PIMPAMA ACTION

IT is unreasonable to expect residents in the fastest-growing corridor in Australia to wait five years before they get another train station.

The population at Pimpama is booming and it badly needs State Government help to ease congestion where some motorist are taking 25 minutes to crawl 150m.

In June, the Gold Coast City Council revealed a record $280 million spend on “congestion-busting” works this financial year and is bringing important road projects forward to keep workers, residents and tourists moving. The city plans to spend $544 million over the next four years. It is working on opening an overhead rail bridge to further assist commuters in the northern corridor.

But it needs State Government help. Fast-tracking a train station at Pimpama may add another stop to the peak-hour Bombay Express to Brisbane, but, at this stage, it will be a small cost to getting cars off the M1 and its interchanges.

Similarly, it would ease pressure off the overcrowded carpark at Ormeau train station where motorists are being slugged for parking on the grass.

The problem is not going to correct itself by waiting until Brisbane is ready to go with Cross River Rail in 2024: “It’s got to be realised that (the Pimpama) area is growing at 30 per cent each year. Just imagine what it is going to be like in four or five years,” veteran developer Norm Rix says.

It is a problem for today, not tomorrow, and should be sorted with urgency.