Sunshine Coast Regional Rapid Rail (R2) (Concept)

[#Metro]

Sunshine Coast Regional Rapid Rail (R2)

- Great news that Sunshine Coast Line has some funding allocated for it now
- Let's preserve the corridor all the way to Noosa

Sunshine Coast Regional Rapid Rail Corridor (R2)
- New Rollingstock capable and economical to run and maintain 150 km/hr - 200 km/hr
- Very wide station spacing (3 km minimum, 5-6 km ideal)
- Line build to 150 km/hr - 200 km/hr standards
- Main pax captured through feeder bus services (to be determined by TL)

Sunshine Coast Regional Rapid Rail (R2) Map


Edit: High speed rail is > 250 km/h. Medium speed rail 150 km/h to 250 km/h.

[Gazza]

My question is what would the corridor be around Maroochydore and the airport?

[#Metro]

Great question.

There is no train to Maroochydore Airport.

Rather a station is presented in the concept in the vicinity of the intersection of David Lowe way and the Sunshine Motorway and a connecting bus that also stops at the airport is provided to make the connection.

Similarly, the Maroochydore Station is set in the motorway corridor, and passengers will connect with that using the rapid transit service (either LRT or BRT whatever it may ultimately be).

You can see this by zooming in on the corridor in the provided map link.

  

[Gazza]

Also, I've noticed you've deviated from the CAMCOS corridor around Caloundra and Maroochydore.
Whats the reason for that?

Also, this route is labelled feeder BRT but doesnt appear to actually be feeder. Does someone in Pelican waters go all the way north to Mountain Creek to get on the fast rail?

[Gazza]

#metro any answers on the above?

[#Metro]

Thanks, I've adjusted the map for the CAMCOS corridor.

[Gazza]

What about the feeder bus?

[#Metro]

It's just a rail proposal now. 

[Gazza]

So a further thought.
In the long term, the SC network should essentially be focused around Maroochydore, with lines terminating or routing through there. Treat it like its own city rather than merely a stop on the way from Noosa to Brisbane.

I think its important that the HR line goes into the Maroochydore CBD (rather than bypassing) and really build up the area around sunshine plaza/the CBD/proposed entertainment center.
But then other LRT/BRT lines can also  terminate there with a singular major interchange.

Main lines
-Maroochydore to Brisbane
-Maroochydore to Airport and Noosa
-Maroochydore to Nambour
-Maroochydore to Caloundra

The northern line to Noosa should actually be able to swing into the airport property (like what GCLRT will do)
No point having a bus, because if you have a bus you might as well send it to Maroochydore instead of some isolated stop in Mudjimba.

At the Noosa end, I think you could terminate at Noosa Civic since all local bus routes will go to civic regardless.

In the long term i dont hold much hope for rail to noosa though because of the population cap.

[#Metro]

The current proposals place a triangular Wye or Y to reach Maroochydore.

This is expensive to construct and operationally undesirable.

We can simply get the LRT or BRT to pick up pax at Maroochydore and transport them to the rail line in the motorway corridor. Similar to how the Southport CBD is not exactly on the GC Rail line, but connected by LRT.

It's not ideal, but the Shopping Centre should have been built on the way and not offset to the major transport corridor (you can argue the same thing in Brisbane - Chermside, Indooroopilly, Garden City and Carindale are all not really on rail lines).

I expect the LRT or BRT to be the more important mode to go through the Maroochydore CBD, as that will serve local and local regional demand, and engineering wise the LRT is much more flexible to actually get into that area and through it than heavy rail.

Noosa should be on the rail line. It may not have high population, but it does have high holiday and seasonal tourist demand, which is why I included it.

[Gazza]

The current proposals place a triangular Wye or Y to reach Maroochydore.

What im saying is that the line to Noosa doesn't have to even be the same line that goes south, or even the same mode.

So we take it as a given that no matter what happens, someone has to interchange.

Eg if rail misses the maroochy cbd, you have to change onto a bus.
Or If maroochy becomes a terminus, then people on other lines have to change.

IMO, the most important thing would be to:
- give most people a single seat journey to the Maroochy CBD.
- have a good 'grand central' station with multiple modes.


As the recent consulation stated, over 95% of trips start and end within the sunshine coast, so the PT network should reflect that.

Its not too different to if someone from Nundah wished to get to Buranda. They change at Roma St, even though its a broadly southbound journey.

[Arnz]

If anything, If Noosa is to get heavy rail, it may be better suited branching off separately somewhere between Eumundi/North Arm and Cooroy, and to merge the Noosa branch into the Nambour shuttles. 

Perhaps separate 'direct' services between Roma Street and Noosa in peak, similar to the existing 'GympieLander' could work if they are able to get the via Northgate slots for them.   As theoretically all CAMCOS services would be using the CRR, whilst any 'direct' NCL services (Long Distance and any potential interurban services) beyond Beerwah post-CAMCOS will likely be via Northgate.

As for the internal Maroochydore to Noosa trips, I would say Bus Priority Lanes on the cheap, although putting Light Rail between MCY and Noosa has its challenges due to the hilly terrain on the populated coast between Coolum and Noosa.

[Jonno]

The current proposals place a triangular Wye or Y to reach Maroochydore.

What im saying is that the line to Noosa doesn't have to even be the same line that goes south, or even the same mode.

So we take it as a given that no matter what happens, someone has to interchange.

Eg if rail misses the maroochy cbd, you have to change onto a bus.
Or If maroochy becomes a terminus, then people on other lines have to change.

IMO, the most important thing would be to:
- give most people a single seat journey to the Maroochy CBD.
- have a good 'grand central' station with multiple modes.


As the recent consulation stated, over 95% of trips start and end within the sunshine coast, so the PT network should reflect that.

Its not too different to if someone from Nundah wished to get to Buranda. They change at Roma St, even though its a broadly southbound journey.

If Frankfurt Main Hauptbahnhof can be a Y station (not sure the technical term) then Maroochydore CBD can be too.

Frankfurt is the third-busiest railway station outside Japan and the second-busiest in Germany after Hamburg.

I do note - " The station's terminal layout has posed some unique problems ever since the late 20th century, since all trains have to change directions and reverse out of the station to continue on to their destination. This causes long turn-around times and places the passengers in the opposite direction of where they had been sitting".

Having travelled through, to and from this station a number of times the dwell times feel like a blessing actually. A bit of calm in a busy station.   

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurt_(Main)_Hauptbahnhof

[#Metro]

A Wye will slow the service right down, introduce long dwells as drivers walk through the train to the other cabin to drive it out, and force a break in though-routed trips.

Will it also mean crossing conflicts as trains arriving and pull out switch tracks?

It's also expensive to construct and not necessary if there is a light rail connection.

[Gazza]

Could you have two trains (or a train and tram) that meet with cross platform interchange?

[Rail Rookie]

Could the general high frequency bus route from Nambour - Maroochydore route be made into Heavy Rail? So Maroochydore station would be around officeworks and it would continue to Nambour where turnback facility could be created?

[#Metro]

I can't wait for the SC line to be built. Caboolture terminators can be extended to the new Maroochydore line.

An observation though - It takes almost an hour to get the train ex Roma Street to Caboolture, going to Maroochydore and beyond would easily add another hour, then you have the wait time, connections, etc.

It would be good to be able to cut this time right down.

[Arnz]

Could the general high frequency bus route from Nambour - Maroochydore route be made into Heavy Rail? So Maroochydore station would be around officeworks and it would continue to Nambour where turnback facility could be created?

The 610 between Nambour and Maroochydore / Plaza isn't really considered 'high frequency'.  30 mins on weekdays and hourly on weekends.

I can't wait for the SC line to be built. Caboolture terminators can be extended to the new Maroochydore line.

An observation though - It takes almost an hour to get the train ex Roma Street to Caboolture, going to Maroochydore and beyond would easily add another hour, then you have the wait time, connections, etc.

Ideally, the Maroochydore/Sunshine Coast trains should be running express Beerwah to Albion (in absence of Trouts Road), stopping only at Caboolture, Petrie and Eagle Junction.
Extend the every 2nd Caboolture terminator to Beerwah (or even Nambour) on the current stopping patterns.

Though realistically, it's probably likely that Caboolture and Maroochydore may be tiered (again), but with the Caboolture to Petrie leg expressed for Maroochydore terminators.

[SurfRail]

Main lines
-Maroochydore to Brisbane
-Maroochydore to Airport and Noosa
-Maroochydore to Nambour
-Maroochydore to Caloundra

Chuck in Sippy Downs / Palmview to Kawana as well.

[Arnz]

Main lines
-Maroochydore to Brisbane
-Maroochydore to Airport and Noosa
-Maroochydore to Nambour
-Maroochydore to Caloundra

Chuck in Sippy Downs / Palmview to Kawana as well.

Also Sippy Downs / Buderim to Maroochydore.  They could do with bus priority lanes in this corridor, plus a frequency upgrade on the buses (15 mins weekdays, 30 mins weekends).