Logan City residents who may be impacted by the Inland Rail project are encouraged to raise their concerns at public information sessions in December.
The sessions are being run by Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), the federal government-owned entity delivering the proposed freight connection between Brisbane and Melbourne.
The Kagaru to Acacia Ridge and Bromelton (K2ARB) section runs through the western side of the City of Logan on the existing interstate rail line.
It is expected that longer trains and double-stacked carriages will be used on the route, with the frequency of services rising from approximately eight trains a day to up to 45 by 2040.
Mayor Darren Power said it was now more important than ever that the community speaks up about the project’s negative impacts.
“The local section of Inland Rail is currently in the design stages, but we know the rail line will be lowered and additional passing loops will be created,” Cr Power said.
“Along with local residents, Council has regularly raised concerns about the impacts of noise, vibration and air quality on the community.
“These trains will operate 24 hours a day and are likely to carry coal in the future.
“We know that many landowners who purchased their properties in this area did not anticipate the increased size and frequency of trains, with the substantial increase in capacity threatening to disrupt the everyday life of residents in Logan.”
Cr Power said Council had written to impacted residents this week to further promote the public information sessions.
“By 2041, 17,000 residents are anticipated to live within 500m either side of the route, while 38,000 residents will be within 1km,” he said.
“Council does not have a role in the approvals for Inland Rail, and it is still not confirmed whether the K2ARB section will be declared as a coordinated project.
“We are greatly concerned that the interests of Logan residents are not being adequately considered by the decision makers.
Scenic Rim Regional Council mayor Greg Christensen has told MyNewsFeed.com.au that while he is a long-term supporter of the inland rail concept, he thinks the project should come up with solutions that stand the test of 100 years forward rather than 100 years back.
He said that means getting the design right, meaning there should not be level crossings on a high performance rail track.
“It comes into the region on the western side and cuts across through Kagaru and links up to Bromelton Estate and then goes north into Acacia Ridge and I think that lacks vision.
“There’s a better option. I’ve long held the view that there’s a proposal that takes a different route north from Kagaru that avoids impact on residential areas and connects to the port of Brisbane.
“If you do that and upgrade Mt Lindesay Highway, so you can do local distribution out of freight consolidation places like Bromelton into the Brisbane basin, you get the best of both worlds.”
The ARTC project page inlandrail.artc.com.au/K2ARB has more information about the Kagaru to Acacia Ridge and Bromelton section, including details of the Community Consultative Committee and an interactive map for people to pin comments.
