State Government disappoints Caloundra residents
Fri 04 November 2011
Kate Syson, Bachelor of Journalism
Since 2001, the State Government has spent $A55million on transport solution studies, including the Caboolture to Maroochydore train line, yet no progress has been made.
The funding for the studies has been coming out of ratepayers’ pockets, in the form of $A20 transport levies.
Although it was 
promised, no train line development has come from this.
Aroona resident Vanessa Phillips travels to Brisbane for work, and spends more than four hours travelling every day.
“I know if an express rail line was built, like I was told it would be, I could drive five minutes down the road to my nearest stop and be in Brisbane within the hour,” Mrs Philips said.
“We got so excited about an express train so close to home, I could drive my car so much less and get to where I needed to go so much quicker and safer.
“I was initially concerned about a train line being built across from my house but in time I came to terms with it and saw it as a good thing.
“There’s no point in worrying anymore now really, I doubt the train line will be built while I’m still living here.”
The Caloundra City Council notified Mrs Phillips and her family in 2001 that a rail line would be implemented within the next few years.
“Ten years later and we have not seen any progress nor has the council kept us up to date,” Mrs Philips said.
“I just wa
nt them to hurry up and get it built; I cannot understand why no progress has been made.”
Since initial studies, the population on the Sunshine Coast has grown from 247,000 to more than 330,000 people, according to the Bureau of Statistics.
Population continues to grow rapidly, but the progress in the Caboolture to Maroochydore rail way sits dormant.
Rail Back on Track administrator Robert Dow has a background studying medical science, and was aware of the medical aspects of road trauma covering a very significant part of the community.
“People are getting injured at a terrifying rate, so if we can put in place sustainable rail transport, it will be a very good thing for the future,” Mr Dow said.
A recent Australasian Railway Association study revealed the cost of road trauma in Australia was estimated to be $35 billion per annum.
Mr Dow was very disappointed that there had not been any real progress towards the Sunshine Coast train line since its inception in 1999.
“The reality is that a lot of people are going to have to travel to Brisbane, for employment, for work, for appointments, for education so it’s really important that we have a decent rail system,” Mr Dow said.
Mr Dow said the Caboolture to Maroochydore train line was just an aspiration in a number of glossy planning documents.
“Nothing really tangible has been put forward and that is extremely disappointing,” Mr Dow said.
“We think this train line is a very essential thing for the Sunshine Coast future, bearing in mind the new residential development in Caloundra South and the enormous demand on transport infrastructure it will have.”
“The Sunshine Coast rail system is actually struggling from severe infrastructure constraint, particularly the single line north of Beerburrum, that really needs urgent upgrade well before the Caboolture to Caloundra line can even get started,” Mr Dow said.
Planning and detailed designs are currently being completed for this project (Beerburrum), which was targeted for delivery by 2019.
“Caloundra to Maroochydore’s rail line is contingent on the rail upgrade for Beerburrum,” Mr Dow said.
Mr Dow said he believed it would be extremely difficult to begin the Caboolture line when urgent upgrades still had not been done on train lines around the Sunshine Coast.
The South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program (SEQIPP) indicated construction of the Caboolture to Maroochydore rail would commence in the period from 2019 extending through to 2026.
Griffith University Urban Researcher Dr Matthew Burke told the Caloundra Journal that it might be voting patterns that were to blame for the lack of transport infrastructure.
“The marginal seats around Redcliffe led to a strategic decision to prioritise that corridor [Caboolture to Maroochydore],” Dr Burke said.
“Many observers are looking at the decisions to fund the Redcliffe rail, announced during the federal election campaign, thinking targeting those marginal seats is quite a pragmatic political solution.”
Image(s) designed by Kate Syson