Article: $14b needed to fix southeast Queensland rail chaos

[ozbob]

From Courier Mail click here!

$14b needed to fix southeast Queensland rail chaos

$14b needed to fix southeast Queensland rail chaos
Article from: The Courier-Mail

Robert MacDonald

September 18, 2008 12:00am

THE State Government says it needs more than $14 billion for a massive upgrade, as soon as possible, to save southeast Queensland from rail chaos.

It has written to the Federal Government warning that unless Brisbane's rail system is urgently upgraded, "the inner city will become a bottleneck in the southeast Queensland passenger and freight rail system".

Work on a proposed massive upgrade - currently the subject of a lengthy, $5 million study - needs to start as early as 2012, four years earlier than planned, if current passenger growth trends continue, the State Government says in its submission to a Federal Government audit of national infrastructure needs.

The state has put a $14.2 billion price tag on the project, close to double the $7.3 billion estimate it published in the latest version of its South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan released just four months ago.

But Infrastructure Minister Paul Lucas said the upgrade study, which began in August last year, "now has a significantly greater scope".

The study findings are expected to be released later this year and details are still sketchy. However, options being considered include "doubling of existing capacity by building two dual-track tunnels connected to the existing network by 2026, with other upgrades to the surface network to support freight".

The State Government has submitted a total of 54 projects for possible inclusion on the Federal Government's National Infrastructure Priority List, due for release in March next year.

The state's infrastructure wish list is conservatively valued at more than $35 billion, or close to double the $20 billion up for grabs under the Federal Government's new Building Australia Fund.

But it has tagged four projects in particular, including the Brisbane rail upgrade scheme, as "key projects of national significance which are urgently needed in Queensland, but which face very real funding impediments, due to their scale and the state's capacity to fund".

The other high-priority projects are:

The 18km, $2.6 billion stage of the Eastern Busway from Buranda to Capalaba which the Government says is "an urgently needed urban congestion project".

A $1.2 billion upgrade of the Abbot Point Harbour near Mackay to make it a new industrial centre and to ease bottlenecks and congestion at Gladstone.

The as-yet uncosted development of Curtis Island at Gladstone into a major liquefied natural gas export terminal.

Mr Lucas appeared confident Queensland would do well out of the priority infrastructure selection process.

"One of the advantages Queensland has is we have a lot of projects already scoped and ready to go to the next stage," Mr Lucas said.

[ozbob]

At last, some movement at the station ....

Blog comment:

RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org has been calling for such upgrades for over two years.  It is essential to position south-east Queensland with a sustainable transport future.  Rail light and heavy will give the capacity.

It is time!  Must be an election looming ...

Have you heard of the 7 Ps?

Prior Preparation and Planning Prevents P%ss Poor Performance ...

AMEN!

[mufreight]

Well blind Fredie and a drovers dog could see what needs to be done so why a $5million study just to delay the inevitable and employ the "advisers?"  The money would have been more effectively spent in a study into actualy how it can be done.
It is of note that of the 14.2 billion that they intend to put their hands out for and encompases potentialy some 54 projects that details are sketchy and no list is provided of the proposed projects.
One must question a few points that have been released, how is $2.6 billion on a busway going to reduce SE Queensland rail congestion.  How is $1.6 billion spent at Abott Point (Mackay) coal terminal going to releive rail congestion problems in South East Queensland?
Mention is made amongst the sketchy details of 2 dual track tunnels connected to the existing network, one would assume through the CBD to increase track capacity, to be completed by 2026, a little late one would think, they are needed now not in 18 years time.
How does a liquified gas terminal proposed for construction at Gladstone relieve rail congestion.
About time for less spin, duplicity and deceit from the current government and some actual bricks and mortar credible construction instead.
Write to or speak with your local member and remind him that they were elected to provide the infrastructure for their constituents not just to provide a gold plated gravy train for the top end of town and their mates.
Interesting times ahead, obviously an election comming on.

[stephenk]

I wonder what is included in this $14b? Does it just cover the planned CBD rail tunnel and it's plugging into the existing layout? Or does it take into account for extra infrastructure projects required to realise the potential increases in network capacity due to the addition of the CBD tunnel? Examples are quad tracking parts of the Beenleigh Line, quad or triple tracking Petrie to Caboolture, duplicating single track sections on Ferny Grove, Cleveland Line, and Shorncliffe Line, replacing busier level crossings with bridges, etc, etc. Otherwise we will have plenty of track capacity through the CBD, but worsening bottlenecks in the periphery of the network.