Article: Rail rogues take guard

[ozbob]

There are some very concerning comments in this piece from the Gold Coast Bulletin 1 May 2008 page 27 not online.

Rail rogues take guard

Rail rogues take guard

QUEENSLAND Transport Minister
John Mickel will hand stricter policing
and fare compliance powers to extra
inspectors on the Gold Coast train network.
Mr Mickel went on the offensive yesterday
after the Crime and Misconduct Commission
was called in to investigate a recent railway
department `familiarisation' trip.

The new inspectors will have the power to
deal with troublesome travellers, including
fare evaders. A new transport authority is
almost certain to run Queensland's passenger
trains. Farewell to familiarisation.
"Anyone who plays up from now on may
be surprised. The inspectors will have the
power to act firmly," Mr Mickel told The Gold
Coast Bulletin.

Parliament this week joined in the railways' fun
at Mr Mickel's expense. Cost of the catered, but
unauthorised, train charter for Labor stalwarts
through Brisbane stations was estimated at $3000.
The hat will have to be passed around
Labor ranks more than one or two times.

Infrastructure costs already are slugging
Queensland taxpayers $1.6 million an hour.
But the minister yesterday caught transport
heavyweights by surprise at a Committee for
Economic Development lunch in Brisbane.
The roll-up included blue ribbon Gold
Coast developer John Fish, survivor of the
steam train era at Ipswich.

In addition to plans to improve security and
fare compliance throughout the Citytrain
network, the Transport Minister is keeping a
close eye on public transport developments
within the Gold Coast City Council area.
If NSW cannot kick their computers into
gear, the Mickel-backed Gocard fare system
will simply be extended from Robina to Coolangatta
and exclude Tweed coast residents.
Gocard's stretch will run several hundred
kilometres from Gympie to the border.

The Gold Coast City Council may score
extra time for public transport consultation
after the recent summit between Mr Mickel
and Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke.
July is the official deadline for a decision on
whether the Gold Coast's new public transport
network is wedded to trams or buses.
The transport portfolio in Queensland is
not for the faint-hearted. The state's population
is less than that of Manhattan, but the
state is more than twice the size of Texas.

The Gold Coast will score its new public
transport system from Helensvale before Brisbane
even thinks about plans for an inner-city
underground railway.

"Brisbane does not have the population
scale," is the Minister's opinion.

If you thought the CMC intervention and
the $3000 rail charter in Brisbane last week was
a sore point, ask about the original Gold Coast
railway line that was ripped up in the 1960s.
Old-timers and historians still can find the
rail corridor on the lower, northern side of
Smith Street if they bring a cane knife.
The viaduct runs along the Griffith University
perimeter. But not for far enough.

"To rip up the tracks was one thing. But to
sell off the actual rail corridor was something
else. Cost of acquiring the Robina-Varsity
Lakes corridor is $80 million per kilometre,"
Mr Mickel revealed, mopping his brow.
Ouch. No wonder the coal trains are still
propping up Queensland rail.

Cost of the passenger train service in
southeast Queensland is nudging $1 billion a
year as patronage grows 30 per cent annually.
Fares bring in about a quarter of that. Hence
the new inspectors and no-nonsense attitude to
those Brisbane-bound who liked to pretend to
jump on at Vulture Street instead of Helensvale.
John Mickel, from a southern Brisbane
electorate once starved of public transport, cut
his political teeth as a stalwart for the robust
Australian Workers' Union.

Growing popularity of the Gold Coast-
Brisbane airport rail link signals growth
plans such as extra tracks for the passenger
train network.

"The more tracks the more express services
we can provide," the minister pointed out.
A potential dust-up with the PM doesn't seem
to worry the urbane Transport Minister one iota.
PM Kevin Rudd carved his political reputation
on his Brisbane River-based federal
seat fighting the Brisbane Airport expansion
tooth and nail. A costly court case went
against Mr Rudd.

But Mr Mickel made it clear yesterday he is
totally behind any plan for the Brisbane
Airport to drop its curfew in favour of handling
air traffic 24 hours a day.

The Mickel muscle also is right behind
opening a second runway at Brisbane Airport.
Mr Mickel was not giving the game away
yesterday when quizzed by The Bulletin about
his preference of buses or trams for the Gold
Coast's new public transport system.
But he told the lunch how quick and how
enjoyable the express bus trip was from
Garden City to Suncorp Stadium for a recent
Broncos NRL game. Like 20 minutes.
Judging by the railway crackdown, the steel
wheels are not always fun either.

If you want a bit of spice and romance
in your travels then buses may be cupid's
preference.
The ministerial office recently took aphone call
from a woman anxious to speak to Mr Mickel.
The minister was amused to learn her
predicament over buses resulted from a
dalliance with one of the workers involved in
building one of Brisbane's new bus tunnels.
Alas, there was a table of senior girls from
one of Brisbane's private schools attending the
lunch yesterday. Discretion prevented the
minister from indicating whether the romance
regained its former smooth velocity.
But there were hints of security footage and
a ministerial suggestion that this project was
proving more productive than most.

[ozbob]

Unless some proactive action is taken now with respect to underground extensions for QR around the inner city areas we are heading for a meltdown.  It is a great shame the Minister seems to think there is no need even whilst the study is still not finalised. 

Brisbane is heading for the second largest City in Australia. Melbourne, Sydney and Perth all have varying amounts of underground railway.

It is also looking very ominous for the rapid transit for Gold Coast.  Busways will work, but for how long?  A chance to get it right for the long term looks like going the same as the right of way for the original Gold Coast line ... sad really.

Modern light rail is the answer.  Maybe common-sense will prevail over irrational politics.