New rail service for Ipswich

PREMIER Anna Bligh has announced a permanent new Ipswich rail service while inspecting progress on stage one of the $800 million Darra to Springfield Transport Corridor.

Ms Bligh said a temporary 4.42pm weekday train service from Central Station to Redbank, which started in November to offset Coronation Drive roadwork delays, would now be made permanent.

“This service has proven a real winner, carrying 300 to 600 passengers each weekday,” Ms Bligh said.

“We’ve looked at these patronage figures and decided that the State Government will continue the funding from mid December.”

The Premier said the new afternoon service was in addition to the three peak morning services introduced by TransLink earlier this year.

“Those additional services already meant an extra daily capacity of 3000 people, or 15,000 people per week on this line,” she said.

Ms Bligh made the announcement as she inspected the Darra to Springfield Transport Corridor, which is now 60 per cent complete, with Transport Minister Rachel Nolan.

Stage one of the Darra to Springfield Transport Corridor includes constructing a 4.5-kilometre passenger railway line from Darra to a new station at Richlands.

The rail and road project also upgrades 4.35 kilometres of the Centenary Highway from two to four lanes from Richlands to meet with the existing Logan Motorway interchange at Carole Park.


Source: qt.com.au