Article: Rail line to link students and city

[ozbob]

From the Ipswich Advertiser 28th January 2009 page 8

Rail line to link students and city

Rail line to link students and city
By CHRIS GARRY CHRIS.

THE proposed Western Corridor rail line linking Ipswich with Springfield and the University of Queensland Ipswich campus has passed the first stage.

A rail corridor stretching through the Ripley Valley has been approved since 2006 but a recent Australian Infrastructure Report has confirmed the rail corridor should be funded by the Federal Government's Building Australia Fund. The rail line will run through Ripley and Redbank Plains, which combined with Springfield, will host most of the Western Corridor expansion, which will boost the local population by 250,000 over the next 20 years.

Federal MP for Blair, Shayne Neumann. said the rail line is critical if the region is to handle the increased population. "This is important for people not just in Ipswich but also for the regional areas, so they can be connected," Mr Neumann said.

"The region will then have three major transport networks; the Centenary Highway, the Ipswich Motorway and the potential of a vast rail network." MP Neumann said the project would enable UQ's Ipswich campus to thrive. "It would be great if students could catch the train straight to UQ, that would help a lot," he said.

Mr Neumann said Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Developmmeenntt and Local Government, Anthony Albanese, was right behind the project. "I have spoken to him several times and told him how important this is," Mr Neumann said.

"This project is all about connectivity, being connected in the Western Corridor." The proposed rail corridor will include a stop at Yamanto Village, which is set to finally receive its own Australia Post office after numerous complaints from local residents.

[ozbob]

Fairly important the the Springfield line is built sooner than later too!   

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[stephenk]

To build both Springfield and the developments in the Ripley Valley without a railway shows that Queensland Government's planners have totally lost the plot (i.e. think that the car is the only form of transport)

When it eventually gets built, lets place bets on the railway being single track! 

[Matt]

Speaking of rail links to city for students, the UQ campus in St Lucia is one of the most concentrated populations second only to the CBD, there are so I'm told some 26,000 students, lecturers, and other support people have to commute daily somehow to the campus, and look at the dodgy choices, a bus service over a somewhat limited bus and pedestrian bridge and a rivercat ferry service.
The uni is only a stone's throw ( 1.5-2km) by under river tunnel from Park Rd station.

[O_128]

with he metro to be built it is nuts not to have a uq station. trains could then connect Ipswich uq to uq to the xity.

[pangwen]

Speaking of rail links to city for students, the UQ campus in St Lucia is one of the most concentrated populations second only to the CBD, there are so I'm told some 26,000 students, lecturers, and other support people have to commute daily somehow to the campus, and look at the dodgy choices, a bus service over a somewhat limited bus and pedestrian bridge and a rivercat ferry service.
The uni is only a stone's throw ( 1.5-2km) by under river tunnel from Park Rd station.

The "somewhat limited bus and pedestrian bridge" is actually one of the more popular means of getting to and from university now. There are very regular services to the City as well as to three other suburban destinations in the east/south of Brisbane, with easy connections elsewhere (5 routes go over the bridge during semester, with peak frequencies on 4 of them currently standing at 1 bus/10mins/route). With the completion of the Boggo Road Busway (due in August, I believe), all of these buses (except the 192) will provide a connection from UQ to Park Road/Boggo Road station. There's not really much reason now to create a rail line under the river to UQ. There is adequate capacity from both the Chancellor's Place station (for the City/Western services) and the UQ Lakes station (for the City/Eastern/Southern services) to cater for traffic to and from UQ.

[stephenk]

The combined bus service across the "somewhat limited bus and pedestrian bridge" is approx every 3mins. The bridge is also heavily used by pedestrians and bikes.

The 109 runs every 5-10mins throughout most of the day, providing a fast and frequent route between the CBD, South Bank, and UQ. I've rarely had any issues with this service when I use it (I sometimes lecture at UQ, and have studied there recently). A better CBD terminus would be nice however, such as Roma Street busway.

Maybe a more frequent bus service between UQ and Toowong Station would be an improvement.

[Emmie]

The 109 bus links well with trains from the southside, either at Southbank or South Brisbane/Cultural Centre, although there can be a problem with capacity.  Often the buses are too full to stop by the time they reach Southbank.

But for people on the Caboolture, Shorncliffe and Ipswich lines, which don't cross the river, there's a real problem.  The connection at Toowong is seriously clunky:

The buses servicing UQ are the 402 (from Toowong), 411 (through St Lucia) and the 412 (along Schonell Drive).  All get caught in traffic during peak hours, so even though there are a reasonable number of buses during term time, the schedule gets seriously out of kilter.

After 5pm, services are cut back savagely, though many classes continue beyond then.  I waited 35 minutes for a bus last Friday.

The 402 stops running as soon as term ends, so services are then inadequate to connect satisfactorily with the trains (running only every 30 minutes to the north or to Ipswich).

Coming from UQ, passengers changing from bus stop to train station have to cross the main road into Toowong.  This interrupts the traffic flow twice - once when the bus stops, holding up in-bound cars turning left across the bridge, and once when the lights hold up out-bound cars turning right into Moggill Rd.  Because of the infrequent train connections, people regularly run the lights to catch their trains, and this situation is seriously dangerous.

(Going TO UQ, the situation is better - an overpass and a bus stop out of the main traffic flow.  There is also a ticket seller in the mornings, which helps improve loading times, though most students won't change to GO cards until the cost structure changes)

My suggestions:

Extend the route of the 109 bus to include the Roma St busway station, so that it can serve as an interchange for people on the Ipswich, Caboolture and Shorncliffe lines.  Currently the City stop is in George St, far too far from Central Station.

If Toowong Station ever gets a proper upgrade, investigate a possible entry to the station from the western side of the railway bridge, perhaps only with automated gates.  The platforms extend far enough to allow this, and there is, in fact, an unused set of steps running down to platforms 3 & 4.  A lift and steps to platforms 1 & 2 would be even better.

[ButFli]

...and once when the lights hold up out-bound cars turning right into Moggill Rd. 

The only reason lights hold up that traffic is because traffic from UQ going straight onto Corro Drive have the green light. It has nothing to do with the pedestrian crossing. There is also a pedestrian underpass under what you call Moggill Rd (it's actually High Street) that connects with the train station and shops. Few people use it because they are lazy.

[Mozz]

Pedestrian underpass - hmm didn't know about that one - where is it?

[ButFli]

There are stairs leading down next to the RE and it pops up again near Sizzler.

[Emmie]

The only reason lights hold up that traffic is because traffic from UQ going straight onto Corro Drive have the green light. It has nothing to do with the pedestrian crossing.

Yes, Butfli, traffic from UQ to Coro Drive get a green light too.  But the large amount of pedestrian traffic doesn't help, and impedes the flow of cars turning left out of High St.

There is also a pedestrian underpass under what you call Moggill Rd (it's actually High Street) that connects with the train station and shops. Few people use it because they are lazy.

They don't use it because it is currently blocked off, and I suspect it was blocked off because it is unsafe, as well as unlit and dangerous in its present condition.

[ButFli]

There is also a pedestrian underpass under what you call Moggill Rd (it's actually High Street) that connects with the train station and shops. Few people use it because they are lazy.

They don't use it because it is currently blocked off, and I suspect it was blocked off because it is unsafe, as well as unlit and dangerous in its present condition.

I do appoligise then. I didn't realise the underpass's current state because I am one of the lazy ones who crosses the road.