Landsborough to Nambour Railway supplementary environmental impact statement

[ozbob]

Landsborough to Nambour Railway supplementary environmental impact statement

--> http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/projects/transport/rail/landsborough-to-nambour-rail-project-2.html

The supplementary environmental impact statement is available for viewing until Monday 11 October 2010.

The Queensland Government, through the Department of Transport and Main Roads , is proposing to upgrade, realign and duplicate approximately 22 kilometres of the North Coast Line between Landsborough and Nambour on the Sunshine Coast. The project is planned to be implemented during the period 2026-27 to 2030-31 as identified in the South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program 2010-2031 (SEQIPP).

The project will involve construction of a double-track railway along a predominately new route within a corridor that can provide for up to two additional tracks if required in the future. The identification of a new rail corridor that allows for up to four tracks provides long-term land use certainty and flexibility, should the railway require additional tracks in the future.

The project will improve the efficiency, service frequency, operating speeds and reliability of rail services on this section of the North Coast Line. It will provide modern and efficient rail infrastructure to provide capacity to cater for the anticipated increased demand for rail services in the corridor, arising from projected population growth and freight transport growth through the Port of Brisbane.

The Route Identification Report (March 2008), prepared by the Department of Transport and Main Roads, identifies the preferred route after reviewing a range of identified feasible alternatives within the defined corridor. The preferred route (pdf 401 KB) was publicly announced on 3 April 2008, and is the subject of this current environmental impact statement (EIS) process.
Environmental impact statement process

On 3 July 2007 the Coordinator-General declared the project to be a 'significant project for which an EIS is required' in accordance with Part 4 of the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 (Qld).

This declaration does not indicate support for, or approval of, the project by the Coordinator-General, rather it is a requirement for the project to undergo a rigorous EIS process.

The EIS process is being coordinated by the Department of Infrastructure and Planning on behalf of the Coordinator-General.

On 10 June 2008, the Commonwealth Minister for the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts determined that the project is not a 'controlled action' under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth) and therefore does not require assessment and approval by the Commonwealth Government.

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While the costs of constructing the entire 22km of line between Landsborough and Nambour are outside the present budget considerable improvement to the capacity of the north coast line and running times could be obtained by the immediate construction of the section between Mooloolah and Eudlo being built on the new alignment as a double tracked bi-directional line which would not only provide faster running times due to the realignment eliminating many speed restricted curves it would also enable the crossing or overtaking of trains.
When completed and brought into service the Palmwoods to Woombye section could then be treated in the same way as could the Beerburrum to Glasshouse and Beewah to Landsborough sections with the missing link single line sections realigned and duplicated as a continuation of the Beewah to Landsborough phase.
This would see progressive improvement in running times and capacity as far as Nambour.