Introduction to ConnectedSEQ

South East Queensland is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. While this growth provides a strong driver for the economy, it also comes with significant challenges particularly when growth outstrips the delivery of essential infrastructure.

South East Queensland is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. While this growth provides a strong driver for the economy, it also comes with significant challenges particularly when growth outstrips the delivery of essential infrastructure.

The SEQ Regional Plan, ShapingSEQ, projects that South East Queensland’s population will grow to 5.3 million people by 2041, making the region as populated as Greater Sydney is today. And like Sydney, the region’s leaders need to plan for the most effective way to manage this growth. 

The NSW Government is currently delivering Australia’s biggest public transport project. Sydney Metro is a combination of 31 metro stations and more than 66 kilometres of new metro rail aimed at transforming the way people move around Greater Sydney. 

The cost of retrofitting Australia’s most populated city with a world class public transport system will be well in excess of $30 billion. The alternative is an estimated $2 billion per annum in lost economic benefits due to the current constraints of Sydney’s transport network.

For South East Queensland, the cost of congestion across the region is much higher. Infrastructure Australia predicts congestion to cost the South East Queensland economy $6 billion per annum by 2031. The social cost is more time spent sitting on congested roads. 

While some believe that COVID-19 has put a dampener on population growth, history would suggest that this impact will be short term. Australia saw sharp declines in overseas migration following World Wars 1 and 2 and the Great Depression, however population growth bounced back relatively quickly.

Historic population growth in Australia

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Australian Historical Population Statistics, cat no. 3105.0.65.001 (Population size and growth) and Australian Demographic Statistics, March 2018, cat no. 3101.0 (table 1)

The COVID-19 pandemic does, however, create two major economic challenges for South East Queensland. How do all levels of government provide a short-term boost of economic stimulus and job creation while continuing to lay the foundation for a strong economic future? 

In 2019, the Council of Mayors (SEQ) released the SEQ People Mass Movement Study to explore how South East Queensland’s transport infrastructure planning compared to the anticipated population growth of the region. 

In a first for the region, the SEQ People Mass Movement Study collated the existing transport planning across State and Local governments to provide an apolitical view of the transport infrastructure needed to adequately cater for the region’s growing population. 

The findings of the Study painted a bleak picture for transport in South East Queensland. Based on current transport planning, significant congestion was expected across all major road corridors by 2031. By 2041, most major road corridors in South East Queensland would be gridlocked. 

In short, there was only one way to save South East Queensland from its transport fate – fast and reliable regional connectivity that gets people out of cars and onto public transport. A reliance on private vehicles and continual road upgrades was becoming unsustainable, both environmentally and economically. 

The Study also revealed an inconvenient truth. While Cross River Rail was a critical building block in the region’s transport network, it would not be a silver bullet for easing the region’s mounting congestion. 

Cross River Rail represents a critical step in unlocking the bottleneck at the core of South East Queensland’s transport network. However, the Citytrain network is stretched far beyond its capabilities and limited in its abilities to take advantage of this extra network capacity. 

The SEQ People Mass Movement Study proposed the introduction of a South East Queensland Fast Rail Network dedicated to servicing the outer rings of South East Queensland, while allowing Citytrain to service the inner-city network more effectively.

The concept was backed by the Commonwealth through the creation of a National Faster Rail Agency and a commitment of $40 million to explore five proposed Fast Rail corridors across Australia, including Brisbane to Sunshine Coast in 2018 and Brisbane to Gold Coast, in the 2019 Federal Budget.

These commitments sit alongside an existing Commonwealth commitment of $15 million to explore passenger rail services between Brisbane and Toowoomba, and the completed North Coast Connect preliminary business case. 

The biggest hurdle for governments in the introduction of a genuine fast rail network in South East Queensland is undoubtedly the cost. Transforming the region’s transport network is not a cheap task, but it is an inevitable one. 

The current experiences of Greater Sydney are a preview of the complexity and cost that comes with retrofitting public transport in a region where population growth has overtaken the delivery of transport infrastructure. 

To-date, the Queensland Government’s commitment to heavy rail in South East Queensland has been limited to the Citytrain network. However, it has recently been tasked by the Commonwealth to deliver the aforementioned Gold Coast and Toowoomba rail business cases. 

As the Commonwealth and Queensland governments plan for these business cases, ConnectedSEQ aims to put forward a compelling proposition for a genuine and tripartite exploration of fast rail in South East Queensland.

The SEQ City Deal provides an ideal mechanism to bring together Commonwealth, State and Local governments in partnership with industry to explore whether Fast Rail represents a sound investment for the south-east and Queensland. 

The Council of Mayors (SEQ) is not asking for a significant commitment of funds, simply the opportunity to join with the Commonwealth and Queensland governments in a legitimate and transparent exploration of fast rail in South East Queensland.

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