Secret document reveals how State Government ignored advice on Boggo Road station
THE Palaszczuk Government has defended its choice to build a problematic new Cross River Rail Station at Boggo Road, saying the New Dutton station would have inconvenienced too many people.
It comes in response to the Courier-Mail revelation that secret documents show the government ignored expert advice and proceeded with a flawed new Cross River Rail station in Jackie Trad’s electorate in a bungle that could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
The series of leaked briefing notes and confidential papers have exposed how bidders for the $5.4 billion project, along with its delivery authority and technical team, all warned the proposed Boggo Road station was littered with engineering and safety problems.
However, the Government forged ahead anyway with its plan to build at Boggo Road and redevelop the old Dutton Park Station, rejecting a proposal for a single station on land behind Princess Alexandria Hospital that was cheaper and safer.
But the Minister responsible for Cross River Rail, Kate Jones, told parliament on Tuesday she could confirm the government did examine the New Dutton station but decided against it and went for the “superior option”.
She said people on the Cleveland line would have had to change stations, walking 9 minutes to connect to the Cross River Rail, under the New Dutton plan.
“For example, Bayside and eastern suburbs residents on the Cleveland line would have been significantly disadvantaged by the New Dutton station rather than the Boggo Road station,” she said.
That was not a “suitable solution” for those residents, she said.
She said the Boggo Road interchange gave Cleveland and Gold Coast commuters a direct link to the CRR.
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She said the engineers were now confident a design solution could be finalised.
Transport Minister Mark Bailey said separating the Cleveland and Gold Coast lines would have “forced commuters travelling between those lines who currently have an easy transfer option to walk 9 minutes”.
“It would have been a disincentive to use the train at all,” he said.
“Queensland Rail has confirmed all technical aspects have been resolved.”
Ms Frecklington said secret briefing notes, revealed by The Courier-Mail, showed the proposed New Dutton station would have provided full disabled access to the PA Hospital, saved up to $1 billion and linked to the Brisbane Metro bus service.
Ms Palaszczuk again defended the need for intermodal connection.
The secret documents revealed the second-term Labor administration signed a multibillion-dollar contract with a consortium to build the much-hyped underground rail link in June last year despite knowing the alignment did not meet state legislation, national rail laws or engineering standards.
Among the 45 identified flaws were warnings of “traction loss” in wet weather, significant wear on rollingstock due to the slope and curve of the track near Boggo Road as well as ongoing platform gap issues at Dutton Park.
The situation has now deteriorated with the consortium chosen to build Cross River Rail, Pulse, ordered six months ago to “stop all works based on the original design” at the southern end of the project.
An interdepartmental committee is attempting to find solutions which insiders say could cost between $600 and $900 million more than the alternative plan.
Pulse and the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority (CRRDA) are now at loggerheads, with the consortium demanding compensation under the terms of its contract which stipulates it can be paid up to $2 million a day for delays.
A map of the Cross River Rail shows the Boggo Rd site, which could cost up to $900 million more than the alternative site which is located nearby.
In a briefing note to former deputy premier Ms Trad on 26 February 2019, CRRDA argued the alternative “New Dutton Park” station would resolve design flaws, cut costs, reduce noise, inconvenience commuters less and involve fewer resumptions.
“There are expected to be cost benefits associated with the New Dutton Park Station compared with the Boggo Road option,” it said. “More detailed material will be provided at the meeting with you.”
The documents show that when the Government’s highest decision-making body, the Cabinet Budget Review Committee, officially approved the contract on June 30 last year, the material warned about a “212m horizontal track curve”, a “3 per cent track grade at Boggo Road” and a “platform gap at Dutton Park”.
