Is there a reason why the station at Aura is no longer known as “Nirimba”?
Looking at Google Maps, the station location actually sits in Bells Creek, and not Nirimba.
Correct - and that part of Bells Creek which the station sits within (the ‘centre’ of the Aura development) hasn’t formally been named as a new suburb yet. Just this week the government has gone out for community input to help name it.
I suspect the new suburb will be ‘Aura Central’ once it’s all said and done but whatever it ends up being, the station will likely inherit that name.
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Please, please, please can they just mark and maintain a corridor for Stage 3, 4, 5+ to the airport and beyond. This is more likely than not as there is almost nothing in place for buses apart from a small ‘potential future bus layover’ area.
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Honestly I think there’s a case for at least taking steps to start preserving a corridor all the way up to Noosa, it could even be done as part of a long overdue upgrade to the motorway for all I care, but currently buses get stuck on the same congested motorway as the cars do so they’re no faster.
I wouldn’t expect rail to Noosa in our lifetime but it would be important for future generations.
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Absolutely there is. Same logic as the GC line. There should be an inland line and a coastal (ish) line. Up to Noosa and then out to Gympie to link it all together.
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I agree; I think there should be work done now to preserve a corridor, building on the investigations that TMR have recently published. The Sunshine Coast Motorway is one lane per direction from the North Shore Connection Road interchange all the way to Noosa but the corridor is evidently future proofed for expansion/upgrade to two lanes per direction; every grade separated road crossing is built with long spans and sometimes a pillar in the middle with the current carriageway running under one side of the span. I’ve always wondered if it is possible that, instead of upgrading the motorway, the reserved space was used for an extended railway all the way to Noosa. I don’t have an understanding of modern railway construction standards so if this would not meet standard or safety, then there is plenty of space for widening the entire corridor for the addition of the railway. I only suggest taking up the reserved space to prevent road expansion and further induced car demand. Existing medium-distance trips can easily be replaced by bus connections to train stations, especially viable given the size of the region, and growth can centre around that model. The development pattern of the Sunshine Coast must change at a rapid pace over the coming decades or it will be the same story as the Gold Coast.
On a related issue, the crossing over the Maroochy River, as discussed previously on (I think) this thread, is a problem. A terminating station at Maroochydore stops trains from through running to the airport and beyond, and vice versa, creating complicated movements and service patterns. As Maroochydore is too developed, I think that the only way to solve this geological obstacle may be a tunnel diving somewhere in Mountain Creek after the Mooloolah River crossing, an underground station at Maroochydore, and surfacing near the airport. Obviously, it would be very expensive in today’s dollars but it would future proof a much more sustainable region by allowing comparatively easy expansion of the network with competitive travel time and comfort. Perhaps the delay, I will call it, of stage 3 is a blessing, allowing time to advocate for a better design.
There’s lots to think about and so much potential with good drive but every successive government wastes so much time and money, and have been making backward, unsustainable, and blind decisions over the past decade or so. It’s why I wish an independent transport and planning authority existed which would be relatively easy work.
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Not sure Noosa to Gympie is a reasonable corridor to follow. Maybe Eumundi or Cooroy or even Pomona, but not directly to Gympie.
Somewhere around Noosa Civic would be pretty reasonable - basically following SR70
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An entire bus load of people (mostly tourists) was delayed 15 mins due to school holiday traffic and has just missed the train connection at Landsborough. Everyone now has to wait 45 minutes for a rail bus to Caboolture (which won’t fit everyone) and some unlucky ones will need to wait 90 minutes for a train back to Brisbane. Some have suitcases and big bags, clearly heading to Brisbane airport, and will have to make alternate arrangements to get there on time.
Surely something can be done short term to improve this, considering it’s probably going to be another 7 years until The Wave opens. Maybe a Maroochydore to Caboolture bus connection along the alignment using TMR’s fleet or something? I don’t think anyone can argue that demand isn’t there especially in school holidays, my 615 had people standing in the entire aisle.
With situations like this you can see why the Sunshine Coast is one of the most car-dependent areas in the country.
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As per the community consultation on Tuesday, The Sunshine Coast Rep for SEQTA attended and asked a few questions on behalf of myself.
Through this I can confirm:
- The intention for frequency is 15-20 minutes offpeak for the heavy rail. That’s great as the current “connection” to Brisbane is a 90 minute frequency… Although 15 minute “Metro” frequency is really disappointing.
- On that note, contrary to what a news company had said, It doesn’t seem the “Metro” frequency is guaranteed to match the heavy rail.
- The Nambour line will be a shuttle service to Beerwah off-peak as previously outlined in DSC (I believe it was DSC. Feel free to correct me if i’m wrong)
- It appears the “Metro” was a very last minute change and that details regarding it are all up in the air.
That’s all the stuff that were published by the South-East Queensland Transit Association yesterday, Just wanted to add it to this thread for discussion.
I suspect the Gympie line is not going to receive a frequency boost, however i equally don’t believe it’ll be a shuttle service. Gympie line details are hazy at this time.
Do note, when I refer to a “Metro” i am referring to the planned bi-articulated bus fleet connecting Birtinya Station (Heavy Rail) to Sunshine Coast Airport.
Still trying to figure out if that means 15-20 minutes off–peak frequency Birtinya to Gold Coast. I have reached out and am waiting for comment.
On that note though, I will remind you that The Wave is very early in planning and still susceptible to public suggestion and change 
Thanks,
ImmyOnBoard.
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I mean this part is obvious, nobody within TMR who I’ve spoken to (or heard speak) could give any specifics about frequency, corridor or even how the ‘metro’ portion will link Birtinya and Maroochydore, the details literally don’t exist. No planning has been done. I suspect Stage 3 will be the political football inherited by whoever wins the next election.
No issues with 15-20 min offpeak frequency either, SCL doesn’t really need more than that considering it only runs 20 minute headway in peak right now. Nambour shuttles are a given (they already do that during track closures terminating at Landsborough) although extending Beerwah → Nambour shuttles to Gympie more than twice a day would be nice for locals. I’ve previously said I think most people who travel to/from Gympie could tolerate a transfer at Beerwah in exchange for more than twice daily services. IMO there should be a real goal to increase frequency to Gympie, not so much for the town itself but to benefit the towns north of Nambour that suffer from lack of services too.
The planned island platform for Beerwah should allow seamless cross platform transfer for people travelling Brisbane to Nambour or vice versa, although I’ll be interested to see how often they think these shuttles would run.
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IIRC The “Gympielander” service during Peak I’d tip would be treated similarly like a ‘TravelTrain’ service, departing from Platform 10 at Roma Street and perhaps stopping at the Exhibition station and going via Albion before running express to Caboolture stopping only at Northgate and Petrie.
As for the off-peak and weekend ‘Gympielanders’, whether if it takes the same pattern as the weekday or a Beerwah-Gympie North shuttle is another question entirely.
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Could see 30-45 minute frequency shuttles with the loss of having to do a full Brisbane trip! Would be so good for the region.
I’d assume the 15 min off-peak to Birtinya will largely be formed off the extended Caboolture short-runners, very much making most if not all of the Caboolture depot yard redundant with Elimbah just up the road to stable the Peak Hour Caboolture “short runner” services.
The downside however is that the express pattern remains as (all to Petrie, then exp to Northgate, Eagle Junction, CRR stations then onto Beenleigh).
For a 2-tier service to operate again, partial triplication from Petrie to Narangba or preferably full triplication Petrie to Caboolture is required to happen to allow Direct SC/Birtinya trains to run express from Caboolture (Plus extra rollingstock to restart the Caboolture ‘short runners’ outside of peak periods).
As for Gympie North, if they’re not going to increase the services from the current 2 direct trains a day to at least 4-5 Gympie North - Beerwah shuttles a day, then continue to run the Gympie North services through and treat them similarly like a Traveltrain service, via Exhibition loop into Roma Street.
I believe “The Wave” would be:
Birtinya ALL STOPS to Petrie
Express
Northgate
Express
Albion
All Cross River Rail Stations
Express
Altandi
(Terminating at Varsity Lakes)
Forming a “Coast” to “Coast” service it would be branded as. At least that’s what I gather.
I also didn’t think Gympie North would use the Exhibition Loop but i’ve requested comment
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Much prefer to see 5 shuttles/day Beerwah - Gympie North instead of the ’ Gympie-Landers ’ also. Towns north of Nambour like Cooroy, Cooran and Pomona will greatly benefit.
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Problem with ’ Coast to Coast ’ (Birtinya to Varsity Lakes) is the length of the run, and issues with reliability and number of trains. I expect Gold Coast will be paired with Redcliffe Peninsula line. Birtinya with Beenleigh line. This is what I have been previously told by TMR staff.
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Hopefully they don’t do Coast to Coast then.
Gold Coast to Redcliffe was the original pairing for CRR afaik
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Touchdown = build the damn line to the airport.
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