Rail transport in South East Queensland

Queensland Rail Citytrain network
NGR 710 at Yeronga in 2018.
Overview
Owner	Queensland Rail
Area served	South East Queensland
Transit type	Commuter rail
Number of lines	13
Number of stations	154 plus 3 under construction
Annual ridership	32 million (21/22 FY)
Chief executive	Katarzyna Stapleton
Headquarters	Brisbane
Website	queenslandrail.com.au
Operation
Began operation	1979 (1979)
Operator(s)	Queensland Rail
Technical
System length	689 km (428 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead lines
Top speed	140 km/h (87 mph)

Queensland Rail's Electric Multiple Units have been operating in South East Queensland since electrification commenced in 1979

Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland, has a network of suburban railways that carry commuters, long-distance passengers, and freight. Suburban and interurban passenger services in Brisbane and South East Queensland are operated by the Queensland Rail Citytrain network, a branch of Queensland Rail. Queensland Rail also operates long-distance trains across the state. Aurizon and Pacific National operate freight services.

Queensland Rail operates ten suburban lines and three interurban lines, which are all electrified. Centering in the Brisbane City, it extends as far as Gympie in the north, Varsity Lakes in the south, Rosewood in the west, and Cleveland in the east to Moreton Bay. ^[1]

Each line is ascribed a colour and name on all Queensland Rail signage and marketing collateral including timetables, posters and maps. There are 153 stations in the Queensland Rail Citytrain network. ^[1]

The Queensland Rail website refers to the network as two different names, either as the 'South East Queensland (SEQ) network', ^[2] and the 'Citytrain network', ^[3] however Queensland Rail used the wording 'Citytrain network' back in 2017. ^[4]

History

Construction

Official opening of the first section of the Ipswich to Grandchester, 1865

The first railway in Queensland did not actually run to Brisbane, but ran from Ipswich to Grandchester. Opened in July 1865, ^[5] the line into Brisbane was not completed until the opening of the Albert Bridge in July 1875. ^[6] Branch lines in the city itself did not start until the next decade, with the branch line to Sandgate opened in May 1882, and the branch from Eagle Junction to Racecourse in September the same year.

Lines were opened from Brisbane to Sandgate and Ascot in 1882. The first section of the North Coast line opened to Petrie in 1888. ^[7] In 1891 this line was connected to the Maryborough line at Gympie, creating a through line to Mount Perry. A branch line was built from Caboolture to Woodford in 1909 and Kilcoy in 1913, now closed. A branch line was opened from Monkland (south of Gympie) to Brooloo in 1915. A line was opened from the first South Brisbane station at Stanley Street, Woolloongabba to Beenleigh in 1885, and extended to Southport in 1889 and Tweed Heads, New South Wales in 1903. This line was closed beyond Beenleigh in 1964. ^[8]

A branch line was completed between Park Road station and Cleveland in 1889, although the section beyond Lota station was closed and since reconstructed. A new South Brisbane station was built on Melbourne Street in 1891. This became the terminus of the standard gauge line from Grafton in 1930 and Sydney in 1932. A dual gauge line was built from South Brisbane over the Brisbane River to Roma Street in 1978. A line was opened in 1980 from a junction near Lindum station on the Cleveland line to the Port of Brisbane at Fisherman's Island. This was converted to dual 1435/1067 mm gauge and extended in parallel with the duplicated passenger line to Dutton Park in about 1995 under the Keating government's One Nation program.

The Beaudesert line was opened between Bethania and Beaudesert in 1888, and closed in 1996. The Canungra line was completed to Canungra in 1915, now closed. The line from extended from Roma Street to Central stations in 1889, and to Brunswick Street station in 1890. The Ferny Grove line was opened from a junction at Mayne to Enoggera in 1899. The short Laidley Valley railway lines opened on 19 April 1911 but was never profitable.

Electrification

Main article: Rail electrification in Queensland

A start on electrification of the suburban network was approved in 1950 but a change of state government in 1957 saw the scheme abandoned in 1959. ^[9] It was not until the 1970s that electrification was again brought up, with contracts let in 1975. ^[10] The first part of the new electric system from Darra to Ferny Grove opened on 17 November 1979. ^{[11] [12]} The network was completed by 1988, with a number of extensions made since and additional rolling stock purchased. Services were initially operated under the Queensland Rail brand, with the Citytrain name established in 1995. ^[13]

Duplication

Oxley station's new platform and track (left)

To increase the capacity on a number of lines, the rail network in Brisbane has required some tracks to be duplicated. In June 2004, Queensland Government announced rail duplication of the Gold Coast line between Ormeau and Coomera stations. ^[14] Between 2008 and 2010, work was carried out to duplicate the tracks between Darra and Corinda stations. Work included a link to the Springfield line and upgrades to Oxley and Darra stations. ^[15] In 2010, funding was allocated for the duplication of the rail line between Keperra to Ferny Grove. ^[16]

Increased capacity

Beenleigh line

A third track was laid between Salisbury and Kuraby stations, a length of 9.5 km (5.9 mi). Previously two tracks, the added capacity allows Gold Coast line services to operate with less chance of delays. Seven railway stations along the section were significantly upgraded. The project was commissioned on 2 March 2008. ^[17]

Ferny Grove line

A second track was laid between Mitchelton and Keperra railway station, including an upgrade to the intermediate stations, Oxford Park and Grovely. Upgraded with two platforms, this upgrade allows additional services to operate on the line during peak hour, and will also remove waiting times outbound from Mitchelton and inbound from Keperra. Other improvements include lifts and footbridges, to meet the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport, and new, modern station buildings. ^[18] The further duplication of the railway between Keperra and Ferny Grove stations, plus an additional platform and parking at Ferny Grove has been completed.

Gold Coast line

The line between Ormeau and Coomera stations, 6.7 km (4.2 mi) in length, was duplicated in October 2006, allowing for additional capacity. ^[19] Similarly, the 16.6 km (10.3 mi) length between Helensvale and Robina stations was duplicated in July 2008, removing the need for a four-minute layover at Helensvale for Robina services to wait for the Brisbane service due to the single track either side of the station. ^[20]

Ipswich line

5.2 km (3.2 mi) of track between Corinda and Darra stations was quadruplicated. Previously four tracks to Corinda then two to Ipswich, the quadruplication allowed for greater capacity, especially with the Springfield railway line branching from Darra station.

Sunshine Coast line

13.7 km (8.5 mi) of track north of Caboolture station to Beerburrum station has been duplicated and re-aligned, along with the construction of stations at Elimbah and Beerburrum. Construction work began in 2007, and the project was commissioned on 14 April 2009. ^[21]

From Beerburrum station, 17 km (11 mi) of track to Landsborough is proposed to be similarly duplicated and re-aligned. This project is in planning stage, with construction scheduled to begin in 2020. ^[22]

Recent extensions

Airport line

Queensland Rail IMU109 at International Terminal station

The Airport rail line opened to passengers in May 2001. ^[23] Under a BOOT scheme – build, own, operate and transfer – the Queensland Government licensed Airtrain Citylink to build the rail line, to own and operate it, and hand the entire infrastructure over to the Queensland Government after 35 years when the company will then cease to exist. ^{[23] [24]} Airtrain Citylink contracted Transfield Services to build, operate and maintain the line ^[23] and finally Airtrain Citylink contracted Queensland Rail to provide rolling stock for the rail line. ^[25]

Gold Coast line

Varsity Lakes station

In July 2007, Queensland Government announced the rail extension for the Gold Coast line. ^[26] The first stage was completed in 2009 ^[27] which took the line to Varsity Lakes. ^[26] It was later proposed to take the line to Tallebudgera but it didn't happen. ^[26] This is the first stage of the proposed progressive extension of the line to the Gold Coast Airport. Further extension of the line including proposed stations at Tallebudgera, Elanora and Tugun is expected to be constructed after the completion of the Cross River Rail project. ^[28]

A light rail line, G:link, on the Gold Coast opened in July 2014.

Springfield line

The Springfield railway line is a line extending from Darra railway station on the Ipswich line to the Springfield area. The 26 km (16 mi) ^[29] extension of the network had a total cost of $475 million and was completed in December 2013. ^[30]

Redcliffe Peninsula line

The Redcliffe Peninsula railway line (previously known as the Moreton Bay Rail link) is a suburban railway line extending 27.5 km (17.1 mi) north-northwest from Brisbane central business district (approximately 40.1 km (24.9 mi) from Central station. The line is part of the QR Citytrain network, branching from the existing Caboolture line immediately after Petrie railway station, and extend to the Redcliffe peninsula. It was more seriously identified and anticipated in the 1970s, and the land was purchased in the 1980s although the line was not built. Construction commenced in 2013 and the line was opened to passengers on 4 October 2016.

Proposed railways

The Maroochydore railway line is proposed to branch off the North Coast line at Beerwah and operate via Caloundra to Maroochydore.

In 2011, the Queensland Government released a major transport plan Connecting SEQ 2031, which aimed to double public transport usage in South East Queensland. ^{[31] [32]} It proposed a number of service upgrades and rail extensions, including Cross River Rail, the Gold Coast light rail, a new high frequency Brisbane subway in the central city from Toowong to Bowen Hills, and a new North-west rail line branching from Cross River Rail at Alderley to Strathpine. ^[32]

Cross River Rail

Main article: Cross River Rail

CBD underground access

On 26 August 2007, the then-Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Paul Lucas, announced the Inner City Rail Capacity Study to look at underground rail access under the Brisbane central business district. Dismissing a City Loop-style scenario similar to Melbourne, citing the relatively small size of the CBD and "technical and operational constraints", Lucas imagined an underground line from Park Road station to Woolloongabba, then across the Brisbane River to connect with the Exhibition railway line, with major new stations at Woolloongabba, Gardens Point/QUT, and in the CBD. The study also investigated the feasibility of the Exhibition line operating all year with new stations, and the upgrading of existing lines with additional tracks. Lucas allocated A$5 million to the study and appointed AECOM and Parsons Brinckerhoff as consultants to "look at options for boosting rail capacity in the city centre, including potential for an underground tunnel". ^[33]

This project, Cross River Rail, is now under construction and scheduled to open to the public in early 2026. ^[34]

In 2017, work began on a second rail river crossing for Brisbane as the Merivale Bridge nears capacity. The project includes just under six kilometres of new underground rail, three new underground stations at Boggo Road, Woolloongabba and Albert Street, new underground platforms at Roma Street station, and an upgrade to the existing Exhibition station. The new inner-city route will be used by the New Generation Rollingstock.

Closed lines

• Beaudesert line – Bethania to Beaudesert.
• Beaudesert Shire Tramway – Beaudesert to Lamington and Rathdowney, operated by the Beaudesert Shire.
• Belmont Tramway – Norman Park to Belmont, variously operated by the Belmont Shire, Queensland Railways and Brisbane City Council.
• Bulimba line – Brunswick Street to Newstead.
• Canungra line – Logan Village to Canungra.
• Pinkenba line – Doomben to Pinkenba.
• South Coast line – Beenleigh to Southport and Tweed Heads.
• Wooloongabba line – Dutton Park to Stanley Street and South Brisbane wharves.

RailBus services

Translink operates several bus routes along corridors on behalf of QR where the railway line has been closed to passenger traffic or supplements low-patronage lines at specific times of the day. ^[35]

Kangaroo Bus Lines RailBus at Caboolture

To relieve congestion on the single track North Coast line north of Beerburrum, the rail service is supplemented by a bus service operated by Kangaroo Bus Lines on weekdays between Caboolture and Nambour as route 649. ^[36]

Operators

Passenger

Ipswich line between Taringa and Toowong

Suburban and interurban passenger services are operated under the Citytrain brand of Queensland Rail, and are co-ordinated by Translink. Long-distance passenger services operate from Roma Street around the state under the Traveltrain brand, while an interstate service to Sydney is operated by New South Wales operator NSW TrainLink using its XPT fleet.

In a city with a population of 2 million, passenger traffic on the suburban network doubled in the 10 years from 1979 to 1989 to reach 50 million journeys a year in 1989, and by 1992 it had increased by another 10%. ^[37]

In June 2009 as part the split of Queensland Rail's commuter rail and the freight business, ^[38] The Citytrain brand was dropped in favour of using the redesigned Queensland Rail brand. Since then most traces of the Citytrain brand have been removed from rolling stock and station signage.

On 8 March 2017, the Queensland Government released a report called "Fixing the trains: a high-level implementation plan to transform rail in Queensland" This report officially resurrected the Citytrain network naming for the first time since the split. Since this report, the Citytrain brand has slowly made its way back into reports. This brand re-emergence does not seem to be a controlled and deliberate action, but rather appeared in the report due to the Citytrain brand being well known amongst many within the Brisbane area. The report unofficially initiated a return of the Citytrain branding, and established the Citytrain Response Unit to respond to the plan.

Freight

2300 class on a freight service at Redbank station

Aurizon operates the majority of freight services on both the 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard and 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow gauges, with Pacific National on the standard gauge and their narrow gauge Pacific National Queensland division also operating services.

The main rail freight terminal is in the southern Brisbane suburb of Acacia Ridge, located off the Beenleigh suburban line at the northern end of the line from New South Wales. A freight line was opened from Acacia Ridge to Fishermans Island and the Port of Brisbane in 1980, ^[11] running alongside the Beenleigh line from Salisbury to Dutton Park, then follows the Cleveland line to Lindum. Dual gauge access on the line was promised by the Federal Fraser government in 1983, but it was not until 1997 that the work was carried out, eliminating the break-of-gauge and enabling trains to run direct from the port across the New South Wales border. ^[39]

Approximately four million tonnes of freight is moved from outside South East Queensland to points within it; 1.1 million tonnes was to interstate destinations. One of the largest internal traffic flows is the movement of coal along the Western Line to the Swanbank Power Station and the Port of Brisbane. ^[40]

The Fisherman Islands intermodal terminal was opened in 1994. ^[11] Other rail freight terminals have been located at South Brisbane, Park Road, Yeerongpilly, Clapham, and Salisbury. ^[41]

Fleet

All of the Queensland Rail City Network rolling stock is electric and air conditioned.

• Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) – 28 in service (88 built) ^[42]
• Suburban Multiple Unit (SMU)
  • 200 Series (SMU200) – 12 in service (12 built) ^[42]
  • 220 Series (SMU220) – 30 in service (30 built) ^[42]
  • 260 Series (SMU260) – 36 in service (36 built) ^[42]
• Interurban Multiple Unit (IMU)
  • 100 Series (IMU100) – 10 in service (10 built) ^[42]
  • 120 Series (IMU120) – 4 in service (4 built) ^[42]
  • 160 Series (IMU160) – 28 in service (28 built) ^[42]
• New Generation Rollingstock
  • 700 Series – 75 in service
• Rollingstock Expansion Project (Planned)
  • 20–65 new EMUs manufactured by Downer/Hyundai Rotem ^[43]

New Generation Rollingstock EMU set 753 at Sherwood Station, on a Redcliffe (Kippa Ring) service

All trains are electric multiple units with a driver cabin at both ends, with the exception of EMU60 through EMU79 having a cab at one end. These units also had only 3 powered bogies (per 3 car set) compared to the 4 powered bogie arrangement for the remaining EMUs. The last of these units, EMU78, was scrapped in August 2020. All EMU, SMU and IMU units consist of 3 cars, giving a fleet total of 621 cars, plus the 20 ICE cars. The ICE units are usually configured as five car trains.

Suburban trains are occasionally scheduled on interurban lines if other toilet equipped rolling stock is not available. While using suburban trains on interurban lines increases operational flexibility, the trains are not provided with the facilities of the IMU, ICE or NGR units, such as toilets or high-backed seats.

The 260 Series SMU, 160 Series IMU and the NGR all come with free Wi-Fi on board. ^[44] The Wi-Fi usage is limited to 20MB. ^[45]

75 new six-car New Generation Rollingstock trains were ordered in January 2014 and were delivered between late 2015 and late 2019. ^[46] A new maintenance facility for these trains was built at Wulkuraka. The first NGR entered service on 11 December 2017.

To keep up with projected passenger increases, the procurement of 20 new electric trains was announced in 2020, with TMR considering the option of ordering an additional 45 electric trains, potentially adding up to 65 new electric trains in the next decade. ^[43]

Further reading

• The Suburban Railways of Brisbane. Knowles, J. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, February to September, 1964

References

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3. Plan your journey Archived 26 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine Queensland Rail 26 September 2022
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8. The Old South Coast Line Revisited Marggraf, E.W. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin November 2003 pp422-427
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