Article: RACQ plan for rail tunnel from Dutton Park to Bald Hills

[ozbob]

From the Brisbane mX via Courier Mail web site click here!

RACQ plan for rail tunnel from Dutton Park to Bald Hills

RACQ plan for rail tunnel from Dutton Park to Bald Hills
Article from: MX

Ursula Heger of MX

November 13, 2008 03:12pm

AN URBAN subway line linking Dutton Park to Bald Hills via the City and Everton Park has been proposed to fix Brisbane's traffic congestion.
The proposal was unveiled today as part of motoring group RACQ's wish list for projects to be funded through the Federal Government's $20 billion Building Australia Fund.

The plan also endorsed the State Government's proposed North West Motorway and tunnel between the Western Freeway and Gympie Arterial Rd at Carseldine.

RACQ spokesman Gary Fites said the rail line and motorway were critical for tackling congestion.

"You would need both ... to realistically tackle the transport problems in terms of the north and northwest sector of Brisbane, which is probably the most neglected as far as infrastructure upgrades are concerned," Mr Fites said.

The new rail line would begin with a subway from Dutton Park to Newmarket, with stops under Woolloongabba, QUT, Central and Kelvin Grove.

It would then travel above-ground alongside the new motorway, with stations at Alderley, Stafford, Stafford Heights and Bridgeman Downs.

Also on the RACQ's wish list was a new four-lane road-and-tunnel Toowoomba Bypass; a deviation of the Bruce Highway around Gympie; and an upgrade to all national network links in Queensland.

See the RACQ's maps at www.myspace.com/mxbrisbane.

mX is free at outlets in the CBD, Fortitude Valley and South Brisbane.

[O_128]

This makes much more sense than the current proposed tunnels build this and also build a tunnel from morningnside to bulimba then link to Hamilton before joining the doomben line!

[mufreight]

Great aspirations but they would do little to solve the current problems of a shortage of train paths over the Merivale Street bridge and through the CBD
The problem has no easy solutions and like eating an elephant needs to done one mouthfull at a time, not as the RACQ and some other bodies seem to think a five minute solution that someone else pays for, the federal government purse is not bottomless,
The original plan A as proposed is attainable in the short term and provides a workable basis for some of these more grandiose schemes at a later date.

[stephenk]

and also build a tunnel from morningnside to bulimba then link to Hamilton before joining the doomben line!

That would be an total waste of money, and eat up rail capacity from the North!


Whilst the RACQ's plan would give rail to an area currently unserved, it would also cost considerably more. There may also be some issues with optimum line routings, which in turn affects the capacity improvements. I doubt that RACQ have undertaken any form of rail capacity study before coming up with this idea.

[Markus]

I commend the RACQ for publicly suggesting a multi modal corridor for BNE's North, however, I also see that such a long rail line would probably need to be built in stages to get a timely benefit from huge costs.
Enduring many yrs of construction for a staged project, prior to any congestion relief would be very unlikely politically & in our current $$$ climate.

What I also like, although admittedly it is a typical grand plan, is that the additional line actually goes past the necessary destination point! Great for turnback efficiency. 

I do, however, think it would be a good idea to give rail services to "new" areas of BNE's North.
For to rely on the ONE MAIN LINE from Park Rd to Bowen hills amenities/ growth area in the long term would be tragic for any growth in rail patronage. I won't bore you all for I could write a thesis on that issue.

[O_128]

Why should it be built in stages? The new gateway wasn't half built and left for a few years! If it is to be built, and built next to a highway [though in the middle like Perth would be much cooler.] then the extra costs to justify 2-4 tracks would be allot as a lot of the major earth works would be Incorporated into the road!

[mufreight]

Mario 128
in reference to the expendature on projects such as the underground rail loop it is of note that the Gateway is still being built how long after the first portions of the link were built.