Rail Construction starts but fares sky high

This month the Moreton Bay Rail Link Project gets underway with the clearing of the rail corridor from Petrie to Kallangur commencing. The project site is set up at the former Amcor Mill in Petrie where there is also Community Information Centre.

First conceived in 1895, the 12.6-kilometre rail link will connect the North Lakes and Redcliffe regions with the Brisbane rail network, which currently ends at Petrie.

New train stations will be built at Kallangur, Murrumba Downs, Mango Hill, Mango Hill East, Rothwell and Kippa-Ring.

One dampener on the commencement of this project however, is todays 7.5% price hike on the already extraordinarily high cost of public transport in Queensland, as compared with other states. Translink are attempting to sell this as a good news item with “The previously scheduled 15% fare increase for 2014 has been halved” being advertised.

Queensland Rail transport patronage is in decline and a price hike is not the answer to improving it. What do you think?