pressure transport projects that have blown-out by billions of dollars.

Queensland's blown-out major road and rail projects are under a cloud after the federal government repeatedly refused to commit to chipping in more cash to save the under-pressure plans.

With costs on the Coomera Connector skyrocketing by more than $860m and the estimated price of the Sunshine Coast Rail rising several billion dollars, the Miles Government has been publicly pleading with the federal government to go 50:50 on the increased costs.

But during a visit to Queensland on Tuesday Prime Minister Anthony Albanese refused to commit to funding the major blowouts – and would only say he would "work cooperatively" with the states. ...

https://x.com/ozbob13/status/1775208227090960393?s=20

That new bus interchange eastern side of Landsborough station might be handy hey ... 

Uh oh 

Maroochydore Line not on the National Land Transport Network. SCL/NCL is. Qld governments are not clever or creative enough to negotiate a financial deal whereby the feds put extra money into the duplication to Nambour (replacing some money the state otherwise would have to cough up), with the 'savings' the state makes transferred across to the DSCL.

Queensland Parliament Questions on Notice

https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/tableOffice/questionsAnswers/2024/130-2024.pdf

Question on Notice
No. 130
Asked on 5 March 2024

MR J BLEIJIE ASKED MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT AND MAIN ROADS AND MINISTER FOR
DIGITAL SERVICES (HON B MELLISH)

QUESTION:

Will the Minister release the full business case for the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line project in
the interest of openness and transparency and if not, why not?

ANSWER:

I thank the Member for Kawana for the question.

On 7 March 2024, a summary of the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line project business case was
released. It is available for the public to view on the community engagement webpage at
www.yoursay-projects.tmr.qld.gov.au/direct-sunshine-coast-rail.

The business case summary includes information about the technical solution, construction
challenges, engineering complexities and cost estimates.

As is industry practice, full business cases are not released when they contain information that is
commercial-in-confidence. Even Infrastructure Australia does not usually release full business
cases and, if so, not until after contracts have been signed and the project is underway. This is
because releasing the full business case will impact the competitive tender process with industry,
influence commercial negotiations and see taxpayers charged a premium for this project.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads will continue to publish comprehensive project
information on its website as it becomes available.

Queensland Parliament Questions on Notice

https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/tableOffice/questionsAnswers/2024/166-2024.pdf

Question on Notice
No. 166
Asked on 6 March 2024

MR J BLEIJIE ASKED MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT AND MAIN ROADS AND MINISTER FOR
DIGITAL SERVICES (HON B MELLISH)

QUESTION:

With reference to the government's decision to end the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line at
Caloundra—
Will the Minister advise (a) what road transport enhancements are planned for Caloundra Road
to cater for the additional traffic heading to the rail station, (b) how many car parks will be available
at the Caloundra rail station, (c) how many vehicles are estimated to be travelling from the
Northern suburbs in the Kawana and Maroochydore Electorates to Caloundra to access the train
station that under Labor's plan finishes at Caloundra and (d) whether 'Games Lanes' will be
implemented during the Olympic and Paralympic Games to link the Caloundra station to venues
and the Olympic Village?

ANSWER:

I reject the premise of the question. The Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line is being built in stages,
between Beerwah and Maroochydore. This is the approach recommended by industry experts
and reflects the findings of the detailed business case.

The Queensland Government's $2.75 billion contribution to the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line
project, subject to matched funding from the Australian Government, includes:

. building 19 kilometres of new rail from Beerwah to Caloundra
. going to market for Caloundra to Birtinya to understand delivery timeframes and costs
associated with this complex section of the project
. protecting the updated corridor alignment to Maroochydore
. ongoing environmental, geotechnical, and site investigations.

Stage 1 to Caloundra will see over half of the line constructed by 2032, including track, bridges,
stations, new bus facilities and active transport connections.

This significant funding commitment from the Queensland Government also includes detailed
geotechnical investigations to inform design and construction methods for the proposed tunnel at
Little Mountain, and further environmental and survey work to inform the design for bridges that
will cross the creeks between Aroona and Birtinya. This is necessary work to de-risk future stages
and will provide a clearer construction timeline between Caloundra and Birtinya.

Protecting this updated alignment will also make it easier to build future stages of the project, and
enables planning work to continue with more certainty.

Staged delivery of the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line project means passengers can start
accessing reliable and fast rail services sooner, in a region that has the second highest car
ownership rate in Australia. The Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line is the longest rail project
undertaken in South East Queensland (SEQ) in over 15 years.

(a) No new major road projects will be required to support the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line
project. However, local road upgrades are included in the initial funding envelope. This
includes:

1. adding more indented bus bays around stations
2. improving active transport connectivity to and from stations
3. connecting local roads to the park ʽnʼ ride facilities.

To provide a new rail line with no level crossings, some roads will also require separation
from the rail corridor, for example, rail and road overpasses. These works are also included
in the funding envelope.

In proximity to Caloundra station, the Queensland Government has also committed
$2.5 million to progress a business case for the Caloundra Road, Pelican Waters Boulevard
intersection. This work will determine the best transport outcomes – to improve safety and
reduce congestion at this location, regardless of the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line
project. However, any upgrades to this intersection will improve traffic flows around the
proposed station.

As already outlined in community consultation, and on the public project website, Caloundra
station is proposed to have two access points to the local road network. One from Pelican
Waters Boulevard and the other from Caloundra Road. This will assist in managing vehicles
around the station.

In addition, it is expected many people will access the rail stations via connecting bus
services. An enhanced bus network is being planned as a part of the Direct Sunshine Coast
Rail Line project, and will ensure that communities around the Sunshine Coast have
convenient and reliable connections to their nearest rail station.

Upgrades to active transport facilities and new active travel options will mean that people
can also choose to walk or ride to their nearest station. This helps mitigate local traffic
impacts and provides health benefits to the communities surrounding the stations.

(b) The funding envelope for Stage One includes park ‛nʼ ride locations at each station.
Preliminary layouts of these park ‛nʼ ride facilities have already been shared with the public
during community consultation in November 2023 and via the project website. Initial
modelling forecasts between 500–750 spaces. The station will also include bus
interchanges, kiss ʽnʼ ride facilities and bike storage to encourage people to connect to the
station via other modes.

Further work will now be undertaken in this next stage to refine park ‛nʼ ride numbers at
Caloundra station using more detailed modelling. Park ‛nʼ ride updates will be shared with
the community as the project progresses.

(c) Modelling forecasts that approximately 200–300 vehicles will access Caloundra station
from catchments to the north, when Stage 1 opens. This has been considered in the overall
park ‛nʼ ride numbers and the design of multiple access points to the parking facility, and
the station.

(d) The Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line project will move people closer to key venues and
accommodation sites on the Sunshine Coast. This means less buses will be required
between the North Coast Line and the coastal region, as the time taken to move buses to
and from the rail network is greatly reduced. This approach is not dissimilar to Games
interchanges that were operational across SEQ to support the successful delivery of the
Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Special transport arrangements will be required to meet the unique travel needs of Brisbane
2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games (Brisbane 2032) athletes, officials and
spectators. Requirements for ‛games lanesʼ and other measures to support the reliable
movement of people during this time will be determined and refined as more information is
confirmed about the Brisbane 2032 schedule. Detailed operational plans will be developed
collaboratively between the Department of Transport and Main Roads, Sunshine Coast
Council and the Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee.

Brisbanetimes --> Mooloolaba works on hold as new mayor sets vision for Sunshine Coast $

QuoteSunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli assumed the role on Wednesday and has already asked the council how much the second stage of the Mooloolaba foreshore redevelopment will cost. ...

To do that, however, the Sunshine Coast will need infrastructure, and Natoli was quick to echo her predecessor, Mark Jamieson, in demanding a new rail line.

She said the state government had committed funding to extend it to Caloundra, through the master-planned Aura development, but the project had so far fallen short of money and expectations.

"We need it to come to Maroochydore," Natoli said, pointing to ongoing work to develop a high-tech city centre.

"Stopping at Caloundra creates other problems, such as commuters driving to Caloundra to catch a train and adding to traffic congestion. ...

Queensland Parliament Questions on Notice

https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/tableOffice/questionsAnswers/2024/198-2024.pdf

Question on Notice
No. 198
Asked on 7 March 2024

MR S MINNIKIN ASKED MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT AND MAIN ROADS AND MINISTER
FOR DIGITAL SERVICES (HON B MELLISH)

QUESTION:

With reference to reports that trains will be able to travel up to 140km/h on some sections of the
proposed Sunshine Coast Direct Rail Line—
Will the Minister advise the sections and length of each section of track that the trains will be able
to run at 140km/h?

ANSWER:
I thank the Member for Chatsworth for the question.

The proposed Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line project will deliver a new 37-kilometre passenger
rail line linking key growth areas and tourist destinations of the Sunshine Coast to Moreton Bay,
Brisbane, and beyond, via a single seat journey.

Stage 1 will see at least 19 kilometres of new rail constructed to Caloundra by 2032—over half
the corridor. Stage 1 is also proposed to include corridor protection of the revised alignment to
Maroochydore, and further investigations and market engagement for the section between
Caloundra and Birtinya.

Approximately 83 per cent of Stage 1 between Beerwah and Caloundra stations has been
designed to allow maximum speeds of greater than, or equal to, 140km/hr, based on current
concept design. That is approximately 15.8 kilometres of track that can support trains operating
at 140km/hr in Stage 1. These higher speed sections are in the Beerwah east area and where
the line traverses between Aura and Caloundra stations, behind Pelican Waters.

Hey Minnikin is actually asking useful questions.

Now can he just ask the same question for LGCFR?

https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/qld-politics/light-rail-limbo-feds-baulk-at-possible-multibilliondollar-blowout/news-story/67f4945f3302c1d7f024ba4e574485e1

Quote... Ms King also said the federal government was considering the request from the Miles government to increase its contribution from $1.6 billion to $2.75 billion for the first stage of the Sunshine Coast direct rail.

"We're working our way through the requests from the Queensland government in the upcoming budget," she said.

"We already have $1.6 billion on the table for Sunshine Coast rail, but I'm not going to pre-empt budget decisions." ...

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1778179824366002652?t=ZZzoPqV1hp5lNhuE5o0dUw&s=19

There is no mystery.

If we cannot get rail now, upgrade the bus interchange and put an express BRT line to act in place of rail until it can be built as rail.

The product is transport. Individual modes are simply a means to supply that.

Quote from: #Metro on April 11, 2024, 08:29:20 AMThere is no mystery.

If we cannot get rail now, upgrade the bus interchange and put an express BRT line to act in place of rail until it can be built as rail.

The product is transport. Individual modes are simply a means to supply that.

This should be done ASAP anyway, until the new line opens.