Gabba train probe

[ozbob]

From Quest South East Advertiser click here

Gabba train probe

WOOLLOONGABBA: Trains would roll back into the Gabba for the first time since 1967 if the State Government funds a new rail link.
A State Government report due next year could determine the station's fate but Brisbane City councillors are lining up to support it.
Deputy Mayor David Hinchliffe said the council and the Government had discussed the project.
"I honestly think the State Government is dead serious about the Gabba station and so it should be.
"We need these urban areas to accommodate more people and you can't do that without improving access,'' he said.
An underground Woolloongabba train station was given a boost by former Transport Minister Paul Lucas when he unveiled the $5 million Inner City Rail Capacity Study.
"One possible option is a five to six kilometre-long underground rail line from Park Rd, Buranda to Woolloongabba and across the river to connect with the Exhibition line, with major new train stations at Woolloongabba, Gardens Point, and in the city's financial district,'' Mr Lucas said in August.
Transport Minister John Mickel downplayed the possibility, saying his predecessor was talking about one of "several options''.
Mr Mickel said the rail capacity study was "examining the viability of a second above-ground rail network''.
Cr Hinchliffe revealed Queensland Transport was talking with council about linking the Gabba by train to the CBD. He said the council expected 4000 more people to move into 3000 new dwellings at the Gabba in the next 20 years.
Cr Hinchliffe expected the station would have to be as close as possible to the Gabba stadium.

Another article from South East Advertiser

QLD, PREMIER IN SUPPORT OF RAIL PLAN 'LONG-TERM'

QLD, PREMIER IN SUPPORT OF RAIL PLAN 'LONG-TERM'
WOOLLOONGABBA, December 5: Premier Anna Bligh has added her voice in support of a train station near The Gabba stadium.
Ms Bligh said her vision was long-term and wasn't tied to the mid-2008 timeline of the State Government's Inner City Rail Capacity Study.
"In the longer-term I want to see more people using the public transport network and the government is currently looking at the Gabba as a major development area,'' she said.
"Over time I have no doubt these two focuses will lead towards a railway station at the Gabba or something similar.''
Brisbane City Councillor Catherine Bermingham (East Brisbane), who deals with the complaints from local residents about parking during sporting events, said the station would have to be within walking distance of the stadium.
"I think it would make a lot of sense when you increase the density of that area with the Woolloongabba Development Plan to increase access to public transport,'' she said.
Woolloongabba-based Thomas Richman, who writes the influential King's Counsel magazine, said the city couldn't afford not to build a railway link through the Gabba linking to a subway.
Mr Richman's bi-annual magazine, which is funded by King and Co Property Consultants, will propose a subway route in its April edition.
Mr Richman said the Gabba was the logical place for a railway station because it was identified by the State Government as a transit-oriented development.
"It should be ultimately integrated into a full subway system, which most large cities have.''

[SteelPan]

Let's hope the Transport Minister sees this entire underground project through - knowing Qld but, we'll get some 3rd rate cheapo option.  Sydney and Melbourne, they would have and DID build theirs years ago. 

[ozbob]

Queensland Railways
Description:   A signalman uses a flag and a hand bell to stop traffic for one of the last trains to cross Logan Road, Woolloongabba. The intersection, known as the 'Gabba Fiveways, is where Logan and Ipswich Roads meet Stanley and Main Streets. Trains, trams, cars, buses and trolleybuses all travelled through the intersection. The last train ran in 1967 and the last tram in 1969.

Queensland Digital Library