Moreton Bay Rail Link

Moreton Bay's long-awaited rail link comes to life

The Moreton Bay Rail Link is set to transform the region, providing a dedicated public transport link for one of the fastest growing areas in the country.

Moreton Bay Rail Link will deliver a new heavy rail passenger line between Petrie and Kippa-Ring, including 6 new stations at Kallangur, Murrumba Downs, Mango Hill, Mango Hill East (previously called Kinsellas Road Station), Rothwell and Kippa-Ring.

The project’s reference design shows the location of the rail line and the proposed new stations.

The $1.147 billion required for the project is being provided jointly by the Australian Government ($742 million), Queensland Government ($300 million plus land) and Moreton Bay Regional Council ($105 million).

Construction has begun with road works underway to connect the local road network around the new rail line. These works have been brought forward to ensure the local community remains connected during the rail corridor works.

Design on the rest of the project is continuing, with preliminary design for the rail corridor works (including the track, structures and 6 stations) also underway this year.

Construction of the rail corridor works is due to begin in the second half of 2013 with the new rail line scheduled for delivery by late 2016.

Timeline

• Construction begins on Kinsellas Road East bridge – July 2012
• Tender process for rail design and construction begins – August 2012  
• Kinsellas Road East bridge complete – mid-2013
• Rail corridor works begin (track, structures and stations) – second half of 2013
• Rail corridor works complete – late 2016
• New rail line delivered – late 2016

The need

More than 375,000 people call the Moreton Bay region home, making it the third largest local government area in Australia. It is also one of the fastest growing areas in the country with the population set to exceed 500,000 by 2031.

Transport in the Moreton Bay region is heavily geared towards cars. More than half the region’s population departs the area everyday to travel to work with the vast majority (83%) using a private vehicle for their journey.

The Moreton Bay Rail Link will significantly improve public transport in the area providing an incentive for people to switch from private vehicles to public transport. This will in turn free up capacity on the road network for journeys that can’t be made using public transport.

Benefits

The Moreton Bay Rail Link will:

• provide a more reliable, economical, and faster alternative to driving to Brisbane’s Central Business District during peak periods
• help reduce congestion on the road network, including the Bruce Highway, and free up capacity for journeys that can’t be made using public transport
• provide sustainable and active transport options that reduce carbon emissions – every full train on the new line will take about 600 cars off the road
• provide better access to major employment centres both within and outside the Moreton Bay region
• help attract investment to the area and create business opportunities
• act as a catalyst for growth along the alignment, with stations becoming hubs of new development in the region.

Features

The Moreton Bay Rail Link will provide a focal point for the local community, and will include a number of features.

Stations

Station design is an essential ingredient in making public transport attractive to users and the community – and getting the design for each station right is a key priority for the Moreton Bay Rail Link project team.

A locally-based design company has been working on concept designs since December 2011 for the 6 new stations on the Moreton Bay Rail Link. The designs have considered feedback received during extensive community consultation held in late 2010 to early 2011.

The station design team has been looking at how each station will integrate with its local community. Importantly, the stations will be designed and constructed to be a part of their community, not to stand out from it.

A key issue is how the station can be accessed by pedestrians, cyclists, and those who arrive by car, bus or taxi. Each station will be designed to suit its local situation, particularly in layout and access.

The station designers have worked closely with Queensland Rail, Transport and Main Roads, TransLink Transit Authority, Moreton Bay Regional Council and the former Growth Management Queensland. The design process is considering how the rail line can act as a catalyst for growth along its alignment, with stations being the hub of new development in the medium to long term.

The design process is ongoing with concepts for preliminary layouts being produced in 2012.

Cycling and walking (paths and facilities)

The Moreton Bay Rail Link will provide an opportunity to significantly improve pedestrian and cycling links in the Moreton Bay region.

New roads constructed as part of the project will include pedestrian and cycle pathways and the new stations will be designed to make pedestrian and bicycle access easier.

End-of-trip facilities, such as bicycle storage, will also be included in the station designs.

Road bridges

The Moreton Bay Rail Link will cross several major roads.

In some locations – such as the Bruce Highway and Brays Road in Murrumba Downs – this will involve a rail bridge being built over the existing road.

At Kinsellas Road East a new road bridge will be built over the rail line. The construction of this bridge has been brought forward to ensure the local community remains connected during the construction of the rail corridor works.

The Kinsellas Road East bridge in Mango Hill began construction in July 2012 and is the first building work undertaken for the project. It will provide 1 lane in each direction, on-road cycle lanes, a pedestrian footpath, a new roundabout at the intersection with Mango Hill Boulevard and a new connection at Kinsellas Road East with Anzac Avenue.

The design and construction of proposed bridges at Dohles Rocks Road and Goodfellows Road at Kallangur will now be incorporated as part of the project’s rail design and construction contract. There will be no start to construction in the Kallangur precinct until later in 2013. For more details, see our news page.

A further road-over-rail bridge will be built in Mango Hill at Freshwater Creek Road, as part of the rail corridor works.

Detailed traffic plans will be put in place during construction to ensure safety and traffic flow is maintained.

More information about these roadworks will be available closer to the start of construction.

Rail corridor

The rail corridor works includes the 12.6km of track, structures, and 6 new stations for the new Moreton Bay Rail Link.

Design is continuing, with preliminary design for the rail corridor works underway and continuing into 2013. Detailed design will progress throughout the construction of the rail line.

Construction of the rail corridor works is due to begin in the second half of 2013 with the new rail line scheduled for delivery by late 2016.

History

The Moreton Bay Rail Link has been a long time coming.

The first known reference to a rail link to Redcliffe dates back to the late 1800s when a local alderman proposed that a new line be built to the peninsula at an estimated cost of 200,000 pounds.

The first significant planning study to investigate the Moreton Bay Rail Link occurred in 1978-79 when the Metropolitan Transit Authority conducted a series of planning studies into a public transport corridor between Petrie and Kippa-Ring. These investigations led to the identification of the preferred alignment for the project and the land was then acquired.

Over the last 30 years the project has been the subject of a number of further studies.

From 1999 to 2003 the Queensland Government undertook the Petrie to Kippa-Ring Public Transport Corridor Study.

This study assessed the feasibility and impact of the corridor to support the visions and objectives set out in the Queensland Government’s Regional Framework for Growth Management.

The community was consulted as part of this study.

The study recommended a preferred alignment for the corridor, with the preferred transport mode being heavy rail. Heavy rail was found to be the most effective option for the following reasons:

• A single journey – extending the existing heavy rail network allows passengers to board at a station on the Moreton Bay Rail Link and continue on the same service all the way to Brisbane.
• Carrying capacity – heavy rail will better cope with increasing number of passengers in future than either light rail or a busway.
• Cost – heavy rail is similar in cost to light rail or busway, but with higher carrying capacity and faster journey times.

Based on this study, the Department of Transport and Main Roads (formerly Queensland Transport) commissioned the development of a Final Impact Assessment Study for the corridor. It concluded that the preferred corridor between Petrie and Kippa-Ring area was the original preserved corridor because:

• the land was already owned by the State of Queensland
• the alternative option would fragment existing land uses and habitat
• environmental impacts could be managed
• there was potential for 6 railway stations.

The Queensland Government’s 2003 study provided the foundation for the current project design.

In July 2010 an agreement was signed between the Australian Government, Queensland Government and the Moreton Bay Regional Council to build the project, with all 3 levels committing funds to the project.

Finally, the Moreton Bay Rail Link Project Change Report incorporated recent changes to the project and provides the most up-to-date detail of the current project design.