A LOBBY group is ramping up its campaign for duplication of the Cleveland railway line, but the state government's $5.4 billion investment in the Cross River Rail project means major reform is at least five years away.
Back on Track spokesman Robert Dow said because the line was a single track between Cleveland and Manly, Queensland Rail were forced to skip some stations during busy periods.
He said some services were run express through Coorparoo and Norman Park to minimise or prevent delays to the entire line, specifically those travelling to the Gold Coast and Beenleigh through Park Road and Central stations.
Single track lines like Cleveland have inherent difficulties because trains must wait for clearance to safely pass another train.
Mr Dow said express trains caused major headaches for students and workers who had to wait about 30 minutes for the next service during busy periods.
"I have seen them slip two trains in a row past Norman Park and Coorparoo stations" he said.
"With the single line between Manly and Cleveland, it is just not possible to always deliver a reliable railway service.
"We are now approaching 2020 and it is very anachronistic to have a single line on a suburban railway system.
"We would like to see more people on public transport and one way of doing that is keeping services frequent, reliable, accessible and affordable."
Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the state government's major priority was the $5.4 billion Cross River Rail project.
He said they would need to determine how the new network functioned before committing to major reform, meaning changes to the Cleveland line would not be considered until after the project was completed in 2024.
"There's no doubt that duplication will be needed at some point and my department is in the process of identifying land to be protected for future Cleveland line upgrades," he said.
"However, no business case or detailed planning has been done to assess that proposal in more detail so there are no indicative costs or timelines for it."
Mr Bailey said the Cross River Rail project would double inner city rail capacity with an underground line, allowing trains to run more often.
Mr Dow said Queensland Rail and the state government should consider a stopgap solution while putting plans in place for a second line at Cleveland.
"As a precursor, perhaps they could do some additional passing works to help get the trains on time...and then move to a double track."
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