News & Discussion: O-Bahn

[ricecrackers]

Queensland is a very important region also for the Federal Labor government due to lots of seats and it tends to swing.

Not to mention thats where a huge amount of our food comes from. I think if you look at it on the other side of the coin you can justify it as securing our national interest.

i would be careful to buy into the propaganda that Queensland is our bread basket
these themes are often used to garner public support for a tax

much of our produce is grown locally

[Norman]

ADELAIDE'S $61 million O-Bahn extension will be shelved after the Federal Government withdrew funding.

The $61 million upgrade would have extended the service into the city centre by installing dedicated bus lanes along Hackney Rd and Grenfell and Currie streets.
Acting state Transport Minister John Hill said the State Government was not intending to pick up the tab for the federal project.
"We are obviously very disappointed with this decision on behalf of the residents and commuters of the northeastern suburbs of Adelaide," Mr Hill said.
"We will continue planning and designs for this important project so it is essentially shovel-ready for the Federal Government to fund when economic circumstances permit."
The O-Bahn is one of the city's busiest transport routes, ferrying seven million passengers into the city from the northeast suburbs each year.

Hip Hip Huzzah! The O-Bahn will be like it's good ol' days but with the new smiling Scanias!
Gridlock in CBD to soon become a thing of the past!

????

[mattblack]

i would be careful to buy into the propaganda that Queensland is our bread basket
these themes are often used to garner public support for a tax

Your not seriously suggesting that an area the size of Germany and France combined, that has been subject to months of flooding and is a food producing region should have no impact on the rest of Australia I would hate to live in a world where everything, including a natural disaster, is a government conspiracy.

[duke]

i would be careful to buy into the propaganda that Queensland is our bread basket
these themes are often used to garner public support for a tax

I find it interesting how suddenly most of Australia's food comes from Qld, when not long ago farmers out at Virginia were saying that most of SA's vegetables come from there so we have to stop suburban sprawl.
People on the outskirts of Sydney are trying to stop development because an area similar to Virginia apparently produces most of NSW's vegetables.
Then finally communities along the Murray River have been complaining that they need more water allocations as they produce most of Australia's fruit.

Its an incredible area, and even if we do get all our food from our local area, it still means most of Qld will now have to get its food from the rest of Australia. It does impact on us all, but still it seems that when ever something is affecting a particular group they are suddenly the most important group to everyone else.

[skyliner]

as usual Adelaide gets screwed over by the eastern states, how about they cancel/scale back the Gold Coast light rail

I simply cannot believe this attitude. Do you really think it's only South Australia that is forgoing something to help raise funds for the flood recovery? And something as minor as this - what's the big deal?

This summer: We've come out of the drought, unlike Western Australia
We didn't have any major flooding other than Stockport, very minor compared to Queensland, Victoria, and NSW
We haven't had a major bushfire (yet), unlike WA
We're the only state having a super harvest
Most of our crops got re-upgraded after being downgraded as damage wasn't as bad as expected

Considering how well we're travelling compared to other states, I for one am happy to give a little to help.

VERY well said Rhino - Aussies are known for helping each other - at this point we help the others. What duke said on 4/2/11 puts much of this in context as well.

SA - STATE ON THE MOVE

[Waewick]

yet in two years when all this is forgotten and WA and QLD are back in the mining boom and NSW and VIC are going gangbusters through migration and manufacturing etc

our little assistance will be long forgotten and so will the potential of any upgrades

[jase111]

The Hon Anthony Albanese MP
Minister for Infrastructure & Transport
Leader of the House
Member for Grayndler

February 8 2011

Following consultations with the Victorian and NSW Governments, three infrastructure projects will be re-profiled in order to free up additional funding for the urgent task of rebuilding flood affected communities.

Funding for the following projects will be re-profiled:

Regional Rail Link – Victoria
$500 million will be re-profiled.

Princes Highway East (Traralgon to Sale) – Victoria
$20 million will be re-profiled in light of the revised construction timetable brought about by the restrictions placed on the project under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act.

Northern Sydney Freight Line – New South Wales
$100 million will be re-profiled to better reflect construction milestones.

Planning on each will continue and all of them will be delivered.

These three projects are in addition to six Queensland based projects which the Prime Minister has already announced would be deferred by up to 36 months as well as the cancellation of South Australia’s O-Bahn project.

In economic terms, the recent floods represent the worst natural disaster in our nation’s history. This extraordinary event has required an extraordinary response from all levels of government.

The Gillard Labor Government is committed to rebuilding the roads, bridges and community infrastructure damaged by flood waters. We have a responsibility to make sure this task is done properly.

[Nathan]

So, everyone else's projects are either "deferred" or "re-profiled" - whereas the only project in SA is "cancelled". Wonderful.

[Isiskii]

Gillard's blatant incompetence and disregard for her home state is shameful.

[DM8]

http://au.news.yahoo.com/video/national/watch/29157820/

Construction is expected to start in November this year and be complete by December 2013.

EoI for design&construct closes May 15th.

More details to follow...

[Ben]

From In daily:

Shovel-ready project shoved

Kevin Naughton

IT’S been three years this week since the Federal Government announced a $61 million extension of the O-Bahn busway into the heart of the Adelaide CBD.

It’s almost 18 months since it was postponed and, as of today, it appears to be dead in the water.

The project was part of the $8 billion suite of infrastructure projects announced by Treasurer Wayne Swan in his stimulus-spending Budget of May 2009.

Swan withdrew the funding in January 2011 after the Queensland floods put pressure on the Commonwealth’s purse.

The State Government refused to pick up the tab for the federal project, but held out hopes for a rethink on federal funds.

“We will continue planning and designs for this important project so it is essentially shovel-ready for the Federal Government to fund when economic circumstances permit,” acting Transport Minister John Hill said in January 2011.

Last night’s Federal Budget listed the transport infrastructure projects it would fund in the coming years and the O-Bahn wasn’t on it.

As expected after authorised pre-announcement this week, federal funds will be allocated to upgrading railway stations and building rail underpasses at key Adelaide locations.

The $443 million plans include an underpass at Bowden and two more at Keswick and Goodwood.

The joint-government announcement said the changes are intended to “increase traffic flow and road safety, improve rail freight competitiveness and separate heavy trains from commuter services, allowing both to be more reliable”.

Asked if the O-Bahn had slipped from government view, State Transport Minister Pat Conlon’s office held out a candle for its return.

“The Goodwood/Torrens project is essentially a freight project which has long been looked at by Infrastructure Australia,” Conlon’s spokeswoman said.

“The O’Bahn was never on the Infrastructure Australia list as it is below $100m and not of ‘state significance’ under the freight criteria. However, the State Government will continue to push for Federal funding for such projects.

‘We also remain keen to improve access to the city and are currently discussing Grenfell St/Currie St improvements.”

[The Scooter Guy]

From In daily:

Shovel-ready project shoved

Kevin Naughton

IT’S been three years this week since the Federal Government announced a $61 million extension of the O-Bahn busway into the heart of the Adelaide CBD.

It’s almost 18 months since it was postponed and, as of today, it appears to be dead in the water.

The project was part of the $8 billion suite of infrastructure projects announced by Treasurer Wayne Swan in his stimulus-spending Budget of May 2009.

Swan withdrew the funding in January 2011 after the Queensland floods put pressure on the Commonwealth’s purse.

The State Government refused to pick up the tab for the federal project, but held out hopes for a rethink on federal funds.

“We will continue planning and designs for this important project so it is essentially shovel-ready for the Federal Government to fund when economic circumstances permit,” acting Transport Minister John Hill said in January 2011.

Last night’s Federal Budget listed the transport infrastructure projects it would fund in the coming years and the O-Bahn wasn’t on it.

As expected after authorised pre-announcement this week, federal funds will be allocated to upgrading railway stations and building rail underpasses at key Adelaide locations.

The $443 million plans include an underpass at Bowden and two more at Keswick and Goodwood.

The joint-government announcement said the changes are intended to “increase traffic flow and road safety, improve rail freight competitiveness and separate heavy trains from commuter services, allowing both to be more reliable”.

Asked if the O-Bahn had slipped from government view, State Transport Minister Pat Conlon’s office held out a candle for its return.

“The Goodwood/Torrens project is essentially a freight project which has long been looked at by Infrastructure Australia,” Conlon’s spokeswoman said.

“The O’Bahn was never on the Infrastructure Australia list as it is below $100m and not of ‘state significance’ under the freight criteria. However, the State Government will continue to push for Federal funding for such projects.

‘We also remain keen to improve access to the city and are currently discussing Grenfell St/Currie St improvements.”

And IMO, that cancellation is almost that finger prod of doom.

[Hooligan]

From In daily:

Shovel-ready project shoved

Kevin Naughton

IT’S been three years this week since the Federal Government announced a $61 million extension of the O-Bahn busway into the heart of the Adelaide CBD.

It’s almost 18 months since it was postponed and, as of today, it appears to be dead in the water.

The project was part of the $8 billion suite of infrastructure projects announced by Treasurer Wayne Swan in his stimulus-spending Budget of May 2009.

Swan withdrew the funding in January 2011 after the Queensland floods put pressure on the Commonwealth’s purse.

The State Government refused to pick up the tab for the federal project, but held out hopes for a rethink on federal funds.

“We will continue planning and designs for this important project so it is essentially shovel-ready for the Federal Government to fund when economic circumstances permit,” acting Transport Minister John Hill said in January 2011.

Last night’s Federal Budget listed the transport infrastructure projects it would fund in the coming years and the O-Bahn wasn’t on it.

As expected after authorised pre-announcement this week, federal funds will be allocated to upgrading railway stations and building rail underpasses at key Adelaide locations.

The $443 million plans include an underpass at Bowden and two more at Keswick and Goodwood.

The joint-government announcement said the changes are intended to “increase traffic flow and road safety, improve rail freight competitiveness and separate heavy trains from commuter services, allowing both to be more reliable”.

Asked if the O-Bahn had slipped from government view, State Transport Minister Pat Conlon’s office held out a candle for its return.

“The Goodwood/Torrens project is essentially a freight project which has long been looked at by Infrastructure Australia,” Conlon’s spokeswoman said.

“The O’Bahn was never on the Infrastructure Australia list as it is below $100m and not of ‘state significance’ under the freight criteria. However, the State Government will continue to push for Federal funding for such projects.

‘We also remain keen to improve access to the city and are currently discussing Grenfell St/Currie St improvements.”

And IMO, that cancellation is almost that finger prod of doom.

Do you think it needs to be built so the MFS can do training on it?

[Port Adelaide Fan]

Underground carpark planned for Klemzig
AN UNDERGROUND carpark may be built at the Klemzig O-Bahn interchange.

The State Government is working with builder Hindmarsh Construction to investigate plans to increase carparking at the interchange.

The Transport Department said about 80 cars parked on local roads each day because of a parking shortage.

more

[muzzamo]

Do they currently charge for parking at Kelmzig? One would expect surely a charge would need to be levied to pay for a structure such as this.

Once metrocard is implemented I would expect them to be able to deduct daily parking charges from that..