The Sunshine Coast Case : Rail duplication Beerburrum to Nambour

[ozbob]

Really good news. Where does this leave CAMCOS?

In a better place.  Getting that track amplification through to Landsborough is one of the keys for CAMCOS. 

[matlock]

Really good news. Where does this leave CAMCOS?

In a better place.  Getting that track amplification through to Landsborough is one of the keys for CAMCOS.

Great. If this goes to plan the mid 2020s will be a fantastic time for public transport in Queensland.

[Stillwater]

There needs to be some clarity around this proposal and the North Coast Connect fast rail 45-minute between Brisbane and Sunshine Coast proposal which Ted O'Brien MP and the LNP is touting and for which the federal government is funding the business case.  That business case will be ready in about 12-18 months and will have to be evaluated by IA.

Beerburrum-Landsborough upgrade is common to both proposals but the current proposal, the subject of the current business case, allows for 100kph operational speed between both stations.  A faster speed would be required for the North Coast Connect trains.

So, is it a case of nothing happens while a business case for an amended project is worked up and evaluated?  And if North Coast Connect requires a higher engineering standard between Beerburrum and Landsborough, won't that also be achieved at higher cost, thereby affecting the BCR evaluation, which is 1.48 (1.5) currently?

[ozbob]

The North Coast Connect really needs the North West Corridor to have any hope of happening. 

Massive cost relative to the upgrade of the existing SCL.  The cost of improving the upgrade from Beerburrum to Landsborough to allow higher speed running would not be great at all.  It needs to proceed. To hang on for the North Coast Connect proposal etc. and evaluation will mean years and years of chronic under service and lack of reliability.

It really is infuriating when you look what was achieved between Caboolture and Beerburrum - 160 km/h track.  I have been in the cab of an ICE doing just under that on that section.  Clockwork.  And the fact they stopped the further upgrade in 2009 makes me mad! 

[Fares_Fair]

There needs to be some clarity around this proposal and the North Coast Connect fast rail 45-minute between Brisbane and Sunshine Coast proposal which Ted O'Brien MP and the LNP is touting and for which the federal government is funding the business case.  That business case will be ready in about 12-18 months and will have to be evaluated by IA.

Beerburrum-Landsborough upgrade is common to both proposals but the current proposal, the subject of the current business case, allows for 100kph operational speed between both stations.  A faster speed would be required for the North Coast Connect trains.

So, is it a case of nothing happens while a business case for an amended project is worked up and evaluated?  And if North Coast Connect requires a higher engineering standard between Beerburrum and Landsborough, won't that also be achieved at higher cost, thereby affecting the BCR evaluation, which is 1.48 (1.5) currently?

While that is true.
The North Coast Connect proposal extends rail duplication all the way to Nambour, (and a 40km spur to Maroochydore via CAMCOS corridor).
I would expect it would improve its cost benefit analysis especially for the advantages to freight.
That said the spur line may limit it as it assists passengers only. (not that there aren't positive benefits for passenger travel, there surely are)
Purely speculation on my part. The figures will be borne out in the business case for NCC.
I believe the current Qld Govt proposal limited itself by not duplicating beyond Landsborough, and thus limits its benefits with a minimalist design speed of 100km/h (lesser than previously constructed 160km/h section) and duplication scenario.


Today is historic.
Never before has a Sunshine Coast rail proposal made it to an Infrastructure Australia 'Priority List'
We can all be proud.

[James]

Does Landsborough - Nambour really need to be higher speed though? I think the idea of having TWO north coast connect lines is ridiculous, to be quite honest. Have high speed on the coastal strip, Nambour shuttles can meet it at Beerwah. I think 100km/h is fit for that purpose.

Does a future Bruce Highway upgrade really need to be designed for anything more than an 80km/h speed limit?

You're asking the same question, but for rail instead of road. It should be designed for 160km/h so that rail freight has a clear advantage over road. The last thing we need to do is half-bake yet another infrastructure project.

[ozbob]

Sunshine Coast Daily --> Rail the key to fix our roads says peak motoring body

THE STATE'S peak motoring body has repeated calls to secure an improved rail service for the Sunshine Coast as the Bruce Hwy barely keeps up with demand.

RACQ spokeswoman Lauren Ritchie said the expansion of the country's longest road between Caloundra Rd and the Sunshine Mwy would "certainly help", but a duplicated North Coast rail line would have the most significant benefit to travellers.

Motorists are battling yet another bout of gridlock stretching multiple kilometres today, on the journey home from the Sunshine Coast after the long weekend with traffic getting heavy from mid-morning.

Ms Ritchie said simply adding more lanes was not the answer to solving Bruce Hwy congestion.

She said expansion to six lanes, currently underway as part of significant Bruce Hwy upgrades, would improve capacity and ensure traffic wasn't bumper-to-bumper, but it would only push the choke points further up the line.

The Caloundra on/off ramp was identified as a major regional choke point on the highway and Ms Ritchie said increasing capacity wouldn't solve the issue of feeder roads unable to cope with the level of traffic, leading to highway logjams.

Ms Ritchie said rail duplication and integration of the transport system was key.

She spoke of the crucial "last two kilometres" of someone's journey, during which they often used their car to get from home to a train station and back.

If transport could become truly door-to-door she believed it would solve a lot of congestion issues.

Fairfax MP Ted O'Brien said eight-laning of the Bruce Hwy was one of his priorities for the next 20-50 years, including a "fast lane" in the centre and six lanes north of the Coast.

[achiruel]

Does Landsborough - Nambour really need to be higher speed though? I think the idea of having TWO north coast connect lines is ridiculous, to be quite honest. Have high speed on the coastal strip, Nambour shuttles can meet it at Beerwah. I think 100km/h is fit for that purpose.

Does a future Bruce Highway upgrade really need to be designed for anything more than an 80km/h speed limit?

You're asking the same question, but for rail instead of road. It should be designed for 160km/h so that rail freight has a clear advantage over road. The last thing we need to do is half-bake yet another infrastructure project.

I'd say designing it for 100km/h freight should be the target. If a side effect of that is 160km/h passenger trains, then great, but I don't think that should be the primary goal north of Beerwah. 160km/h freight is not really a smart idea, it would get far too expensive at that speed and would likely just end up going to road.

[verbatim9]

Just researching the Japanese Rail guage. All higher speed services run on Standard guage. So makes sense to build any new track in Qld with dual guage sleepers. This will allow for faster running passenger services on standard guage. Sunshine coast line Dual guage CRR Dual guage. Gold Coast line realignment before Beenleigh. Dual guage. 10-15 year project?

As long as CRR has provision for dual guage, it's a step in the right direction.

[red dragin]

Just researching the Japanese Rail guage. All higher speed services run on Standard guage. So makes sense to build any new track in Qld with dual guage sleepers. This will allow for faster running passenger services on standard guage. Sunshine coast line Dual guage CRR Dual guage. Gold Coast line realignment before Beenleigh. Dual guage. 10-15 year project?

As long as CRR has provision for dual guage, it's a step in the right direction.

Loading gauge is the bigger problem (the imaginary box the train must fit through at all times). Think of all the trackside equipment, overhead supports, signals etc that would also need to be relocated.

Unless it is an entirely greenfield line, we won't see standard gauge in SEQ. Cost-benefit of conversion doesn't exist.

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Hard-hatted politics fails to plan for the future of Queensland

THERE are few more dangerous places to stand than between a politician and an infrastructure announcement.

Our esteemed elected leaders swarm like flies on fresh meat whenever there's a road upgrade or a new public transport project to spruik.

Sometimes they arrive together by bus because there are so many of them, or they spill out of a train for that perfect piece of vision for the nightly television news. Then there are the speeches. Everyone wants a sound bite. They ramble on so long that some projects could be half built by the time it's all over.

Yet voters have grown cynical about infrastructure announcements.

Politicians just can't get much bang for our buck any more. And there's good reason for that. Too often we've seen projects plucked from the never-never because there's an immediate political imperative.

Voters see through that.

Then there are the funding disputes between different levels of government and the same projects being announced at successive elections while nothing actually happens in between. Both seriously peeve the average punter.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his cohorts have done all that and more in recent weeks. They've brought out the cheque book and the cherry picker.

Federal governments of both persuasions have been guilty of this approach to infrastructure.

In 2010, for example, the Gillard government plucked Redcliffe rail from a very dusty drawing board.

Despite a century of talk, the project never stacked up financially compared to other infrastructure priorities and wasn't on the state's 30-year horizon for funding.

The route happened to run through several marginal federal Labor electorates, however, and the rest is history.

This kind of cavalier approach will have an adverse impact as our cities grow.

The problem is that the level of government with the dollars to make big infrastructure happen plays no role in planning.

Instead, it picks projects that aren't priorities and pays for proposals that don't have business cases, while forever fiddling with its funding model.

Turnbull's recent spending spree on infrastructure demonstrates why the Federal Government needs to have a proper role in planning and a concrete model for funding.

He's stumped up $1 billion to upgrade two sections of the M1 between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. There's no quibble about these projects, given both have been listed as high-priority initiatives by Infrastructure Australia, the body that gives independent advice to the Federal Government.

Yet, Turnbull wants a 50/50 funding deal with the state because the Pacific Motorway is an "urban" road, while an 80/20 deal was struck for the Gateway Motorway upgrade just a few years ago. The difference in the Pacific Motorway funding model is a $600 million impost for the state.

Meanwhile, Turnbull yesterday promised $5 billion towards a Melbourne Airport train project before it has a business case, but he won't stump up a dollar for Brisbane's Cross River Rail which does.

Before that there was $150 million for an upgrade to the M1 north of Brisbane, to add off and on ramps at the Dohles Rocks Rd interchange at Murrumba Downs.

No comprehensive study has been done into this proposal, but it just happens to run through Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton's marginal electorate, who just happens to have promised the same project before.

Meanwhile, the Beerburrum to Nambour stretch of the rail route between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast has been studied and costed at $722 million. It's been listed by Infrastructure Australia as one the nation's top priorities.

"The project will deliver significant economic benefits in the form of travel time savings, with associated social and environmental benefits including reduced air and noise pollution, and lower vehicle crash rates," Infrastructure Australia's latest priority list states.

Yet the Turnbull Government has decided to investigate a fast-train proposal being championed by Coalition MPs, rather than proceed with the shovel-ready rail project.

[ozbob]

Sunshine Coast Daily --> LNP fires up over Sunshine Coast rail fail

THE LNP has ramped up pressure on the State Government to build the long-awaited Sunshine Coast rail duplication.

Leader Deb Frecklington will call on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk today to fund the project in the upcoming State Budget.

Ms Frecklington said the duplication had been ignored by Ms Palaszczuk's government for more than three years despite its desperate need.

She said the time for excuses was over.

"Enough is enough. Sunshine Coast locals deserve to be spending less time waiting for trains or stuck in traffic gridlock and more time with family and friends," Ms Frecklington said.

Mr Frecklington said the 40km line between Beerburrum and Nambour, which is currently a single-rail track, was poorly aligned, limited rail services and caused considerable delays.

"The duplication would mean more frequent and reliable train services for the people of the Sunshine Coast," she said.

"This is a key infrastructure priority that has completely stalled under Labor."

Mr Frecklington said the duplication's importance was highlighted by its designation by Infrastructure Australia as one of only 12 "priority projects" in the country.

She said Labor continued to use Cross River Rail as an excuse not to fund it.

"We committed to building this rail line and we stand by that promise. If I were Premier, I would fund it," Ms Frecklington said.

MP for Glass House and Shadow Infrastructure Minister, Andrew Powell, said the business case for the rail line was complete and there was $10 billion on the table from the Federal Government to fund urban rail projects.

"This project would provide more than 150 extra weekly rail services and improve transport reliability for more than 330,000 Sunshine Coast residents," Mr Powell said.

"It will also ease the daily traffic nightmares faced by drivers on the Bruce Highway between the Sunshine Coast and Caboolture.

"Labor now has no more excuses - they need to just get on with it and build a second Sunshine Coast rail line."

[ozbob]

http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2018/4/17/lnp-would-rather-dud-queensland-than-get-a-fair-rail-line-deal-from-canberra

17th April 2018
   
Media Release
Minister for Transport and Main Roads
The Honourable Mark Bailey

LNP would rather dud Queensland than get a fair rail line deal from Canberra

Only the Labor Party will hold Canberra to account to properly fund the Sunshine Coast rail line duplication, Transport Minister Mark Bailey said today.

Mr Bailey said the Palaszczuk Government had led the way on improving the rail line between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.

"It was Labor who invested in the business case for the Beerburrum to Nambour duplication and provided it to the Federal Government last July for funding after three years of dithering by the Queensland LNP," Mr Bailey said.

"This is a project of national significance so we need to see a serious commitment from the Federal Government.

"The Palaszczuk Government will always fight for Queensland's fair share of funding from Canberra and the LNP should do the same.

"The Turnbull Government has committed $5 billion for a rail line in Victoria, but hasn't committed a single cent to rail on the Sunshine Coast."

Mr Bailey said Ms Frecklington's Sunshine Coast rail duplication pledge was pointless unless extra Sunshine Coast trains had somewhere to go.

"There is no point in putting more trains on the Sunshine Coast line if they can't get into Brisbane," he said.

"That's why building capacity through Cross River Rail is fundamental. There is a bottle-neck and Cross River Rail fixes it.

"Deb Frecklington's plan would result in commuters getting to Beerburrum then being caught in a bottle neck because there is no capacity further down the line.

"The only record the LNP have on the Sunshine Coast is promising the duplication in 2015 when Deb Frecklington was Campbell Newman's Assistant Treasurer.

"And that was contingent on selling assets."

ENDS

[ozbob]

 

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

17th April 2018

The Sunshine Coast Line - duplication needs to proceed concurrent with Cross River Rail

Greetings,

We refer to the Media Release by the Minister for Transport and Main Roads The Honourable Mark Bailey

LNP would rather dud Queensland than get a fair rail line deal from Canberra

http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2018/4/17/lnp-would-rather-dud-queensland-than-get-a-fair-rail-line-deal-from-canberra

We disagree with the Minister's position as stated:

" Mr Bailey said Ms Frecklington's Sunshine Coast rail duplication pledge was pointless unless extra Sunshine Coast trains had somewhere to go.

"There is no point in putting more trains on the Sunshine Coast line if they can't get into Brisbane," he said.

"That's why building capacity through Cross River Rail is fundamental. There is a bottle-neck and Cross River Rail fixes it.

"Deb Frecklington's plan would result in commuters getting to Beerburrum then being caught in a bottle neck because there is no capacity further down the line. "

Upgrading the next section of the Sunshine Coast Line from Beerburrum to Landsborough North will actually provide more local train paths and improve reliability on the present over tasked single line.  This is analogous to the recent duplication of the Gold Coast Line from Helensvale to Coomera.   The Gold Coast Line track amplification was not immediately  dependent on Cross River Rail, and in the same way neither is the Sunshine Coast Line track amplification. Ultimately, Cross River Rail will allow significant future capacity increases to both lines.  But to not proceed with the upgrade of the Sunshine Coast Line now is keeping the Sunshine Coast trapped back in the 19th Century.

Once the duplication from Beerburrum to Landsborough North is completed, some of the trains that terminate at Caboolture can run through to Landsborough, an important transit hub.  This is independent of capacity constraints closer to Brisbane.  More frequent local services to Nambour and Gympie North would then be possible.

It is worth noting that the section Beerburrum to Landsborough duplication was already underway in 2009, but was stopped by the then Labor Government.   It is time that this section was completed, it is well overdue.

Best wishes,
Robert

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

[Fares_Fair]

http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2018/4/17/lnp-would-rather-dud-queensland-than-get-a-fair-rail-line-deal-from-canberra

17th April 2018
   
Media Release
Minister for Transport and Main Roads
The Honourable Mark Bailey

LNP would rather dud Queensland than get a fair rail line deal from Canberra


Only the Labor Party will hold Canberra to account to properly fund the Sunshine Coast rail line duplication, Transport Minister Mark Bailey said today.

Mr Bailey said the Palaszczuk Government had led the way on improving the rail line between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.

"It was Labor who invested in the business case for the Beerburrum to Nambour duplication and provided it to the Federal Government last July for funding after three years of dithering by the Queensland LNP," Mr Bailey said.

"This is a project of national significance so we need to see a serious commitment from the Federal Government.

"The Palaszczuk Government will always fight for Queensland's fair share of funding from Canberra and the LNP should do the same.

"The Turnbull Government has committed $5 billion for a rail line in Victoria, but hasn't committed a single cent to rail on the Sunshine Coast."

Mr Bailey said Ms Frecklington's Sunshine Coast rail duplication pledge was pointless unless extra Sunshine Coast trains had somewhere to go.

"There is no point in putting more trains on the Sunshine Coast line if they can't get into Brisbane," he said.

"That's why building capacity through Cross River Rail is fundamental. There is a bottle-neck and Cross River Rail fixes it.

"Deb Frecklington's plan would result in commuters getting to Beerburrum then being caught in a bottle neck because there is no capacity further down the line.

"The only record the LNP have on the Sunshine Coast is promising the duplication in 2015 when Deb Frecklington was Campbell Newman's Assistant Treasurer.

"And that was contingent on selling assets."

ENDS

and thus the political football continues...
Incidently Mr Bailey, the LNP again promised $300m towards it in 2017, but lost the election.

That's twice more than you sir.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/986053450906529792

[Stillwater]

We have know for a long time now that the fate of the SCL duplication does not boil down to common sense, economic and transport logistical need or regional development outcomes.  Or the travel needs of the voting public.

It is contingent upon the ebb and flow of spiteful and unnecessary politics.

I was waiting for a reason why the Palaszczuk Government will not funding the SCL duplication, and we got it.

Fast, frequent rail to the Gold Coast proved its worth during the Commonwealth Games, but the argument doesn't extend north of Petrie to the Sunshine Coast.

Now, we are told that a project worth $5.4b is fully funded by the State Government (Cross River Rail).  It just got another $2.2b thrown in by federal Labor - provided it wins the next election.  That, btw, is what has been happening with the SCL all along.  So much emphasis is placed on the Business Case and BCR, but whether construction proceeds depends on which party makes the promise to build within the context of an election campaign.  Deb Frecklington is the latest in the long line of promisors.  'I would fund it if I was Premier.'

So we now have a project worth $5.4b fully financed by potentially $7.64b.  It is as if the Labor Party wants to throw as much money at CRR so as to crowd out Malcolm Turnbull from putting a brass razoo towards its construction costs -- so they can then criticise him for not also commiting to fund CRR.  Why should he now?

If the $5.4b cost of CRR is solid, there will be money left over and Jackie Trad has signalled a thimble and pea trick -- the state will withdraw state funds from the committed budget for CRR to put towards other (unspecified) transport infrastructure projects.  One wonders whether the state has those funds, or whether they were an illusion, with federal Labor coming to the rescue via the back door.

Whereas the Palaszczuk Government was putting all its transport eggs in one basket (CRR), Ms Trad can now go around the state to areas where the ALP is shaky electorally and promise a bypass here, a rail line extension there.  All with illusionary money.

In other words, having milked all the publicity they can out of CRR and who is or isn't funding it (government is funding it, with the private sector), Labor wants to move onto new pastures for planting the publicity seeds.

This is the Queensland way.  This is why the Queensland Government never takes seriously the preparation of water-tight business cases, like other states do.  Close enough is good enough because it is the politics that will carry the day in Queensland.  The politics even extends to bad-mouthing IA for insisting Queensland follow the same rules as other states.

On the Sunshine Coast, Joe and Flo Blow only ever get promises from pollies in Opposition, or from governments on the brink of being voted out.  To the pollies that is what matters.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/DebFrecklington/status/986065795376545792

https://twitter.com/MarkBaileyMP/status/986090853922820097

[ozbob]

Sunshine Coast Daily --> Coast duplication pointless with no cross river: Minister

MAIN Roads minister Mark Bailey has hit back at criticism his government has ignored making long-awaited Sunshine Coast rail duplication a reality.

LNP Queensland leader Deb Frecklington on Tuesday called on the State Government to fund improvements between Beerburrum and Nambour in the upcoming State Budget.

She said if she was Premier, she would fund it.

The project cost was listed at $780 million in Building Queensland's detailed business case in 2016.

Mr Bailey said only his party would hold the Federal Government to account in properly funding the project.

"It was Labor who invested in the business case for the Beerburrum to Nambour duplication and provided it to the Federal Government last July for funding after three years of dithering by the Queensland LNP," Mr Bailey said.

"This is a project of national significance so we need to see a serious commitment from the Federal Government."

He said Ms Frecklington's duplication pledge was pointless unless extra Sunshine Coast trains had somewhere to go.

"There is no point in putting more trains on the Sunshine Coast line if they can't get into Brisbane," he said.

"That's why building capacity through Cross River Rail is fundamental.

"There is a bottle-neck and Cross River Rail fixes it.

"Deb Frecklington's plan would result in commuters getting to Beerburrum then being caught in a bottle neck because there is no capacity further down the line."

However, public transport advocate Robert Dow, of Rail Back on Track, said Cross River Rail and Sunshine Coast duplication could happen at the same time.

"Upgrading the next section of the Sunshine Coast line from Beerburrum to Landsborough... will actually provide more local train paths and improve reliability on the present over-tasked single line," Mr Dow said.

He drew similarities between the Sunshine Coast project and the recent duplication of Gold Coast line from Helensvale to Coomera, saying the latter was not dependent on Cross River Rail.　

"Neither is the Sunshine Coast line.

"Ultimately, Cross River Rail will allow significant future capacity increases to both lines.　

"But to not proceed with the upgrade of the Sunshine Coast Line now is keeping the Sunshine Coast trapped back in the 19th Century."

He said once duplication to Landsborough was completed, some of the trains that terminated at Caboolture could run through to Landsborough.　

"This is independent of capacity constraints closer to Brisbane.　

"More frequent local services to Nambour and Gympie North would then be possible."

He noted Sunshine Coast duplication started in 2009, but was stopped by the then Labor Government. 　

"It is time that this section was completed, it is well overdue."

[Stillwater]

Bailey to Frecklington: "you always bat for Canberra not Qld":.  Yep, spiteful, petty and unnecessary politics holding up SCL duplication.

The self-indulgent sniping that passes for intelligent political debate in Queensland is all about point-scoring against the opponent today, not about the legitimate needs of the taxpayer tomorrow or into the future.

Is anyone going to believe that Deb Frecklington always bats for Canberra?  Really?  Pathetic.  Mr Bailey is well-entrenched in the Trad mindset -- it is QLD v CANBERRA.  Is that where reality lies?

[ozbob]

A Letter to the Editor Queensland Times 20th April 2018 page 11

Bailey is off point over Coast rail duplication vow

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/987006045229727744

[Fares_Fair]

 Wooo Hoooo
It's here at last. Real dollars for #2tracks #rail duplication to #SunshineCoast.
22km Beerburrum to Landsborough.
After 8 years of active campaigning,
our time has come.

$390 million
50/50 split is fair

https://t.co/TR9sbTY6T4

[Fares_Fair]

https://twitter.com/Jeffrey_Addison/status/991695148672151552

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> $390m Sunshine Coast rail pledge keeps PM Turnbull's push for Queensland seats on track

THE Turnbull Government will today ramp up its infrastructure cash splash in Queensland by announcing $390 million for a duplicate north coast rail line that will take trucks off the Bruce Highway and increase passenger services.

The project, which will require funding from the State Government, was recently ticked off by Infrastructure Australia.

The pre-Budget announcement to separate freight from passenger rail between Beerburrum and Landsborough takes Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's road and rail spend in Queensland in the past few weeks to more than $2 billion.

It also lays the foundation for the potential fast rail project, which will dramatically cut passenger times from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane.

It is expected the project will create about 600 jobs.

The huge injection centres on the Federal Government's plans to create jobs while improving safety and productivity, but also sandbags several marginal seats.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack saidabout 20km of rail would be duplicated, with a further 19km upgraded.

"Reduced travel times and greater trip reliability makes rail a more attractive option for travellers between the region an d Brisbane in particular, while more parking at stations will also add to the equation," Mr McCormack said.

The project, which will require funding from the State Government, was recently ticked off by Infrastructure Australia.

The State Government has pushed for the project.

It is likely to mean:

● Replacing the Barrs Road level crossing near Glass House Mountains, with a new connection to Coonowrin Rd in Glass House Mountains.

● Replacing the Caloundra St level crossing in Landsborough with separated road over rail.

● Improvements to the Beerburrum Rd and Steve Irwin Way intersection at Beerburrum extension of the passing loop at Landsborough to the north.

● Expanding the park-and-ride facilities in Landsborough and Beerburrum.

The Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities, Paul Fletcher, said the Government had moved quickly once the business case was approved.

"This upgrade ... is big news for the Sunshine Coast and surrounding regions," Mr Fletcher said.

Federal Member for Fisher Andrew Wallace said it would be a significant economic boost to the region.

Federal Member for Fairfax Ted O'Brien said "the people of the Sunshine Coast and the broader region have been calling for governments to get on board with improving rail, and the Federal Government has listened ...

"It is critical we invest in the rail corridor now to deal with congestion, but also plan for a future that may include fast rail to the Sunshine Coast from Brisbane in 45 minutes."

[ozbob]

YEEE FUKING HA !!

[ozbob]

Our position is that the State must now stump up the moolah and commence this project.

It is a nonsense to suggest this project cannot proceed until CRR is completed.  That is a dumb dumb argument.

A Letter to the Editor Queensland Times 20th April 2018 page 11

Bailey is off point over Coast rail duplication vow

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/991712082260148225

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/986053450906529792

Sent to all outlets:

17th April 2018

The Sunshine Coast Line - duplication needs to proceed concurrent with Cross River Rail

Greetings,

We refer to the Media Release by the Minister for Transport and Main Roads The Honourable Mark Bailey

LNP would rather dud Queensland than get a fair rail line deal from Canberra

http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2018/4/17/lnp-would-rather-dud-queensland-than-get-a-fair-rail-line-deal-from-canberra

We disagree with the Minister's position as stated:

" Mr Bailey said Ms Frecklington's Sunshine Coast rail duplication pledge was pointless unless extra Sunshine Coast trains had somewhere to go.

"There is no point in putting more trains on the Sunshine Coast line if they can't get into Brisbane," he said.

"That's why building capacity through Cross River Rail is fundamental. There is a bottle-neck and Cross River Rail fixes it.

"Deb Frecklington's plan would result in commuters getting to Beerburrum then being caught in a bottle neck because there is no capacity further down the line. "

Upgrading the next section of the Sunshine Coast Line from Beerburrum to Landsborough North will actually provide more local train paths and improve reliability on the present over tasked single line.  This is analogous to the recent duplication of the Gold Coast Line from Helensvale to Coomera.   The Gold Coast Line track amplification was not immediately  dependent on Cross River Rail, and in the same way neither is the Sunshine Coast Line track amplification. Ultimately, Cross River Rail will allow significant future capacity increases to both lines.  But to not proceed with the upgrade of the Sunshine Coast Line now is keeping the Sunshine Coast trapped back in the 19th Century.

Once the duplication from Beerburrum to Landsborough North is completed, some of the trains that terminate at Caboolture can run through to Landsborough, an important transit hub.  This is independent of capacity constraints closer to Brisbane.  More frequent local services to Nambour and Gympie North would then be possible.

It is worth noting that the section Beerburrum to Landsborough duplication was already underway in 2009, but was stopped by the then Labor Government.   It is time that this section was completed, it is well overdue.

Best wishes,
Robert

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

[achiruel]

So what kind of track are we actually getting? 140km/h? 100km/h?

[ozbob]

The business case submitted in June 2017 was for 100 km/h ( http://buildingqueensland.qld.gov.au/business-case/beerburrum-to-nambour-rail-upgrade-project/ ).  However for the section Beerburrum to Landsborough it should be the same as Caboolture to Beerburrum 140-160 km/h for pass, and with NCC coming into play achievable. North of Landsborough 100 km/h is fine as projected for now.

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

Infrastructure Australia | Project Evaluation Summary | Beerburrum to Nambour Rail Upgrade

> http://infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/projects/files/Project-Evaluation-Summary-Beerburrum-to-Nambour-Rail-Upgrade.pdf

[Stillwater]

In his media statement of 17 April, Mark Bailey said:

"It was Labor who invested in the business case for the Beerburrum to Nambour duplication and provided it to the Federal Government last July for funding after three years of dithering by the Queensland LNP. This is a project of national significance so we need to see a serious commitment from the Federal Government."

Today the Palaszczuk Government got a 'serious commitment' of funding from the federal government, to be matched by state dollars.  The argument about CRR needing to be built first before funding for any other rail infrastructure project is spurious, completely without foundation.

We are likely to see more bluster from State Labor along the lines of:

- We appreciate the offer, but we want the feds to commit money to CRR as well (the project that the ALP says it will fund '100 percent' using Queensland Government money).  Our funding for SCL duplication is contingent on the feds putting a similar amount towards CRR.  In other words, funding gets shuffled around, with no new Queensland money being applied to SCL.
- We have just checked and the latest cost of this project is now $800m, so the federal offer should be $400m, not $309m if they pay half.  Queensland is being duded again by Canberra.

And we are likely to see some politics from LNP:

- Deb Frecklington calling on Bill Shorten to match the offer from Malcolm Turnbull. The usual pointless politicking.

Time for obfuscation is past.

Is there any news on when construction could start?

Sunshine Coast Council should now revise its town plan for the Glasshouse Mtns railway towns to cater for anticipated growth arising from this rail investment.

[ozbob]

Sunshine Coast Daily 3rd May 2018

Rail duplication gets $390m cash injection

[ozbob]

https://www.paulfletcher.com.au/media-releases/joint-media-release-federal-funding-to-deliver-beerburrum-to-nambour-rail-upgrade

Joint Media Release: Federal funding to deliver Beerburrum to Nambour Rail Upgrade

The Federal Government is committing $390 million to duplicate Queensland's North Coast Rail Line between Beerburrum and Landsborough, and build capacity upgrades from Landsborough to Nambour, delivering improved passenger and freight movement between the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Michael McCormack said the Federal Government was committed to providing the rail infrastructure Queenslanders need to enjoy the fast and reliable train services they deserve.

"Reduced travel times and greater trip reliability makes rail a more attractive option for travellers between the region and Brisbane in particular, while more parking at stations will also add to the equation," Mr McCormack said.

Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities Paul Fletcher said the Turnbull Government had moved quickly to commit this funding following the business case being approved by Infrastructure Australia.

"This upgrade, which would duplicate about 20 kilometres and upgrade a further 19 kilometres of track along the busy commuter corridor, is big news for the Sunshine Coast and surrounding regions," Mr Fletcher said.

"This project makes good sense in itself – as it will relieve pressure on the busy Bruce Highway and provide commuters with additional train services.

"It also offers a potential launch pad for further work to deliver a faster rail service along this route in the future, depending on the outcome from the business case which is now under way.

"In March this year we announced funding for a business case to plan for faster rail between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. That business case will take as its starting point the upgraded Beerburrum to Nambour line – the subject of today's funding announcement – and will examine potential further investments which would allow a faster rail service to be delivered between Sunshine Coast and Brisbane."

Infrastructure Australia added the Beerburrum to Nambour Rail Upgrade as a priority initiative on its Infrastructure Priority List on 27 March 2018 because the project is needed in the near-term and will deliver national productivity gains.

Federal Member for Fisher Andrew Wallace said the project would provide a range of upgrades between Landsborough and Nambour including passing loops extensions and additional parking at some stations.

"Through this major investment, we will address conflict between passenger and freight trains on the current single-track line, which is constraining the growth of both types of traffic," Mr Wallace said.

"This will also be a significant economic boost to the region, creating more than 600 jobs and driving even more investment into the local economy."

Federal Member for Fairfax Ted O'Brien said freight train paths were expected to reach capacity by 2023 and without this investment in duplicating the line, freight traffic would likely switch to road based transport to meet supply chain requirements, placing further pressure on the Bruce Highway.

"The people of the Sunshine Coast and the broader region have been calling for Governments to get on board with improving rail, and the Federal Government has listened to that and delivered," Mr O'Brien said.

"It is critical we invest in the rail corridor now to deal with congestion, but also plan for a future that may include fast rail to the Sunshine Coast from Brisbane in 45 minutes."

The Australian Government will work with the Queensland Government to finalise funding arrangements for the project and develop a construction timeframe.

ENDS

Paul Fletcher, Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities, Sydney

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

3rd May 2018

Federal funding to deliver Beerburrum to Nambour Rail Upgrade

Greetings,

Today's confirmation of a Federal Funding Allocation for $390 million to duplicate the Sunshine Coast Line between Beerburrum and Landsborough, and further capacity upgrades from Landsborough to Nambour is very welcome.
( Joint Media Release: Federal funding to deliver Beerburrum to Nambour Rail Upgrade https://www.paulfletcher.com.au/media-releases/joint-media-release-federal-funding-to-deliver-beerburrum-to-nambour-rail-upgrade ).

RAIL Back On Track Members have been campaigning relentlessly for the upgrade to continue, since it was unexpectedly stopped in 2009.  We call on the State Government to match the Federal committment and commence the project forthwith.

Upgrading the next section of the Sunshine Coast Line from Beerburrum to Landsborough North will actually provide more local train paths and improve reliability on the present over tasked single line.  This is analogous to the recent duplication of the Gold Coast Line from Helensvale to Coomera.   The Gold Coast Line track amplification was not immediately  dependent on Cross River Rail, and in the same way neither is the Sunshine Coast Line track amplification. Ultimately, Cross River Rail will allow significant future capacity increases to both lines.  But to not proceed with the upgrade of the Sunshine Coast Line now is keeping the Sunshine Coast trapped back in the 19th Century.

Once the duplication from Beerburrum to Landsborough North is completed, some of the trains that terminate at Caboolture can run through to Landsborough, an important transit hub.  This is independent of capacity constraints closer to Brisbane.  More frequent local services to Nambour and Gympie North would then be possible.

This upgrade is also an essential pathfinder for CAMCOS and North Coast Connect.  It also has significant benefits for long distance passenger and freight services to Central and North Queensland.

Some excellent news.  We congratulate the State Government on the successful business case assessment by Infrastructure Australia (1) and the subsequent federal funding outcome.

Best wishes,
Robert

Contacts:

Jeff Addison
Sunshine Coast Region Spokesperson for RAIL Back On Track

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

Reference:

1. Infrastructure Australia | Project Evaluation Summary | Beerburrum to Nambour Rail Upgrade

> http://infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/projects/files/Project-Evaluation-Summary-Beerburrum-to-Nambour-Rail-Upgrade.pdf

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/991837950601183232

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/PaulFletcherMP/status/991835928288083968

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/MySunshineCoast/status/991841519425458176

[Stillwater]

And the travel time savings with this track improvement, Beerburrum to Nambour is: ........ 17mins on a journey Nambour to Brisbane?