19 Dec 2023: Independent 2032 Olympic Body must bring renewed focus on transport

[ozbob]

Independent 2032 Olympic Body must bring renewed focus on transport outcomes

19th December 2023

RAIL Back On Track is delighted to note Premier Steven Miles announce the establishment of an independent 2032 Olympics organizing body. Minister Grace Grace the new State Development and Infrastructure Minister will have oversight of Olympic planning.  We note that the Premier has been reported as commenting "  ... This government will be focused on our priorities and, when it comes to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, our priorities are delivering the right venues at value for money, but more importantly, better connecting the region with transport. ... " (1).

A recent editorial in the Courier Mail put it well  when they commented in part (2):

" ... organising the world's biggest event is hard yakka, and it requires focus that no premier can ever hope to give it ..."

What seems to have been forgotten by many is that support from the public and SEQ councils for the Olympics was based upon desperately needed transport infrastructure being delivered at the same time, leaving us with a positive long term legacy.

It's not clear what public transport infrastructure will be delivered by 2032.

In particular, the cornerstone of it all, a fast rail network linking Toowoomba, Maroochydore and Coolangatta has unbelievably fallen by the wayside.

Despite the projects currently being built, SEQ has the lowest number of public transport trips per capita of all mainland capital city regions, a sad reflection that we're still not building enough nor running enough services for the growth to be experienced.

Inaction in previous years and policies of building motorways has led to this backlog.

At this stage, the only new projects likely to be funded and delivered in time for 2032 will be:

- The Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line: A long delayed rail extension to Maroochydore that will finally put rail on the doorstep of the bulk of the coastal strip of the Sunshine Coast.

-  Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail: A set of overtaking tracks (double to quadruple track) between Kuraby and Beenleigh which will deliver benefits in terms of capacity, station upgrades and level crossing removals, but won't actually do much in terms of the faster trains people really want. This project should be properly named K2B.

This wont be enough.

In the immediate term, we want to see a "Bus Boost", similar to the policy put forward by the Greens for the BCC elections, which seeks to double the number of high frequency bus routes and address a major gripe: better connections between non CBD suburbs.

Rail projects take a while to get off the ground, but simply plugging gaps in the frequent bus network so all suburbs have one nearby is a decent consolation prize in the meantime.

Other crucial projects the government needs to get cracking on include:

-  An underground public transport solution for Gympie Road, be it rail or busway tunnel, built before any road tunnel.

-  Completion of the Gold Coast Light Rail from Burleigh Heads to Coolangatta.

-  The Eastern Busway to Capalaba.

-  Duplication of the Cleveland and Shorncliffe lines single sections.

-  Rail extensions to Ripley, Coolangatta and Flagstone.

-  A genuine fast rail network for SEQ, with track upgrades to allow for 160km/h services from Maroochydore, Toowoomba and Coolangatta.

-  BRT (bus rapid transit) public transport for the Sunshine Coast.

References:

1.  First Miles cabinet sworn in with five promotions
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/queensland/first-miles-cabinet-sworn-in-with-five-promotions-20231218-p5es61.html

2. Editorial: Miles right to abdicate Palaszczuk's throne of Games
https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/editorial-miles-right-to-abdicate-palaszczuks-throne-of-games/news-story/ba56c4f8f54d048f3b4c27cb0f80f05c

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

[ozbob]

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