Article: Designer advises Brisbane to go underground for metro rail

[ozbob]

From Courier Mail click here!

Designer advises Brisbane to go underground for metro rail

Designer advises Brisbane to go underground for metro rail
Article from: The Courier-Mail

By Alison Sandy

April 23, 2008 12:00am

THE future of Brisbane's public transport is underground, says one of the world's leading designers proposing a $4 billion 24-hour metropolitan train service for the city.

ARUP Global Rail director Colin Stewart told a business forum this week that government and private developers should back his plan for a frequent metro rail network in Brisbane as it was the only way to properly address the city's traffic congestion.

"If Brisbane wants to get away from congestion it has to happen," said Mr Stewart, whose company helped design metro systems in Hong Kong, London and Copenhagen.

"Most cities are taking time to realise that public transport needs to be pushed up the agenda."

Brisbane City Deputy Mayor Graham Quirk agreed the concept had merit, with the population of the greater Brisbane area estimated to reach 2.5 million by 2026.

"It mirrors what we had in the city centre master plan," Cr Quirk said.

"We saw a need for it and we'd play a supportive role but we don't build rail."

State Transport Minister John Mickel welcomed the plan but said it depended on the outcome of a feasibility study to be released later in the year.

"I'm always interested in people's ideas," Mr Mickel said.

"If we can do it in an affordable way that provides a better service to people in southeast Queensland, then we will.

"We need to look at what's best for Brisbane, and the Inner City Rail Capacity Study . . . will give us a better idea of future transport planning directions."

The study is being done by Maunsell Parsons Brinckerhoff, which is examining a range of options for boosting rail capacity in the city centre, including the potential for an underground tunnel.

South Bank Corporation chairman and Wilson HTM Investment Group executive chairman Steve Wilson backed the plan for light rail, saying Brisbane was "underspending on public infrastructure".

"I think this looks really good," he said. "It's way overdue ? surely there's never been a better time and clearly the public is crying out for a solution."

Mr Wilson said the Government should not look to profit from a metro.

"You've got to do comparative costings but you've also got to say that public transport systems aren't economic, so we just get over this and say this is vital infrastructure," he said.

"A lot of money is going into roads and there should be more going into other forums."

[ozbob]

Rather than another expensive metro network underground extensions to the present network, eg. Park Road, Gabba, QUT Gardens Point/Botanical Gardens, Eagle St, Central, Exhibition Loop with Gabba to Indooroopilly underground (under St Lucia).

What is critical is remove the freight through Brisbane, western bypass road/rail corridor, despite the Government cancelling that it is needed and a no-brainer.  Looking at the past failures QT couldn't plan a party at the Golden Arches.

When that is done (western road/rail bypass) the QR Suburban network can then run effectively as a metro.  Frequent high capacity services, short sections, on board signalling systems.

IMHO of course!   

Cheers ...

[mufreight]

What happens to these multi million dollar tunneling machines currently worming their way under Brisbane at present when they have finished their present tunnels.

Why not put them to work on the construction of the so often proposed underground rail link from connecting the Gold Coast and Clevland lines to the Exhibition loop.

Yes the machines will possibly need some reconditioning but with the levels of maintainance that they currently receive that should be minimal and they are they are there and thgere is no question that such a line is needed, if planning starts now the machines could be transfered from the completion of one tunnel straight to the next and continue work rather than the most probable option scrapin. There is a pool of trained and by then experienced operators who would thus remain employed with a resultant saving in project start up costs.

But is there the political will for such a project, the Government would have to pay for it rather than a private operator as with the toll tonnels for road presently being built.

Now perhaps if the route followed a seam of high grade coal it might be different.

Just a thought.

Cheers.

[stephenk]

Although I'm a big fan of driverless metro systems, Brisbane really needs a second heavy rail tunnel connecting to the existing lines at either end before any other ideas are considered.