Rail infrastructure backlog ..

[ozbob]

It is clear that SEQ is falling behind in terms of keeping up to date with rail infrastructure.  When you layer on fast rail the big question is where is the funding going to come from?

Please add to this list (NOT a priority list, just a general list of projects).

Consider ..

1.  Sunshine Coast line, a decade behind now.

2.  CAMCOS - nothing but a line on a piece of paper.

3.  Salisbury to Beaudesert commuter rail.

4.  Springfield Central - Ripley - Ipswich

5.  Cleveland line duplication.

6.   ATP for entire Citytrain network.

7.   DDA station compliance - very slow, often half baked, progress.  Deadline will not be met.

8.   Rollingstock, sufficient?

9.   Kuraby to Beenleigh upgrade.

10.  Level crossing removals.

11.  Inland freight - Acacia Ridge to the Port of Brisbane

12.  Doomben line duplication - Hamilton extension

13.  Gold Coast line extension to Coolangatta  Gold Coast Airport


Hard to have any real confidence.  CRR is pretty much a stranded investment at this time ...

[Stillwater]

State Labor's solution is pretty simplistic - the money must come from Canberra under some notion of Queensland not getting its 'fair share', which revolves around not having sufficient funding to cope with the rapid growth of SEQ.  The Olympics for SEQ plan has been hatched to bring about additional PT transport, but even that won't be sufficient.

A congestion tax for Brisbane and probably a land tax levy on each and every Queenslander is the way to go, but neither political party has appetite for a 'big new tax' and each would attack the other for 'taxing Queenslanders for their own inefficiency and ineptitude' or some other claptrap.

A developer levy is also possible, although that tends to be imposed by councils for things such as parks, sewerage etc.

The state and feds should announce that a large road project on the list will be cancelled and the money diverted to PT instead. That can't be cancelling the Mackay Bypass for more trains and buses in Brisbane, because that is political suicide in the bush.  Would the public accept cancelling the last stage of the Ipswich Motorway Upgrade, for instance, in favour of rapid rail to Ipswich?  Or the Springfield Central-Ripley-Ipswich rail line extension?

[#Metro]

The Olympics for SEQ plan has been hatched to bring about additional PT transport, but even that won't be sufficient.

Yes, let's have the R1 Pacific Motorway Regional Rapid Rail Line up and running in time for the Olympics. Maybe the IOC will put in some funds - they have in the past for stadiums etc. There would be a federal justification for investment - because it is the Olympics - an international event.

A congestion tax for Brisbane and probably a land tax levy on each and every Queenslander is the way to go, but neither political party has appetite for a 'big new tax' and each would attack the other for 'taxing Queenslanders for their own inefficiency and ineptitude' or some other claptrap.

Government generally doesn't budge until the pressure/crisis overcomes the inertia. One of these things is the fall in revenue from petrol taxes as cars transition to electric. At some point that money has to be made up, so a road user charge will probably come into force.

... but not a moment sooner than absolutely necessary.

[#Metro]

It is clear that SEQ is falling behind in terms of keeping up to date with rail infrastructure.  When you layer on fast rail the big question is where is the funding going to come from?

Please add to this list.

A key problem is that the urban form is ineffective. Building housing at great distances from centres of work means that

lines (bus or rail) need to be extended there to connect. That means great expense and time to add to a network that is

already not great and has many legacy issues.


I think part of the solution is to have some contribution from local councils to public transport operation - this could be

small and nominal, say 5-10%. It would get them thinking about the costs of approving low density development.


The second thing is to discourage low-density development and replace it with medium density. This could be things like

townhouses, duplexes or triplexes, courtyard apartments. We are not talking towers. More people mean more tax revenue

from land tax and stamp duties. There needs to be TOD zoning around stations so that they generate funds rather than

consume it in the form of $60 000/space car parks.


I note that in NSW some assets were sold or leased (e.g. NSW grid), and those funds were used to pay for other

infrastructure upgrades. There are no easy answers, but that's politics.

Olympics

Olympics can be hosted with money to spare, says Queensland 2032 bid official

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/olympics-can-be-hosted-with-money-to-spare-says-queensland-2032-bid-official-20190906-p52orj.html

Previous Games have become huge financial burdens on host cities, which in turn has killed off suitors for such a gargantuan sporting event. With strict new rules around existing stadia and facilities and the promise of a $2.5 billion kick from the IOC coffers, Jamieson said another Australian Games could even have some change left over.

"All of Queensland and all of Australia were contributors to the infrastructure on the Gold Coast (2018 Commonwealth Games) and this would be a similar situation. We have been buoyed from the advice from Thomas Bach about the sort of funding the IOC will provide. We actually believe it's possible to at least break even, if not make a small profit, on the Games themselves," he said.

^^ The IOC will put in $2.5 billion, maybe some of that can go to the R1 train.

[timh]

#Metro: you can add the following to the list:

- Doomben Line Duplication (overdue by about 50 years)

- Hamilton extension

- GCL extension to OOL

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[#Metro]

I think it is obvious that we cannot have it all, right now. Things need to be prioritised.

We need to get bus reforms up in the air. That is high benefit/low cost.

Heavy infrastructure (e.g. anything that involves lots of concrete) is very expensive.

Remember, there are regional cities as well.

What principles would you use to prioritise?

[timh]

Cost to benefit ratio for the largest number of people I would say would be how you would rank priorities. How long it's been overdue since promised could probably be part of it too.

SCL duplication is up there then due to it being pretty necessary to have the network actually function properly.

Doomben duplication I would prioritise highly too coz it would be a very low cost upgrade that can deliver a lot of benefits.

GCL capacity upgrades would also be a high priority, despite its expense, due to it benefiting a large amount of people.

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[ozbob]

#Metro: you can add the following to the list:

- Doomben Line Duplication (overdue by about 50 years)

- Hamilton extension

- GCL extension to OOL

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Added to OP. 

[Stillwater]

Much of the savings made by electric car owners is made up of the fuel excise payment avoided, causing some to say that these owners are 'bludging' on the system by not contributing their fair share to road infrastructure costs. That remains the impression, even though fuel excise goes into Consolidated Revenue and is not specifically linked to the annual roads construction budget.

A component of the fuel excise is collected by the Commonwealth on behalf of the states after the states lost a High Court challenge to them charging fuel franchise fees/sales tax on petrol. By 1995-96, these state-based fees were raising $4.9 billion, representing just over 16 per cent of total State and Territory taxation revenue. After the states lost the court challenge, the Commonwealth added 8c a litre to the excise it charged and passed this money to the states.

States and territories can ask the Federal Government to charge more for fuel across the board and pass the additional revenue to them. I don't know why Queensland doesn't organise with other states and territories to make this request, as the backlash for higher fuel prices would fall on the Feds, not the various state governments.

All this won't matter in a few short years.

I wish I had retained the source, but I read the other day that by 2050, the ratio of new electric cars sold in Australia to new carbon fuel vehicles would be 70:30.  The fuel excise arrangements will be thrown into chaos.  Watch for governments moving quickly to a distance travelled road user charge.  We can expect to receive a quarterly road user charge invoice, much the same way as the electricity bill arrives now.  It will force individuals to consider whether to pay more for the electric/fuel car, or reduce the bill by travelling by PT.

[Gazza]

Right now, the two main ones are the Sunshine Coast and Cleveland duplications, because they fundamentally influence network operations.

Everything else is in the nice to have category and introduces additional recurrent running costs .

(This is just line upgrades, Lift installation needs to be more urgent too)

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

3rd November 2019

SEQ heavy rail infrastructure backlog ...

Good Morning,

The backlog in heavy rail projects in SEQ continues to worsen.   Cross River Rail alone will not deliver the rail services that will be needed to provide sustainable accessible public transport.  Below is a list of projects that need acceleration.  We will be looking for real commitments to getting a lot of these past the 'line on paper' stage to actuality during the forthcoming state election.

Consider ..

1.  Sunshine Coast line  duplication north of Beerburrum, a decade behind now.

2.  CAMCOS ( Caboolture to Maroochydore Corridor Study ) - nothing but a line on a piece of paper.

3.  Salisbury to Beaudesert commuter rail.  In limbo since 2010.

4.  Springfield Central - Ripley - Ipswich rail extension. A project being championed by Ipswich City Council.

5.  Cleveland line duplication.

6.   ATP (automatic train protection) for entire Citytrain network.

7.   DDA station compliance - often half baked when done, e.g. partial platform raising, progress very slow.  DDA compliance deadline will not be met.

8.   Rollingstock, sufficient numbers, even with the 75 NGR trains?

9.   Kuraby to Beenleigh upgrade. How will 5 minute peak services on the Gold Coast line be achievable unless there is track capacity improvement?

10.  Level crossing removals. Stagnation since 2014. As train frequency increases there will be road network chaos at peak times unless removal is stepped up.

11.  Inland freight line - Acacia Ridge to the Port of Brisbane?

12.  Doomben line duplication - Hamilton extension.  Fifty years behind.

13.  Gold Coast line extension to Coolangatta  Gold Coast Airport.

The above list is not a priority list, but a general list of the network shortfalls.   It does not paint a bright picture for progress does it?

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

[ozbob]

Facebook ...

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1190710462196805632

[ozbob]

Letter to the Editor Queensland Times 5th November 2019 page 29

Future rail projects falling badly behind

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

Time to Prioritise Active & Public Transport not waste taxes on More Freeways

28th September 2020

With a Queensland State election approaching in October 2020, RAIL Back On Track Members again highlight that active and public transport in SEQ (around 20-25% of trips) lags way behind the rest of the world and the rail and busway network has seen limited additional additional capacity or improvement over the last decade.

At the same time freeways across the region continue to be widened or extended resulting in more congestion on top of more congestion (1).  Trying to "bust" congestion by building additional road capacity is wasting more and more tax payer money whilst active and public transport remain well behind leading cities from around the world.

Every trip by car that should be by active or public transport (upward of 60% of trips) is costing a minimum of 6 times in tax payer subsidies (2) for the same economic benefit.

RAIL Back On Track calls on the major political parties and the RACQ to stop proposing "congestion busting" urban freeway projects in the upcoming Queensland election and instead announce major significant public transport and supporting active transport investment including:   

1. Sunshine Coast line amplification - Beerburrum to Nambour, a decade behind now.

2. CAMCOS (Caboolture to Maroochydore Corridor Study) to Sunshine Coast Airport - almost 20 years in waiting.

3. North West Transport Corridor line - maximising the potential of CRR/SEQ Fast Rail.

4. Salisbury to Beaudesert commuter rail.  In limbo since 2010.

5. Springfield Central - Ripley - Ipswich rail extension. A project being championed by Ipswich City Council.

6. Cleveland line duplication. A project being championed by Redland City Council.

7. DDA/DSAPT station compliance and station upgrades - progress slow.  Compliance deadline will not be met.

8. Rollingstock, sufficient numbers, even with the 75 NGR trains?

9. Beenleigh/Gold Cost line upgrades.

10. Level crossing removals. Stagnation since 2014.

11. Doomben line duplication - Hamilton extension.  Fifty years overdue.

12. Gold Coast heavy rail line extension to Coolangatta Gold Coast Airport. Gold Coast light rail extensions.

13. Busways to Capalaba and Bracken Ridge, with fast tracked bus-priority on road transit lanes in the interim.

14. Busway Extension to Loganholme.

15. Bus Network Redesign incorporating Brisbane Metro.

16. Northern Busway between Herston and Windsor.

Study after plan after study is completed on the rail network but the investment continues towards freeways and tunnels despite their known health impacts (3,4) and damaging effects on our cities (5). COVID-19 has shown the region the benefits of less cars on the road and we do not have to return to 'normal' if we prioritise walking, cycling, public transport and freight before the car. (6)

After decades of trying to out build congestion, this change in priority will require an open and honest discussion with the public similar to Toronto's "Feeling Congested" campaign. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x30tauq

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

References:

1. http://t4america.org/maps-tools/congestion-con/
2. https://thediscourse.ca/scarborough/full-cost-commute
3. https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/health-risks-for-those-living-within-500m-of-main-roads-20100619-yo2h.html
4. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/25/living-near-busy-road-stunts-childrens-lung-growth-study-says
5. https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/Increasing-density-in-Australia-Evidence-Review-2012.pdf
6. https://denver.streetsblog.org/2017/02/09/brent-toderian-dont-balance-modes-prioritize-walking-biking-and-transit/

[Cazza]

https://transportandmainroads.mysocialpinpoint.com.au/bettergcline

Not exactly sure when this site came online but I had my say. Here's a few of my responses for them to ponder on:

How would you rate the current customer experience on the GC/Beenleigh lines? I said Very Poor:
With Brisbane-GC being the busiest intercity corridor in the country, it is pretty disappointing to see how comparatively poor the rail infrastructure along this corridor is. Sections with speeds dropping down to as low as 50km/h due to sharp corners (where else in the world would you see intercity trains having to slow down to 50km/h!!), long journey times (due to this indirectness and slowness), long waits between services (30 mins off-peak is just not good enough for a rail line that connects well over 2 million people!) and of course, the sheer disregard for investing in rail infrastructure. It is a proven fact that cars are one of, if not, THE MOST INEFFICIENT FORMS OF TRANSPORTATION. Yet, the government is willing to throw billions of dollars to widen the M1/M3 (and even build a new one with the Coomera Connector). You guys have said it yourself and I quote: "Cross River Rail will have the same capacity as building a 30 lane highway". Just let that sink in for a moment... That means a 15 lane highway will need to be built to have the same capacity as a single rail track. Yet, it's all fun and games to be pumping billions of dollars into completely redundant and delusional road projects. It really is beyond belief.
Experts all over the world have proven time and time again that building new and bigger roads only makes congestion worse. Building bigger roads to allow more cars to drive on it is just like loosening a belt to allow someone to eat more food. Sure, it may work initially, but soon enough you'll just face the same problem this solution was supposed to solve.
It's time to get real about rail investment. And with a transport crisis from the Olympics looming, there has been no better time to get serious about rail. SEQ's transport network is choking and grinding to a halt. We need TMR to really step up and deliver these true "congestion busting" projects. Without Regional Rapid Rail from Brisbane to the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, we may as well just say see ya later to any sort of Olympic bid. Stop playing politics and please, just please, undertake initiatives for the sake of the community, not because they are vote winners. I'm 18 years old and my future is just beginning. I don't want to be having these same discussions with politicians 10 or 20 years down the track. By then, it will be too late. We need to invest in public transport infrastructure and we need to do it now!
If there's just 1 thing you take away from my plea for action/call to action (you can be the judge of that), I really ask it be this GIF. It just sums up and visualises everything I've said perfectly and I hope it will provide some sort of traction for public transport investment: https://imgur.com/gallery/sCvRIEd

How could facilities be improved to encourage you to take your preferred method of transport:
My closest bus service (the 373) and stop (approx. 200m away) only has 10 I/B buses and 9 O/B buses a day, running on weekdays only. It runs pretty much every hour, with the last I/B bus at 2:20pm and the last O/B bus at 5:15pm. That helps literally no one who doesn't work a 9-5 job. My only other option is to walk 1km in either direction to the next closest bus stop. We need to be investing in proper feeder buses that run frequently, and with long spans of hours. It's complete crap to say that you don't have enough funding for them. Take Coomera Station. You are expanding the Park'n'Ride with an extra 500-odd spaces coming in at a price tag of $17 million! That's an eye watering $34,000 per car space!!! And with that $17 million to get an extra 500 or so people to the train station, you can only fill half a train. With proper investment in feeder buses (so that they run Every 15 mins, 5am-10pm, everyday) to the booming Coomera/Pimpama/Ormeau areas, you will find so many more people using the train. Think of much better the bus network in this Northern GC area would be with a $17 million investment. You'd be able to have frequent and reliable bus services feeding trains at the rail stations, and still have change left over. Does that not go to show just how useless a Park'n'Ride in this scenario is? Sure, it makes for a nice Instagram photo out the front of the carpark when it's build Minister Bailey, but as they say, it's not the size (of the investment) that counts, it's what you do with it (i.e. investing in public transport not creating even more car centric communities that will continue to create more traffic and decrease the quality of their lives, the economy and the environment surrounding them).

How would you rate the current access to stations on the GC/Beenleigh Lines? I said Poor
Credit where credit's due, bus/tram and rail connectivity is pretty good at some GC stations (Varsity Lakes-Helensvale). This is because the high frequency services (the Tram, 704, 740, 750 and 765 that all run every 15 mins or better) are frequent, mostly reliable and very well patronised for this reason. More can be done with frequencies of other services feeding the stations here but it's a very good start. But, once you get north of Helensvale, you may as well just drive. Most of these so called "feeder" buses running into Coomera Station only run every hour, and some even stop running before 5pm (alla 723- the last service leaving Coomera Station on weekdays is at an absolutely shambolic 4:07pm)! That means you have to be on a train departing Central at 2:59pm. That really is beyond laughable. And just to rub even more salt into the wound, you see $17 million wasted on a Park'n'Ride upgrade when it's the lack of bus services that needs addressing most. I'm sorry, but that is nothing short of atrocious (and I'm just putting that nicely).

Lets be real, there's really not much to the site other than some generic statement about improving commutes and finding community feedback. However, they do mention that detailed planning will start in early 2021. It doesn't specifically say what the project entails but I'll assume that track realignment and straightening will be on the agenda. Hopefully, just hopefully, something comes out of this.

[timh]

Just submitted my equally scathing feedback. Nice find Cazza!

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[#Metro]

Sadly, I have been on the Beenleigh line and seen people chroming, dirty or defaced trains, and the some of the stations (e.g. Dutton Park) look like sort of jail architect built them.