Hobart: Rail corridor seen as vital for city growth

[ozbob]

Mercury --> Rail corridor seen as vital for city growth

DEVELOPMENT of the disused rail corridor will be key to the future growth of Hobart and Glenorchy, says the group given the task of moving the project forward.

Hobart and Glenorchy city councils have formed a working party to look at areas around both cities that could benefit from development within the catchments of proposed stopping points for a public transit system.

Working party member Hobart aldermen Anna Reynolds, right, says the development of overlooked spaces in Hobart and Glenorchy for the stops, could be a "city-shaping, game changer".

"The State Government's looked at it from a purely transport perspective over a number of years and it's debatable whether it stacks up just on transport grounds — I think it does — but the point is what we're doing now is around whether this is an ­important project for the ­development of our cities," Alderman Reynolds said.

An in-house draft report has identified Hobart central; Macquarie Point; Peltro St, Glenorchy; Bay Rd, New Town; Albert Rd, Moonah; Derwent Park Rd, Moonah; Alcorso Drive, Berriedale; and, Box Hill Rd, Claremont, as ­potential hubs for a future transport system.

Community pressure has been building on the State and Federal governments to break Hobart's gridlock nightmare.

Hobart Lord Mayor Sue Hickey has described traffic congestion as a nightmare and said her council would continue to work with Glenorchy council on a rail corridor ­between the two cities.

Ald Reynolds believes the corridor would also open up housing opportunities.

"Is this a key way for us to grow into the future, rather than continuing to spread up the hillside or sprawl all around Hobart," she said.

A recent Infrastructure Tasmania report into the viability of a light rail system, which took in all previous feasibility reports, found a system would run at an operational loss.

However, Infrastructure Minister Rene Hidding has said the State Government will work with the councils to ­develop an understanding of land-use planning and rezoning issues for commercial and residential opportunities ­adjacent to the rail corridor.

Ald Reynolds said the group would lobby the Prime Minister for funds in the lead up to the federal election.

"We want to say the two councils are working together now and we think this is a city shaping corridor for Greater Hobart," she said.

"If the planets line up and the Federal Government sees the city building and innovative elements of this project then that would be great, but if not, we're still very keen to work with all levels of government to keep pushing this along," she said.

With Macquarie Point identified as a possible stopping point, Ald Reynolds said the working party also wanted to meet the Macquarie Point Development Corporation to better understand why it had started removing some of the rail tracks from the site.

MPDC chief executive Liz Jack said it had lifted a small portion of tracks for safety and logistic reasons.

"Where there is rail in the wrong location, yes, we'd ­rather have it ripped up so it can be reused if it needs to be by another group in the ­future," Ms Jack said.

A State Government spokes­woman said removal of the tracks was not expected to have any impact as a light rail system would most likely be a different gauge track.

Ald Reynolds said council staff would put together relevant information for a tender process to appoint a consultant to study the corridor, including potential rates capture.

[ozbob]

Rail Express --> The fight for passenger rail in Hobart

A community-based action group is advocating for a passenger rail solution in Hobart, where the only public transport option is the bus.

A decommissioned heavy rail corridor in Hobart's northern suburbs has been the focus of a community-based campaign lobbying for the instalment of a passenger rail service since 2010.

Formerly a freight rail line, the corridor was decommissioned in 2014 after the last freight train passed through Hobart.

"Since then the heavy rail track has remained idle," founder and former president of the Hobart Northern Suburbs Rail Action Group Inc (HNSRAG), Ben Johnston, told Rail Express.

The HNSRAG wants the decommissioned railway tracks to be utilised for passenger rail services rather than being converted into a bus way.

"It would be a tragedy to remove the rails from the railway, it would be a very backward step in my opinion," Johnston said.

"Keeping rails on the corridor has strategic advantages for future freight if becomes necessary again, and you keep a lot more options open than if you convert it into a busway.

"We've got the corridor, and polling shows 80 per cent community support, with Hobart now the third or fourth most congested capital city."

The Australian Automobile Association's Road Congestion in Australia report found, in 2018, the Glenorchy to Hobart CBD route, specifically, was increasing in travel time by 0.5 minutes.

When the Hobart City Deal, signed in February 2019, allocated $25 million to delivering a transport solution on the Northern Suburbs Transit Corridor, the state government undertook a study to determine the best mode for the corridor, be it a train, a bus or a trackless tram. The study will be published later in 2020 the year.

While support has been voiced for a passenger rail corridor by all three of Tasmania's state political parties at numerous elections since 2010, some in HNSRAG are not optimistic that the City Deal will result in a passenger rail service but rather that converting the corridor to a busway is now a likely option.

Ian Addison, a committee member of HNSRAG, suspects that there is support in influential circles for a "trackless tram" solution, which he says is essentially a guided bus.

"I'm very supportive of investment in buses but not of converting a rare and valuable rail corridor to a busway," Addison said.

"Unfortunately, as it currently stands, it seems very unlikely that rail will be the mode of choice for activating Hobart's rail corridor as a passenger transit route. Up till about a year ago there appeared to be good momentum building for a passenger rail service with quite a high public support as well as the main councils within Greater Hobart.

"However, the trackless tram is being promoted by its advocates as a replacement for light rail in future. I have concerns that a rail-based option, well-tailored to the particular circumstances on this corridor, will not be given appropriate consideration."

Hobart's public transport network is currently served by bus services travelling lengthy routes to the widely spread-out suburbs. Alongside the low service frequency, Hobart has some of the lowest public transport patronage in Australia.