Cross River Rail Project

[ozbob]

Yes SurfRail.  The bus stuff for the GC is good and sets up for the light rail .. pity about Brisbane and burbs  ...lol

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[ozbob]

22nd May 2013

Opposition Statement

Abbott and Newman unite to halt Cross River Rail

Opposition Transport Spokesperson Jackie Trad has slammed Tony Abbott and Campbell Newman for their failure to act on Brisbane's vital Cross River Rail project.

Ms Trad said inaction was not an option, with the Cross River Rail a vital project for the future growth and prosperity of Queensland.

"If nothing is done, as Tony Abbott plans, Brisbane's rail network will come to a screeching halt in 2016 – we will have reached capacity," Ms Trad said.

"Cross River Rail is a lifeline for Brisbane's rail system – it will revolutionize the way we travel and the way our city is connected.

"The project is expected to take 14,000 cars off Brisbane's roads and allow an extra 17,000 people to travel on the rail network during peak hours.

"It will also relieve pressure on the entire South East Queensland rail network, ensuring people from the Sunshine to Gold coasts reap the benefits."

Ms Trad said it was bad enough Tony Abbott had turned his back on this project, but the fact remains that it is Campbell Newman now standing in the way of progress.

"The Federal Labor Government has put $715 million on the table – the very amount Scott Emerson requested," Ms Trad said.

Federal Labor has shown they're committed to seeing this delivered, but Campbell Newman has flatly rejected this offer for purely political reasons.

"The commitment from the Federal Labor Government is now the only opportunity Queensland has to avoid a rail crisis and Campbell Newman is looking for every excuse in the book not to get on with the job.

"Ultimately, what Campbell Newman and Tony Abbott will find is that not only is this bad policy, it will be disastrous politics – Queenslanders want action."

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

22nd May 2013

Re: RIP Cross River Rail

Greetings,

Brisbane and south-east Queensland has been consigned to transport mediocrity for many years today.

Presently the bus system is in meltdown due to wet weather and road congestion. http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=2695.msg126537#msg126537

Trains are fine.

More roads will not solve any of Brisbane's transport woes.

Presently we have a broken bus system,  a review by BCC is just more of the same.  The fare system is turning people away, they cannot afford to travel.   Rail is unable to maximise its utility because of the failure to properly support it with feeder buses.  The last major rail timetable revision was June 2011 - sector 1.  This was the first in 15 years or so.  The promised sector 2 timetables have been deferred yet again, at least till 2014.

Fares stuffed, buses stuffed, trains stuffed, infrastructure stuffed.

Maybe it is time that the present Transport hierarchy stood down, and we get some people who are committed to moving SEQ forward with a decent public transport network.

How about it Premier?

It is a joke at present.

Best wishes
Robert

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

Sent to all outlets:

17th May 2013

RIP Cross River Rail

Greetings,

RIP Cross River Rail.  The politicisation of public transport in Australia got even worse today in Brisbane.

Political stalemate set to sink Cross River Rail
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/political-stalemate-set-to-sink-cross-river-rail-20130517-2jquq.html

It is no surprise that a Government that cannot address the manifest problems with the failed fare structure for public transport in SEQ, cannot even manage to do a proper bus review, is also unable to drive successful infrastructure projects.

Federal Governments have been funding urban rail projects since 1974.  The Federal Government actually ran the Commonwealth Railways for a long period as well.

Transport failure looms for Brisbane, and all the major capitals because of petty politics and short term electoral cycles.

Enjoy the failure!

Best wishes
Robert

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

[#Metro]

Can't even organise a BBQ! Lapdogs!!

Major Revision to the BCC City Plan is now required ---> http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/planning-building/planning-guidelines-and-tools/brisbanes-new-city-plan/index.htm

Businesses will move to Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich and City Fringe centres like 8MP, Indooroopilly, Carindale etc - office towers and office parks will go up in the suburbs. Why? Employees will simply not be able to get into the CBD during peak hour.

[ozbob]

Twitter

Sandra Sully Sandra Sully ‏@Sandra_Sully 6m

Bisbane's Cross River Rail project hits the rails @TonyAbbottMHR @theqldpremier @AnnastaciaMP http://youtu.be/s35WEcG_Fck  #qldpol #TenNews

[STB]

 



Hey hey I'm back...again.

Cross River Rail, R.I.P. 

[ozbob]

Hey, Welcome back!



Abbott has got to get elected first .. 

[STB]

Hey, Welcome back!



Abbott has got to get elected first .. 

Given the angst that Australia seems to have towards Labor and Julia Gillard, I would think that is unfortunately likely at this stage.  Although four months can be an eternity politics wise.

[Jonno]

Repeat after me "Newman hates rail Newman hates rail Newman hates rail"

[Stillwater]

I have a penny here -- for Neil Scales' thoughts.

[BrizCommuter]

http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/lnp-public-transport-report-card-and.html
Time to move back to London. Brisbane really is going down the drain.

(Next blog post will take an in-depth look at plan B options).

[James]

 

Neither side of politics is giving PT the money or attention it deserves, and CRR was a brilliant example of this. Beattie/Bligh had around a decade to think about doing something about the Merivale Bridge impending disaster, and all they did was fiddle with timetables in 2008 to give almost everybody but those on the Gold Coast Line an inferior timetable and put fares up by 15% for the last 5 years. Still yet to pass judgement on Newman/Emerson. Aside from the backdown over the bus review (the blame should squarely land on BCC and other uninformed idiots for this one), so far the government has done better than the path the Bligh government was going down.

Gillard was giving hardly any funding for CRR, if she was serious about it she'd fund it in full and scrap this excessive amount of middle-class welfare being handed around everywhere. I had some faith that Newman could get Abbott to turn round, but now I have totally lost faith in this as well. No funding from Abbott for a critical piece of infrastructure, because it's "never been our policy". Utter stupidity. Blank ballot paper for me at this election, neither party federally has a clue on how to govern for the people.

In fact, none of them have a clue about CRR. Going online to buy my segway, or for trips too long, going to move by the river and canoe everywhere. 

[#Metro]

Next blog post will take an in-depth look at plan B options).

You mean the favourable economics of a large scale mass citizen exodus program to fly asylum seekers from SEQ to NZ?

[Derwan]

I posted this a while back. It's looking more and more likely every day!

[ozbob]

http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/lnp-public-transport-report-card-and.html
Time to move back to London. Brisbane really is going down the drain.

(Next blog post will take an in-depth look at plan B options).

LOL  yes, much to do!

[#Metro]

Re-purposing the Clem 7 looks very attractive...

[colinw]

WTF?  Someone has done a verbatim paste of the first paragraph of this post of mine onto the Brisbane Times comments here

Specifically:

I would like to say I am surprised, but sadly this has played out about how I expected it to once Newman became Premier. It appears that the once great Liberal Party has fallen prey to a form of madness akin to the Tea Party movement in the USA. Even Thatcher's conservatives as their worst didn't skimp on critical public transport infrastructure.

Colin   May 22, 2013, 4:37PM

What gives?  I did not post that on Brisbane Times, someone has copied & pasted it from this thread on RBOT.  I NEVER post as "Colin" on BT or Courier-Mail.

If this happens again I am going to seriously reconsider my involvement in this forum.

[#Metro]

It is copyright. Technically nobody can just copy what is written here and paste it in public and pass it off as theirs or use a fake name in public unless they attach a proper reference to it / link.

[ozbob]

Unfortunately the forum is public Colin, some clown has copied it.  I have been misrepresented on blogs before too.

It is copyright.  You can request Brisbanetimes to remove it.

Email scoop@brisbanetimes.com.au

[colinw]

I've done that.  Not the first time its happened either. 

[paulg]

The politics of the decision is summarised nicely in today's AFR:
http://www.afr.com/p/national/emerson_wants_but_not_it_seems_from_hhYy7SfuoZ6zhxLlSfPPpM

[Derwan]

Unfortunately the forum is public Colin, some clown has copied it.  I have been misrepresented on blogs before too.

Someone was posting as me on the CM website at one stage. They even used one of my email addresses so I ended up with the confirmation that the comment had been published.  It was a bit confusing.  Just goes to show that there are some sad sad people out there whose lives must be so miserable that they have to go trolling on the Internet.

With BT they actually require a login, so hopefully something can be done to prevent that person (or at least that login) from posting again.

[colinw]

I'm sure it happens a fair bit. I've seen stuff pasted from my own comments crop up in some funny places.

Anyway, BT pulled the comment after I complained.  Thank you Brisbane Times. 

[frereOP]

I posted this a while back. It's looking more and more likely every day!

@TonyAbbottMHR EPIC FAIL

[SteelPan]

I think you'll find this is all the great game of politics - Fed's and State dancing 'round each other ahead of Sept!  The Opposition is also simply giving itself the same type of room to move post election - does anyone ever believe a multi-billion infrastructure project comes without this type of posturing?  :conf

[ozbob]

From the Couriermail click here!

Track change on rail future without Cross River Rail

Track change on rail future without Cross River Rail

    by: Robyn Ironside
    From: The Courier-Mail
    May 24, 2013 12:00AM

PREMIUM-PRICED peak fares and a timetable rejig are among the measures being considered to try to squeeze more capacity out of southeast Queensland's rail network.

With Cross River Rail plans in tatters, the State Government has been forced to examine plan B to deal with escalating demand for rail services.

But transport groups yesterday warned the measures were "tinkering at the edges" and, without Cross River Rail, Brisbane would be choked by congestion.

Among the limited options available were a fare restructure to make off-peak travel more appealing, signalling changes to better co-ordinate trains and a timetable review to determine how many services could be packed into peak periods.

Better platform management - to get people on and off trains faster - is also being adopted but a proposal to rip seats out of trains to create more space has been shelved after it was decided it would make little difference.

The steps were originally proposed to help stretch Brisbane's inner rail capacity until Cross River Rail was built in 2020 but they have taken on a new urgency in light of a funding stalemate.

Federal Opposition leader Tony Abbott has refused to help fund the project and the State Government is not satisfied with Labor's $715 million deal conditional on an equal contribution from Queensland.

Yesterday the Tourism and Transport Forum warned that without Cross River Rail, congestion would increase.

"Congestion in Brisbane already costs $2 billion a year and that's forecast to reach $3 billion by the end of the decade without investment in public transport projects like the Cross River Rail," chief executive Ken Morrison said.

Commuter advocacy group Back on Track's Robert Dow said the measures were basically "tinkering at the edges".

He said significant fare changes would be needed to change commuter behaviour.

"Off-peak fares need to be very significantly discounted, maybe by 50 per cent, and shoulder peak where people travel earlier or later in the peak, possibly up to 30 per cent (discount)," he said.

He said the Government could also introduce an Automatic Train Protection system to allow trains to run faster and closer together safely.

Mr Abbott says his government's commitment would be to traditional areas of responsibility such as highways.

But Mr Morrison said roads alone could not solve the congestion facing Brisbane.

"Assuring future productivity and addressing congestion requires federal investment in both roads and public transport infrastructure," he said.

[colinw]

Fail fail fail fail fail fail fail fail fail fail fail fail fail fail fail fail fail. 

Gosh, commenter "Colette" in that CM article sure hates rail!

[ozbob]

Twitter

Robert Dow ‏@Robert_Dow 2m

@AlboMP clarifying Cross River Rail on @612brisbane .... #auspol #qldpol #springst CRR highest rated project by IA ....

==========

Hopefully interviews on blog later today ...

[ozbob]

612 ABC Brisbane Mornings with Steve Austin

Is it all over for the cross river rail?

http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2013/05/is-it-all-over-for-the-cross-river-rail.html?site=brisbane&program=612_morning

Interview with Queensland State Transport Minister followed by Federal Transport Minister

Steve Austin said following the interview with Mr Albanese that Mr Emerson declined a further opportunity to follow up on the clarifications by Mr Albanese.  Mr Austin said listeners can make up their own minds ...

[ozbob]

Twitter

Anthony Albanese ‏@AlboMP 32m

Just spoke to @612Brisbane about the need for Cross River Rail and the fact that the Qld Govt got everything that they asked for the project

==============

Scott Emerson ‏@scottemersonmp 6m

Why did @jackietrad not ask about Cross River Rail in QT this week? Because Labor knows @SwannyDPM 25% deal short changes Qld #qldpol

==============

He says, she says, they say, he said, she said ...  welcome to Queensland folks ...

Beautiful one day, underwater the next, gridlocked the day after ...

[somebody]

Fact hey?  What about the no GST set off that they did ask for?

[ozbob]

Fascinating interviews ... 

Next!

[#Metro]

This is my understanding:

$ 715 million QLD
$ 715 million FED
----
= 1.4 BN

"Private sector" aka "debt shell company to keep the debt commitment of gov't books" = 5 BN - 1.4 BN = 3.6 BN

3.6 BN divided equally =

= 1.8 BN QLD
= 1.8 BN FEDs over lifetime of the asset (say 40  years)

1.8 BN div 40 years = 45 million per year, each year over 40 years

45 million is pretty affordable. Privatise a few more assets, introduce tolls/levies etc sell off power etc, you could stump up the funds for CRR easily.

The cash is there IMHO.

[somebody]

That ignores the $357.5m GST clawback that the Feds wanted to do.

[#Metro]

My understanding is that was exempt.

Can someone please post both Albo's and Emerson's letters on this thread if they can source them?

We need to deal with facts not subjective conclusions.

[somebody]

That's already been posted, well a link to a link at least.

Emerson: http://images.brisbanetimes.com.au/file/2013/05/17/4280673/rail.pdf?rand=1368763722777

Albanese: http://images.brisbanetimes.com.au/file/2013/05/17/4280697/Emerson.pdf?rand=1368764695833

From: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/political-stalemate-set-to-sink-cross-river-rail-20130517-2jquq.html

[#Metro]

Well there you have it. Time to wheel out the private debt holding shell company and get on with it.
The debt will be "government guaranteed" makes you wonder what the whole purpose of even having this unnecessary middleman actually is. Private in name, public by nature!

[Stillwater]

Project exempt from GST clawback.  It is a Scott Emerson own goal -- more intent on playing the political game than doing anything constructive for PT in Queensland.  Newman must look to altering his Ministry to establish a stand-alone Minister for Public and Active Transport.  Take PT off Mr Emerson.

[somebody]

Project exempt from GST clawback.  It is a Scott Emerson own goal -- more intent on playing the political game than doing anything constructive for PT in Queensland.  Newman must look to altering his Ministry to establish a stand-alone Minister for Public and Active Transport.  Take PT off Mr Emerson.

Federal funding is pretty pointless if there is GST clawback.  Saying here's $715m but taking back $357.5m with the other hand is hardly giving $715m for the project!

[colinw]

And there, people, is why this country is so damn 3rd rate when it comes to infrastructure projects.

in all this mindless squabbling, the one thing I have yet to hear mentioned is anything to do with what is in the national interest.

Sometimes I think democracy, at least as practised in the English speaking countries and much of the EU, is doomed.  Probably rightly so too.  You don't see this kind of cr%p happening in places like Singapore.

Now, can someone please explain to me just what this paragraph in Albo's letter actually means in terms of relative project contribution vs. GST clawback.

I can advise you that the Federal Government has given due consideration to the GST issue you have raised, and we agree that any future funding for this project is incorporated in the GST relativity calculations at the 50 percent rate - this is similar to the concessional treatment for GST calculation purposes that applies to National Network Road projects.

Is Emerson right that QLD is being dudded, or did we get a perfectly normal Federal contribution to the project which is now being s**t-canned for party political reasons. (FWIW, I don't like Albanese any more than Emerson - they are both party hacks).