Dutton Park to Kuraby (Logan-Gold Coast Faster Rail II?)

[#Metro]

(Continued from https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=11297.0)

Agree Jonno. It looks like another project may have to be packaged, this being Logan-Gold Coast Faster Rail "Dutton Park to Kuraby".

This would probably involve:

- Making 4 tracks in total
- Higher speed track
- Amalgamating some train stations on the Beenleigh line
- Straightening the alignment at the Altandi bend and new Altandi station
- Level crossing removals
- Possibly new road intersections to connect roads on either side of the tracks for local bus circulation (e.g. connect Jackson and Troughton Roads, New intersection at Algester and Jackson Rd)

Some Background

Cross River Rail - Southside Bottleneck

> http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com/2020/07/cross-river-rail-southside-bottleneck.html

[aldonius]

In this day and age I don't see how straightening Altandi happens without a tunnel, assuming you want to more-or-less follow Beenleigh Rd. Wiping out the primary school would be, uh, undesirable.

This presumably means trenching down to a tunnel from Coopers Plains to about Banoon, tunnel to about Runcorn (in order to go under Stable Swamp Ck and Bulimba Ck) and then back into a trench up to surface level, but I have NFI what the existing grades are there and if that's actually feasible.
(edit: see Gazza's reply)
Also invites the controversial idea of just... having two tunnel tracks and no station.

KEY ITEM: the Coopers Plains overpass must be built with provision for four tracks.

[#Metro]

- Runcorn and Fruitgrove stations might have to be merged (new Station - Nursery Avenue) as the train in a trench would have to dive to cross underneath Bulimba Creek.

- Nursery Ave and Hill road would be considered for connection for feeder bus circulation.

- New Station at Pinelands/Altandi

- Can't really see Sunnybank remaining either as the station would be located on a trench for the train to climb out of the tunnel.

[Gazza]

I have looked at this before and put it in the rbot submission on LGCFR.

Basically after Runcorn the land slopes up, so you can go over Bulimba creek, then plow into the hillside and run under the hill and surface after Banoon.

Unlikey, but I'd rather they turn off after Kuraby then tunnel via Sunnybank CBD, then qsac/griffith, then follow the m3 to around Tarragindi then a short tunnel to rejoin near Yeronga.

[Jonno]

- Runcorn and Fruitgrove stations might have to be merged (new Station - Nursery Avenue) as the train in a trench would have to dive to cross underneath Bulimba Creek.

- Nursery Ave and Hill road would be considered for connection for feeder bus circulation.

- New Station at Pinelands/Altandi

- Can't really see Sunnybank remaining either as the station would be located on a trench for the train to climb out of the tunnel.

• Runcorn and Fruitgrove stations merged - less merge more remove Runcorn station. Interesting that Fruitgrove is not a suburb.  Tunnel from north/west of Gateway/Creek
• New Station at "Emerging Community" zoned land - looks like overgrown bushland
• New Station at Pinelands- Western Side of Pinelands/Mains Rds - Currently Zone Community Facility but not overly developed.
• Tunnel re-surfaces at southeast of Banoon Station
• Remove Sunnybank Station - Only 800m from Banoon Station & 1100m from Altandi.
• Rezone around all these stations - low density residential next to a train station is negligence on the Council's behalf.

[aldonius]

I have looked at this before and put it in the rbot submission on LGCFR.

Basically after Runcorn the land slopes up, so you can go over Bulimba creek, then plow into the hillside and run under the hill and surface after Banoon.

Unlikey, but I'd rather they turn off after Kuraby then tunnel via Sunnybank CBD, then qsac/griffith, then follow the m3 to around Tarragindi then a short tunnel to rejoin near Yeronga.

Can't believe I didn't think to look at QTopo til now. You're 100% correct. Go in just on the west side of Bulimba Creek at +50, come out presumably west of the Stones Rd crossing at +40.

I'd like to see that long bypass tunnel too but hard to see it happening at 14km long short of national HSR level funding (and no way does national HSR want to be stuck using the QR corridor through Logan if it can avoid it).

[Jonno]

I have looked at this before and put it in the rbot submission on LGCFR.

Basically after Runcorn the land slopes up, so you can go over Bulimba creek, then plow into the hillside and run under the hill and surface after Banoon.

Unlikey, but I'd rather they turn off after Kuraby then tunnel via Sunnybank CBD, then qsac/griffith, then follow the m3 to around Tarragindi then a short tunnel to rejoin near Yeronga.

Can't believe I didn't think to look at QTopo til now. You're 100% correct. Go in just on the west side of Bulimba Creek at +50, come out presumably west of the Stones Rd crossing at +40.

I'd like to see that long bypass tunnel too but hard to see it happening at 14km long short of national HSR level funding (and no way does national HSR want to be stuck using the QR corridor through Logan if it can avoid it).

I think the challenge on the west side of Bulimba Ck is that the houses at the bend after Runcorn are at 49/50m, the track is at 47/48 and the creek flood level looks to be around 46m.   The tunnel could start around the corner more but then the benefit is lost as the line would need to curve back to straighten it and the opportunity of co-locating with Pineland Rd commercial centre is also lost.  It also doesn't help the 3 crossing between Gateway and Bulimba Ck (noting that Nathan Rd could be just closed)

Not a simple stretch at all.