10 Apr 2011: SEQ: Consider North Shore Rail Rapid Transit ...

[ozbob]

Media release 10 April 2011

SEQ: Consider North Shore Rail Rapid Transit over 'Car Rapid Transit'

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport commuters has released a 'concept idea' of what a North Shore rail line might look like. RAIL Back on Track calls for a study investigating a shallow cutting or an elevated option to cross Kingsford Smith Drive. 'Car Rapid Transit' is a term to describe the attempt at fast movement of single occupant vehicles on access limited roadways. It is a low capacity, high-pollution, unsafe, expensive-to-construct, high-toll mode inappropriate for mass transit purposes.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"RAIL Back on Track is appalled at the choice of 'Car Rapid Transit' as the mode of choice for transporting increasing amounts of people.  The lack of 'public transport only' options for the upgrade of Kingsford Smith Drive and lack of investigation into non-infrastructure alternatives such as de-congestion pricing - where people pay to get out of congestion; which may have similar benefits but lower costs than the obsessive commitment to 'Car Rapid Transit' is yet another example of the transport myopia that characterises south-east Queensland. Have people not seen the increasing price of petrol?"

" 'Car Rapid Transit', the attempted fast movement of single occupant vehicles on access limited roadways, is a low capacity, high-pollution, unsafe, expensive-to-construct, high-toll mode inappropriate for mass transit purposes in this area."

"The beauty of the rail rehabilitation of the Doomben line is that it is likely to be far cheaper than $3.2 billion dollars; it has capacity during peak hour when roads are at their most congested, it could support and attract transit-oriented development, could be fast due to the existing tunnels and separated track that takes the trains straight into the CBD without having to fight road traffic or wait at traffic lights in the highly congested areas of Fortitude Valley or on approaches to the CBD like buses running on surface roads must face. Buses could connect at 'Perth-style' interchanges at this station for Australia Trade Coast and beyond, and provided they were timed to meet arriving and departing trains, the connection could be seamless."

"RAIL Back on Track again calls for the total abandonment of so called 'balanced transport' and a shift to 're-balanced transport' based around walking, cycling, buses, ferries and rail. Incentives for public transport must be combined with disincentives for driving because any other combination is self-defeating."

"We need to make good use of the current endowments of infrastructure that we have all over Brisbane. $3.2 Billion is equivalent to three Gold Coast Light Rail systems. As the old adage goes 'waste not, want not' ".

North Shore Railway station concept (more images below):



Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

References:

1. 6 Apr 2011: SEQ: Call to scrutinise Kingsford Smith Drive 'Car Rapid Transit http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=5743

2. RAIL Back on Track Northshore Station Concept

Oblique view http://img197.imageshack.us/i/northshore2.jpg/

Side View http://img31.imageshack.us/i/northshore3.jpg/

Side View http://img215.imageshack.us/i/northshore1.jpg/

[ozbob]

North Shore / Doomben line discussion thread --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=4852.0

[ozbob]

Large images

Northshore 1

Northshore 2

Northshore 3

Northshore 6

All images each ~ 0.5 MB

[ozbob]

Feedback received, thanks.

Build it now or pay the price for the next century.

So much for carbon reduction.  Why are the Greens not pushing these types of projects?
Every extra line built and every extra car that is taken off the road is a move towards carbon reduction.

This is the real way of reducing greenhouse gases without the pain for the low/middle income people.

[Golliwog]

I would however think that if we push for the Doomben line duplication and better frequency, then (even if just for peak capacity) you would need to wait till post CRR or add an extra two tracks between Roma St and Central and then between Central and probably Eagle Junction.