Richlands to Springfield Central - Stage 2

[somebody]

Springfield, Springfield Lakes and Ellen Grove all at the same time as one project.  This piecemeal approach in QLD is just stupid.

[david]

Sorry...I'm terribly confused. Am I right in saying that Springfield Lakes and Springfield stations WILL be built, but not Ellen Grove?

Photographs R Dow 20th February 2011

That is one sexy looking Springfield station design. Reminds me of RBWH busway station.

[#Metro]

It's unusual that they are having it elevated. It reminds me of the Gold Coast stations.
Maybe it will be faster without Ellen Grove 

[somebody]

Sorry...I'm terribly confused. Am I right in saying that Springfield Lakes and Springfield stations WILL be built, but not Ellen Grove?

Official position seems to now be that all stations will be built.  Timeline isn't clearly promised, but construction is to start soon?!  This project is a lower priority than CRR.

[Gazza]

I like the fact they've done a full train shed over the station, its such a nice feature to have since it offers the best weather protection. Plus all the cool kids do it.

Also, why does Springfield need to be elevated? I thought since they would've known it was to be built from the outset there would be no need to elevate to "get over" other obstacles, because said obstacles should never have been built in a master planned development.

[petey3801]

I like the fact they've done a full train shed over the station, its such a nice feature to have since it offers the best weather protection. Plus all the cool kids do it.

Also, why does Springfield need to be elevated? I thought since they would've known it was to be built from the outset there would be no need to elevate to "get over" other obstacles, because said obstacles should never have been built in a master planned development.

Probably due to the terrain... The spot where the station is to be located is in quite a large dip, so would probably be easier and cheaper to build the station elevated rather than make rather deep cuttings in the lead up to the station. Also means a future extention to Ripley/Ipswich wouldn't need a very deep cutting in the next hill along from the station.

[#Metro]

I think elevated is better actually. It allows circulation of traffic and pedestrians underneath, so the rail line does not become a big barrier.
Look how close to the station that bus stop is. So TL is listening. 

[ozbob]

From the Queensland Times click here!

Two rail stations to be built

Two rail stations to be built

Felicity Caldwell | 21st February 2011

SPRINGFIELD Lakes will have a train station within two years, at a saving of $171 million, as part of the Richlands to Springfield rail project.

The project, which was contracted to TrackStar Alliance after a competitive tendering process, is expected to be built at a cost of $475 million.

In June 2010, The Queensland Times exclusively revealed the Springfield rail line would be delivered two years ahead of schedule in 2013, and it was first budgeted at $646 million.

Premier Anna Bligh said two railway stations would now be built – one at Springfield opposite the Orion Shopping Centre and the other at Springfield Lakes, near Woodcrest College – in addition to 9.5 kilometres of track.

State Bundamba MP Jo-Ann Miller said the announcement of a Springfield Lakes train station, in addition to the originally planned Springfield station, was great news for residents.

"It's been something I've been working on for some time after consulting the community and assessing their needs," Mrs Miller said.

Ms Bligh said the new rail line could potentially take 2500 cars off the Centenary Highway, with the rail trip between Springfield and Brisbane taking about 40 minutes.

The project will include an auxiliary city-bound lane on the Centenary Highway between Springfield Parkway and Johnson Road and two crossings under the Centenary Highway from Springfield station to the Orion Shopping Centre.

A dedicated pedestrian and cycle path will connect Richlands to Springfield and there will be 100 park 'n' ride spaces at Springfield and 200 at Springfield Lakes.

Ipswich City Council Division 1 Councillor David Morrison has been campaigning for a Springfield Lakes train station for about four years and said the announcement was fantastic.

Cr Morrison said the station at Springfield Lakes would probably be busier than the one at Springfield Central for about four to five years.

"Obviously in years to come high-rise residential areas will be built down near Springfield Central and that will become a busier station," Cr Morrison said.

Springfield Land Corporation chairman Maha Sinnathamby said the train station would be a huge benefit to the region which was planned to accommodate up to half a million in the next 30 years.

"I have to applaud the Premier for her visionary approach and for her very strong leadership in this," Mr Sinnathamby said.

"It is a huge opportunity for decentralisation from Brisbane."

Rail Back on Track spokesman Robert Dow said he was delighted by the announcement of a Springfield Lakes station.

"The railway line to Richlands is already a big success," Mr Dow said.

"It is important that we lay down rail infrastructure now for a sustainable transport future."

[O_128]

Good work, I just hope we aren't wasting 400 million to run trains every 30 min , also how have they cut money out?

[mufreight]

From the Queensland Times click here!

Two rail stations to be built

Two rail stations to be built

Felicity Caldwell | 21st February 2011

SPRINGFIELD Lakes will have a train station within two years, at a saving of $171 million, as part of the Richlands to Springfield rail project.

The project, which was contracted to TrackStar Alliance after a competitive tendering process, is expected to be built at a cost of $475 million.

In June 2010, The Queensland Times exclusively revealed the Springfield rail line would be delivered two years ahead of schedule in 2013, and it was first budgeted at $646 million.

Premier Anna Bligh said two railway stations would now be built – one at Springfield opposite the Orion Shopping Centre and the other at Springfield Lakes, near Woodcrest College – in addition to 9.5 kilometres of track.

State Bundamba MP Jo-Ann Miller said the announcement of a Springfield Lakes train station, in addition to the originally planned Springfield station, was great news for residents.

"It's been something I've been working on for some time after consulting the community and assessing their needs," Mrs Miller said.

Ms Bligh said the new rail line could potentially take 2500 cars off the Centenary Highway, with the rail trip between Springfield and Brisbane taking about 40 minutes.

The project will include an auxiliary city-bound lane on the Centenary Highway between Springfield Parkway and Johnson Road and two crossings under the Centenary Highway from Springfield station to the Orion Shopping Centre.

A dedicated pedestrian and cycle path will connect Richlands to Springfield and there will be 100 park 'n' ride spaces at Springfield and 200 at Springfield Lakes.

Ipswich City Council Division 1 Councillor David Morrison has been campaigning for a Springfield Lakes train station for about four years and said the announcement was fantastic.

Cr Morrison said the station at Springfield Lakes would probably be busier than the one at Springfield Central for about four to five years.

"Obviously in years to come high-rise residential areas will be built down near Springfield Central and that will become a busier station," Cr Morrison said.

Springfield Land Corporation chairman Maha Sinnathamby said the train station would be a huge benefit to the region which was planned to accommodate up to half a million in the next 30 years.

"I have to applaud the Premier for her visionary approach and for her very strong leadership in this," Mr Sinnathamby said.

"It is a huge opportunity for decentralisation from Brisbane."

Rail Back on Track spokesman Robert Dow said he was delighted by the announcement of a Springfield Lakes station.

"The railway line to Richlands is already a big success," Mr Dow said.

"It is important that we lay down rail infrastructure now for a sustainable transport future."

Once again the premier is fudging the figures, the entire Springfield line was originaly scheduled for completion in 2012 then the Government progressively stretched out the completion date to 2017 as a single track line south of Richlands without the intermediate stations of Ellengrove and Springfield Lakes.
It was as a result of pressure from a number of groups that the decision was made first to build the line as double track and then to bring return the completion date nearer to the original scheduled date for services to commence that now being 2013.
Banging our own drum here RBoT was perhaps the leading group in keeping the public informed and the pressure applied, now all that remains is to have the station built at Ellengrove to relieve the building pressure on Richlands where despite a most inconvenient timetable patronage is steadily increasing.
Consideration should now be being given to the further extension of the line towards/into the Ripley Valley.

[#Metro]

A dedicated pedestrian and cycle path will connect Richlands to Springfield and there will be 100 park 'n' ride spaces at Springfield and 200 at Springfield Lakes.

How did they suddenly manage to save $171 million all of a sudden? (maybe the recent merger of Arts and Finance has helped?  )
The second thing is that the Park and Rides are too small. If these are greenfield, people need to get there. How are they going to do that with a tiny car park of 200? The one at Richlands is 80% full, and that's a 600 car park.

While feeder buses will be helpful, the road layouts in Springfield are terrible, there is going to be extreme difficulty in direct routing there. So you need P+R for that case.

[mufreight]

A dedicated pedestrian and cycle path will connect Richlands to Springfield and there will be 100 park 'n' ride spaces at Springfield and 200 at Springfield Lakes.

How did they suddenly manage to save $171 million all of a sudden? (maybe the recent merger of Arts and Finance has helped?  )
The second thing is that the Park and Rides are too small. If these are greenfield, people need to get there. How are they going to do that with a tiny car park of 200? The one at Richlands is 80% full, and that's a 600 car park.
While feeder buses will be helpful, the road layouts in Springfield are terrible, there is going to be extreme difficulty in direct routing there. So you need P+R for that case.

Richlands is a 650 space car park, as for the savings the stations are nice but very much over the top, they could be much simpler and equaly as functional at considerably less cost, money that could be expended on other infrastructure such as the station at Ellengrove, the extension of the line towards the Ripley Valley.  Away from the Springfield line the money saved could be utilised on extending the duplication north of Beerburrum to Glasshouse Mountains or duplicating Moolooah to Eudlo to provide more track capacity to enable better frequency on the line as far as Nambour, the list goes on.

[#Metro]

Thanks Mufreight.
How much did each station cost? Was it above 25-50 million/ea?

[ozbob]

Observing the flurry of residential and commercial development around Richlands, I consider building an 'austere' Ellen Grove station greenfield is smart.  It would also give an intermediate staging point. Already we have received feedback from locals who really would like Ellen Grove available for their easy access.  

'a stn at ellen grove will suit so many of f/lake resident '

A lot is happening out that way.

[ozbob]

Premier and Minister for the Arts
The Honourable Anna Bligh
20/02/2011

SPRINGFIELD RAIL BONUS: EXTRA STATION AND $171 MILLION SAVED

A competitive tendering process boasting smarter designs will save taxpayers $171 million on the Springfield Rail Project with early works scheduled to begin mid-year, Premier Anna Bligh announced today.

Ms Bligh said TrackStar Alliance has been awarded the $475 million Richlands to Springfield section of the project now due for completion in 2013 - two years ahead of schedule.

The announcement comes after the Government's decision to open the $800 million first stage of the project from Darra to Richlands on January 17 during the flooding disaster.

Ms Bligh said the project was a massive investment for public transport in the Western Corridor region, and will reduce the number of vehicles on the Centenary Highway.

Project highlights include:

·Two state of the art train stations, with one at Springfield Lakes (near Woodcrest College) and one at Springfield (near Orion Shopping Centre);

·A 9.5km dual track rail line from Richlands to Springfield;

·An auxiliary city-bound lane on the Centenary Highway between Springfield Parkway and Johnson Road;

·two crossings under the Centenary Highway from Springfield station to the Orion Shopping Centre;

·A dedicated pedestrian and cycle path connecting Richlands to the Springfield community

·Park'n'ride spaces at both Springfield (100) and Springfield Lakes (200); and

·Bicycle lockers and racks, kiss'n'ride bays, disasbility access and CCTV coverage of all areas.

"During morning peak the new rail line could potentially take up to 2500 cars off the Centenary Highway with the trip from Springfield to Brisbane taking approximately 40 minutes," said Premier Bligh.

"This means people can live farther away from the city without having to drive but there are also environmental wins as well.

"The new line will provide a direct link between Springfield and Brisbane which will mean a lot to the local communities 18,000 residents - better access, cheaper travel, less congestion and fewer delays."

Member for Inala Annastacia Palaszczuk said the new Richlands station was a vital piece of community infrastructure for the southwest region.

"The Richlands station now means accessible transport for residents in Camira, Ellen Grove, Inala, Richlands and Forest Lake," she said.

"It's great news for these residents and also means less congestion on our busy roads."

Transport Minister Rachel Nolan said significant savings had been achieved under smarter design concepts and a competitive tendering process.

"Expert designers identified that works could be undertaken around Augusta Parkway ramps and bridge structure meaning no additional costs to alter existing structures or in reconstruction of the Centenary Highway," she said.

"Bringing the Springfield line forward by two years shows the government's commitment to its go west for growth strategy."

Ms Nolan said Queensland's latest piece of transport infrastructure the rail link between Darra and Richlands and the new Richlands station opened early last month during the floods.

"Ipswich and the western suburbs were some of the worst hit by the floods so the new line opened early, during a free week of public transport, to help people on the road to recovery," she said.

TrackStar comprises companies such as Thiess, United Group Infrastructure, Aurecon and AECOM and had extensive experience with rail infrastructure upgrades in south east Queensland.

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

[colinw]

I think elevated is better actually. It allows circulation of traffic and pedestrians underneath, so the rail line does not become a big barrier.
Look how close to the station that bus stop is. So TL is listening. 

It makes perfect sense to have Springfield station elevated.

There is quite a deep gully containing a creek that crosses under the Centenary Hwy, plus it is necessary to grade separate the line across the Greenbank - Springfield arterial.  Even with a ground level Springfield station a substantial bridge would be needed.

Furthermore, if the line is not elevated, trains leaving Springfield toward the CBD would face quite a steep uphill grade.  Likewise, without an elevated structure in that area, the eventual extension the other way toward Ripley and Ipswich would also face a steep grade.

[colinw]

Observing the flurry of residential and commercial development around Richlands, I consider building an 'austere' Ellen Grove station greenfield is smart.  It would also give an intermediate staging point. Already we have received feedback from locals who really would like Ellen Grove available for their easy access.  

I agree.

There's no need to build a Richlands style edifice.  Something more like Edens Landing would do:


Although these days it may be legally impossible to build a station without the full accessibility fitout, lifts and all.

Incidentally, back when it opened construction of Edens Landing was fully funded by the property developers of the adjacent estate.  It was a major selling point that their estate had rail.

If Ellen Grove does not proceed, then when the area is redeveloped the developers should be made to stump up for some of the cost.

[Stillwater]

I thought this was a condition of so-called transit oriented developments.

Is it not the case that the developer behind Springfield did make a contribution to the cost of the railway and has signed a Heads of Agreement with the state government for the track extension and station to be provided by a given date?

[ozbob]

Sorry...I'm terribly confused. Am I right in saying that Springfield Lakes and Springfield stations WILL be built, but not Ellen Grove?

Photographs R Dow 20th February 2011

That is one sexy looking Springfield station design. Reminds me of RBWH busway station.

Yes David, only some early works for Ellen Grove, not the station itself.  Some of us would like a station built there as well of course greenfield but there is a committment for a full station at Ellen Grove eventually.

[colinw]

From the Brisbane Times: Springfield here we come: rail line construction to begin mid-year

The 100 & 200 car park & rides at these stations will be overwhelmed from opening day.  I hope the feeder buses are up to scratch, otherwise a lot of people are going to find they can't park and will keep on driving.

Construction of the long-awaited rail line to Springfield could begin within five months after the state government fast-tracked the development following last year's population growth summit.

The $475 million rail extension will include two new train stations: at Springfield Lakes, near Woodcrest College; and Springfield, near the Orion Shopping Centre.

The stations at Springfield and Springfield Lakes will be complete with 100 and 200 park 'n' ride car parks respectively and bicycle lockers and racks. A dedicated pedestrian and cycle path will also be built to connect Richlands and Springfield.

Premier Anna Bligh last year made room in the budget to prioritise the project after she announced nearby Ripley would be one of three new southeast Queensland cities.

''The new rail line will provide a direct link between Springfield and Brisbane, which will mean a lot to the 18,000 residents [of Greater Springfield] - better access, cheaper travel, less congestion and fewer delays,'' Ms Bligh said.

''During morning peak the new rail line could potentially take up to 2500 cars off the Cenentary Highway, with the trip from Springfield to Brisbane taking approximately 40 minutes.''

The contract for the 9.5 kilometre duel line track from Richlands to Springfield has been awarded to the TrackStar Alliance, headed by Thiess, United Group Infrastructure, Aurecon and AECOM, which has already completed the rail extension from Corinda to Darra.

The announcement comes after the government decided to open the $800 million first stage of the project from Darra to Richlands on January 17, as a result of the floods earlier that month.

Member for Inala Annastacia Palaszczuk, who has been promoted to the position of Transport Minister under a major state cabinet reshuffle, said the new Richlands station was a vital piece of infrastructure for the western corridor.

''The Richlands station now means accessible transport for residents in Camira, Ellen Grove, Inala, Richlands and now Forest Lake,'' she said.

''It's great news for these residents and also means less congestion on our busy roads.''

Initial plans for the rail line only included a single track between Richlands and Springfield.

Robert Dow of commuter lobby group Rail Back on Track said he was delighted the state government had agreed to build a dual line track and additional stations at Ellen Grove and Springfield Lakes.

''It just makes sense. I'm glad the government has listened here,'' he said.

The Springfield line is due to be finished in 2013, two years ahead of its planned 2015 completion date.

However Mr Dow said a direct bus service from Springfield to Richlands should be put in place in the meantime.

"Once the proposed bus does its suburban run in Springfield it can go straight down the Centenary Highway and feed directly into Richlands rail station," he said.

"Services could begin as a peak-hour service and this could be gradually increased to an all day, high frequency service."

Mr Dow said the bus service could be similar to the bus rapid transit system in Perth, which is used to ferry passengers from Rockingham to the Mandurah rail line.

"This will be a useful "stop-gap" measure while TransLink, Queensland Rail and the construction alliance deal with the construction and planning of the extension of the rail line into Springfield."

"It is time public transport in south-east Queensland became pro-active rather than reactive."

[ozbob]

Bring on the Springfield - Richlands Rocket Rail Bus ...  it will help many to avoid the Centenary Highway car park east of Ipswich Highway ... it will assist with congestion relief, it will give the folks of Springfield and area a real public transport alternative today while the line is constructed.  It will drive cultural change ...  get with it!!

--> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=5322.0

[Stillwater]

See the final paragraph of this story:

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/new-moves-to-fast-track-springfield-rail-line-20100127-myw7.html

And here is an interesting legal perspective:

http://www.hopgoodganim.com.au/_upload/20090108094428835.pdf

There was even a change in the laws to facilitate the 'Springfield Infrastructure Agreement'

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/qld/bill_en/lgaeab1995505/lgaeab1995505.html

This is a very interesting document, particularly the article beginning on page 12

http://www.minterellison.com/public/resources/file/ebb1af4a94a31da/RG-Infrastructure2010.pdf

[colinw]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting those links. 

[Cam]

with the trip from Springfield to Brisbane taking approximately 40 minutes," said Premier Bligh.

I gather that this is referring to all stations services. Does anyone know if there is the possibility of express services in peak times?

[somebody]

with the trip from Springfield to Brisbane taking approximately 40 minutes," said Premier Bligh.

I gather that this is referring to all stations services. Does anyone know if there is the possibility of express services in peak times?

I don't think anyone does know if there will be one.  It is possible though.  You could go back to Corinda starters to cover the intermediate stations.  Not sure if I like that idea.

[#Metro]

This is really good stuff! 

[mufreight]

with the trip from Springfield to Brisbane taking approximately 40 minutes," said Premier Bligh.

I gather that this is referring to all stations services. Does anyone know if there is the possibility of express services in peak times?

I don't think anyone does know if there will be one.  It is possible though.  You could go back to Corinda starters to cover the intermediate stations.  Not sure if I like that idea.

Express services operated to the same patten as services from Ipswich between Darra and the CBD cut 6 minutes off the traveling time, depending on the timetabling of the Richlands services relative to the timings of the Ipswich services it would be possible to transfer at Darra and catch an Ipswich line express service, allowing four minutes for the transfer that gives a saving of 2 minutes, hardly worth the effort.

[Jonno]

There is a real opportunity to do these next station correctly by not building any car parking, build surrounding mixed use development at the same time and actively working with the community to implement feeder services.  Let's save 171 million and build it to leading practice approaches not 1970 thinking. A par and ride at a major retail/commercial precinct is bordering on ludicrous.

Ps let's for once recognize that our PT problems are due to supply not demand and build the service first and bring the surrounding development along for the ride.  It is 2011 not 1979.

[#Metro]

Jonno, while I prefer feeder services in the inner urbanised part of Brisbane, in an area like this you need car parking.
Lots, like 600 actually, particularly if it is greenfield or has horror roads like Springfield does.

The transport system needs to function from day 1 with passengers. TOD can be developed, but on its own time.
There is a small TOD at Nerang Station. That tiny development is not going to be sufficient to patronise that station with enough people.
You would need towers or something like that.

The bus is great, but then what about all those other people who aren't near a feeder bus route? There is cycing I guess.
You can't put a bus down every street, and in a place like Springfield, its going to be very circuitous routing.

Having a carpark is not because of bad transport planning IMHO.
It's because a) the road layouts have been designed not the best and b) because that area is low density.

In an integrated network, as much as people may not like it, it has to connect to car too.
http://transporttextbook.com/?p=1224

For public transport customers, Martinovich (2008a:18) explains that the short car journey to the railway station as the first leg of a Park and Ride trip is highly valued. Particularly in the AM peak, the value of time by customers is high, including the ability to leave at the latest possible time to reach the station, the convenience of the car, the minimisation of waiting time at public transport stops and the shorter 'arrival to wait' time at stations are all factors that make Park and Ride attractive to rail users compared to using feeder buses or active transport to access stations.

Park and Ride in Perth
Park and Ride provides one of the two main ways that rail users access rail stations on Perth's suburban rail network. The TransPerth rail network provides around 15,000 Park and Ride bays at stations across the rail network (Martinovich 2008b: 18), that comprise a mix of traditional 'open' free car parking bays, more secure 'Lock and Ride' free car parking bays and secure 'Pay and Display' car parking bays, where users pay $2.00 a day to park. A significant system of feeder buses integrated with the rail network provides a credible alternative to Park and Ride trips. Despite this mix of demand management techniques and the provision of a public transport alternative, park and ride spaces across the network tend to fill quickly in the AM peak, leading to significant 'overspill' parking on adjacent streets at key stations.

The role of Park and Ride in the Perth rail system is to extend the network's catchment beyond walking distance from the station. This is particularly important on the newer Mandurah and Joondalup lines, where most stations are located in the freeway median with very limited walk-up catchments. Martinovich (2008a: 17) points to Warwick, a typical station on the Joondalup line where 91% of patrons arrive by car or bus and the remaining 9% by active transport (walking/cycling). At a network level, the well-planned TransPerth feeder bus network delivers around 40% of patrons to stations, with cars delivering 49% of patrons. Martinovich notes that many park and ride users live in and near the same streets traversed by feeder buses. The differing urban form, road network and feeder bus service patterns on the Mandurah line has delivered higher mode splits for buses at stations such as Murdoch (57% bus, 38% car, 5% active).

In Perth's integrated transport and land-use planning system, land for Park and Ride around railway stations is often seen as a valuable development site for potential transit-oriented development (TOD) around stations by other agencies. TransPerth has fought hard to retain the relatively small (3 hectare) station Park and Ride sites to serve the wider regional catchments for their stations, often against the commonly-held perception of land-use planners that Park and Ride is a "waste of space and a lost opportunity for a TOD" (Martinovich 2008b:27).

[p858snake]

Sorry...I'm terribly confused. Am I right in saying that Springfield Lakes and Springfield stations WILL be built, but not Ellen Grove?

Photographs R Dow 20th February 2011

That is one sexy looking Springfield station design. Reminds me of RBWH busway station.

Probably because it doesn't remind you of a prison :p.

[BrizCommuter]

http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com/2011/02/springfield-now-23-baked.html
2/3 baked - well, at least it's not half baked!

[Stillwater]

Is the explanation for Ellen Grove's exclusion as simple as this -

The State Government has an infrastructure agreement with the Springfield Corporation and Ellen Grove falls outside the Springfield developmental area.  Springfield Lakes and Springfield will be more desirable places to live because stations will be built there.  The developer can recoup his money from higher land prices in the vicinity of each station.

Ellen Grove waits its turn, just like any other station on the network where there is no infrastructure agreement with a local developer.

[#Metro]

How can people complain? This is GOOD news.    
It's GOOD NEWS WEEK!!!

Ellen Grove. Oh well 90 % is good enough. Might make the train run faster too!! 

I am concerned about the parking situation and the feeder bus situation.

[O_128]

Screw the lack of parking, people have legs, use them , extend the bike hire scheme out to Springfield and have a big bike station at the station

[BrizCommuter]

Screw the lack of parking, people have legs, use them ,

Except this is Australia, and they don't.

I skipped my 12 minute walk from station to work yesterday morning, way too hot!

[Jonno]

Yesterday is not the norm! It is an exception for it to be that hot. Mind you the lack of street trees on most street ensure any heat is felt by pedestrians to its fullest extent.  But hey trees are dangerous to cars and slow them down so I understand why they are not popular with our civic leaders.

[ozbob]

I have been reliably informed that the major park and ride station in the general Springfield area is to be the one past Springfield on the extension through the Ripley Valley (don't know name).  It is anticipated that walk up, active transport and feeder bus will be more than adequate for the initial  roll out at Springfield and Springfield Lakes.  Don't forget there are serious plans for BRT Springfield to Ipswich via Ripley Valley pending rail.

[colinw]

I have been reliably informed that the major park and ride station in the general Springfield area is to be the one past Springfield on the extension through the Ripley Valley (don't know name).  It is anticipated that walk up, active transport and feeder bus will be more than adequate for the initial  roll out at Springfield and Springfield Lakes.  Don't forget there are serious plans for BRT Springfield to Ipswich via Ripley Valley pending rail.

Timing?

Connecting SEQ 2031 shows the line terminating at Springfield even in 2031, with Ripley serviced by a spur from Ipswich that follows the old Dugandan line right of way to Yamanto before turning off up Ripley way.  Springfield to Ripley is a dotted line as preserved corridor.

Given the way the development is surging past Springfield along the Centenary Highway extension, I think an extension beyond Springfield will become critical sooner rather than later.

Certainly the elevation of Springfield station to even out the grade points toward it being designed for extension.

[ozbob]

See the TODs in this schematic of Springfield station?



Photograph R Dow 20th February 2011

[Jonno]

Call me skeptical but I reckon that all those trees around the station will have car parks under them.  It is only a drawing but I would prefer to see an open plaza with active use 24 x 7 and buildings closer to the station.