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Most Brisbane rail lines to close for 10 days: When and why. Brendan O'Malley. December 24, 2021 Albert & Logan News
Most Brisbane train lines will be closed for major work from Christmas Day until January 3. Here’s what will change, including public transport to the New Year’s Eve fireworks.
video: Residents frustrated by CRR night construction work. Residents of buildings near the future Albert Street station site, part of the Cross River Rail project, have said unexpected after-hours construction work has been keeping them awake at night. These videos were taken from both their front balcony and their bedroom. Credit: Tony and Karen Clarke.
Cross River Rail is closing most Brisbane rail lines for 10 days from Christmas Day to January 3, inclusive, to complete work on the southern portal near Dutton Park.
The main lines affected will be the Beenleigh, Gold Coast and Cleveland rail services, with express services passing through many stations.
New Year’s Eve public transport will also be affected, but buses have been scheduled.
It comes as Queensland Rail announced the Auchenflower station carpark will be closed from January 10 for nine months to allow for work on accessibility upgrades.
“We’ll be tearing up 1.2km of track in the southern corridor, round the southern portal, Dutton Park area,” CRR general manager Matthew Martyn-Jones said.
“We’ll also be tearing up 1.2km of overhead electrical equipment and reinstalling that, and also there’s about a kilometre or so of sheet piles.
“At Fairfield station we’re also doing a 350m section of track and we’ll be lowering that, so we’ll be pulling up the rail, grading it out, lowering, re-ballasting and re-railing it.”
Yeronga railway station on Brisbane’s southside will stay closed for CRR upgrades well into January, and will not be fully accessible until August next year.
Rain has delayed the reopening of Yeronga train station.
The Courier-Mail revealed last month that persistent rain had delayed the Yeronga reopening for two months.
The station has been closed since April, with bus connections in place.
RACQ spokesman Kate Leonard-Jones said while the timing of the holiday season closures were selected to minimise impacts to commuters, locals and visitors would need to plan ahead.
“Buses will be replacing trains on some lines and timetables will vary, so if you’re planning to travel around Brisbane over the holiday period, please plan your journey before setting off,” she said.
“Motorists may experience heavier traffic along Ipswich, Fairfield and Wynnum roads due to the replacement bus services, so please be patient and allow extra time.”
Between 6pm on December 31 and 4am on January 1, trains on the Beenleigh and Gold Coast lines will run express to Roma Street station, from Moorooka and Altandi respectively, while trains will terminate at Lindum on the Cleveland line.
Cross River Rail workers Alena Conrads and Francesco Anghetti in the tunnel. Picture: Peter Wallis
From December 29 to 5pm on New Year’s Eve trains on the Beenleigh line will be terminating at Yeerongpilly and on weekends and public holidays no trains will run to South Bank.
“Those heading to firework displays this year at South Bank need to be aware access to the South Bank and South Brisbane train stations can only occur on the Shorncliffe or Ferny Grove line at Roma Street,” Ms Leonard-Jones said.
“This may mean people on the Beenleigh and Cleveland lines will need to travel beyond South Bank and South Brisbane stations to change trains at Roma Street to access the South Bank precinct.
“While these changes may cause some temporary inconvenience, they are necessary to carry out important work on Cross River Rail.
“This project is going to future-proof Brisbane and will revolutionise how we travel around the River City.”
Work on the Auchenflower station upgrade.
Queensland Rail Head of Southeast Queensland, Scott Riedel, said the carpark closure at Auchenflower, in Brisbane’s inner-west, was necessary to enable significant demolition and construction activity.
“The existing footbridge will be removed and replaced with a new accessible footbridge in mid-2022, along with an upgraded carpark” Mr Riedel said.
“To enable the safe demolition of the existing station bridge and to upgrade the current station park and ride, the commuter carpark will be closed between January 10 and September 30. “During this closure, we encourage carpark users to access local on-street parking or use nearby Toowong station.
“When it reopens in October, along with the ongoing improvements to Auchenflower station, the upgraded carpark will provide a level surface and upgrade the two existing accessible parking spots.”
More information can be found on Cross River Rail’s Travel Checker website.
<www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/logan/most-brisbane-rail-lines-to-close-for-10-days-when-and-why/news-story/11c9acc4e76deeca49cbbcb4d795b070>
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