Interesting infrastructure plans and such ...

[ozbob]

You're welcome ...

[ozbob]

" Meanwhile ... "   

June 2012

[ozbob]

August 2013

[ozbob]

This thread is an interesting read .. > http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=10175.0

Couriermail --> Tony Abbott to unveil rail tunnel plan as Kevin Rudd flags navy move

AN UNDERGROUND freight tunnel will be carved through Brisbane's southside as part of an ambitious $5 billion plan to build an alternative rail line connecting the Queensland capital to Melbourne.

The Coalition will today announce $300 million in funding over three years to finalise plans for the 1800km inland track which promises to revolutionise freight movement in the eastern states.

Central to the project is 25km of new track between Acacia Ridge in Brisbane's southwest and the Port of Brisbane - mostly underground ...

... Because of the geographical challenges and rapid advances in tunnelling technology, the State Government believes the best option is to put most of it underground, surfacing at the Gateway Motorway.

The $5 billion project - due to be completed by 2026 - includes updating existing train tracks, and building three new tracks from Yelarbon to Oakey, Rosewood to Kagaru and Acacia Ridge to the port.

For years the project has been on the drawing board, with the Port of Brisbane previously signalling interest in a freight line to Melbourne.

The Coalition funding announcement is also expected to take some of the heat off the Federal Coalition for its refusal to match Labor in allocating money for the Cross River Rail project.

The State Government has promised to contribute $467 million to the project.

Transport Minister Scott Emerson said the tunnel would have multiple benefits for southeast Queensland such as freeing up capacity for passenger services on the Ipswich and Beenleigh lines and taking controversial coal trains out of southside suburbs.

"Obviously the overall project has immense benefits in terms of getting trucks off our roads, getting more freight on to rail and alleviating some of the issues of having trains going through the suburbs," Mr Emerson said.

Planning will take up to three years followed by a 10-year construction period for a proposed delivery date of 2026.

Once completed, the line will be able to carry 25 million tonnes of freight a year - the equivalent of up to 812,000 B-double truck movements.

Federal Coalition deputy leader Warren Truss said there was already strong private sector interest in the $5.139 billion project spearheaded by the Port of Brisbane Corporation.

" Clearly this will mean a faster journey for freight between Melbourne and Brisbane avoiding the necessity to take trains in and out of Sydney," he said.

The funding announcement is also expected to take some of the heat off the Federal Coalition for its refusal to allocate any money for the Cross River Rail project.

"We acknowledge the Cross River Rail is an important project," Mr Truss said yesterday.

"The issue is whether the Commonwealth should be spending money on urban public transport or the interstate rail network and in particular the freight network.

Mr Emerson said the project had been around for many years but now was the "right time for it to be delivered" ...

[ozbob]

Where do we go from here ...  Which is the way that's clear ...   ?

[Stillwater]

^^ Are we to take it, Ozbob, that you have insight into the infrastructure project that the Premier says she will be forwarding to Canberra at the end of this week, for funding?

[ozbob]

Errr ... the way things are unravelling in Canberra at present trip might have to be delayed ... possibly 2051 ... 

The project that could be funded by the present deluded Feds is the Sunny Coast Line ...   

[Stillwater]

Agree. 

It is understandable that State Labor pushed GC Light Rail for fed funding, for political reasons, whereas the SCL is the better proposition and more likely to receive federal government attention.  (Ms Trad is shaping up to be as politically mischievous as Mr Emerson was before her.)

Reasons:

- The federal government accepts it has an obligation to fund wholly, or part-fund projects that are on the National Transport Network.  SCL is on the NTN, GC Light Rail is not.
- The feds say they will fund infrastructure projects that contribute to improved freight-carrying capacity nationwide.  GC Light rail is a passenger-only project.  SCL is one of the busiest rail freight corridors in Australia.
- The feds say they wish to maximise investment by funding projects with a high benefit-cost ratio.  SCL BCR exceeds two.
- The conservative side of politics backed SCL duplication, so the LNP Opposition can't now criticise Labor for agreeing to proceed.  They are snookered on this one.
- Among other electorates, the SCL serves the political patch of the Speaker, who keeps State Labor in power.
- Coalition wants to win back the seat of Fairfax from Uncle Clive and shore up support in seats such as Fisher, both served by the SCL.  Just further north is the seat held by the Deputy PM, who happens to be federal infrastructure minister.

Ms Trad is p%ssing around with GC Light Rail for political reasons and getting nowhere.  Switching attention to SCL duplication has the best chance of attracting (government and private) investment money to Queensland.  The duplication serves industry and producers right up the coast (including some crucial Labor-held seats) by improving rail freight access to Brisbane and southern markets.  Not a stick of celery is carried on the GC Light Rail.

A deal is required, that allows the state government to fund passenger rail elements of the SCL duplication (passenger rail stations, car parks, bus/rail interchanges) while the feds fund the track duplication, justified on freight grounds.  (The current tenants of Parliament House say they will not fund 'urban rail'.)

All but one block of land required for the project has been bought, the project has been signed-off by the Coordinator-General.  Plans have been drawn up, EIS approvals are in place.  Unlike the hapless CRR project, which is back in the pre pre-feasibility stage, SCL planning is complete and the project is 'shovel ready'.

SCL duplication would relieve pressure on the congested Bruce Highway and will delay the need to spend massive money on its widening.  (The SG is even talking about a new arterial, running east of the Bruce Highway, between the Bribie Island-Caboolture Road to the Gateway Arterial, which is having to be widened.)

SCL duplication is needed to support huge residential estate development at Caloundra South and Palmview (together, 70,000 people over time).

MBRL project nearing completion.  That workforce, with specialist rail-building knowledge and equipment will dissipate if it does not have another project to move to.  Queensland's unemployment rate is the highest in the country, mainly due to a subdued mining sector.  SCL duplication would use those skills and provide jobs in an area of the state where unemployment exceeds 6.5 per cent.

We have known for a long time that the common sense reasons for the SCL duplication have been pushed to one side for the sake of political expediency.  It virtually has become the sole bit of ammunition left to fire in the stakes to move a sluggish economy via means of transport infrastructure investment.

[ozbob]

Infrastructure implementation in Oz land is now dependent on knitting and mad men and women.

It is really messed up ...


Glad I am sane     ...   

[verbatim9]

Isn't Coomera to Helensvale duplication happening!? The workers will just go onto that project ☺

[verbatim9]

http://m.thechronicle.com.au/news/delivery-plan-brings-inland-rail-step-closer-toowo/2772864/

[ozbob]

Isn't Coomera to Helensvale duplication happening!? The workers will just go onto that project ☺

Hopefully, has been on the way for a while now ..

[techblitz]

Queensland's unemployment rate is the highest in the country

not even coming close to south australia....

[#Metro]

It is really quite frustrating. It takes FOREVER to get anything done, even simple things. And projects are systematically screwed up almost always.

Maybe more recently things are more up than down. Gold Coast LRT was built eventually (though with a large piece missing), as was Moreton Bay Rail link (with barely any services actually on it) and Springfield (double tracked - can you imagine it with 1 track!!).

We absolutely need government. But the current system isn't working. It doesn't seem to matter who is in George Street, it always seems like the wheels fall and chaos ensues. Action heroes quickly turn into seat warmers who seem to only be interested in tinkering around the edges.

[Stillwater]

And where is Neil Scales in all of this?  Isn't he supposed to be holding the Minister's hand?

[SurfRail]

Queensland doesn't have the institutional competence to do these things properly.

One of the reasons the light rail project was the most successful thing TransLink ever did is that they recognised at the outset that nobody knew how to build a tramway in Queensland.  They went out and learned and although it wasn't perfect, it at least drew on some real-world experience.  (For instance, the original reference designs did not feature any island platforms, and these were only used as a cost-cutting exercise.)

There seems to be a belief that Queensland public sector organisations have some kind of indispensable and foolproof understanding of transport infrastructure, when nothing could be further from the truth.

[verbatim9]

Even when good professional advice is given to the Governemt, it doesn't seem to act on it. It just becomes politicised. Even popular opinion doesn't sway George St on many topics.

[ozbob]

This song is dedicated to CRR V31.0   

[ozbob]

Even when good professional advice is given to the Governemt, it doesn't seem to act on it. It just becomes politicised. Even popular opinion doesn't sway George St on many topics.

Public service was once the provider of ' fearless ' advice, which in turn reflected proper professional counsel.  It seems to me that the system has changed, it is now the inner sanctum (the ' advisers ') that seem to be the determinate  ..  hence the constant failures ...

Policy is now often knee-jerk on the run stuff, political rather than rational. The media game is raison d'être  for the spin army ...

Infrastructure concepts are often brain explosions on the back of ' beer coasters ' ...

When you reflect on this, it is no real wonder it is such a mess is it?

[red dragin]

Infrastructure concepts are often brain explosions on the back of ' beer coasters ' ...

Last week's episode of "Utopia" (Frontline meets Yes Minister) was a perfect example of this. Someone mentioned "super school" in passing during a brain storm, suddenly they had to develop a whole policy based on a four line media release.

Utopia is becoming to this government, what "The Games" was to the 2000 Olympics fiasco's. The writers must love the current political climate, mean while we all suffer from their brain explosions.

[Stillwater]

  Got it in one, Ozbob.

[Stillwater]

Will Malcolm Turnbull, should he succeed to become PM, move to overturn Tony Abbott's 'we won't fund urban rail' mantra?

[ozbob]

Will Malcolm Turnbull, should he succeed to become PM, move to overturn Tony Abbott's 'we won't fund urban rail' mantra?

Malcolm Turnbull has been posting a steady steam of pics of himself on public transport for the last 6 months or so.

There has been a message there, albeit cryptic, is the way I read it.  Recent pics were trams in Melbourne late last week.

[#Metro]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Semaphore_Signals_A-Z.jpg

[ozbob]

[ozbob]

The ' Infrastructure PM ' gig ended well hey?

Roads only, one term Tony ...

[Stillwater]

Tony Abbott's gone.  Ah, when you look to the Office of the PM, he's not there.  He's gone, no more to be there.  It's sad, I know, he's gone and that's all there is to it.  No more will we see him as PM.  He is, as I have said, gone.  Gone, no more.  Let's be clear, when it comes to being PM, Tony Abbott is nope, nope nope -- a no show, if you like.  But, gone definitely.  We just have to accept that.  Gone.

[ozbob]

Gone, gone, and gone ....   

[ozbob]

Feb 2015

[ozbob]

A PN freighter, previously halted at Beerburrum, moves slowly northwards on the single line north of Beerburrum. Makes the the next section to Glasshouse Mountains, into the siding to allow the the down PASS to come through.

September 2012

[verbatim9]

I think these 4 year fixed terms will work for Qld http://m.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/queensland-parliament-fixed-terms-on-agenda-20150915-gjmpvk.html Helps keeps infrastructure on track re: construction timeline.

[Stillwater]

^^ Thanks for the images of freight trains crossing at Glasshouse Mountains station, Ozbob.  This occurs right along the track, with congestion worse south of Gympie North.  Freight trains inch from one crossing loop to the next, stop wait and then proceed.  It is inefficient and disruptive to the state economy.

The reality is this: apart from the odd hobo, the freight trains don't directly serve punters.  There are more votes in GC light rail because more people will be impressed riding in a tram when they attend the Commonwealth Games.  They will be more inclined to vote for the government that provided it.

If the state government succeeds in getting the new PM to pay for GCLR, just watch Labor claim the project as theirs.

[ozbob]

December 2014

Queensland Rail ICE154/ICE155 & IMU185/IMU186 crossing each other at Mooloolah.

What the video doesn't show is that earlier the ICE sets had stopped at the platform at Mooloolah for passengers as required.  Then reversed back on the main line and then accessed the passing loop to permit the UP IMU passenger service to pass and for passengers as required.

We refer to this as the ' Waltz of the trains ' ...   farcical ...

In Queensland you need to go backward to go forward ..   just sayin'  ..   

[ozbob]

We are indeed ... living in the past ...   

[ozbob]

Will Malcolm Turnbull, should he succeed to become PM, move to overturn Tony Abbott's 'we won't fund urban rail' mantra?

Malcolm Turnbull has been posting a steady steam of pics of himself on public transport for the last 6 months or so.

There has been a message there, albeit cryptic, is the way I read it.  Recent pics were trams in Melbourne late last week.

Malcolm has just declared that he thinks the Opal is better than the Myki  ...

I think we all agree there.  What is significant is that a Prime Minister can actually make such a statement .. 

[ozbob]

[ozbob]

What are friends for if not to fund the big projects hey?   

[ozbob]

Solved!   

Brisbanetimes --> Trackless train to run at South Bank in six-month trial

Brisbanetimes --> South Bank trackless train plan derailed after no tenders



More failure ...   

[SurfRail]

The contrast with the Gold Coast news today is delicious.

Brisbane is amateur hour at the moment, except it's on all week...

[ozbob]

November 2013

" ... Somewhere down the track ... "  sure ...