News

Expert panel to review Cross River Rail

The Newman Government has today announced an expert panel will review the Cross River Rail project to ensure the next major investment in rail is affordable and meets the future needs of South-East Queensland.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson said he wanted to deliver a realistic solution after seven years of Labor inaction on a rail capacity crisis.

“The former Labor Government had known about the capacity of the Merivale Bridge since 2005 and delivered nothing in seven years, except glossy brochures and broken promises,” Mr Emerson said.

“Before the election Labor had an $8 billion proposal they couldn’t afford.

“Three weeks out from the election then Transport Minister and current opposition leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said it was a $7 billion proposal they couldn’t afford and finally just two weeks out from the election Labor had a $6.4 billion proposal they couldn’t afford.

“While a solution to the city’s rail network constraints must be found, an LNP Government will be absolutely sure the numbers stack up before committing to a multi-billion dollar project.”

The expert panel will consist of:

·Mike Scanlan, Specialist Rail Advisor with more than 35 years in rail transport

·Scott Lennon, Partner of PWC Economics and Policy Group

·Barry Broe, Co-ordinator General

The panel will deliver a report on 13 June 2012 that will properly analyse and confirm the problems facing the rail system, consider the options available, assess the business case already prepared for the project and provide recommendations for consideration by the Newman Government.

“This project has already cost $40 million, half of that contributed by the Federal Government to develop a business case and determine feasibility,” he said.

“I have requested this panel be brought together to ensure we come up with a solution that we can actually pay for and deliver.

“We will be a passenger-focused government improving frequency, reliability and affordability to ensure more people use public transport, and this review is our first step towards solving a major congestion problem.

“The Newman Government is committed to delivering its election commitments and paying down Labor’s $85 billion debt legacy.”

Emerson scraps Labor ban on train station water bubblers

Water bubblers will remain on Queensland train stations under the Newman government.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson said he was ending Labor’s policy of removing and not replacing damaged water bubblers at train stations.

“I was made aware of the policy, which was introduced under former Transport Minister and current opposition leader Annastacia Palaszczuk, on Friday and scrapped it on Saturday,” Mr Emerson said.

"I have also directed that water bubblers be re-installed at stations where Labor's policy saw them removed.

“The LNP is a passenger-focused government and that means making public transport as affordable, reliable and frequent as possible.

“It also means giving passengers access to proper facilities and a drink of water while waiting for a train.

“By removing bubblers Ms Palaszczuk was simply giving in to vandals who spent their time damaging station property.

“I’m not interested in pandering to fools and will be tackling vandalism and graffiti at our stations head on.

“I recently joined Premier Campbell Newman and Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk to announce that Queensland Rail would join the BCC and Police initiative Taskforce Against Graffiti.

“The previous Labor Government refused to include Queensland Rail in this partnership, however the close working relationship between all agencies will be the key to tackling these issues.

"We knew that as Transport Minister Ms Palaszczuk's failures included record low affordability, the lowest reliably in three years and four million fewer trips on public transport.

"We can now add banning water bubblers at train stations to her record of failure."

Heavy work to transport light rail to Gold Coast

Queensland’s first light rail system reached a major milestone this week as 2800 tonnes of rail track is being trucked to the Gold Coast.

The track which stretches 55km for the $1 billion Gold Coast Rapid Transit (GCRT) project is being transported from the Port of Brisbane in preparation for laying along the 13km Stage One route.

Minister for Transport and Main Roads Scott Emerson said this milestone reinforced the government’s commitment to delivering the Gold Coast Rapid Transit project.

“This next step gets us closer to delivering the future transport needs of Gold Coast residents,” Mr Emerson said.

“These 18 metre lengths of rail track were made in Austria, shipped into the Port of Brisbane and are now being loaded on to trucks to make its way to a secure storage site on the northern Gold Coast.

“The track laying is expected to begin in coming months.”

The GCRT is being delivered in a Public Private Partnership between the Australian Government, the Queensland Government, Gold Coast City Council and consortium GoldLinQ.

GoldLinQ CEO Phil Mumford said the project was progressing well, with the delivery of the rail on schedule and passenger services on track to start in 2014.

“This project is a mix of world-leading technology and local expertise,” Mr Mumford said.

“Due to the highly specialised expertise and equipment required, the rail was manufactured in Austria by Voestalpine Shienen GmbH.

“It is the only company currently producing the track gauge being used on the Gold Coast light rail system.”

Facts of interest

·It will take 140 semi-trailer trips to transport the tracks to their destination.

·The rail will be used for two lines of light rail track – north and southbound – servicing the Health and Knowledge precinct, the Depot, Southport, Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.

·Fourteen light rail vehicles will operate along the route, with steel wheels fitted to run on the fixed rail.

·There will be 16 stations and the system can cater for up to 75,000 passengers a day.

Fare relief for fed-up passengers

The Newman LNP Government’s public transport fare incentives will provide cost of living relief for an increasing number of passengers fed up with Labor’s public transport hikes.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson said TransLink’s January-to-March customer satisfaction survey showed affordability had dropped to new lows in the final months of the Bligh government.

“This is yet more evidence that Labor failed public transport passengers with its appalling record on affordability, reliability and patronage,” Mr Emerson said.

“Customer satisfaction for the January-to-March period shows affordability satisfaction for train passengers plummeted to 45 per cent – the first time this measure has ever dropped below 50 per cent,” Mr Emerson said.

“Likewise bus and ferry passengers are showing similar levels of dissatisfaction with affordability diving to 51 and 53 per cent respectively.

“Customer satisfaction was on a downward slope and Labor’s answer was ongoing fare increases of 15 per cent a year and to drive away passengers with four million fewer trips taken in July to December 2011 compared to the same period the previous year.”

“An LNP Government will start restoring confidence in our public transport network and deliver commuters affordable transport options.

“We will be a passenger-focused government which is why we are introducing free travel after nine journeys in a Monday-to-Sunday week for go card users, from Monday 25 June.”

For a regular Monday to Friday commuter that will mean free travel home on a Friday afternoon and a potential saving of $150-$220 for most commuters who travel one, two or three zones. For people coming from the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast this could mean a potential saving of up to $500 a year.

“On top of free travel after nine journeys, the Newman Government is committed to halving Labor’s planned fare hikes,” he said.

“We will also tackle frequency by trialling additional daytime off-peak services on the Ferny Grove line.

“I’ve also ordered an audit into the reliability of Queensland Rail services following major delays in January, February and March which saw on-time running drop to its lowest level in three years.

“If we are going to get people back on to public transport and reverse the staggering decline in patronage of recent years then these issues need to be addressed.”

Real time trial for Brisbane’s CityGlider buses

The Queensland Government’s rollout of its real-time information system trial is coming soon to one of Brisbane’s most popular bus routes.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson said the real-time passenger information system would give customers an accurate arrival and departure time on the popular CityGlider route.

“I’m pleased that TransLink has been able to expand its trial to include the 20 buses that service the CityGlider route, between Teneriffe and Newstead,” Mr Emerson said

“This addition to a Logan City trial, to commence soon will come at no extra cost and will ensure real-time information can be trialled within the CBD.

“Customers will be able to see exactly when the next bus is coming using a web-based mobile phone or tablet.

“There will also be on-board information to identify the next stop as well as other handy passenger information.

“This trial will require each bus to be fitted with a GPS tracking device and other equipment that allows the bus to compare its current location to its planned location.

“The bus then releases this information to the central real-time system which calculates and sends the expected time of arrival the on-bus displays, mobile devices and TransLink website.”

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk welcomed the decision, adding that Brisbane City Council had been pushing for the technology to be installed on the city’s buses for some time.  

“I’m committed to delivering an extra 360 buses this term on top of the 500 my team delivered last term in a bid to make Brisbane’s bus fleet more reliable and comfortable,” Cr Quirk said.

“I believe this technology trial is a big step forward towards improving the reliability of Brisbane’s public transport network. That is why my team has been lobbying for its installation and I’m pleased the new LNP State Government has listened.”

German transport company INIT was chosen to install the real-time system for TransLink.

INIT has installed similar real-time systems at more than 400 sites across the world including Dubai, Vancouver in Canada, Dublin, Bavaria and soon in South East Queensland.

The real-time system will also be trialled on 125 buses in the Clark’s Logan City Bus Service fleet, including the high-frequency route 555 between Logan City and the Brisbane CBD.

Display and GPS equipment will be installed on the CityGlider services from August.

Train crossing gamble not worth the risk

The Queensland Government has warned it is only a matter of time until a pedestrian dies ignoring the protection at level crossings in South East Queensland.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson said he was shocked to see recent footage highlighting the deplorable behaviour which is occurring nearly every day across the rail network.

“Every crossing throughout the city network has boom gates and flashing lights, which are there for the protection of pedestrians,” Mr Emerson said.

“The alarming reality is that some pedestrians are not getting the message and are continuing to take on trains whether it’s by pushing through the pedestrian gates, or racing a train as the boom gates are lowering.

“I was horrified to see one example, captured by CCTV cameras at Deagon station, when students foolishly risked their lives at the level crossing, resulting in a very near miss.

“These children avoided a collision by seconds, when they pushed through pedestrian gates and rushed across the tracks in front of a train travelling at approximately 65 km/h.”

Queensland Rail CEO Jim Benstead said train drivers and station staff had raised concerns about the number of people not following the rules around train stations.

“These are examples of what Queensland Rail train drivers and guards are seeing more and more often – pedestrians racing across train tracks and playing Russian Roulette with their lives,” Mr Benstead said.

“We’ve had enough with pedestrians telling us they know better, they know the timetable and they can predict when it’s safe to cross.”

In another incident at Wulkuraka, near Ipswich, a young man kicked open the pedestrian gate in an attempt to cross the tracks. Luckily the man and the two pedestrians who followed him were only scared, not killed, avoiding a collision by just seconds.

On-train footage from an incident at Albion where a person ran across the tracks in front of a train shows just how long it takes for a train to stop once the emergency brakes are applied.

In 2011, there were 472 near miss incidents at level crossings predominantly in the south east corner.

Veterans to travel free on Anzac Day

The Queensland Government will honour war veterans and their families this Anzac Day (Wednesday, April 25) by giving them free travel on public transport to all commemorative services across South East Queensland.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson said it was important to provide unrestricted travel to and from remembrance services on TransLink buses, trains and ferries, as a mark of respect.

“Uniformed past and present Defence Force personnel and their spouses will be able to travel free on the day,” Mr Emerson said.

“Veterans wearing service medals and family members marching on behalf of loved ones can also take advantage, to ensure the proud Anzac tradition lives on.

“This is just a small way for us to thank the men and women who have given so much for our country and an opportunity to support our veterans and current personnel on what is an important day of remembrance and reflection for all Australians.” 

Mr Emerson said children in uniform from Girls’ Brigade, Boys’ Brigade, Scouts and military cadets, participating in Anzac Day ceremonies, could also travel at no cost.

Queensland Rail and Brisbane Transport will run extra trains and buses for people wanting to attend the 4.30am dawn service at Anzac Square in the Brisbane CBD.

Extra trains will operate inbound on the SunshineCoast, Caboolture, Gold Coast, Ipswich/Rosewood, Cleveland, Shorncliffe and Ferny Grove lines at the following times:

• 2.07am – Nambour to City (express Northgate to Bowen Hills)
• 2.48am – Rosewood/Ipswich to City (express Darra – Roma Street)
• 2.35am – Gold Coast to City (all stations)
• 2.53am – Cleveland to City (all stations)
• 3.05am – Caboolture to City (express Northgate to Bowen Hills)
• 3.38am – Shorncliffe to City and Ferny Grove to City (all stations)
• 3.40am – Richlands to City (all stations)

Extra buses will run from 3.30am on routes 111 (Eight Mile Plains - City), 130 (Algester - City), 140 (Browns Plains - City), 150 (Browns Plains - City), 199 (Teneriffe - West End), 200 (Carindale - City), 333 (Chermside - City), 345 (Aspley - City), 385 (Waterworks Road, The Gap - City), 444 (Moggill - City) and from 3.18 am on route 103 (Mt Ommaney - Darra train station),

Buses will depart from the city shortly after the service to return people home.

Public transport throughout South East Queensland will operate to a Sunday timetableon Anzac Day with normal off-peak fares applying.

Some regular bus services will be disrupted due to road closures for Anzac Day events in the Brisbane CBD and other areas throughout South East Queensland.

For more information on Anzac Day public transport, visit www.translink.com.au or phone 13 12 30.

Independent Audit into reliability of Queensland Rail's City Network

The Newman Government has moved quickly to improve the reliability of the city rail network which suffered major failures in the lead up to the State election.

Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Scott Emerson, said today he had directed his department to conduct an independent audit of the city rail network to assess the reliability and integrity of the network.

"The LNP is a passenger-focused government that is committed to growing patronage," Mr Emerson said.

"But for more commuters to choose to take public transport they need to have confidence in the reliability of the rail network."

The failure of the network on two occasions just prior to the last election left tens of thousands of commuters stranded and late for work.

"Commuters were justifiably annoyed that the system had let them down," Mr Emerson said.

"I have now directed the department to conduct an independent audit to find out what went wrong, what circumstances led to the system reaching such an unreliable state and, more importantly, what needs to be done to stop similar failures occurring in the future."

Mr Emerson said the audit would focus on the reliability of the rail network, the third plank in the Newman Government's approach to improving public transport patronage.

"During the election campaign we outlined measures to improve affordability for commuters and to increase the frequency of services through a trial on the Ferny Grove line.

"Now, I'm pleased to announce we are addressing the issue of reliability.

"I expect the independent auditor to be appointed by the end of this month, and a report to be finalised by 30 June.

"An interim report, to be delivered by 31 May, highlighting significant issues which have emerged to that date will also be provided so any urgent remedial action can be implemented without delay.

"The auditor will be required to conduct complete inspections of the rail infrastructure, including civil structures and track, signalling, telecommunications, and power systems and electrical overheads.

"I also want the auditor to comment on the relationship between rolling stock maintenance and network issues, as well as review Queensland Rail's current and future maintenance and capital investment plans for SEQ."

Mr Emerson said Queensland Rail will co-operate fully with the audit, and the auditor will be given free access to all previous Queensland Rail reports, audits and studies.

Labor’s latest con still means 15pc fare hikes

A vote for Labor on March 24 remained a vote to increase public transport fares by 15 per cent in 2013 and 2014, the State Opposition said today.

LNP Shadow Minister for Transport Scott Emerson said Labor’s election-eve policy of a no-cost rides after two paid journeys in a day was rubbish.

“It will be of little or no benefit to southeast Queensland commuters,” Mr Emerson said.

“Most commuters I know make two journeys a day and Labor’s offer of a third at no-cost is a con – and can’t be believed four days out from the election.

“If the tired, 20 Labor government was at all fair dinkum about lowering costs for commuters they would adopt the LNP’s sensible plan to limit fare increases to half that of Labor.

“They’d also adopt our policy of free trips after nine journeys,” Mr Emerson said.

“Under the lazy, long-term Labor government southeast Queensland commuters now pay some of the highest fares in the world and if Labor is re-elected on Saturday there’ll be no fare relief at all.

“In fact commuters will pay another 15 per cent in 2013 and another 15 per cent in 2014.

“A CanDo LNP government will lower the cost of living and deliver better infrastructure and planning.

“It’s time for a change. It’s time to get Queensland back on track.”

Arts for all Queenslanders