The Sunshine Coast Case : Rail duplication Beerburrum to Nambour

[Fares_Fair]

Yep, no idea what an 100+ year old alignment and grade can do for passenger rail services and freight rail to Cairns on a predominant single line track servicing 335,000 people on the Sunshine Coast..

Springfield which had a population of around 24,000 people in 2013/14, has duplicated track and isn't shared with freight trains or long distance trains... go figure.

[#Metro]

How much would Sunshine Coast Council et al contribute to an upgrade?
Are they willing to co-fund?

The beneficiaries are mostly SC residents.

[HappyTrainGuy]

Is the same as people calling Gold Coast trains the Bombay Express.

[Fares_Fair]

How much would Sunshine Coast Council et al contribute to an upgrade?
Are they willing to co-fund?

The beneficiaries are mostly SC residents.

The greatest beneficiaries are freight users and freight railed up to Cairns.
Improving passenger services is just collateral advantage.

The entire argument for rail duplication from an economic viewpoint is freight.

[Fares_Fair]

Is the same as people calling Gold Coast trains the Bombay Express.

Yes, they are exaggerations.. figures of speech perhaps.. and everyone probably actually knows that to be the case.
I never describe them that way at all.

I use facts..  they are compelling enough regarding Sunshine Coast rail circumstances.

[#Metro]

Perhaps, but there would also be a benefit to SC line commuters and perhaps property values along the route due to improved timetabling, faster access etc. So maybe at least 10-20% of the cost could be raised by the SC Council.

Many hands make light work.

[Stillwater]

SC could identify a 'new town concept' (not Caloundra South) that is built around the railway line, not some distance from it.  Beerwah as a sub-regional centre is an example.  Eudlo could be a place for exploring this concept.  Developer gets rezoning of land in exchange for contribution to railway line improvements.  Flog off air space above Nambour railway station in exchange for the private sector building a new, improved Nambour station.  Caboolture station could be completely revamped, redeveloped by the private sector, with some concessional access fee diverted to B-Nbr duplication.  Ms Trad has got to get more imaginative than simply writing to Canberra every couple of months, asking for money.

[Old Northern Road]

I once saw a documentary about a railway line in Congo (I think it's the only rail line in Congo). The train arrived 8 days late. By comparison some Sunshine Coast commuters complain when their train is more than 59 seconds late.

You can't complain about the current passengers services on the Sunshine Coast line. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland Regional Bahns usually run at either hourly or bihourly intervals. In North America the idea of running regional passenger trains is completely unheard of.

[Arnz]

I once saw a documentary about a railway line in Congo (I think it's the only rail line in Congo). The train arrived 8 days late. By comparison some Sunshine Coast commuters complain when their train is more than 59 seconds late.

Wrong type of comparison by comparing a country with little to no railways, although valid on the "59 seconds" complaint, which applies to some commuters of ALL lines, not just the Sunshine Coast.

You can't complain about the current passengers services on the Sunshine Coast line. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland Regional Bahns usually run at either hourly or bihourly intervals. In North America the idea of running regional passenger trains is completely unheard of.

Wrong type of comparison there too. 

Nambour services, outside of peak periods and excluding the local railbuses and shuttles, wait for at least 90 minute intervals.  The Gympie North regional services (both the Urban and Tilts) can at least be compared to some regional services in North America (eg once to a few times a day).

Same also applies to the Rosewood line (not counting the hourly local shuttles), which only have a handful of direct services in peak periods.

And to mention once again, the long campaign for the duplication is focused on the freight to North and Central Queensland, thus passing down benefits to other infrastructure and benefitting the entire State as a whole, such as reduced trucks on the Bruce Highway, and improved passenger reliability as a collateral (taking into consideration Ms. Jackie Trad's announcement of "proposed" hourly daytime off-peak services - post-NGR) on the Sunshine Coast Line in Dec 2016/early 2017 after the NGR yard at Woombye is constructed.

[#Metro]

RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE!

   

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Opinion: Sourcing critical railway upgrade funding needs cool heads and smart solutions

IT'S winding up. The political rhetoric on federal funding for Queensland's critical rail infrastructure is reaching the higher-decibel ranges. Words like blackmail, bullying and standover tactics are being flung at federal government ministers for their refusal to hand over millions of dollars.

"Without access to federal funding for critical, large-scale infrastructure projects like the second river crossing for southeast Queensland, Stage 2 of the Gold Coast Light Rail and the duplication of the Sunshine Coast rail line, these projects are unlikely to happen." Thus says our Deputy Premier Jackie Trad.

Maybe we should all have a cup of tea, a Bex and a good lie down. Nothing much is going to be achieved by hurling invective at Canberra. What is required is calm, considered and innovative discussions between our respective governments on how this dichotomy in policy positions can be resolved. We should put our mind to practical solutions, not populist political posturing.

Let's look at one of the critical infrastructure tasks, the duplication of the rail line from Beerburrum to Nambour. This upgrade project has long been on the priority list – the line has been at full capacity for many years. It's not only a regional passenger railway serving the Sunshine Coast, but also carries long-distance tilt trains and freight trains. The Queensland Government's own forecasts predicted freight traffic to double between 2010 and 2026.

The federal government has a vested interest in this rail corridor. The Transport and Infrastructure Council has identified it as one of Australia's strategic Key Freight Routes, together with the new Inland Rail, running from Melbourne to Brisbane. The federal government is strongly supporting this new project financially, with $300 million already committed to planning and design.

So is this new railway more important than an upgrade to an existing single-track rail bottleneck on an original 19th century alignment?

In political terms yes. Whiz-bang new railways always deliver more political bang for the buck than boring upgrades. But as a strategic transport infrastructure improvement and in economic terms, who knows?

Here's a good wheeze. The agency charged with delivering Inland Rail is the Australian Rail Track Corporation Ltd (ARTC), an independent statutory authority owned by the federal government. They are responsible for managing the interstate rail network and also large chunks of the non-metropolitan NSW railways on behalf of the NSW government. Maybe the Queensland government could mirror NSW and contract with ARTC to manage Queensland's rail infrastructure and funding the upgrade becomes the responsibility of ARTC. OK, so maybe the Queensland and federal governments may have to stump up some of the cash, but ARTC can also borrow in its own right ...

[Stillwater]

Spot on. 

[Stillwater]

Sunshine Coast Line duplication issue featured as the lead story of the local WIN news tonight.  LNP Leader, Lawrence Springborg, was filmed at Palmwoods station, calling on the ALP Government to duplicate the line.  He said more people were moving into the area and needed good transport links to Brisbane.  The TV footage was excellent, showing the variety of trains (freight and passenger) streaming through Palmwoods.  The story also featured SC transport advocate, Jeff Addison, who said the SCL duplication had become a political football.  He said duplication to Nambour would shave 18 minutes off a train trip to Brisbane.  Jeff pointed out that numerous government reports had proven the worth of new expenditure on the line -- what was lacking was political will to build it.  WIN contacted infrastructure and transport minister, Ms Trad, who was quoted as saying that the LNP should join with her in pressuring the federal government to release money for public transport infrastructure in Queensland.

[ozbob]

Sunshine Coast Daily --> State Govt challenged: get Sunshine Coast rail on track

[ozbob]

Sunshine Coast Daily 27 June 2015 page 17

Rail duplication still not on track

[dancingmongoose]

I wonder, would it be reasonable to expect/request funding from other major centres up the coast that the duplication will benefit? Sunshine Coast, Gladstone, Cairns, Rockhampton etc. Would certainly go a long way in terms of funding. Many hands make light work. Acting like a dole bludger and demanding government handouts isn't going to work and is only going to frustrate everyone

[Fares_Fair]

OPINION: Leasing assets would let us get things done
by Scott Sawyer
Sunshine Coast Daily
Tuesday 30 June, 2015

PROGRESS.

Sorry for those of you reaching for a dictionary, it's been a while since we've seen any of it around these parts.

Who needs it anyway?

I'd rather be sitting here with my foot firmly planted on my state-owned power line, thumbs tucked into my jeans, XXXX Gold in hand, grinning at the camera.

I haven't thought that through; probably not best to stand on power lines. I digress.

Do any of us even know what these state-owned assets have been doing for us all these years?

Oh they're income-earning! So that means they should be delivering us heaps of new projects, roads, buildings, right?

Oh what? They're being used to maintain our debts? And we're going to have to borrow more money to get anything done?

I know in these parts it's just plain ludicrous to even contemplate that any other state anywhere in the country, no, world, wait, universe, does things better than us, but have any of you taken a peek over the border lately?

Yeah, down south, those blue bloods in NSW.

Guess what... they're getting things done!

Tunnels, roads, airports, it's all happening.

How? Asset leases!

Sorry, not sales, leases. Long-term asset leasing.

I know it's a big, scary prospect. Someone else runs our assets for a few decades while we build some things.

But geez, imagine the photos you could get with your thumbs tucked into your jeans sipping a XXXX standing atop a big, shiny, new highway, or rail line!

Imagine, because that's as close as we're getting!

Yes, I totally concur... the Baird Government in NSW successfully sold (pun intended) the concept of long term asset leases and they are receiving the benefit of $20 billion, yes 20 billion dollars in infrastructure.
Pick the goose state.. with no golden eggs

[Jonno]

OPINION: Leasing assets would let us get things done
by Scott Sawyer
Sunshine Coast Daily
Tuesday 30 June, 2015

PROGRESS.

Sorry for those of you reaching for a dictionary, it's been a while since we've seen any of it around these parts.

Who needs it anyway?

I'd rather be sitting here with my foot firmly planted on my state-owned power line, thumbs tucked into my jeans, XXXX Gold in hand, grinning at the camera.

I haven't thought that through; probably not best to stand on power lines. I digress.

Do any of us even know what these state-owned assets have been doing for us all these years?

Oh they're income-earning! So that means they should be delivering us heaps of new projects, roads, buildings, right?

Oh what? They're being used to maintain our debts? And we're going to have to borrow more money to get anything done?

I know in these parts it's just plain ludicrous to even contemplate that any other state anywhere in the country, no, world, wait, universe, does things better than us, but have any of you taken a peek over the border lately?

Yeah, down south, those blue bloods in NSW.

Guess what... they're getting things done!

Tunnels, roads, airports, it's all happening.

How? Asset leases!

Sorry, not sales, leases. Long-term asset leasing.

I know it's a big, scary prospect. Someone else runs our assets for a few decades while we build some things.

But geez, imagine the photos you could get with your thumbs tucked into your jeans sipping a XXXX standing atop a big, shiny, new highway, or rail line!

Imagine, because that's as close as we're getting!

Yes, I totally concur... the Baird Government in NSW successfully sold (pun intended) the concept of long term asset leases and they are receiving the benefit of $20 billion, yes 20 billion dollars in infrastructure.
Pick the goose state.. with no golden eggs

But they are wasting billions on WestConnex at $500Million a km to create more traffic to cost more in subsidies.  Rather have no infrastructure than the wrong infrastructure.

[verbatim9]

Did the trip up to Eumundi last Saturday with Bus from Chermside 340 Train via Caboolture  Bus 631 via Nambour took about 3 hours. I reckon with duplication realignment of rail and increased services both bus and Train you could do it in about 2 hours with public transport.

[Stillwater]

I wonder why Minister Trad has adopted the stance that it is 'up to the Opposition' to solve the problem of funding the SCL duplication?  They, so her thinking goes, need to persuade the feds to give Queensland the money.  She is doing just that, she tells us, a bit like a kid pestering his/her parents for money to buy an ice-cream. 

Let's assume the feds say 'yes'.  The means for the money to flow is via the Australian Rail Track Corporation, an entity in which the federal government owns all the shares.  Where the ARTC has invested in track upgrades around Australia, it has negotiated a lease of the track for a number of decades -- 60 years, 99 years.  State governments retain ownership of the track, but lease operations and management to the ARTC.

A lease deal for the SCL, presumably, would also require a CSO arrangement between the state and the ARTC to allow access for passenger trains on a busy freight line not controlled by QR, but by the ARTC.

Ms Trad should tell us her government's stance if, tomorrow, the feds, via the ARTC, offered a couple of hundred million, or a billion dollars, for the upgrade of the SCL.  Would she knock back the offer because a lease is involved?  The ARTC runs on private enterprise lines.  Just as a bank seeks a mortgage on a house to secure a loan, the ARTC will invest in a track if that track becomes an asset on its books, via a lease.

Ms Trad needs to explain, exactly, the terms under which she would accept money from the federal government to improve the SCL.  Is she after a no-strings-attached gift?  What if the feds said the deal is 50-50 shared cost or an 80-20 per cent deal, as happens with highway funding?  Will she have her share of money to seal a deal?  Is it 100 per cent fed funding or no deal?  Or 100 per cent fed funding with QR retaining ownership of the track and also its management?

The Opposition should be doing its job and pushing Ms Trad to spell out the EXACT circumstances and conditions for a deal involving the feds providing money for the SCL duplication to Nambour.  That then becomes the deal on the table from the Queensland side, not some vague clap-trap around this Jerry McGuire theme of 'show me the money' coming from Ms Trad currently.

By saying it is 'up to the Opposition' to convince the feds to part with the money, she is showing that (like her predecessor) she is more concerned about playing the extraordinary political game around investment in major infrastructure in Queensland rather than doing anything about it.  Either that, or she hasn't given the matter sufficient thought, due to the pressure of ministerial responsibilities in a reduced ministry.

Commissioning another report, or investigation, is a just a politically convenient way of kicking the can a bit further down the track.  Atlas would groan under the weight of the numerous government reports about the need to upgrade the SCL -- going back to WWII, when the single track line hampered vital troop movements and supply logistics to and from embarkation points at Cairns and Townsville.  That is 75 years of inaction, peppered by a few realignments, short length of duplication and regular maintenance.

The latest report into the SCL was a joint QR/ARTC investigation of the feasibility of an ARTC lease of the line.  It is a crisp new report, just finished.  And Ms Trad wants another one, more investigation?  To assist sane public debate, will Ms Trad release this report?  Its time Labor pushed the SCL upgrade debate into the realm of probability, away from politics.

The influential Speaker, the Hon. Peter Wellington MP, has a role in achieving just that.  He should tell Ms Trad that her line about the Opposition being responsible for getting the feds to part with some cash is insulting to the people of the SC who, over the years, have gained a sophisticated understanding of the situation from the myriad reports already made public.

The latest report would contain the latest data, the latest costings, and would examine feasible options for going forward.  Through her comments, Ms Trad is demonstrating that she just wants the SCL to be stuck permanently in groundhog day status.

[dancingmongoose]

[Fares_Fair]

I wonder why Minister Trad has adopted the stance that it is 'up to the Opposition' to solve the problem of funding the SCL duplication?  They, so her thinking goes, need to persuade the feds to give Queensland the money.  She is doing just that, she tells us, a bit like a kid pestering his/her parents for money to buy an ice-cream. 

Let's assume the feds say 'yes'.  The means for the money to flow is via the Australian Rail Track Corporation, an entity in which the federal government owns all the shares.  Where the ARTC has invested in track upgrades around Australia, it has negotiated a lease of the track for a number of decades -- 60 years, 99 years.  State governments retain ownership of the track, but lease operations and management to the ARTC.

A lease deal for the SCL, presumably, would also require a CSO arrangement between the state and the ARTC to allow access for passenger trains on a busy freight line not controlled by QR, but by the ARTC.

Ms Trad should tell us her government's stance if, tomorrow, the feds, via the ARTC, offered a couple of hundred million, or a billion dollars, for the upgrade of the SCL.  Would she knock back the offer because a lease is involved?  The ARTC runs on private enterprise lines.  Just as a bank seeks a mortgage on a house to secure a loan, the ARTC will invest in a track if that track becomes an asset on its books, via a lease.

Ms Trad needs to explain, exactly, the terms under which she would accept money from the federal government to improve the SCL.  Is she after a no-strings-attached gift?  What if the feds said the deal is 50-50 shared cost or an 80-20 per cent deal, as happens with highway funding?  Will she have her share of money to seal a deal?  Is it 100 per cent fed funding or no deal?  Or 100 per cent fed funding with QR retaining ownership of the track and also its management?

The Opposition should be doing its job and pushing Ms Trad to spell out the EXACT circumstances and conditions for a deal involving the feds providing money for the SCL duplication to Nambour.  That then becomes the deal on the table from the Queensland side, not some vague clap-trap around this Jerry McGuire theme of 'show me the money' coming from Ms Trad currently.

By saying it is 'up to the Opposition' to convince the feds to part with the money, she is showing that (like her predecessor) she is more concerned about playing the extraordinary political game around investment in major infrastructure in Queensland rather than doing anything about it.  Either that, or she hasn't given the matter sufficient thought, due to the pressure of ministerial responsibilities in a reduced ministry.

Commissioning another report, or investigation, is a just a politically convenient way of kicking the can a bit further down the track.  Atlas would groan under the weight of the numerous government reports about the need to upgrade the SCL -- going back to WWII, when the single track line hampered vital troop movements and supply logistics to and from embarkation points at Cairns and Townsville.  That is 75 years of inaction, peppered by a few realignments, short length of duplication and regular maintenance.

The latest report into the SCL was a joint QR/ARTC investigation of the feasibility of an ARTC lease of the line.  It is a crisp new report, just finished.  And Ms Trad wants another one, more investigation?  To assist sane public debate, will Ms Trad release this report?  Its time Labor pushed the SCL upgrade debate into the realm of probability, away from politics.

The influential Speaker, the Hon. Peter Wellington MP, has a role in achieving just that.  He should tell Ms Trad that her line about the Opposition being responsible for getting the feds to part with some cash is insulting to the people of the SC who, over the years, have gained a sophisticated understanding of the situation from the myriad reports already made public.

The latest report would contain the latest data, the latest costings, and would examine feasible options for going forward.  Through her comments, Ms Trad is demonstrating that she just wants the SCL to be stuck permanently in groundhog day status.

Stillwater nails it !
Political football can result in penalties come election time.

[#Metro]

It's a nice piece of writing Stillwater.
You should consider submitting it somewhere for publication. If not a newspaper, perhaps a guest post on Brizcommuter or something like that.

[ozbob]

Sunshine Valley Gazette 1 July 2015 page 9

[Stillwater]

The rail versus road debate continues, with governments investigating ways to spend $1 billion upgrading the Bruce Highway while politicians play the wedge game over SCL duplication.

http://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/boost-the-bruce-campaign-to-open-up-main-sunshine-coast-route/story-fnii5v6w-1227425897404

[ozbob]

Twitter

Robert Dow ‏@Robert_Dow 3 hours ago

'Boost the Bruce' campaign to open up main Sunshine Coast route >  http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/boost-the-bruce-campaign-to-open-up-main-sunshine-coast-route/story-fntuy59x-1227425897404 ... #qldpol how about using the existing rail better?

[Jonno]

The rail versus road debate continues, with governments investigating ways to spend $1 billion upgrading the Bruce Highway while politicians play the wedge game over SCL duplication.

http://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/boost-the-bruce-campaign-to-open-up-main-sunshine-coast-route/story-fnii5v6w-1227425897404

The answer to NCL is prioritisation not lack of funding. 

[achiruel]

In North America the idea of running regional passenger trains is completely unheard of.

I realise I'm a bit late to this comment, but what???

Amtrak runs plenty of regional passenger train services.

Sure, many are long distance, but services such as the Capitol Corridor (Sacramento - San Jose) is definitely what I'd consider regional.

[SurfRail]

Nobody in America would run trains over the distances we do for less than 400,000 people per year with such bad cost recovery, anyway.

[Old Northern Road]

In North America the idea of running regional passenger trains is completely unheard of.

I realise I'm a bit late to this comment, but what???

Amtrak runs plenty of regional passenger train services.

Sure, many are long distance, but services such as the Capitol Corridor (Sacramento - San Jose) is definitely what I'd consider regional.

That connects Sacramento (population 500,00) with the Bay Area (population 7 million) and there is only 8 return services each weekday. In North America the railroads (as they call them) are owned by the freight companies and the government has to pay to run passenger services on them.

[ozbob]

RAIL Back on Track supports the upgrade of the SCL. 

We support the expansion of safe rail transport, passenger and freight.

If you are not happy with this position, go away and post on the RACQ forums ..

[ozbob]

Sunshine Coast Daily --> 'We're poor cousins': Rail duplication a no-show in budget

The Sunshine Coast Rail Back on Track spokesman said he was dumbfounded at the continued ignorance of the need for rail duplication to service Sunshine Coast commuters, again evidenced in the latest State Budget.

"There's nothing new in it for rail for the Sunshine Coast," Mr Addison said.

While Treasurer Curtis Pitt unveiled his first budget on Tuesday, pointing to the Nambour Train Station upgrade as part of the $42.6 million commitment to improve stations from Nambour to Auchenflower, Mr Addison lamented what he considered to be redundant improvements.

"It's extraordinarily frustrating," he said.

"We're the second-class citizens of Queensland when it comes to infrastructure, particularly rail infrastructure.

"They're spending $10 million on the Sunshine Coast line, including a $3.3 million upgrade to Nambour Station, while the Gold Coast is getting duplication between Coomera and Helensvale and more light-rail developments."

While Moreton Bay is benefiting from multi-government co-operation to deliver major line upgrades and duplication, Mr Addison said he was at a loss to explain why, when the former State Government had identified the need to duplicate the Sunshine Coast line, the Palaszczuk government were dragging their feet.

"I fail to understand why we are always the losers. We just don't seem to get anything and we're suffering because of it," the disappointed daily commuter said.

"You do want to give up... but you can't, the Sunshine Coast deserves it (better rail infrastructure).

"The Sunshine Coast really is the poor cousins time and time again and I really don't understand why ... our population is currently about two-thirds that of the Gold Coast, yet we are getting nothing."

Mr Addison said it was increasingly frustrating, given Member for Nicklin Peter Wellington's unique position of power, that a significant commitment had been unable to be achieved.

Well said Jeff.  This project was shovel ready in 2009! 

[ozbob]

[Jonno]

But maybe start pointing out the billions being spent on roads which just creates more traffic and moves people and goods in a dangerous and inefficient way.  Not a funding problem but a prioritisation one!

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

17th July 2015

State Government can no longer ignore Sunshine Coast Line duplication

Good Morning,

The Premier will again be making requests for funding assistance for public transport from the Prime Minister.  Good luck with that.

An important project is the upgrade of the Sunshine Coast Line.  This line is a major freight corridor as well as a passenger line.

Funding an upgrade of the Sunshine Coast Line is something that the present Federal Government could well find is in its ' knitting '.

We request the Premier of Queensland to also request funding for the Sunshine Coast Line upgrade.  Gold Coast Light Rail stage 2 is a significant project but there are PPP funding opportunities for that project.

The Newman Government failed.  Who is next?

Best wishes
Robert

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

Media release 20th June 2014



State Government can no longer ignore Sunshine Coast Line duplication

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web-based community support group for rail and public transport, and an advocate for public transport passengers, says the state government risks an electoral backlash unless it commits funding to the Sunshine Coast Line duplication.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track, said:

"The Queensland Government must end its stonewalling on a decision to fund the Sunshine Coast Line (SCL) rail duplication to Nambour, with recent criticism emerging from within LNP party ranks that 'doing nothing is not an option'.

"Howard Hobbs, the chair of the parliamentary Transport, Housing and Local Government Committee, reached this conclusion about the Sunshine Coast Line and its congestion after tabling a damning report into the impact on the agricultural sector of a rail service that is shambolic, outdated, inefficient, unable to grow, is unreliable and also inflexible.  The committee found that the single-track railway between Beerburrum and Nambour is a major impediment, while a failure to invest in its duplication is hindering growth in the Queensland economy.

"The Hobbs Report comes just days after the LNP state government released its own Moving Freight strategy, which states that the capacity constraints and poor performance of the SCL and North Coast Line to Cairns is 'adversely influencing existing and potential freight customer's perceptions and/or preparedness to invest in rail freight growth opportunities'.  Furthermore, the LNP government's own report says that the competing interests of passenger and freight trains over this section of track represents a 'critical issue' for freight services in light of evidence that Queensland's freight moving task will double in 2026.  At the same time, the state aims to double the value of food production by 2040, with much of that produce likely to be moved by rail if transport efficiencies are to be captured.

"The single track SCL sees 42 per cent of all passenger services operated by buses because there is not enough capacity to run these services as trains, while meeting rail freight obligations. Before the last election, the LNP said it would be working with the community on the duplication issue.

"The Transport Minister, Scott Emerson, speaking on ABC local radio this week, said the best way that Queenslanders could afford a fix for the rail bottleneck affecting the transport needs communities right along the Queensland coast is to sell down state-owned assets.  Yet, he refused outright to say that any of the $1 billion freed up for rail infrastructure improvements would go to the SCL duplication, which a slew of government reports has identified as the crucial sticking point.

"On this matter, the government simply isn't listening.  Mr Hobbs' comments, coming from elements with the LNP representing the bush and regional Queensland, must be seen as a sign of unrest within the party itself about a lack of action.  All of the state government MPs on the Sunshine Coast, Peter Wellington (Independent), the mayors of the Sunshine Coast and Noosa, and all major community groups have listed the Beerburrum-Nambour track duplication as one of the top infrastructure projects for the region.

"The problem will be exacerbated by government plans to push ahead with massive new housing developments at Caloundra South, Palmview and, increasingly likely, at Halls Creek.

"The Premier and his transport minister are living in a fool's paradise of cloud cuckoo land thinking if they believe LNP candidates can go to the next state election, due by June 2015, promising once again to do something about overcoming woeful congestion and inefficiency on the SCL.  The reality is they have been in power, yet chosen to sit on their hands for the best part of three years, doing nothing.  An electoral backlash is inevitable, as private LNP polling on the Sunshine Coast indicates.

"Well, now the calls are coming from within – 'doing nothing is not an option'.  It is more serious than that, however.  In the face of comprehensive recommendations made in a considerable number of government-commissioned and endorsed reports, the government knows it is harming the economy by not fixing this problem.  What government that proclaims to be a champion of free enterprise and business supporting jobs does that?"

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.  The Sunshine Coast Case : Rail duplication Beerburrum to Nambour  http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=6647.0

[Stillwater]

The Premier should not waste her time talking with the PM about Gold Coast Light Rail.  It is easier for him to knock back any funding request for light rail; much harder for him to say no to SCL duplication.  If Ms Palasczcuk remains silent about SCL at the meeting, it is a wasted opportunity.

She must decide whether she wants to chase votes on the Gold Coast, or do something positive for the Queensland economy.  Duplication Beerburrum to Landsborough is 'shovel ready'.  The SCL also happens to be on the network of roads and railways that the federal government says it will fund, due to the national freight task they perform.  Not one jot of freight is carried on the Gold Coast Line or the GC light rail.  Heavy and light rail serving the Gold Coast is not on the National Transport Network.  The SCL is.

Queensland state government is prepared to let the expert workforce, special equipment and engineering and construction expertise currently deployed on the MBRL dissipate after that project is finished rather than have it switch to the SCL upgrade.  Having a new contract in place probably would attract a lower tender price than if the whole caboodle has to be put back together again in five or six years time.

Still, this is Queensland.

[Old Northern Road]

Perhaps a cheaper option would be for CAMCOS to branch off at Beerburrum, run parallel to Bruce Hwy for a bit before heading east to Caloundra South. Could possibly get a train line to Caloundra for the same cost as duplicating the line between Beerburrum and Landsborough.

Eventually connect CAMCOS up to the North Coast line at Yandina or Eumundi.

This way you are killing two birds with one stone. Spending billions building CAMCOS and billions upgrading the existing line is not going to happen.

[Stillwater]

^^ The feds (or the PM) would reject any Commonwealth funding for CAMCOS, under current policy parameters.  To put up a hybrid project, involving the SCL and CAMCOS to Caloundra, would require the state government to stump up the cost of the CAMCOS branch line.  That is not going to happen anytime soon.

The cat and mouse game being played out here involves duck-shoving back and forth, between federal and state governments, responsibility for this and that (hospitals, schools, infrastructure) against a much wider discussion about federal-state relations and sale of public assets.  The immediate focus is pressure and resistance by the states to a broader application of a higher GST, even though they are the recipients of its revenue.

The SCL duplication is a hostage project within that wider debate.  It is disgraceful for governments to act in this way.  It is equally disgraceful that we (the public) let them.

Let's not lose sight of the fact that the SCL duplication case must be couched in terms of freight efficiency; passenger rail benefits being subsidiary.  That is the only way the feds can be kept engaged, according to the policies they dictate.  CAMCOS, GC Line and GC light rail are not part of the National Transport Network, the SCL is.  The federal government allocates funding to that network for FREIGHT purposes, and remains implacably opposed to anything that smells of passenger rail.  That is the hand we are dealt.

[#Metro]

Different levels of government need to be responsible for their own budgets and towards their own voter constituency.
If this does not happen, you have game playing, time wasting, cost shifting and scope conflicts emerge.

The Queensland Government is in a similar situation with the Federal Government as Brisbane City Council is with the Queensland Government.

That said, there is a good case for federal contribution for the SCL upgrade as it does relate to freight, the line does run through different states and it is a national rail route. A pity it was not in direct control from day 1 because you would have avoided the break-of-gague issues that are a historical hangover.

Plenty of room for game playing as both the Queensland Government and the Australian government are on 3-year unfixed terms. In both cases a 4 year term in warranted, and certainly a fixed on at the State level (possibly Federal also).

All of this political instability has enormous costs on all. It's not as simple as 'Oh, the Federal Government is rich, how convenient to just siphon the money from there' - it comes with terms and conditions.

[verbatim9]

Cannot the same political two-step negotiation be applied to the Sunshine Coast Line?  No, Mr Abbot, your funding for Beerburrum-Nambour duplication has nothing to do with passenger rail.  You will be improving Queensland's rail freight efficiency (true).

Thought Warren Truss would be the man to get this  funding mess sorted out for the Sunshine Coast duplication?