Mass transit update

Key points:

• Council business case for mass transit system on the coast a step closer
• Initial findings released
• Members urged to review the interim report and pass comments to council or our Policy team.

Sunshine Coast Council has continued to build its case for the development of an integrated mass transit system to service the region’s growing population. The preliminary business case interim report has been released by council to provide an update and indicates the initial findings. This report is a milestone prior to the completion of the Final Preliminary Business Case.

Members of the branch are strongly encouraged to review the interim report and provide comments to the council or pass them on the Institute’s Policy Team to consider them as part a submission to council.

Key findings from the report are:

• The Interim findings report shows that the project is progressing, and that subject to funding, the the first stage of mass transit could be operational by 2026
• A high quality, integrated public transport system is needed if the coast is to effectively address growing levels of road congestion, achieve urban consolidation and prevent urban sprawl, reduce the high dependency on private cars and support continued high levels of employment self-containment
• The first stage of a mass transit solution should run from the Maroochydore City Centre to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, as this addresses the greatest amount of forecast congestion, supports the consolidation of business in the new city centre and provides a strong incentive for urban renewal in the Sunshine Coast Urban Corridor.

Further stages of the study will look at cost and risk, economic analysis, financial and commercial analysis, affordability analysis and more through early 2020.

This report builds on the mass transit investment solutions report for the region that was published in the Strategic Business Case overview in July 2019 .

The Sunshine Coast Mass Transit Project is support by the Institute and has been identified as part of the branch’s infrastructure priority list since the prior announcement of the strategic business case. To explore further material on the Mass Transit Project, please click here.

Views on the interim report can be passed direct to council, please email: masstransit@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au.

Please also let us know your thoughts, contact Policy Executive, Robert Tily on (07) 3229 1589.