POLL: Fate of Dutton Park Station - Your Say

[#Metro]

What should happen to Dutton Park Station?

7 day poll, progressive results visible after voting, full results released after poll expiry.

Change of mind and vote at anytime up until poll expiry.

Dutton Park Station https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutton_Park_railway_station

[#Metro]

I believe they need to keep it. If your catching the train and live in in the south/east of this pocket, all of a sudden your walk is not a short one to Boggo Rd, therefore not convenient.

Some thoughts:

- The same could have been said for Gloucester Street Station Highgate Hill, or Nyanda station, or Tennyson station (all closed).

- Psychological "loss aversion" / fear reactions not a good basis for planning. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss_aversion

- We now have mobility options we didn't have before like electric bikes and scooters which have eroded the 'its far to walk' argument.

- Walking is good for health and promotes community health. And we know from BUZ that people are willing to walk for faster and more frequent services.

- Residents now have BUZ 100 and BUZ 196 options they didn't have when the station was built

- Removing the station means that trips will be faster on the Beenleigh line and network will be simpler. That is a desirable thing.

- The "$4 million dollars a day" pumped into the economy could be pumped elsewhere - like platform duplication or new BUZ services (which cost $2-4 million p.a. to run).

- Jackie Trad is no longer MP for South Brisbane, so the main political reason for 'saving' the station (fend off Green team in an upcoming election) doesn't exist anymore.

[paulg]

It's a pretty simple political calculation - not many people will notice a bit of extra spending on a huge project like CRR, while plenty will notice (and be upset by) the removal of a station.
When the BAT project included a proposal to remove Dutton Park, Labor started a political campaign against it. So it would be a big backflip to propose removal, and I'm sure they are keen to avoid anything unpopular in relation to this project.
(Disclosure: Dutton Park is my station and yes I'd be upset by its removal. The alternatives you suggest are all less convenient than the status quo for various reasons)

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[#Metro]

Everyone will be upset by the Gold Coast/Beenleigh line faster rail project, which I might add, involves house and land resumption. And yet we support that.

In contrast, removing Dutton Park is a measure that doesn't involve resumption at all AND Dutton Park station has to be closed for an extended period and demolished in any case. It's current design suggests that they had used the same architect used by Corrective Services.

This is simply saying, don't replace it. A once-in 100+ year window of opportunity.

Demolition could be incorporated into the faster rail project with TMR.

[paulg]

Compared to the faster rail project though, the benefits of losing Dutton Park are very small.

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[#Metro]

Not in financial terms though, you'd save 4 million per day for the life of the project.

[ozbob]

Poll not withstanding, the decision has been made. I believe that there was a real possibility that Dutton Park station was up for removal but the 'remainers' have won (probably the politicians). With the Minister primed to make a statement in Parliament today, they will not change now. Paul's earlier comments above reflect this reality.

" When the BAT project included a proposal to remove Dutton Park, Labor started a political campaign against it. So it would be a big backflip to propose removal, and I'm sure they are keen to avoid anything unpopular in relation to this project. ... "

Just some thoughts. But it will be interesting to see what the overall sentiment is with the poll.

[paulg]

Not in financial terms though, you'd save 4 million per day for the life of the project.

The $4 million per day was a reference to the whole CRR project, not the Dutton Park component. Here's the quote:

"Pumping more than $4 million a day into the economy, this critical project is helping drive Queensland's economic recovery from COVID-19 and was key to securing the 2032 Olympics," he said.
They've used the $4 million per day figure elsewhere, e.g. https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/93018#:~:text=The%20Premier%20said%20Cross%20River,working%20on%20the%20twin%20tunnels.

[HappyTrainGuy]

Metro, 2 of the 3 closed stations you mentioned were removed for different reasons. That being they couldn't be extended to allow the SX sets and later the EMUs which were longer. It's also why Beenleigh railway station was also moved to its current location along with the removal of Mayne Junction railway station, the original Bowen Hills railway station and the construction of the current Bowen Hills railway station.

If you go past some of the older stations out there you'll notice the old original brick platform and then the platform extension and raising.

[Ari 🚋]

I personally say keep it - station density in the whole South Brisbane peninsula isn't great already because of Gloucester Street being removed, and removing a station in an area with potential for a lot of density certainly won't help. On a personal note I also don't want my 20 minute walk to the station to get any worse!

[#Metro]

Not really a great catchment - cemetery can't be developed, no big plans for development and if there ever were locals would probably shoot it down pronto.

[SurfRail]

The unfortunate thing with the new layout is that it appears the middle track cannot be used as a bi-directional track - Beenleigh inbound services will have to use that full time as they do now, meaning all outbound trains will probably need to run via the easternmost track (from Boggo Road and Park Road).

This State sometimes.  Penny wise, pound foolish is the motto.

[paulg]

The unfortunate thing with the new layout is that it appears the middle track cannot be used as a bi-directional track - Beenleigh inbound services will have to use that full time as they do now, meaning all outbound trains will probably need to run via the easternmost track (from Boggo Road and Park Road).

This State sometimes.  Penny wise, pound foolish is the motto.

I assume that the final plan will add some additional crossovers between Dutton Park and Fairfield stations, so that at least from Fairfield south the middle track will take the expresses. Otherwise there isn't much point in them doing the extra platforms from Fairfield to Salisbury?

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[Gazza]

t's also why Beenleigh railway station was also moved to its current location

Arent these EMUs?

[#Metro]

The unfortunate thing with the new layout is that it appears the middle track cannot be used as a bi-directional track - Beenleigh inbound services will have to use that full time as they do now, meaning all outbound trains will probably need to run via the easternmost track (from Boggo Road and Park Road).

This State sometimes.  Penny wise, pound foolish is the motto.

If the station was left demolished, what would be the outcome/bearing of this? Would the middle track be able to be bidirectional?

[#Metro]

Just some thoughts. But it will be interesting to see what the overall sentiment is with the poll.

Good comment. Look at the Gold Coast Light Rail - plenty of people are staging protest, 'Kill-Tram' type websites and forming activist groups against LRT but despite that the tram is still going ahead and generally members here support the GC LRT, despite massive criticism.

The same goes for (anti)-vaxx stuff (not going into that much here, minefield territory). Lots of people don't like the idea of vax, but generally getting one is a good idea for many reasons. (And yes there is a very small possibility that the vax will cause a damaging side effect, but risk here is relative not just absolute).

Pleasing everybody often leads to poor overall outcomes.

[HappyTrainGuy]

t's also why Beenleigh railway station was also moved to its current location

Arent these EMUs?

Correct those are. The platform was lengthened but long term it was to rebuild the station and new stabling elsewhere. Expo and duplication brought forward those plans.

[#Metro]

This poll is closing. Please vote if you haven't already. 

[#Metro]

POLL RESULTS PUBLISHED

- The votes overall were in favour of the removal of Dutton Park Station from the QR network.