CAMCOS (Caboolture to Maroochydore Corridor Study) - Reference Purposes

[Fares_Fair]

http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Projects/Name/C/Caboolture-to-Maroochydore-Corridor-Study.aspx

The Queensland Government proposed a major initiative to investigate an integrated land use and public transportation system for the Caboolture to Sunshine Coast region. The development of an integrated transportation system challenges traditional approaches to urban management and to quality of life enhancements.

The Caboolture to Maroochydore Corridor Study recognises the importance of integrating transport networks and land use distribution.

What was the study about?
The Caboolture to Maroochydore Corridor Study was completed in 2001. The study investigated the feasibility, preferred development, impacts and benefits of a new public transportation corridor between Beerwah and the Sunshine Coast Airport.

In consultation with the local community, the study focused on:

•developing an integrated land use transport strategy for the Caboolture to Maroochydore area
•determining the need for a new public transport corridor
•identifying a preferred route for the corridor
•identifying the preferred public transport mode (for example, busway, heavy rail, light rail and so on)
•identifying station locations
•developing an integrated public transport system
•undertaking impact assessment studies and identifying environmental management strategies
•establishing staging options for the development of public transport infrastructure.
What happened during the study?
The study was undertaken in three stages.

Stage one – corridor identification
Stage one gathered baseline data to identify environmental and social constraints and opportunities. These were produced in a map format to illustrate the most significant environmental, engineering and social constraints that needed to be considered when looking at locations for public transport corridors. Along with public consultation they were used as evaluation criteria to assess and finalise the corridor options.

Stage one tasks Outputs
Establish modelling framework •Working paper one
•Working paper two
•Draft Terms of Reference
•Evaluation criteria


Define 2050 vision
Select corridor options
Identify constraints and opportunities
Establish evaluation criteria
Procedural risk assessment

Stage two – corridor evaluation
Stage two involved:

•investigating existing and future travel patterns and alternative mode options
•investigating economic, transport, environmental, engineering and social issues
•undertaking a preliminary economic and financial viability study of the public transport within the corridor
•undertaking an evaluation of the different corridor options
•narrowing the short-listed corridor options.
In stage two, it was decided that:

•the preferred transport mode is heavy passenger rail, similar to the current Citytrain network bold type added by Fares_Fair.
•detailed evaluation should be undertaken for the short-listed corridor options.
Stage two tasks Outputs
Analyse demand for options
•Corridor Assessment Report
•Issues Papers
•Preliminary Impact Assessment Study (IAS)
•Draft Terms of Reference
•Recommended options


Establish engineering feasibility
Identify rail/bus operations
Evaluate environmental field data
Comparison between options
Develop broad land use transport strategy
Provide basis for community input/evaluation
Nominate shortlisted options
Narrow the corridors
Finalise Corridor Assessment Report (CAR)

Stage three – route assessment
The first part of stage three involved an assessment of options around Caloundra and the identification of a preferred corridor.

The second part of stage three was the preparation of the Impact Assessment Study to examine the alternative options, benefits, environmental impacts, proposed strategies to counter any significant impacts and ways to enhance a beneficial outcome.

Stage three tasks Outputs 
Seek feedback on Corridor Assessment Report and draft Terms of Reference •Impact Assessment Report
•Land use/transport strategy
 
 
Conduct more detailed environmental and heritage survey

Prepare planning layouts
Assess preferred option
Identify mitigation strategies
Prepare Caloundra Option Assessment Report (COAR)
Conduct assessment and choose the preferred Close Caloundra Option
Develop recommendations for land use strategy and implementation
Prepare draft Impact Assessment Study Report
Provide basis for community input/assessment
Finalise IAS Report

What was decided at the end of the study?
The Queensland Government agreed to implement the recommendations from the Caboolture to Maroochydore Study, including the need to protect the preferred future public transport corridor from Beerwah to Maroochydore and on to the Sunshine Coast Airport. Since then, the government has been actively acquiring land for the corridor.

Track upgrading and duplication from Caboolture to Beerburrum was completed in 2009, as was the elimination of the open level crossing at Beerwah, ultimately providing for the branching off of the new line to Caloundra and Maroochydore.

Publications
Visit the Caboolture to Maroochydore Corridor Study publications page to download a copy of the study and other associated documents.

Contact
Information on the study can be obtained by emailing: planning.projects@tmr.qld.gov.au.

[Fares_Fair]

Interesting note, heavy rail preferred over light rail according to the study.
This all the way up to Maroochydore Airport.

[Stillwater]

The Sunshine Coast Council's examination of light rail for the Coast provides the perfect excuse for the state government to say it will adopt a "wait and see" attitude on CAMCOS heavy rail.  Further land purchase along the route is about the best we can expect for the next decade or so, unless the feds come to the party as they did for MBRL.

[Fares_Fair]

My sources tell me that the Beerburrum to Landsborough duplication money was diverted to the Moreton Bay Rail Link (MBRL) and the Springfield rail line.
Bye bye $300 million to the Sunshine Coast.

Hope to find out what the penalty fees were for the breaking of this contract.

[Stillwater]

As with all public transport initiatives on the Sunshine Coast initiated by the state government, the time delay between the route selection and feasibility stage and the start of construction can be more than a decade.

[ozbob]

My sources tell me that the Beerburrum to Landsborough duplication money was diverted to the Moreton Bay Rail Link (MBRL) and the Springfield rail line.
Bye bye $300 million to the Sunshine Coast.

Hope to find out what the penalty fees were for the breaking of this contract.

The money was spent on the water grid.

[HappyTrainGuy]

And a dam

[Stillwater]

Well, the 'non-dam' that actually cost more than $600 million in wasted money and write-downs of land values, not to mention the lost production from a fertile valley.  So much waste.

[Fares_Fair]

My sources tell me that the Beerburrum to Landsborough duplication money was diverted to the Moreton Bay Rail Link (MBRL) and the Springfield rail line.
Bye bye $300 million to the Sunshine Coast.

Hope to find out what the penalty fees were for the breaking of this contract.

The money was spent on the water grid.

That is, my government source...

[ozbob]

Your sources are way off.

[Fares_Fair]

Not sure why a serving Minister would mislead me.
I had heard the water grid one too.

[ozbob]

Not sure why a serving Minister would mislead me.

They have their reasons no doubt.  Think about it, money for MBRL has not even been spent yet apart from some early funding.  The Federal Budget has just forecast the bulk for 2015/16.  Richlands/Springfield was actually deferred from the original timelines.  The money for Richlands to Springfield is this year.

The money that was  for the Beerburrum to Landsborough was simply added back in the kitty to fund the water hysteria.  It was well known that the then government was broke as early as 2008.

[SurfRail]

And instead of funding all that water infrastructure with long term bonds referable to the life of the infrastructure, they crammed in about $9bn worth of direct funding in half a decade and massively increased utility bills.

I remember looking at the capital spend on SEQIPP projects from the initial version of the plan over the first few years - you can see very clearly that it gets cut roughly in half once the "drought-proofing" infrastructure was built...

[Fares_Fair]

I understand that the LNP plan is to refinance loans to fund this expenditure out over 40 years, to ease the current financial burden.
But I digress, now back to topic.