No fast train just yet
‘Rapid bus’ from Ipswich part of plan
FASTER rapid buses to Brisbane could operate instead of fast rail at the 2032 Olympics, if an ambitious plan to host the games, and connect the region by a 45 minute transit network, is realised.
South East Queensland Council of Mayors (COMSEQ) chair Cr Graham Quirk, who is also the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, said while the South East Queensland City Deal only mentioned a bus network from Brisbane to Toowoomba, it was part of the plan for a 45 minute region.
“With the people mass movement study, the first stage of fast rail will be to Ipswich and then a bus rapid transit network from there (to Toowoomba),” Cr Quirk said.
“Equally over time we want to see faster rail to Toowoomba as well, that’s part of the plan.”
The study suggests that between 2019 and 2031 a “high quality bus service linking key nodes between Ipswich and Toowoomba, including the Lockyer Valley” should be put into operation.
Bus passengers would then connect to a fast train at Ipswich into Brisbane.
To accommodate the rapid buses the study recommends upgrading the Warrego Highway to six lanes from Ipswich to the Brisbane Valley Highway and realigning the highway from there to Toowoomba.
The study suggests any fast rail direct to Toowoomba wouldn’t be a priority until after 2032, after the theoretical SEQ Olympics are held.
Cr Quirk said the idea to host the Olympics was so the region could get much-needed infrastructure.
“(We thought) what do we need as a catalyst event to establish the infrastructure we need in south east Queensland,” he said.
“We’ve already seen 56 per cent of southeast Queensland support that bid (for the Olympics)... and 65 per cent of young people support it.”
Cr Quirk was in Toowoomba on Wednesday to discuss the City Deal plan and the Olympics bid with Toowoomba Mayor Paul Antonio, who is the deputy chair of COMSEQ.