Today’s federal budget is likely to again spark the ire of Logan City Council’s mayor and his deputy who want inland rail diverted away from suburban areas.
Instead, they say they’d like to see money fast-tracked into large transportation projects of a different kind, including a commuter rail line from Salisbury to Beaudesert.
The line has been promised, but not until the Cross River Rail project is finished.
Deputy mayor Jon Raven is also lobbying for the Southern Gateway Extension, which he says unlocks a raft of economic benefits for Logan.
Mayor Darren Power has been a vocal critic of the inland rail’s proposed route through the City of Logan, claiming about 38,000 residents will live within 1km of the track, servicing between eight and 40 freight trains operating 24 hours a day.
“It makes a lot of sense to spend the money on other infrastructure which is of direct benefit to the people of this city,” deputy mayor Jon Raven said.
“There are macro-economic benefits to taking inland rail to regional areas, where people really need it.
“The Salisbury to Beaudesert passenger line gets people onto trains, and frees up the roads. It just makes no sense to delay passenger rail.”
Cr Raven said the Southern Gateway Extension, otherwise known as the Park Ridge Connector, allowed buses to plug into the busway and has huge benefits.
Transport and Main Roads talks about the project as a future transport corridor which connects communities at Park Ridge, Flagstone and Yarrabilba “to services and employment”.
It would also link to Browns Plains and Logan Central as well as the Gateway and Logan Motorways.
Despite the rapid growth of Crestmead Industrial Estate, for which access would be a key feature of the road according to the state government, Cr Raven says the project is not being spoken about enough.
“We need to start talking about it seriously now,” he said.
