24 Jun 2022: LNP's Funding Commitment Sunshine Coast CAMCOS Rail

[ozbob]

RAIL Back On Track  Welcomes LNP's Funding Commitment to Sunshine Coast CAMCOS Rail

24th June 2022

RAIL Back On Track has welcomed LNP Opposition leader David Crisafulli's election policy announcement committing 50% share of the funding for the $3.2 billion Sunshine Coast Rail Line to Maroochydore (1).

RAIL Back On Track members are pleased with the announcement that a double-track heavy rail line Beerwah <> Maroochydore is now official opposition party policy. This is a great move and a step towards a credible and comprehensive alternative transport policy for Queensland.

To put it bluntly, rail projects win votes. Victoria has had a comprehensive rail upgrade program removing level crossings, constructing new tunnels under the Melbourne CBD, and starting on a cross-town Suburban Rail loop. Regional Rail projects have also been a major factor in deciding Victorian elections.

Over in Western Australia, Transperth trains offer services that are far better in terms of all-day frequency than the service that Queensland Rail offers (2). They are running trains every 15 minutes to virtually all stations, even on Sunday. They are so far ahead with their train operations than Queensland. A number of new lines are being constructed as part of Perth's METRONET program. Well done Perth.

Over in New South Wales, commuter rail lines across Sydney are being converted to driverless metro services with trains running every 10 minutes or better. In contrast, Queensland struggles to modernise the bus network in Brisbane and doesn't even have a dedicated public transport authority.

What we need here in Queensland is a strong refocusing on operations and actual services. Spending money on infrastructure is not enough. The actual service frequency must be top-class, and in Queensland, sadly, it is not. Relatively simple and low-cost opportunities remain by the wayside.

These are things like:
Trains every 15 minutes on the Kippa Ring Line, all day
Trains every 15 minutes on the Springfield Line, all day
Express trains to Ipswich, all day
Duplicating single track sections on the Cleveland and Shorncliffe lines to enable frequency and reliability

RAIL Back On Track  again welcomes the LNP opposition's commitment to Sunshine Coast rail, and hopes that a comprehensive public transport policy is in production, drawing from other proactive jurisdictions such as Western Australia.

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

References

1.

Code Select Expand

https://twitter.com/Jeffrey_Addison/status/1539803193341022208
2. Train Upgrade Zones: Adopt Perth Service Frequencies Across Greater Brisbane https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=14671.0

[ozbob]

Discussion --> https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?msg=259839