Community support for Fast Rail

The concept of a South East Queensland Fast Rail Network has always had strong support from the community. When the Council of Mayors (SEQ) first raised the concept of Fast Rail in 2018, it was welcomed by both industry and the community.

The concept of a South East Queensland Fast Rail Network has always had strong support from the community. When the Council of Mayors (SEQ) first raised the concept of Fast Rail in 2018, it was welcomed by both industry and the community. 

In April 2019, the Council of Mayors (SEQ) first polled the South East Queensland community on its support for Fast Rail. More than 2,000 respondents were surveyed across the region’s various council areas.

More than 80 percent of respondents supported the introduction of a South East Queensland Fast Rail Network. Seventy-five percent of respondents also believed that the delivery of transport infrastructure in South East Queensland was not keeping up with population growth. 

The survey also explored the connection between Fast Rail and support for a South East Queensland 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. More than 70 percent of respondents were extremely likely or likely to support the Games, if it accelerated the delivery of critical transport infrastructure such as Fast Rail. 

While initial support for the concept of Fast Rail was strong, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has raised greater uncertainty around the way people may work and commute in the future. 

It is too soon to know what lasting impacts COVID-19 will have on people movement in South East Queensland, if any. However, anecdotal evidence would suggest that traffic congestion is slowly returning to levels seen before the pandemic. 

Given Queensland’s low levels of community transmission and easing of restrictions, this could be because workers are gradually returning to their places of business. There is also likely to be a greater dependence on private vehicle use as commuters temporarily avoid public transport where it is challenging to physically distance from other passengers.  

In August 2020, the Council of Mayors (SEQ) polled the community once again to test its support for a regional Fast Rail network. The survey also gauged respondents’ sentiments towards people movement in South East Queensland and the Queensland State Election more broadly.  

The parameters of the polling were the same as the previous survey, more than 2,000 respondents from across South East Queensland. Interestingly, support for the introduction of a South East Queensland Fast Rail Network had grown in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Q) Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, do you believe South East Queensland will continue to experience traffic congestion?

CENTRALNORTHSOUTHERNWESTERNSEQ Total
YES80.20%84.52%84 .01%77.99%81.68%
NO9.36%8.39%6.86%9.80%8.60%
UNSURE10.44%7.09%9.12%12.21%9.72%
Total100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

Q) Do you believe the Queensland Government is adequately planning to reduce traffic congestion in the future?

CENTRALNORTHSOUTHERNWESTERNSEQ Total
YES26.42%20. 56%18 .96%19.32%21.31%
NO53.91%62.77%62.39%63.19%60.56%
UNSURE19.68%16.67%18.65%17.49%18.13%
Total100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

Q) Do you believe the Queensland Government should be investing more into public transport in South East Queensland?

CENTRALNORTHSOUTHERNWESTERNSEQ Total
YES69.42%67.06%73.68%69.43%69.92%
NO16.24%19.93%17.40%19.91%18.36%
UNSURE14.34%13.01%8.92%10.67%11.72%
Total100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

Q) Do you believe a Fast Rail network could help ease traffic congestion in South East Queensland?

CENTRALNORTHSOUTHERNWESTERNSEQ Total
YES76.18%82.84%82 .61%84.92%81.64%
NO14.81%13.00%12.46%10.39%12.66%
UNSURE9.01%4.17%4.93%4.69%5.70%
Total100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

Q) Would you support the introduction of Fast Rail in South East Queensland?

CENTRALNORTHSOUTHERNWESTERNSEQ Total
YES82.69%87.41%90.21%88.01%87.09%
NO10.63%6.83%5. 23%5.43%7.03%
UNSURE6.67%5.7 6%4.56%6.57%5.89%
Total100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

Q) If a candidate in the 2020 Queensland State Election was supportive of Fast Rail, would this make you more or less likely to consider voting for them?

CENTRALNORTHSOUTHERNWESTERNSEQ Total
MORE LI KELY52.83%55.53%61.83%54.74%56.25%
LESS LIKELY10.65%11.40%8.10%9.47%9.90%
VOTE UNCHANGED36.52%33.07%30.07%35.79%33.85%
Total100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

Whether its related to the economic benefits of a transformative project such as Fast Rail or the long-standing frustrations of commuters in South East Queensland, 87 percent of respondents support the introduction of a regional Fast Rail network to manage the region’s congestion challenges. 

Furthermore, more than half of the region’s voters would be more likely to vote for a candidate in the upcoming Queensland State Election if they supported the introduction of a South East Queensland Fast Rail Network. 

As the Council of Mayors (SEQ) asks both the current State Government and Opposition to commit to a genuine exploration of Fast Rail in partnership with government and industry as its primary election ask, it appears that South East Queensland’s voters are also watching on with interest.  

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