The Queensland government past and present seems to have low motivation to move on cancelling/buying out the Airtrain contract.
When they get it back in their hands public opinion would say need to do something new like announce improvements or extension, which makes me think they don’t mind not having it for a while.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Hansard 20 July 1999
Airport-City Rail Link
I guess it goes along the lines we get it all in 2036, why would be spend tax payers dollars now? This is assuming Airtrain would sell, and they would if the $$$ were right I think. Cancelling the contract would be an expensive exercise I bet so not really an option.
The Queensland Government will get airtrain for free in 2036, so there’s a strong incentive to wait rather than buy it.
There’s an even better incentive to improve public transport NOW then waiting for 2036 when the cost for project infrastructure and construction cost will be much higher then now. Waiting for the hand over in 2036 is not an option. I’d rather better solutions, or a way to nullify the contract now, before 2032, then let them continue to troll Brisbane and get in the way of progress. Better to make 50c then have to pay $40.
Pressure should be put on AirTrain to tell us (the people of Brisbane) what their plans are for the 2032 Olympics, and why they think keeping the active monopoly is still needed, and whether the contract is compatible for the demands of the games and the city. We don’t know publically what AirTrain’s plans are and whether they think existing arrangement is going to work or not work.
Simply acting like a troll and not engaging in good faith for a mutual break or early hand over of the line shows arrogance and proves they believe that their train line is all that is needed to handle the Olympics. If what they are doing at LAX is unnecessary for 2028 Olympics, then how is the status quo and Brisbane’s one train line compare and considered adequate? Provide figures, numbers, data, assumptions… to support your reasoning?
The onus is on AirTrain to outline their future and whether or not the contract serves anyone’s purpose anymore. To say there’s nothing that can be done and contracts are immutable I say you don’t know what can happen if you don’t try and you get nowhere from acting apathetic - the opposite to advocacy.
Why doesn’t BTQ contact AirTrain owners directly for comments:
The government could subsidise fares and fund more services without buying out Airtrain early. The cost for that would likely be a lot less and comparable to what the government would need to fund even if it owned it now.
Subsiding AirTrain fees to 50c from $30 is not practical.
If the State wants to fund more services to the Airport, what is AirTrain willing to offer in return?
Member @ClevelandLine is suggesting a subsidy in general, not necessarily down to the 50c level.
And Brisbane Airtrain fares were subsidised briefly at the end of the Miles Red Team Administration, so the precedent is there. It can be done, and has been done in the past already.
Exactly.
There is potential of some sort of deal with Airtrain too on the cost - given cheaper fares and more services → more passengers→ more revenue for them.
^^I’ve mentioned and covered all that in the MR
Has AirTrain publically asked for more services on the line?
If so, what are they willing to offer or give up in exchange for those extra services?
We know BAC wants a new station at ‘Skygate’ and track duplication.
What is BAC willing to offer or give up in exchange to make this happen?
The State Gov is planning for the Olympics in 2032 and wants greater access to Airport other than rail, but is not allowed to do so? This is on top of AirTrain’s contract and BAC’s land access and their selfish aspirations for the line. Therefore what is the State Gov willing to offer or give up in exchange to get greater access to the Airport before 2032?
And not to feel left out of things, player 4 has entered the game… the BCC.
The BCC wants to extend the fake-metro buses to the Airport. BCC won’t negotiate with AirTrain directly, so instead go to BAC and ask them go as far as Skygate.
What is the BCC willing to offer or give up in exchange to get buses to the Airport, not Skygate?
Continuing the discussion from BTQ Transport Advocates Call for Brisbane 2032 Olympics Transport Changes and Plan:
This has been discussed in the Airtrain thread and is a conflict to the discussion. We tend to agree for cheaper fares but Translink fares are unlikely so we have settled for real discounts instead
A Translink fare to the Airport could be 50c, but doesn’t have to be. Hopefully that has clarified.
IIRC, the 50% Airtrain fares in place for the 6 months ($21.90 to $10.95 to Central) was well received by the public during that time. It brings the fare down to a cost that is comparable (at worst, probably better in many cases) to the cost of getting an Uber from your home to the Airport, even if travelling as a couple or potentially even as a family.
If a push could be made to get the fare down to that type of level, I think that would be a good initial outcome.
The reality is Airtrain don’t have to do anything, nor are they the bad guys. The government made this contract. The blame lies with them.
That’s why the airport transport MR is so important and clarifies the anomalies in the Olympic MR.
The BAC MR should go out, but it needs to go through the approval process.
Airtrain will have to rename their stations once the terminals are renamed and Translink will have to update the network maps again too, as well as the voice overs and realtime feeds.
Oh goodie I can hear an essay about plane connections when they update the voiceovers.
“This is an Airport Train, stopping all stations. The next station is T2. Customers for flights to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and other domestic flights, please disembark here at T2. Customers are reminded the exit buttons are located in the middle of the doors.”
/s