Greens $3 billion light rail plan

[Mr X]

I saw this mentioned on the page for the candidate for South Brisbane, Gary Kane. I can't see anywhere else on the Greens site with more information about it.

Gary was active in the Stop the Hale Street Bridge campaign and opposed the North South Bypass Tunnel. Gary would address traffic congestion by implementing the Greens $3 billion light rail plan which includes lines to West End, Hill End, Southbank, Woolloongabba, Dutton Park, Buranda, Stones Corner and Coorparoo.

http://qld.greens.org.au/people/Gary-Kane

Lines down the busways (obviously), and presumably along the 199 route and also straight down Boundary St to the river? Sounds like a bit of overkill

[#Metro]

Lines down the busways (obviously), and presumably along the 199 route and also straight down Boundary St to the river? Sounds like a bit of overkill

This idea is NO BETTER than Maroon CityGliders everywhere - ZERO net increase in mobility. I'll give concession where capacity demands, but spending $3 billion on switching modes otherwise is a COMPLETE AND UTTER WASTE of money.

For heavens sake - get BUZzing - 230/235, 220 or 227, 350 or 359, 400, GCL etc.

Light Rail down the busway doesn't have enough capacity - we need a metro to handle 20 000 pphd during peak at minimum.

[Mr X]

I'd like to know if they support CRR. This $3bn would go a long way into funding it, and who would pay for this light rail anyway? IA?

[ozbob]

The Greens' grand light rail plan is brought out for every election.  Some elements are good, but there are more pressing issues at the moment IMHO such as getting the rail network sorted. The massive investment in the heavy rail network must be value added and made to work as it should.

[aldonius]

The way I see it, they have some combination of mode bias and are either unaware of or willfully ignoring the actual capacities of people to be moved that are involved  - -- and of course the higher priority of other projects.

The latest I've seen on CRR was:

Support the increase of inner city Brisbane rail capacity as proposed in Queensland Rail's Inner City Rail Capacity Study.

And that document's out of date. I haven't seen anything more recent referring to any specific infrastructure projects.

Incidentally, ozbob, what specific parts of the Brisbane Light Rail plan do you think are good?

[ozbob]

The plan as it was has been removed from the web I note.  Maybe it is being updated for 2012 election.

The notion of Westend - Newfarm had some merit I recall.  Will have to wait for the 2012 version ..

[Mr X]

They need to update their candidate blurb then