Article: Govt under pressure to re-open Ekka line

[ozbob]

From Brisbanetimes click here!

Govt under pressure to re-open Ekka line

Govt under pressure to re-open Ekka line
Tony Moore | June 14, 2008

Queensland Rail must re-open the Exhibition rail spur in Brisbane to help thousands of hospital staff get to work at the three hospitals at Herston, Queensland's Nurses Union said yesterday.

brisbanetimes.com.au yesterday reported that there were more 10,000 staff working at the Royal Brisbane, Royal Women's and Royal Children's hospitals, right across from the closed-down Exhibition rail line.

"Seriously. It is time to re-open debate about it," QNU secretary Gaye Hawksworth said.

Ms Hawskworth said a recent study showed that nurses could not live close to the hospitals where they worked and relied heavily on cars and public transport.

"How convenient would it be to be able to come in from Brisbane's far northern suburbs," she said. "Just imagine that."

She said the Queensland Nurses Union had raised the issue with Queensland Health and raised it publicly.

"We've said it publicly. We think it would be very convenient to the staff at the Royal Brisbane Hospital.

"It really is a city in itself there, perhaps more like a town, but that is the size of it."

Her concerns have been backed by Queensland University of Technology urban transport lecturer, Tristan Peach.

"This is something that the community have been raising since the 1990s," Mr Peach said.

"Even when the Inner City Bypass was being proposed the alternative proposal was this rail loop," he said.

"And, well just generally, the government does not normally listen to alternatives."

Mr Peach said there was no doubt there would be implementation issues before the rail link could be re-opened on a permanent basis, but said the benefit to commuters were higher than the cost.

Queensland Rail yesterday said the line was used primarily as a freight route and was opened for the RNA Exhibition in August and for four to six weekend events during the year.

Mr Peach said these issues could be resolved.

"I am sure there is a lot of excuses for not doing it and Queensland Rail seems to be very intent on preserving the status quo," Mr Peach said.

"But in terms of what the people of Brisbane need, they need to be exploring it and addressing these issues," he said.

"We have the rail technology to do these types of things and trains already run that way. It is really a question of just upgrading it."

RNA chief executive Jonathan Tunny yesterday said the RNA would also like the rail line re-opened and were talking with Queensland Rail about the longer-term upgrade of the line, including shifting the station towards Bowen Bridge Road.

However Mr Peach said he believed it was possible to re-open the loop line quickly for commuters.

"The RNA loop definitely. And the Sherwood to Yeerongpilly loop definitely."

Queensland Rail will not explain why it will not use the rail line - which runs within a few hundreds metres of Brisbane's main hospital precinct - is not open to commuter traffic, reporting only that it is being considered as part of a major study of Brisbane's rail corridor.

The Exhibition rail station is part of a two-track, inner-city loop which includes the Normanby, Exhibition, Bowen Hills, Brunswick Street and Central stations.

It is opened to commuters during the RNA Exhibition in August and for special events held four to six times a year. For the rest of the year it is used extensively for freight traffic.

[ozbob]

See initial media release from RAIL Back On Track here!

-->  http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=990.0

Thanks for the follow up articles Brisbanetimes.

It is good to allow various community interests demonstrate their interest and desire in using accessible public transport that is convenient and logical.

[haakon]

Interesting to see that Mr Peach also backed the Yeerongpilly loop as well

[ozbob]

I am not sure if the full intent of the initial release was made clear in the first instance.  Yes Mr Peach has I think realised the fuller impost.

In that it is acknowledged the loadings at Tennyson at minimal. Indeed they are, what I was highlighting mainly was the fact that it will allow cross line/suburb travel and also pick up some of the inner congestion which is a problem on many services as folks try to squeeze on long haul runs in.  Also it will allow further flexibility with more express services in from Sherwood and Yeerongpilly respectively of the long haul services. Also it is a model for the north side.  Shorncliffe line services would be ideal to as a loop service too.

This is not the first time the loop line issue has been raised, but as far as I can recall it is the first time that a number of different perspectives from various community inputs have come out together as one.

We have had approaches in the past suggesting time savings available for an Ipswich to Park Road or Ipswich to Beenleigh/Gold Coast available through realistic scheduling and utilisation of the Tennyson loop.
Just looking at ways of permitting avoiding transit through the CBD which would help perhaps to relieve some capacity congestion.

I rather enjoyed the days of the 'Tennyson Lander', the ICE set that used to shuttle between Corinda and Yeerongpilly a few years back. Prior to the ICE set the rail motor, here is a photo at Corinda around 1993 from memory.
This motor used to run the weekday shuttle between Corinda and Yeerongpilly.



Photograph R Dow 1993