Ministerial Statement: Eagle Junction set for $10 million make-over

[ozbob]

Minister for Transport
The Honourable Rachel Nolan
07/07/2010

Eagle Junction set for $10 million make-over

The largest station clean-up blitz in Queensland Rail's 145-year history will start with a $10 million revamp of Eagle Junction "from the ground up", Transport Minister Rachel Nolan said today.

Ms Nolan said the inner-northern Brisbane station would be unrecognisable after the first major investment in new passenger facilities since it was built in 1962.

Improvements at the station will include:

    * a new ticket office;
    * seating cover;
    * new toilets;
    * security upgrades;
    * upgraded bike facilities;
    * new lift and escalators; and
    * climate-smart landscaping and lighting.

"As well as being one of the busiest stations on the suburban network, Eagle Junction is the first seen by passengers coming in from the airports, so they will get a welcome that reflects the modern Brisbane," Ms Nolan said.

"This is not simply a makeover - it's a transformation of an ageing station into a modern, user-friendly facility that delivers what passengers demand.

"Better access and ticketing will make for a smoother start to their journey in more comfortable surrounds.

"Eagle Junction has grown in fits and starts since the '60s and this is the first master-planned expansion since its inception. The new station will be cleaner, greener and smarter."

Ms Nolan said the station renovation is part of the $200 million allocated in the 2010/11 Budget to upgrade one third of stations across the SEQ network.

"The renovated stations are used by 90 per cent of daily passengers, meaning most people will see and experience a brighter introduction to their daily commute," she said.

"Upgrades will range from major works such as new lifts, escalators, ticket offices and expanded car parks to fixing up the basics like new toilets, passenger information, seating and LCD screens displaying service information."

The Eagle Junction upgrade is expected to be finished by mid-2011.

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

[O_128]

Please Please Please raise the platforms,

[Stinktown]

"This is not simply a makeover - it's a transformation"

No bus interchange?

[Golliwog]

I don't know how many buses actually interchange at EJ station, but I agree, surely it couldn't be that hard to put 2 indented bus bays on either side of Junction Rd?

[Jon Bryant]

Please tell me this will include removal of the southern car park, conversion of the northern carparkninto a plaza/park.

[mufreight]

Well the starting point should be raising the platforms to carriage floor heights to comply with the now current Federal Disability access legislation.

[stephenk]

Please tell me this will include removal of the southern car park, conversion of the northern carparkninto a plaza/park.

So you would want to reduce rail patronage, and force more people to drive into the city? In a low density city, car parks are still going to be required, as are the addition of feeder bus services.


I would hope that Eagle Junction's makeover will include more Go-Card readers!

[O_128]

Please tell me this will include removal of the southern car park, conversion of the northern carparkninto a plaza/park.

So you would want to reduce rail patronage, and force more people to drive into the city? In a low density city, car parks are still going to be required, as are the addition of feeder bus services.


I would hope that Eagle Junction's makeover will include more Go-Card readers!

Gates would be a better solution wouldn't they??

[Golliwog]

Gates vs. Readers I think really depends on how the access points are set up. If they're wide enough and only 2 or 3 exits, then gates would probably be worth it, but if they're going to try and funnel everyone through 2 gates then its pointless and will just end up as a mini version of Roma St.

[Jon Bryant]

Seriously there would be 50 spaces at this station yet 1000s of passengers.  The removal of car parking has the potential to make the station an attractive pedestrian/people focus for the area.  It is also unlikely to effect patronage one bit.  It is likely to increase it. Time to let our car based myths go. 

[Sunbus610]

This manner has been up for a couple of weeks on the fence at Eagle Junction railway station, thought it was worth posting.

[Golliwog]

I suppose thats a cost efficiency, by not putting a name on it, they can shift it around from station to station as the upgrades move around.

Any more on what they plan on doing to EJ, other than the improvements list in the OP? I think the list on the TransLink website is a little bit different, but effectively the same.

[O_128]

I suppose thats a cost efficiency, by not putting a name on it, they can shift it around from station to station as the upgrades move around.

Any more on what they plan on doing to EJ, other than the improvements list in the OP? I think the list on the TransLink website is a little bit different, but effectively the same.

wasnt this supposed to be finished by july?

[HappyTrainGuy]

The same banner is also at a number of other stations aswell.

[Golliwog]

I suppose thats a cost efficiency, by not putting a name on it, they can shift it around from station to station as the upgrades move around.

Any more on what they plan on doing to EJ, other than the improvements list in the OP? I think the list on the TransLink website is a little bit different, but effectively the same.

wasnt this supposed to be finished by july?

Possibly, I'm not sure. Either way, I'd prefer it got done right, not done fast. Here's hoping I'm right with the done right part, touch wood.

[Jonno]

Just hope the 10 million includes removing the ugly and unsafe car parking and creates a better public space and overall urban design. Eagle Junction should have been a TOD 15 years ago. It was discussed back then but QT did not want a bar of it.  What a wasted opportunity.

[p858snake]

I suppose thats a cost efficiency, by not putting a name on it, they can shift it around from station to station as the upgrades move around.

Assuming that they are smart enough to do that :p It was probably easier to buy them in bulk for the different stations like that.

[somebody]

Possibly, I'm not sure. Either way, I'd prefer it got done right, not done fast. Here's hoping I'm right with the done right part, touch wood.

You know, like Park Rd Platform 4! 

Doh!

[Zoiks]

Seeing the carpark go wouldnt bother me.
I would prefer to see the following:

Straightening - Every station built and renovated should be straight so we can aim for level loading one day
Another pedestrian bridge - On the south side. Make the station more accessible.
Replace the Northern carpark with a bus interchange/park/plaza + TOD (which would partially fund it)
Replace the southern carpark with disabled only parking, increase lighting + accessability

[ButFli]

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

Too much is being spent on station upgrades. $10 million would pay for quite a few extra drivers and guards who could run more services. What exactly are taxpayers getting for their $10 million station upgrade? If stations like Indooroopilly are anything to go by the answer is not much. Who cares what a station looks like? Put on more frequent services so we don't have to wait in ugly stations for long. Spend money on making stations disabled friendly then no more upgrades until we have half-decent frequency.

[SurfRail]

Having reviewed the tender designs, I can confirm that they provide for:

- 2 gated entrances - the main station building on Junction Rd with 6-8 gates, and the secondary entrance on the other side with 3 gates
- Travelators up to the concourse from ground level in the Junction Road station building
- End of trip bicycle facilities
- Retail space
- Demolition of structures on the platforms (mainly the current building on 1 & 2) and replacement with better shelters
- Replacement of the current ramps from the bridge to the platforms

AND

- Platform raising! (although it was not clear whether this was full-length from the architectural drawings, and apparently no platform realignment is planned)

I wholeheartedly suggest people register themselves as tenderers at the Qld Govt eTenders site so they can access this sort of information, which should (morally speaking) be public domain anyway.  Only downside is that tender documents remain available for downloading only while the tender itself is open.

As an aside, I have seen tender documents showing full-length platform raising at Alderley, South Brisbane, Sandgate, Buranda (possibly only one of the platforms), Wooloowin and a few other locations that escape me at the moment.  Narangba is apparently due for this too.

[Cam]

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

Too much is being spent on station upgrades. $10 million would pay for quite a few extra drivers and guards who could run more services. What exactly are taxpayers getting for their $10 million station upgrade? If stations like Indooroopilly are anything to go by the answer is not much. Who cares what a station looks like? Put on more frequent services so we don't have to wait in ugly stations for long. Spend money on making stations disabled friendly then no more upgrades until we have half-decent frequency.

I agree with ButFli on this. However, once done there is still so much infrastructure upgrading to be done on most lines in the Citytrain network after decades of relative inaction considering the massive increase in population in SE Qld. I'm certainly not having a go at QR here. MP's of previous state governments, whose electorates are along rail lines within the Brisbane metropolitan area, had the opportunity to insist that a major upgrade to the CityTrain network be done but chose otherwise are those that should feel ashamed. Providing the current rail service frequency & speeds of the Mandurah line in metropolitan Perth is something that the next Qld government must consider a priority in metropolitan Brisbane.

[somebody]

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

Too much is being spent on station upgrades. $10 million would pay for quite a few extra drivers and guards who could run more services. What exactly are taxpayers getting for their $10 million station upgrade? If stations like Indooroopilly are anything to go by the answer is not much. Who cares what a station looks like? Put on more frequent services so we don't have to wait in ugly stations for long. Spend money on making stations disabled friendly then no more upgrades until we have half-decent frequency.

+1.

And even Cam & TT's thoughts about the other infrastructure I see as not especially important.  Although there are a few relatively cheap bits which should be done.

[colinw]

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

Too much is being spent on station upgrades. $10 million would pay for quite a few extra drivers and guards who could run more services. What exactly are taxpayers getting for their $10 million station upgrade? If stations like Indooroopilly are anything to go by the answer is not much. Who cares what a station looks like? Put on more frequent services so we don't have to wait in ugly stations for long. Spend money on making stations disabled friendly then no more upgrades until we have half-decent frequency.

Spot on!  That is what steams me up so much about the Salisbury to Kuraby upgrade, my local section of line.  We now have absolutely fantastic looking stations, but the service standard has not improved one little bit, and journey times are actually a couple of minutes longer than when I moved to the area.

I don't object to the triplication as such, and it has made things a bit more robust (particularly Gold Coast).  I just wish we could have a service to match the appearance of the infrastructure.  It now has the orange "busway" look & feel, but unlike the busway you can end up waiting for 29 minutes for a service.  All this money spent, but the timetable is not much altered from 20 years ago. 

[somebody]

The peak service for the Gold Coast has been upgraded though.

Checking the 2007 vs 2009 Beenleigh timetable, there doesn't seem to be much improvement though.  The previous AM service had at best an 18 minute gap.

[colinw]

Yes, the triple line helped Gold Coast, and I don't begrudge that benefit.  However the fancy new stations are not even serviced by the Gold Coast line trains, except offpeak at Coopers Plains.

I do object to Beenleigh line still having such a 3rd rate service, and provision of Taj Mahal stations for a half hourly train.

The handful of people I see on Kuraby station when I go past it most days - no more than when we had the old station - shows that it is services, not fancy orange painted stations, that people want.  People don't go "ooh, what a fantastic station, I want to catch the trains now", if the train only comes every 30 minutes.

[#Metro]

WELCOME TO YOUR *NEW* TRAIN STATION!
This government is "getting on with the job" of improving public transport, spending $BILLIONS on improvements
all over the network

* Disclaimer: Service as bad as ever. 30 minute service. No net increase in frequency. Zero net increase in mobility.
No-one can get around any faster after the upgrade than before it. But who cares. It will look good on glossy election material.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Taj_Mahal,_Agra,_India_edit2.jpg

FIX THE FREQUENCY!!!

[Derwan]

Too much is being spent on station upgrades.

If the stations were properly maintained in the first place, there wouldn't be a need to spend this much on them.  Unfortunately they were left to deteriorate and now we have spend a lot to get them looking respectable.

They definitely need attention.  Whether the correct amount is being spent is debatable.

[somebody]

Too much is being spent on station upgrades.

If the stations were properly maintained in the first place, there wouldn't be a need to spend this much on them.  Unfortunately they were left to deteriorate and now we have spend a lot to get them looking respectable.

They definitely need attention.  Whether the correct amount is being spent is debatable.

But the frequency has also been neglected.  Prioritising the stations over the frequency is a poor decision.

[#Metro]

They definitely need attention.  Whether the correct amount is being spent is debatable.

Do minimum.

Some should be maintained- but only up to good working order standard and access standard. This standard is a lower standard but perhaps cheaper than rebuild, which can be done later.

What's going to pull more patronage? 30 minute trains at QR Taj Mahal or 15 minute trains at a  QR 'Homebrand' station?

[Golliwog]

Say what you will, but looks do matter in the end. While the majority will use it either way, there are still those who won't use it if it gives you a "You're going to get mugged" vibe.

[O_128]

Say what you will, but looks do matter in the end. While the majority will use it either way, there are still those who won't use it if it gives you a "You're going to get mugged" vibe.

Exactly

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory

[HappyTrainGuy]

Say what you will, but looks do matter in the end. While the majority will use it either way, there are still those who won't use it if it gives you a "You're going to get mugged" vibe.

Coughkingston..... Coughedens landing... 

[colinw]

ROFL.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/statistics-every-crime-every-station-20100106-lu7p.html

If the train came twice as often, I guess people wouldn't hang around as long to get mugged.  On the other hand, the increase in patronage would provide a larger supply of potential victims.

Surest way to eliminate crime at a railway station?  Close the station!

[somebody]

Say what you will, but looks do matter in the end.

Yes, they do.  Just they are a bit player, and frequencies and speed are the main game.

[Jonno]

The solution to this debate is that QT, Translink, QR and local councils should be facilitating TOD developments around, on and over railways stations with the upgrade of the station being completed by the developers as pay back for free land/air space and/or discounted infrastructure charges.  Keys start tonthink out side the box.

PS such a business case was out to QT 15 years ago and rejected. 

[SteelPan]

Note from most of my posts, I never push for serious money to go into suburban stations - access and safety should be the only drivers, minimal seating, basic shelter structures, EASY TO USE ticket machine, electronic communications to a centralised and genuine help point for both train queries and security concerns (so most stations don't need to be staffed - some of course WILL need to be) - why, because services should be frequent, the average CityTrain station does not need anything more than ticket machine(s), basic shelter cover, good lighting, a number of the forenoted "help points" and access for the able and disabled - it's about the train service - NOT the station.   Look at most NYC network stations outside of Manhattan, basic as, BUT you blink twice and there's the next train! 

[#Metro]

Some stations really do need a makeover. Taringa has wafer thin platforms, Dutton Park literally looks like a jail cell and some of the outbuildings have dry rot in them. So there are stations which need upgrading, desperately (unfortunately Shorncliffe isn't one of these).

http://www.queenslandrail.com.au/NetworkServices/SEQIP/CurrentProjects/CityNetworkStationUpgrades/Pages/default.aspx

Alderley    Deagon    Morningside    Woodridge
Banyo    Dinmore    Narangba    Wynnum Central
Beenleigh    Eagle Junction    Newmarket    Yeronga
Birkdale    Enoggera    Sandgate    Zillmere
Bundamba    Graceville    South Brisbane    
Buranda    Loganlea    Strathpine    
Coorparoo    Moorooka    Toowong    

However on the list of many things to be put the CityTrain house in order, BASIC frequency really is at the top of the list at least for me. I am not talking about metro like frequencies, but BASIC frequency- every 15 minutes in the off peak. I would prefer that.

[somebody]

Taringa has wafer thin platforms,

Width wise?  Nothing is likely to change on this one in the upgrade.  And it's not the biggest deal IMO.  Taringa isn't that busy compared to Milton/Toowong/Indro.

[Golliwog]

Taringa has wafer thin platforms,

Width wise?  Nothing is likely to change on this one in the upgrade.  And it's not the biggest deal IMO.  Taringa isn't that busy compared to Milton/Toowong/Indro.

True, I had a look in the Taringa station thread and the leaflet and the media release both say nothing about upgrading the acessibility. [sarcasm] But hey, its not like people in wheelchairs need to use trains at all. [/sarcasm]