There could be a potential for LRT in Brisbane’s public transport, Such as from Hamilton and Bulimba to the city
I do this there’s certainly cases where LRT would be a good mode for Brisbane (this is what the metro should have been!), but I don’t really see a single line as being a viable option considering all the requirements it brings for depots, staff, substations, etc. Obviously once you have that set up it becomes proportionally easier to bring more routes onto the network, but establishing that initial step seems like it’s just been thrown in the too hard basket and ignored.
With that said, I do think there’s some merit in converting some existing bus routes (particularly the 60 and the 412) into LRT considering they are heavily patronised for their entirely corridors, run almost entirely in very urban areas, are roughly the right length, and serve as a sort of trunk in their own right. This realistically should include the metro routes but good luck convincing BCC to throw out their shiny new toys after they just spent all of this money on them.
Fundamentally there are three questions around trams/LRT in Brisbane:
- How do we get into & through the CBD?
- What’s the demand on the corridor?
- Can we dedicate a lane?
Contrast the high level of flexibility and resilience of buses which allowed us to effectively build the near-CBD and non-CBD sections of the busway first.
There have been a few proposals over the years, notably BRIZTRAM from the Borbidge government
The need for more transit on the West End - Newstead axis eventually ended up as the Blue CityGlider.
There have also been a multitude of proposals from the Greens and probably others.
I think we’re unlikely to see much action on trams in the immediate future with BCC rolling out BERTies to more corridors. To the extent that they represent a capacity upgrade and a prestige upgrade, they substitute for LRT.
1 Like
I think a mid-tier rapid transit line could work for some selected corridors.
This could be operated by LRT or BRT, the corridor type (Priority B) is more important than the mode itself (mode neutrality).
For example, a BRT or LRT in dedicated lanes could start from the top of Queen Street Mall, travel along KSD and into Racecourse Rd before joining the Doomben line.
One branch could come off at Newstead and end at Teneriffe Ferry. Another branch could travel along Racecourse Rd Hamilton before following the Doomben line, a third branch could enter Portside Hamilton with two or three stops in the precinct.
Of course, I am firmly of the view that Priority 1 is expansion of the BUZ network.
It has to work or we can just give up Brisbane to a car-choked, economic backwater future!
The region’s Transport Vision needs to defined the # that need to move along major movement corridors then the mode is matched to the capacity.
Don’t do LRT if Metro capacity is End-State.
The only way I think light rail could be cost effective is from Hamilton to the city, I am all for the bus network.
I wish we had trams still 
1 Like
The bigger picture is.
- Current Bus Network has us at 6% public transport inc Trains.
- Even a redesign Bus Network will NOT get us to 30%+ inc Trains.
- The cost of NOT having public transport at 30%+outweighs the costs of Light Rail.
- The saying goes “How can we afford NOT to!!”
1 Like
Mode Neutrality
Buses are an integral part of the transport network.
Not all cities have railways, light or heavy, but almost every major city will have a bus. Only places like Venice etc are exceptions.
Buses, and to a lesser extent light rail, scale really well because they are cheap.
Heavy and Metro Rail is expensive, particularly metro rail which costs $1 billion/km and takes many decades to plan, fund and co-ordinate the 3 levels of government required to fund it.
For the same cost of the entire Brisbane Metro BRT project, we could get 2 km of metro rail, enough for one station in the city and one station in the valley, and that’s it. Something like that isn’t going to move the dial on patronage, not going to move the dial on expanding access, while at the same time eat up the whole transport budget.
Transport is the product, modes are simply a means of delivery or supply.
2 Likes
The outcome is the key not just the cost. Lower cost (but still in the Billions) for no increase is worse than higher costs for far greater outcome. Currently we at 6%. Hard to get a worse outcome.
Thinking that BRT alone will get where we need to be is not realistic. A great step forward but in no way end-state.
Greater expenditure on road widening for an even worse outcome is stupidity personified.
1 Like
And we need to stop spending so much money on expensive concrete and spend more money on actual services.
The problem in Brisbane is a lack of infrastructure utilisation and lack of service, not the absence of a metro/subway or light rail.
Perth outperforms Brisbane/SEQ, and they have no metro, no busways and no light rail. What they do have is integrated network planning and frequent service.
Forget I ever said anything about lightrail fixing buses is the best way forward let’s make a proposal for a new network
2 Likes
Yes that has always been Step 1.
2 Likes
That’s what I mentioned in the last meeting that BTQ should take on and advocate a 30% target that comprises of 8 - 10% active transport together with 20-22% PT.
Only a real metro and LRT will get PT 30% or above.
^^That’s with LRT in Toowoomba**, Sunshine Coast and Cairns as well.
**pending an electrified rail connection from Bne.
As a mid-term target yes.
Our long-term target should be to reach leading practice with active/public transport +freight rail target of 60+%.
If we had met our 1996 IRTP target of 32% by 2011 then we might well be close to leading practice in2025…
Problem was our Govt didn’t change their overall priorities. Thus we are at 11%.
If targets have not worked for 35 years, why is the answer then setting a new one? What is going to be different this time around? There does not seem to be any consequence for MPs or Departments falling short of a target.
Could we consider alternative measures such as % stations with frequent 15 minute train services, or % population within a 15 minute rapid transit service? These seem much more relevant and tangible.
2 Likes
No, because that just focuses on a small cohort of travellers in one area. Aka Brisbane focussed.
1 Like
Look you can put on the best PT in the world and some people will still choose to drive. It’s a free country.
Similarly the Government could set a high mode share target tomorrow and then do nothing much about it.
So I’m in favour of advocating for supply-side / access measures.
Mode shares are super abstract. But “We want your bus to be more frequent - help us campaign for it?” - clear and direct value.
edit to add: that’s not to say we shouldn’t ask the government to set a mode-share target with a bit of ambition to it - just that I don’t think it to be the main thrust of advocacy.
4 Likes
The major thing is off-peak service and frequencies. There are more off-peak hours than there are peak hours, so that’s how you get the patronage, by increasing off peak travel.
There’s only so much you can upgrade services before you need the speed and capacity increases that come with infrastructure.
I’d argue it’s because they don’t have any of those things that their system is better. They can double down on the same infrastructure by properly feeding into their train system, because not having a busway has reduced the expectation for single seat bus journeys everywhere. But we’ve already opened that can of worms decades ago, and it’s hard to shut it now.
Perth has its issues too though. The lack of widespread PT infrastructure outside of their railway lines (three of which run in highway medians) means they have a severe lack of density outside the CBD. Brisbane at least has places like Newstead, West End, Stones Corner and to a lesser extent Nundah and Chermside for density in inner and middle suburbs. And Perth’s ferry system is poor compared to ours.
1 Like
The issue in Brisbane is a lack of service, not a lack of infrastructure. This is how Perth can offer 15 minute train service to all train stations except one on Sunday, while Brisbane can’t achieve this even on a weekday.
Many PT advocates are making their own advocacy much harder than it needs to be by making their demands conditional on high cost, long lead time infrastructure projects when a planning or service fix will be sufficient.
It’s not a lack of trams, busways or metros, it’s a lack of basic 15 minute frequency.
Perth opened their Morley-Ellenbrook train line with 15 min train service / 7 days on day 1. Our Springfield and Redcliffe lines were completed years ago, and yet don’t even offer this level of service.