A line in the sand: The Sunshine Coast Light Rail Project Pre-feasibility and Rapid Economic Appraisal Report Version 4.2 – August 2012 Version Date Changed by Status Nature of amendment 4.0 24 Jul 2012 Ken Deutscher Draft Initial version 4.1 2 Aug 2012 Ken Deutscher Draft Minor amendments 4.2 15 Aug 2012 Ian Gordon Final Minor amendments A line in the sand – Version 4.2 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................... 1 PART I – The project background and objectives........................................................................ 13 1 What this report is about..................................................................................................... 14 2 Learning from other places.................................................................................................. 15 2.1 The Gold Coast ........................................................................................................ 15 2.2 Portland, Oregon ..................................................................................................... 17 2.3 Montpellier, France ................................................................................................. 18 3 The Sunshine Coast story so far........................................................................................... 21 3.1 A vision for transport on the Sunshine Coast.......................................................... 21 3.2 The role of public transport in achieving the vision................................................ 21 3.3 Key council initiatives .............................................................................................. 22 3.4 A line in the sand – a focus on people, not cars...................................................... 22 4 The case for taking action on the Sunshine Coast............................................................... 23 4.1 Protecting our quality of life.................................................................................... 23 4.2 The need to offer more lifestyle choices and protect valuable land....................... 24 4.3 The risks posed by energy, oil depletion and climate change................................. 24 4.4 It’s time to act.......................................................................................................... 25 5 Creating the Sunshine Coast Light Rail Taskforce................................................................ 26 5.1 Taskforce membership............................................................................................ 26 5.2 Taskforce meetings.................................................................................................. 26 6 About the Sunshine Coast Light Rail Project ....................................................................... 28 6.1 Vision – a catalyst for defining change in the Sunshine Coast region..................... 28 6.2 Understanding the ‘why’ – the benefits of the light rail reference case................. 30 6.3 The importance of linking with an improved bus and rail network........................ 31 7 Project phases and roles...................................................................................................... 32 7.1 Key project deliverables and milestones................................................................. 32 7.2 The role of pre‐feasibility ........................................................................................ 32 7.3 The role of rapid economic appraisal...................................................................... 32 7.4 The role of future phases ........................................................................................ 32 8 Phase 1 methodology – the pre‐feasibility phase ............................................................... 34 8.1 Technical pre‐feasibility studies .............................................................................. 34 8.2 Rapid economic appraisal........................................................................................ 34 8.3 Communications and stakeholder engagement ..................................................... 34 PART II – Option definition and analysis ..................................................................................... 37 9 Land use planning to support light rail ................................................................................ 38 9.1 Review of existing and planned land use policy...................................................... 39 9.2 Changing urban planning policy to achieve sustainable mobility on the Sunshine Coast ....................................................................................................................... 40 9.3 New styles of housing that support public transport.............................................. 42 9.4 Changes to land use planning to support sustainable mobility .............................. 43 10 Corridor selection – where could light rail go?.................................................................... 44 10.1 Corridor assessment methodology ......................................................................... 44 A line in the sand – Version 4.2 iii 10.2 Corridor assessment results .................................................................................... 46 10.3 Comparison of corridors.......................................................................................... 51 10.4 Corridor ranking and potential staging ................................................................... 52 10.5 Summary – prioritisation of corridors ..................................................................... 53 11 Technology options for the public transport system .......................................................... 55 11.1 Determining the possible technology types............................................................ 55 11.2 Public transport technology considered for the Sunshine Coast............................ 56 11.3 Does the light rail mean we don’t need a regional rail connection? ...................... 59 12 Design and costs for the reference scheme ........................................................................ 62 12.1 Light Rail Transit (LRT) at‐grade – the reference scheme (Option 3)...................... 62 12.2 Preliminary route..................................................................................................... 63 12.3 Capital cost estimates – Option 3 “At‐grade” Light Rail.......................................... 67 12.4 Future stages ........................................................................................................... 68 12.5 Constructability and construction impacts.............................................................. 69 13 The other technology options ............................................................................................. 70 13.1 The base case .......................................................................................................... 70 13.2 Option 1 – CoastConnect......................................................................................... 70 13.3 Option 2 – Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).......................................................................... 72 13.4 Option 4 – Elevated Rail .......................................................................................... 73 13.5 Option 5 – Elevated Monorail ................................................................................. 76 13.6 Option 6 – Hybrid light rail with some elevated running ........................................ 78 14 Demand forecasts – understanding the need ..................................................................... 80 14.1 Transport modeling ................................................................................................. 80 14.2 Future public transport aspirations......................................................................... 80 14.3 Population growth post 2031.................................................................................. 81 14.4 Model results........................................................................................................... 81 14.5 Summary of results.................................................................................................. 82 15 Assessment of environmental factors ................................................................................. 84 15.1 Air quality ................................................................................................................ 84 15.2 Energy and greenhouse........................................................................................... 86 15.3 Noise and vibration ................................................................................................. 88 15.4 Visual amenity ......................................................................................................... 91 15.5 Ecology..................................................................................................................... 92 15.6 Flooding and stormwater management.................................................................. 93 16 Rapid Economic Appraisal – determining value and costs .................................................. 97 16.1 Cost Benefit Assessment ‐ CBA...............................................................................