Rail station for housing development ‘on table’
By Sonia Isaacs
A FUTURE rail station at Beerwah East remains on the table, as residents continue to voice concerns about Direct Rail Sunshine Coast Line (DSC) accessibility and commuter congestion, if the proposed 20,000-home development proceeds.
Division 1 Councillor Jenny Broderick said she had been approached by community members regarding the absence of a Beerwah East station in the current DSC plan.
“All three stations in the 19km, Stage 1 of the DSC, all fall within Division 1,” Councillor Broderick said.
“With the potential for substantial future development at Beerwah East, residents are concerned about whether the proposed park-and-ride facilities would be adequate for such a significant increase of population.
“I am also aware of concerns around future accessibility feeding into existing traffic networks.”
UniSC Urban Design and Town Planning coordinator, Dr Nicholas Stevens, said he understood the current proposed DSC route would cut right through the proposed Beerwah East development area, raising several urban planning considerations including commuter access issues.
“These residents will either have to access the line at Beerwah or Nirimba Station, so how will they do that?” Dr Stevens asked.
“It is also a major rail corridor – these are big – it bisects the site, so there will need to be some way to allow vehicle crossing North-South in Beerwah East.”
When approached by GC&M News, a Transport and Main Roads (TMR) spokesperson confirmed TMR had recently provided a regional briefing to Sunshine Coast Council on integrated transport plans for the Sunshine Coast.
The spokesperson said the discussions included road and public transport projects, and included a briefing on the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line.
“Planning for the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line includes an upgraded station at Beerwah, six new stations located at Nirimba (Aura), Caloundra, Aroona, Birtinya, Mountain Creek and Maroochydore,” the spokesperson said.
“And provision for a future station at Beerwah East.”
www.yoursay-projects.tmr.qld.gov.au/direct-sunshine-coast-rail