Cross River Rail Project

[Golliwog]

I second what colinw says, interesting history. I've never been out to Goodna but I only ever remember the 3 tracks at Mitchelton, but seeing as I'm only 20, thats not particularly surprising.

[Golliwog]

At this stage the article is incomplete, and I can understand their issue that they see the Clapham rail yards as a perfectly good location for the tunnel to surface, but the fact is that they havn't picked to surface in Yeerongpilly soley to keep the railyards. The network needs the redundancy of Ipswich line trains having the possibility of running via the tunnel, the geological conditions under the yards are poor which means they would have to relocate the yards elsewhere. If they relocate nearby then thats a massive number of extra resumptions, or the alternative is to put it far off where theres no houses at the moment and probably pay extra costs due to extended dead-running. Not to mention the extra cost of tunneling further and building an underground station at Yeerongpilly.

The CRR team should make a point about how much land take would be required to widen roads to cope with the extra traffic that would occur over the next 15 years if this isn't built, or if roads stay the same, how much longer a car trip to the CBD will take. Although calculating those things properly could take a while and would just bump up the cost, and if this is just a NIMBY movement, won't help placate people.

[david]

Around 300 resumptions for the Eastern Busway are occurring as well.

WOW! That makes 66 resumptions look tiny. I think Yeerongpilly residents are getting a fantastic deal, considering that Cross River Rail will carry A LOT more passengers than the Eastern Busway can ever dream of carrying. I also note that a real estate agent mentioned on the news that he expects house prices in Yeerongpilly to skyrocket because of the investment of CRR.

I pray and hope that the NIMBYs will see the bigger picture and not get in the way of this crucial piece of infrastructure.

[WTN]

Anyone seen reports of complaints for the Eastern busway? I wonder they were as vocal as the Yeerongpilly folks.

I once asked a friend of mine if he wanted a 10 lane monster motorway through his house. His answer was obviously no. Expand that to 20-30 lanes and I'm sure most won't be impressed.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Bikies' $1m rail resumption windfall

Bikies' $1m rail resumption windfall
Courtney Trenwith
September 24, 2010 - 8:05AM

The state government will be forced to pay out a bikie gang as part of its resumptions for the cross-river rail project.

The clubhouse of the Odin's Warriors Motorcycle Club is among 66 properties set to make way for the rail tunnel's Yeerongpilly entrance, in Brisbane's south.

The $8.6 billion rail line will run 10 kilometres from the centre of Brisbane and emerge to a new four-platform train station.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads confirmed the clubhouse was in the firing line.

However, a spokesman said the project was not yet guaranteed to go ahead, with federal government approval required.

''We would certainly need to resume that property if the project goes ahead [but] there's been no resumption notice issued because the project doesn't exist yet,'' the spokesman said.

''If the project gets the tick we will start talking to individual property owners about purchasing those properties.

''There are guidelines [around] pricing and timing.''

The clubhouse, on Unwin Street, is reportedly worth up to $1 million.

The state government would be forced to pay up despite its crackdown on motorcycle clubs.

In April, laws were enacted that give the government the power to declare clubs and other organisations as criminal.

Control orders could then be placed against individual members of the clubs to stop them from associating with each other.

Announcing the property resumptions last week, Transport Minister Rachel Nolan said the new station was necessary because the number of trains stopping at Yeerongpilly would almost double in the two-hour morning peak period by 2016.

She said the suburb was chosen because fewer homes would be bulldozed compared to the 197 properties that would have been required if the tunnel was to surface in Fairfield.

All property owners have equal rights to proper compensation.  Matters none who they may be IMHO.

[somebody]

We still don't know what is going to happen north of Roma St.  Seems that one possibility is to continue to Trouts Rd.

[Jonno]

It is official!!!! The Courier Mail is running a scare campaign.  100's if not 1000's of properties have been resumed along the regions motor ways and all the Courier Mail does with those is re-print the press release stating how wonderful the road will be and how there will never be congestion again. Any complaints from residents is followed up with the "That's Progress" counter argument.  Anyone seen Kedron laterly....well what is left of it anyway.

If we take the Courier Mail line one step further then the club should not be able to kep the proceeds if sell the property either?  Hmmmm??? 

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here

Rail resumptions' silver lining

Rail resumptions' silver lining
Tony Moore
September 28, 2010 - 5:54AM

Yeerongpilly should brace itself for short-term pain over rail resumptions before real estate values see any long-term gain, local real estate agents believe.

Despite predictions of long-term financial gain for property owners in the surrounding property market, there has been no price increase yet.

Queensland Transport announced last month that 66 properties on the eastern side of Yeerongpilly station would be resumed for a new four-platform station.

This new station also allowed entry and exit to the new tunnel for Brisbane's proposed underground rail project, designed to link through to a new underground Roma Street station.

Ray White agent Paul Waight said while he felt sorry for residents living along the rail line in Wilkie Street, he had no doubts the suburb's property values would increase.

"Aside from some of those streets, I see it as a big plus," Mr Waight said.

"In the long-term it will have large advantages for the area.

"I think more and more people are looking to live close to public transport and to schools and looking for ways to get into the city quickly."

Mr Waight said the tennis centre at Tennyson and the nearby riverside units created a strong combined hub for the suburb.

He said the impact on Yeerongpilly would be similar to the impact of the South East Busway on the suburb of Mt Gravatt.

But Paul Morgan, the principal of LJ Hooker at Mt Gravatt, said the busway was an advantage but he said not a selling point of the suburb.

"I think it is definitely a benefit, but we don't have people coming in saying, 'I want to live beside the busway'," he said.

Mr Morgan said the median house price in Mt Gravatt had increased from $485,000 to $500,000 in August 2010 while the median price for units was $370,000.

Meanwhile, a local real estate agent at Annerley said local residents were still distressed.

"They don't really know what they should do," the agent, who did not want to be named, said.

However, she said they believed the surroundings suburbs would benefit.

"I think one suburb back - Tennyson, Yeronga, Annerley, parts of Moorooka," she said.

Yeerongpilly's median house price was listed as $564,500 by Australian Property Monitors in July 2010, a jump of 15.6 per cent from July 2009.

Average unit prices increased by 10 per cent over the same time, setting the new median price for units at $450,000.

AMP data shows 34 houses in Yeerongpilly sold between July 2009 and July 2010, up from 25 12 months earlier.

Unit sales almost doubled in the same time, up to 25 (July 2009-2010) from 14 (July 2008-09).

[ozbob]

October email update:

As you will now be aware, Yeerongpilly was announced as the preferred location for the Cross River Rail southern tunnel portal and new train station. Detailed information about why Yeerongpilly was chosen as the preferred location is now available in the Southern Tunnel Portal Location Options Report on the Cross River Rail website.

The report includes information about the various investigations undertaken to determine the location as well as information about other areas considered.

Yeerongpilly local information session – Saturday 23 October 2010

We are also holding an information session this coming Saturday for anyone wanting to find out more about the current design for the southern tunnel portal and new Yeerongpilly Station. Details are:

      Saturday 23 October 2010,
      10am – 2pm (drop in any time during the session)
      Queensland Tennis Centre,
      Western Terrace, 190 King Arthur Terrace, Tennyson.


Next steps - Reference design coming soon

The reference design for the project is expected to be available for comment in November 2010.

The reference design will include details of the tunnel alignment and depth, what the stations could look like, the vision for each of the new station precincts and how the project could be constructed.

Consultation events will be advertised in Quest newspapers, The Courier-Mail, mX and in the next newsletter, which will be coming to your letterbox soon.

Want to get more involved?

Local advisory groups for the south and CBD/north have been established to represent community interests during the detailed feasibility phase of Cross River Rail.

Local advisory groups comprise a cross section of local residents, organisations, community groups and businesses to represent community views regarding local issues, impacts, benefits and opportunities.

Following the announcement of the southern tunnel portal and new station at Yeerongpilly, we are now looking for more members from the Yeerongpilly, Moorooka and Salisbury areas to join our southern local advisory group.

If you would like to get more involved in the planning of Cross River Rail and you live in one of these areas, please visit the website to find out more about the southern local advisory group and how to nominate.

Nominations close on Wednesday 27 October 2010 and nominees will be advised as soon as possible on the outcome of their nomination.

If you are interested, please read the terms of reference and complete a nomination form, and email your application to info@crossriverrail.qld.gov.au by Wednesday 27 October 2010.

If you have any questions regarding your nomination, please call 1800 462 730*.

Kind regards

Cross River Rail

[ozbob]

Minister for Transport
The Honourable Rachel Nolan
23/10/2010

Lord Mayor opposes public transport future

Transport Minister Rachel Nolan has today rejected Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman's criticism of the state and federal government's proposed Cross River Rail project.

Ms Nolan said the Lord Mayor's comments that cross river rail was too expensive and destroyed character housing were wrong, out of step with his own party leader and took his anti-public transport stance to a new level.

Ms Nolan said Cross River Rail, currently being planned by the state with federal funds, was necessary for Brisbane's public transport capacity to grow.

"South East Queensland's rail system is nearing capacity. To oppose this project is to oppose a public transport future for Brisbane," Ms Nolan said.

"Perhaps that's not surprising for a Lord Mayor who, during his time at the helm, has decreased the council's contribution to running BCC buses from 50% of the cost to 40%."

Ms Nolan also rejected the claim that character housing would be destroyed for the project.

Cross River Rail, as currently planned involves 66 property resumptions at Yeerongpilly.

While there are some Queenslanders in the area, the affected streets contain a broad mix of property types including brick and timber houses, unit blocks and industrial premises.

Ms Nolan said government was seeking to deal sensitively with people whose homes were affected but to describe the area as a character precinct was quite misleading.

LNP leader John Paul Langbroek has recently described Cross River Rail as the highest priority project for South East Queensland.

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

[Golliwog]

...when is the next council election?

Does anyone know what the comments the Lord Mayor made were? I havn't seen them anywhere. Did he offer an alternative? I have had a read of the southern portal options selection report thing and any portal north of Yeerongpilly had about the same number of resumptions, if not more, and the problem with Clapham was that new stabling would have to be found which couldn't really be north of the portal as that isn't operationally feasible, and south would decrease its usefulness the further it was from the CBD and would wipe out a large area of land, most likely houses.

[curator49]

I went to the information centre at Queensland Tennis Centre today. There was a pretty good turnout and, from what I saw and heard, people seemed generally in favour and understood the need for the tunnel. The reasons the portal site was chosen was explained and the reasons why the other sites were rejected were also explained well by QT staff present. There were excellent photo maps showing the areas from Dutton Park to beyond Rocklea with annotations as to what was being looked at and where and what the alternatives were.

The QT guy I spoke to seemed to be very positive and indicated that people were generally accepting of the project.

One new thing I did learn is that not only will the new tracks from the portal be on the eastern side of the current rail line but that the two current tracks will also be moved further east to service the new station. A new Wilkie Road will be built along the boundary. The current duplicated rail line will continue to be served by the old platform and will service trains for the Tennyson Line. This means that trains using the relocated two tracks serving Beenleigh will not have to clatter over the diamond crossings as at present thus reducing noise (and also wear and tear on the rail crossings).

There were some excellent artists impressions of proposed stations like Albert Street.

I too would like to hear wat "Can do" Newman had to say in his argument against the new line. He who builds road tunnels here there and everywhere through suburbia  and puts up traffic control centres in parkland.

[Stillwater]

Ahh, the art of spin.  Minister Nolan refers to the Cross River Rail Tunnel project as a 'state and federal government project'.  The tunnel project is a state project.  The federal government 'project' is to fund the planning only, not the construction.  The federal government has not committed to funding all or part of the construction cost and can't/sensibly won't until the state produces the business case justification.  The business case MUST stack up, it cannot be flawed, or slapdash or half cooked; as has been the case with other major projects out of Queensland.  This project is too important.  When state ministers start to bring on the fudge, creating the impression that a project is a 'goer' using federal funds in circumstances where this is not the case, we see the worst of duck shoving.  Minister Nolan is above that.  Yes, this project can't proceed without federal funds, but no government will commit taxpayer's money without being convinced of the worth of any project.  Keep working on the business case.  Make it watertight, without fudging the figures.  And meet the tight self-imposed deadline to deliver the business case, please.

[somebody]

We can find billions for road projects, why couldn't the state fund this on their own, albeit with difficulty?

[ozbob]

Media Release 24 October 2010

SEQ:  Cross River Rail transcends petty politics

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport commuters has strongly supported the Queensland State Government's and the Queensland Opposition's commitment to the Cross River Rail project.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"The Cross River Rail project is a transforming addition to the heavy rail network in south-east Queensland. The looming congestion constraints on the CBD rail axis must be addressed in order for proper sustainable safe mass transit to be available on the entire rail network for our community. Buses are not trains."

"Criticism of the Cross River Rail project by some of the pro-road lobby just further demonstrates how out of touch they are actually are (1).  Take off the 'road-coloured-glasses' and look around the world.  Rail is the being accelerated everywhere because enlightened jurisdictions are putting in place safe, sustainable, efficient and economical transport solutions for their communities."

"None the less, it is important that the Cross River Rail project team keep focussed, as they are.  Make it a watertight argument, without fudging the figures.  Meet the tight self-imposed deadline to deliver the business case.  This is a vital project."

Reference:

1.     Lord Mayor opposes public transport future  http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=72189


Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[Jonno]

It is time for our road loving, public transport skeptical Lord Mayor to go.  He is outbid touch with modern transport approaches, his own party and what cities all around the world are doing.  There is no doubt he is seeing the world through road-tinted glass in his council provided limo.

[frereOP]

... no government will commit taxpayer's money without being convinced of the worth of any project.  ...

So what do you call $42B the Federal Government is putting towards the NBN?  I haven't seen a business case for this which is why the opposition is planning on introducing a bill into the Parliament to have a Productivity Commission report into it.

This is not pocket money it and would fund a large part of an HSR line in Eastern Australia.  A business cases would tell us which would give the country the best return on the investment and therefore which one is needed more.

[#Metro]

There is a reason why governments undertake projects on this scale.
I guess this goes for road, rail and the NBN. It is one of the reasons
why IMHO a national rail operator is worth thinking about.

Firstly, its a network (you lose co-ordination if people pick pieces)

Secondly, you don't want the entire country gouged by a private operator

Thirdly, it costs a lot

Fourthly, unprofitable, but socially useful parts can be constructed.
No private operator wants to build unprofitable sections or services- the perfect case here is Brisbane Airtrain.

Fifth, the government has excellent credit rating, backed by all taxpayers over the entire nation. It doesn't have
anywhere near the level of bankruptcy risk that a private company would experience.
Therefore, a lower rate of return (usually 6-7%) is required making the project more likely to be feasable.
Whereas the private sector must go to the market to do this, and probably put a higher rate on that.

Sixth, the government can take advantage of counter-cyclic economic policy to lower costs.
When the economy goes down, stimulus is required because there is not much cash going around
or available to the private sector. Unemployment goes up, which should mean that labour costs go down.
Private sector would have difficulty taking advantage of this when credit markets are frozen.

IMHO the best outcomes come about when each sector is matched to what it does best.
It is too simplistic for a "private sector good/public sector bad" view- each has a role to play.

The main role for the private sector I see is in subcontracting where competitive markets exist
to supply/operate the services in to construct it and post-construction. Government should keep reigns on regulation, controls and extensions.

Of course, you need good competent government and a citizenry/media
that is sufficiently interested and informed to keep it that way. Unfortunately these three things seem to be scarce
resources.

[Stillwater]

Couldn't agree more, Tramtrain, FrereOP.  Governments can borrow money more cheaply than the private sector, and there will be both government and private sector money in the CRR project.  The business case (including monetary considerations equal to savings by building rail not road, cutting pollution and travel time savings) shows that the government is getting value for (our) money, but also gives the private sector confidence to invest also.

This must be considered against a background whereby the No.1 priority for the Queensland Govt is to return to a AAA credit rating, hence its willingness to cop all the pain about sell-off of state assets.

Queensland needs Federal Government funding for CRR.  The Federal Government (and private enterprise) needs the business case to see whether CRR represents a good return on investment.  The key is a robust and reputable business case.  This project won't be won on politicking.

Have a look at some of the other projects that other states have in the pipeline, in competition to CRR.  Qld has to prove up its case for funding on the basis of a superior project, and this must be proven.  Otherwise, they will get done over by another state with a better business case.

[colinw]

If Newman really is as anti rail as reported (proof please?) then he and his team can kiss my vote goodbye at the next council election.

South East Queensland has something in excess of $20 billion of road projects on its books at present, I counted something like $15.5 billion just in that 2009 Western Brisbane announcement Bob posted recently.

Newman himself has championed a series of very expensive road tunnels, the first of which appears to go nowhere near justifying its own existence.

In comparison, Cross River Rail is the only rail mega project of comparable scale proposed for Brisbane.  But a critically necessary one, otherwise we may as well give up on rail as the core mode of our public transport system.

A final point - how much as the State Government spent on busways for Campbell to run his buses on?  I didn't see any BCC contributions to building those.

Maybe this State vs. Council feuding, going all the way back to competing tram & rail systems, is really the root cause of our public transport planning dysfunction.

A thought: perhaps super councils (which get too big for their boots & start interfering with State policy) aren't the way to go after all?  Sydney & Melbourne seem to get on fine without one.

Q: What do I require of my local council?
Q: Garbage collection, local road & footpath maintenance, parks, etc.

Q: What do I NOT require from my local council?
A: Massive debt from funding mega road projects, interference in State areas of responsbility. Political posturing outside their area of expertise.

[STB]

Colinw, it was reported on Nine News of Campbell supporting the residents of Yeeorongpilly and saying that it was too expensive to build.

[colinw]

That's rich coming from Mr Clem7 himself.

How does he think Brisbane is going to cope without a significant improvement to its rail service?  Something that can only be done by building CRR or something very much like it.  Maybe BCC would like to forget CRR, and build the 30 lanes of freeway instead?  Lets see how many "character houses" he needs to resume to build the equivalent of five more south east freeways.

Campbell - butt out of important State issues, and mow the bloody footpath in my street!

An anti-rail, anti public transport mayor or councillor automatically loses my vote.

[ozbob]

Albert Street station to service all CBD   Brisbanetimes 14 July 2010

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/albert-street-station-to-service-all-cbd-20100713-1099x.html

... Lord Mayor Campbell Newman backed the Brisbane underground and said council's CBD plan in 2005-06 included an underground railway station near Parliament House.

"It is actually mentioned in there, and it has to happen," he said.

Cr Newman said he, and other south-east Queensland mayors, would back the project, despite each having other projects to pitch to the federal government for funding.

"I, and the other mayors, all have other projects with different priorities which we would like to get up, but we think this should have the priority.''

Cr Newman said the underground would be deeper than comparable subterranean rail stations, like New York's famous subway, because the rail line had to go under the Brisbane River ...

Someone has a short memory ...  much of media is so weak they cannot even do basic research.  That is a worthy topic for another day.  How can we get some decent transport reporting in Queensland? 

[colinw]

I'm sure Rachel Nolan & her advisers will be happy to trot out that quote by Campbell on cue.

This kind of putrid politicing over something we desperately need is exactly the kind of crap that has put Sydney in the mess it is in now.  We emphatically do not need it starting up here as well.

[WTN]

Let's not forget that Clem 7 required resumptions and Northern Link caused quite a stir with affected communities.

The arguments against are getting weaker.

[Jonno]

Let's not forget that Clem 7 required resumptions and Northern Link caused quite a stir with affected communities.

The arguments against are getting weaker.

Our Lord Mayor is still living in the 1960's.  He is just afraid that this tunnel will reduce congestion whilst his roads and tunnels are making it worse.  I have a letter from the Lord Mayor that says "public and active transport will never need to be greater than 70%".  So last century thinking!!!!!!

[#Metro]

A final point - how much as the State Government spent on busways for Campbell to run his buses on?  I didn't see any BCC contributions to building those.

This is a good point. Yes, BCC buses are running outside the BCC boundary, which is exactly what TransLink is supposed to do- take a blind view of the operator and just draw up routes on their usefulness and not to the border.

Maybe this State vs. Council feuding, going all the way back to competing tram & rail systems, is really the root cause of our public transport planning dysfunction.

Hopefully TransLink will find some backbone and will put an end to this. TL needs to put its foot down and exercise its legislative authority. There is nothing to be gained and everything to be lost from internal competition. It would be like having two departments within the same private company fight each other.

A thought: perhaps super councils (which get too big for their boots & start interfering with State policy) aren't the way to go after all?  Sydney & Melbourne seem to get on fine without one.

IMHO super councils are better. The trick is to leave them to do the policy, objectives and funding. Our cities are too big now to self contain within council areas.

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

25th October 2010

Greetings,

Just to remind you all.

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

Albert Street station to service all CBD   Brisbanetimes 14 July 2010

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/albert-street-station-to-service-all-cbd-20100713-1099x.html


Quote
... Lord Mayor Campbell Newman backed the Brisbane underground and said council's CBD plan in 2005-06 included an underground railway station near Parliament House.

"It is actually mentioned in there, and it has to happen," he said.

Cr Newman said he, and other south-east Queensland mayors, would back the project, despite each having other projects to pitch to the federal government for funding.

"I, and the other mayors, all have other projects with different priorities which we would like to get up, but we think this should have the priority.''

Cr Newman said the underground would be deeper than comparable subterranean rail stations, like New York's famous subway, because the rail line had to go under the Brisbane River ...

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

Someone has a short memory ...

The Lord Mayor has been very supportive of CRR previously.  I lived in a 'character house' in Albert St Windsor (Melbourne).  Now part of the formation for the road/tramlines along the widened Dandenong Road into St Kilda junction.  Life is like that.

The failure to actually put in place corridors as identified years ago (1960's and 70s) would have avoided a lot of the grief that is coming, not only for rail but particularly for roads and busways.  There was a busway protest yesterday afternoon against the Northern Busway.  Lets face it, when the council wants a project character housing doesn't matter either does it?  The eastern busway has taken out 300 residential properties so far, more to come.  Airport Link and Clem7, also resumptions. No problem Council supports those.

The fact of the matter is 66 properties, many not actually residential, to gain the equivalent of a 30 lane freeway in terms of pax capacity is a price that as a community is a reasonable one.  Some folks may prefer a 30 lane freeway and thousands of property resumptions.  But we differ.

Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

Media Release 24 October 2010
 
SEQ:  Cross River Rail transcends petty politics

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport commuters has strongly supported the Queensland State Government's and the Queensland Opposition's commitment to the Cross River Rail project.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"The Cross River Rail project is a transforming addition to the heavy rail network in south-east Queensland. The looming congestion constraints on the CBD rail axis must be addressed in order for proper sustainable safe mass transit to be available on the entire rail network for our community. Buses are not trains."

"Criticism of the Cross River Rail project by some of the pro-road lobby just further demonstrates how out of touch they are actually are (1).  Take off the 'road-coloured-glasses' and look around the world.  Rail is the being accelerated everywhere because enlightened jurisdictions are putting in place safe, sustainable, efficient and economical transport solutions for their communities."

"None the less, it is important that the Cross River Rail project team keep focussed, as they are.  Make it a watertight argument, without fudging the figures.  Meet the tight self-imposed deadline to deliver the business case.  This is a vital project."

Reference:

1.     Lord Mayor opposes public transport future  http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=72189


Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[#Metro]

Perhaps they would rather it a bus tunnel!
Just a problem with that: There are no buses to the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, nowhere near the capacity either.

IMHO a bus tunnel will be required in time- and when this happens, the busway should be converted to LRT.

[mufreight]

There are bus services that operate from Brisbane to both the Gold Coast and to the Sunshine Coast from the Transit Centre         :bi

[#Metro]

There are bus services that operate from Brisbane to both the Gold Coast and to the Sunshine Coast from the Transit Centre

There are no bus services, there are coach services though. 

[colinw]

Do those coach services use the busway, or just go up the freeway?  I didn't think long distance buses were permitted to use the busway.

[Arnz]

I don't think Coach services are allowed to use the busway.

On a related note.  Greyhound is the operator of the coach services to Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.  The major centres on the coast (Surfers Paradise/Coolangatta/Maroochydore/Noosa) are only major stops on the Greyhound coach service to elsewhere (Byron Bay and Cairns).

There are airport/hotel operators to the coast as well, Coachtrans services the Gold Coast whilst Sunair services the Sunshine Coast.

[Derwan]

So what do you call $42B the Federal Government is putting towards the NBN? 

Oh dear.  We have a go at our state government for doing half-baked rail projects.  "Build it and they will come" has been a catch-cry.  We also berate the road-builders for the same reason. ("Build it and it will just become full.")  The same applies for internet technology.  Build it and pretty soon the technology will be making use of the increased capabilities.  Australia has a chance to become a technology world leader.

Just like rail projects, we need to be future-proofing our internet infrastructure.  Anything less than the NBN's FTTH is half-baked, isn't future-proofing our internet needs and is basically a waste of money considering how quickly technology is moving and generating increased demand on the limited infrastructure.  Any half-baked measures will only need to be upgraded or replaced within 10 to 15 years at increased costs - just like we've seen with half-baked rail project.

By the way, the Federal Government is putting $26 billion towards the NBN, with the rest to be contributed by the private sector.

[ozbob]

Might explain something .. 

Courier Mail --> Lord Mayor Campbell Newman's army of spin doctors has more than tripled in two years

[frereOP]

There is a reason why governments undertake projects on this scale...

Of course, you need good competent government and a citizenry/media
that is sufficiently interested and informed to keep it that way. Unfortunately these three things seem to be scarce
resources.

Which is why democracy is as bad as communism.  The best form of government is a benevolent dictatorship but unfortunately such governments turn "Animal Farm" very quickly. 

[somebody]

but unfortunately such governments turn "Animal Farm" very quickly. 

Which, of course, means they don't really exist.  At least not in the long term.

[colinw]

With certain exceptions, e.g. Singapore - an effective no-nonsense Government which I admire.

[frereOP]

With certain exceptions, e.g. Singapore - an effective no-nonsense Government which I admire.

Singapore is a democracy (of sorts) although it does have all the Hallmarks of a benevolent dictatorship.

[ozbob]

Minister for Transport
The Honourable Rachel Nolan
11/11/2010

Next stop - the Ekka

Queensland history would be at the heart of the South East's public transport future with a proposal to name two Cross River Rail stations the "Ekka" and "The Gabba".

Releasing the reference design for Cross River Rail today, Transport Minister Rachel Nolan said acknowledging the iconic names of the Ekka and the Gabba would bring together the past and the future.

The reference design brings together all details of the project, including the tunnel alignment, station design and construction plans for the first time.

"The Ekka and the Gabba are Australian icons and Cross River Rail will directly link the two," Ms Nolan said.

"These stations will be permanent new additions to our transport network with thousands of people a day using them to go to work, and attend sporting and other events."

Ms Nolan said features of the 18 km Cross River Rail included:

·9.8km underground tunnel from Yeerongpilly, under the Brisbane River to Bowen Hills

·underground stations at Roma Street, Albert Street, The Gabba and Boggo Road,

·new surface stations at the Ekka and Yeerongpilly, and

·upgrades to Moorooka and Salisbury stations.

The new Ekka Station, proposed to be located at the showgrounds on O'Connell Terrace, would assist with renewal of the entire Bowen Hills Urban Development Area, including the showground precinct and also help to transform the way people travel to RNA events and the nearby Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital.

Member for Brisbane Central Grace Grace said the prospect of a new station would provide even greater incentive for exhibitors to utilise the showgrounds.

"Many people would be familiar with the existing Exhibition Station, which only operates two weeks in August every year - for the Ekka," Ms Grace said.

"The new Ekka Station would be a fully operational, year-round train station, providing direct rail access to the showground precinct, which every year is home to the famous show and numerous international sporting events and music festivals.

"In addition, the new station would be an easy stroll to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, which is Queensland's biggest hospital and employs more than 7200 staff.

"It would be the last station before the proposed Cross River Rail tunnel, meaning a trip from the Ekka to the CBD would take only about two minutes."

Ms Nolan said on the southern side of the river, the proposed new underground station would be just a 400m walk away to the Gabba Stadium - easy access for cricket and AFL games.

"In recent years we've moved toward a more 'destination-based' naming system for our stations, changing Vulture Street to South Bank and Brunswick Street to Fortitude Valley," Ms Nolan said.

With the reference design now determined, the full scope of the project including infrastructure requirements and property impacts had been identified.

"While an important part of planning for any transport infrastructure project is minimising the impact on property, inevitably there is going to be an impact," she said.

"Based on the current reference design, there are no further surface residential properties directly impacted over the properties that were identified and announced in September.

"An additional 39 industrial and commercial properties are impacted.

"Of those properties, 26 are in Salisbury/Rocklea, 10 are in the CBD and three are in Bowen Hills."

Ms Nolan said the community could have their say on the potential benefits and impacts of the reference design and station names by getting involved in the latest round of Cross River Rail community consultation events.

"The Queensland Government is committed to ensuring people's voices are heard through planning for Cross River Rail," she said.

"The next round of consultation will run for about four weeks and will be an opportunity for the community to find out more about how planning for the project is progressing and to have their say on the potential benefits and impacts of the reference design.

"This includes providing feedback on construction site locations and the potential benefits and impacts of the project's construction and operation.

"I strongly urge everyone to get involved in planning this 'must-do' project by either attending an event or going online to the Cross River Rail website."

To be kept up-to-date on the latest Cross River Rail news visit the Cross River Rail website www.crossriverrail.qld.gov.au.

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