Bat Project—Draft Reference Design Overview Report, March 2014
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Department of Transport and Main Roads BaT project Draft reference design overview report – March 2014 Great state. Great opportunity. BaT project The BaT (Bus and Train) project is The project tackles Brisbane’s a critical new link in South East major public transport capacity Queensland’s public transport challenges. The Merivale Street network. It’s also a new concept in rail bridge, the Cultural Centre public transport. bus precinct, rail capacity through Central Rail Station and bus In a world-first, the BaT project will capacity over the Captain Cook combine a railway and a busway in bridge. a single, double-decked, 15-metre- wide tunnel beneath the Brisbane The Department of Transport River and Brisbane’s Central and Main Roads is working with Business District. Brisbane City Council to deliver the project. The five kilometre north-south tunnel will stretch from Dutton Once completed, the project will lay Park in the south to Victoria Park the foundation for a sophisticated, at Spring Hill in the north with international-standard ‘turn up and new underground stations at go’ transit system for Brisbane and Woolloongabba, George Street and will greatly expand the regional Roma Street. network, paving the way for future growth. 2 BaT project – draft reference design overview report – March 2014 Project history Now named BaT, the project will deliver Time frames In 2007-08, the Queensland Government the combined benefits of the previous rail undertook the Inner City Rail Capacity proposal and Brisbane City Council’s Study (ICRCS), a prefeasibility study to Suburbs 2 City bus project. The project is currently in its planning identify possible solutions to capacity Also in November 2013, an Initial Advice phase, which includes the development issues in Brisbane’s inner city rail Statement was lodged with the of a Reference Design, Environmental network. Queensland Coordinator-General who Impact Statement and Business Case. The study found that an additional declared the BaT project a ‘coordinated The Reference Design and Environmental north-south river crossing for rail would project’ under the State Development and Impact Statement are expected to be be needed by 2016 to cope with the Public Works Organisation Act 1971, available for public comment in the increasing demand for transport services triggering a requirement for the project to second half of 2014. prepare an Environmental Impact in South East Queensland. Pending appropriate approvals, Statement. The Coordinator-General construction could commence in 2015 In 2009, the Australian and Queensland released draft Terms of Reference for the with major construction activity ramping Governments committed funding to Environmental Impact Statement in up in 2016. advance planning for Cross River Rail. November 2013. These funds allowed the progression of Commissioning and testing will be Following a period of community the Cross River Rail detailed feasibility complete by the end of 2020, with the consultation, the Terms of Reference phase, led by the Department of project expected to be operational in were finalised on 14 January 2014 Transport and Main Roads. 2021. and are available at In March 2012, a new Queensland www.dsdip.qld.gov.au/underground. Government was elected and an independent review of Cross River Rail The Terms of Reference set out the was commissioned to assess whether matters that must be addressed in the investment in the project was the best Environmental Impact Statement. option for the task and offered value for The current phase of the project involves money. the development of a Reference Design, As part of further planning and with a Environmental Impact Statement and renewed focus on affordability and Business Case. It also includes innovation, the Underground Bus and community and stakeholder consultation. Train project concept was developed and The project is expected to cost about launched in November 2013. $5 billion. In response to city congestion, Brisbane City Council undertook a pre-feasibility study into its proposed $2.2 billion Suburbs 2 City project which proposed to provide a new bus river crossing and tunnel connection through the Brisbane CBD. BaT project – draft reference design overview report – March 2014 3 Project need Some of the current challenges faced by the network The provision of quality public transport is an The BaT project is a once-in-a-generation, city-changing The Department of Transport and Main Roads is include: important part of responding to, and more project that will: coordinating the planning and delivery of a series of • Bus capacity constraints are already highly visible, importantly, driving the economic growth of • double the public transport capacity across the short-term initiatives as part of the Brisbane Inner Rail with more than 200 buses an hour congested over Queensland’s primary activity centre. Brisbane River Solution in partnership with Queensland Rail Transit the Victoria Bridge, Captain Cook Bridge (among The BaT project has been planned to future-proof South • offer faster, more frequent, direct and reliable bus and Authority to prolong the life of the rail network to 150,000 vehicles per day), along Adelaide Street and East Queensland’s public transport system now and train trips to the CBD from across the region around 2020. at the Woolloongabba junction in peak periods. into the future in the following ways: • help manage congestion by reducing private vehicle • The Cultural Centre and Queen Street Busway • The stations will be designed to accommodate longer The department has also been working very closely travel by 310,000km per day through making public stations are at capacity. trains when demand increases in the future. with BCC (and Brisbane Transport) to resolve the transport more attractive • The Merivale Street Rail Bridge, which is the only • The busway will be designed to accommodate capacity constraints of the inner city bus network. • lay the foundation for a sophisticated, international- inner city rail bridge across the Brisbane River, is fast a conversion to a rubber tyred metro system, However, the constraints are getting to the point standard ‘turn up and go’ transit system for Brisbane reaching capacity. Timetable changes introduced consistent with key parts of the existing busway where a major investment in infrastructure is required. • allow faster, more direct access to key destinations in early 2014 will squeeze more capacity out of the network. including universities, hospitals, sports stadiums, event However, we need to start planning now to meet our bridge but this will be exhausted by 2020. • The bus stations will have multiple bus platforms, areas, parklands and workplaces transport needs beyond 2020. • Bus and rail trips in South East Queensland are ranging from four to nine bays in each direction, to • keep Brisbane powering ahead by ensuring public expected to almost double by 2031 as our population utilise full tunnel capacity. transport infrastructure keeps pace with growth expands from approximately 3 million now to • provide three new underground stations making 4.4 million in 2031. The BaT project solves two major transport constraints interchanging between rail and bus services as easy as • Forecasts predict that there will be more than 1.1 and becomes economically viable because of the moving between platforms million public transport trips each day across the economies of scale for a combined tunnel. The project • be economically viable due to the economies of scale wider Brisbane region by 2031, with almost 80% of also avoids the costs of delivering two separate for a combined rail and bus tunnel these trips starting, finishing or travelling through projects and offers true integration of South East • facilitate economic and social growth leading to a more the inner city. Queensland’s two most prominent public transport systems. robust economy for region As a result of these challenges, public transport • encourage more sustainable urban development and services will become overcrowded, trips will take Benefits land use patterns. longer and the reliability of the network will suffer. Existing public transport users will then likely switch to less sustainable forms of transport which will congest the road network and ultimately constrain economic and social development in South East Queensland. 4 BaT project – draft reference design overview report – March 2014 Bus Problems Rail Problems Buses caught in Slow Bus flows through Peak trains Single platforms limit congestion on busy King George Square returning to Mayne capacity at Fortitude city streets. busway station during Yard causing Valley and Bowen Hills. peak hours. congestion. Limited space for Royal Brisbane and Women’s Trains merge on to Hospital Station extra kerbside bus single track causing Queen Street bus Bowen Hills Overcrowding stops. congestion. Royal Children’s station full during Station and congestion QUT Kelvin Grove Hospital Station Station peak hours. on platforms at Central. Fortitude Valley Station Cultural Centre Normanby Station Overcrowding and busway station full congestion on during peak hours. platforms at Roma Roma Street Congestion across Street. Roma Street Station Victoria Bridge Station Central Station and at North Quay King George intersections. Bus delays along Square Station Merivale bridge Melbourne Street Cultural Centre Queen Street nearing capacity. and South East Station Station Busway South Brisbane Station Buses slowed by Congested Park traffic on