2017-07-11 Services and Organisation Committee Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                        11 JULY 2017


5                        POMONA MID-TOWN RAIL CROSSING - SUPPORT FOR RETENTION
DOCUMENT INFORM AT ION




Author                               Director Infrastructure Services, Carl Billingham
                                     Planning & Infrastructure

Index                                ECM / Subject / Transport / Pomona Mid-Town Rail Crossing

Attachments                          Nil


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The issue of closure of the mid-town pedestrian rail crossing in Pomona and the subsequent
community protest meeting has highlighted the strong wishes of the Pomona community to retain
and upgrade this crossing point.

RECOMMENDATION
That Council note the report by the Director Infrastructure Services to the Services &
Organisation Committee Meeting dated 11 July 2017 and authorise the CEO to write to
Queensland Rail supporting the Pomona Community in their wish to retain the existing mid-town
rail crossing and have it upgraded.


REPORT
1.                       Introduction

The purpose of this report is to seek a formal Council position of support for the Pomona
community who wish Queensland Rail (QR) to retain and upgrade the mid-town pedestrian
crossing through the Pomona Station Yard in Pomona.

The community organisation, the ‘Heart of Pomona’ (HOP) has expressed a strong desire since
2014 that this crossing point be retained and upgraded. At that time QR advised they had no
plans to remove the crossing. However, recent discussions with them revealed they have
commenced investigations for the potential closure of a number of open level crossings on the
regional network that have been identified as either non-compliant with respect to relevant safety
standards or as compliant but with low usage. This includes the mid-town pedestrian crossing at
Pomona Station Yard.

Council staff wrote to QR in 2014 supporting the Pomona community in their wish to retain the
existing crossing and have it upgraded. The following reasons were given:
                       the crossing provides a direct linkage between existing community facilities including the
                         village shops, Cooroora Creek Park, the medical centre, the Majestic Theatre and the
                         major bus stops for Pomona township;
                       a safe entry to the crossing, both east and west, is able to be provided for all users;
                       pedestrians have crossed at this location since the railway station was built in
                         approximately 1911; and
                       the crossing, at this location, forms part of the Pomona Heritage Walk and the Noosa Trail
                         Network which caters to walkers, cyclists and horse riders.

Council at the time also advised that it did not favour an overhead crossing at this location for
aesthetic and heritage reasons.


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