Commuters could spend at least 10 minutes less waiting for a train by 2031, with triple the number of services expected to run through the city thanks to upcoming rail upgrades.
While plans have been officially in motion for about four years, the actual return on investment for the $5.75 billion upgrades – dubbed the “Faster Rail” – has been uncertain.
We always knew the “mega” project would duplicate and straighten a 20km section of track between Beenleigh and Kuraby, upgrading stations and removing level crossings along the way.
The previous state government promised faster, safer and more frequent services, but stopped short of getting into specifics.
Finally, the material impact for commuters has been partially revealed by the current transport minister, Brent Mickelberg, when he stopped by Woodridge station last week.
“When the Logan to Gold Coast project is finished, this will mean we can run 12 express services per hour from the Gold Coast to Brisbane,” he said.
“It’ll be a game changer in terms of the volume, but also the time frame that people from the Gold Coast will be able to move to and from the Brisbane CBD.”
A Translink spokesperson later confirmed the finished rail project could see an express train stop by Logan every five minutes.
Currently, during peak hours, a train runs at most every 12-15 minutes.
Outside these hours, commuters are more likely to be waiting 30-60 minutes for a train.
The Translink spokesperson said the Faster Rail project’s added capacity could move up to 12,000 passengers per hour.
“This capacity improvement is equivalent to at least three additional lanes in each direction on the Pacific Motorway (M1),” he said.
However, he didn’t confirm how much time commuters would save on the train.
“Improvements to timetables and customer journey times will be further reviewed and confirmed through operational modelling of the final track alignment,” he said.
“Design activities are now underway following the award of the design and pre-construction contract to ActivUs in March this year.”
Mr Mickelberg said the Faster Rail was an important outcome of the government’s Brisbane Olympics delivery plan.
“Importantly, this project will help move spectators from the Gold Coast for the Games period in 2032,” he said.
The upcoming state budget is expected to outline more than $600 million to fund preconstruction works for the project next year.
Preliminary works on the project have already begun. Construction is expected to start mid-2026.
Recently, Griffith University professor and Cities Research Institute deputy director Matthew Burke told MyCity Logan the duplication project – integral to the region’s ability to host the 2032 Olympics – would struggle to cater for demand.
“Everyone is focused on the travel-time savings [of the project], when really this is about the duplication and the capacity that we’re able to create,” Mr Burke said.
“Sally Stannard, the Director-General of the Department of Transport and Main Roads, just last week at a transport forum on the Sunshine Coast said the thing that’s keeping her up at night is the projection of passenger load for the Olympics on the Gold Coast and Beenleigh line – being upwards of potentially even 200,000 people movements per day – which the existing system… would not have been able to do.
“Even after this, it’s gonna struggle.”
Over the last two years, the Faster Rail project more doubled in price and is now expected to cost $5.75 billion.
Mr Burke said the cost of the upgrade would soon be dwarfed by future rail projects.
He said the combination of the Faster Rail and Cross River Rail projects could save commuters up to 15 minutes on certain trips once complete.
“It will be significantly quicker than it has ever been before for Logan residents.”
