South East Queenslanders are being urged to plan their train travel in advance, with Cross River Rail work requiring changes to train services on the Shornecliffe line for testing of the new ‘ETCS’ signalling system, as well as on the Gold Coast line for construction of new stations at Pimpama and Hope Island.
Cross River Rail Delivery Authority CEO Graeme Newton said the 11-day closure, lasting until Thursday November 23, would impact the stations on the Shorncliffe line between Northgate and Shorncliffe.
“ETCS is a new world-class signalling system that will increase the network’s capacity, efficiency and reliability while maintaining safety, but critical testing requires track closures and changes to services now,” he said.
“These closures mean crews can complete important testing against local and international standards that couldn’t be done safely or efficiently with regular services running.
“Trains fitted out with new signalling technology will be tested over the entire 11-day period on the section of the Shorncliffe line.
“In addition, on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 November, Gold Coast line services will terminate at Beenleigh, allowing the crews building the new Pimpama and Hope Island stations to complete critical works.”
Newton said ETCS was a key part of South East Queensland’s rail revolution.
“The introduction of digital signalling is the most significant change to our signalling technology since electricity was introduced to the network, so it’s very exciting to see this next phase of testing about to get underway,” he said.
“ETCS isn’t just for Cross River Rail – it is being tested on the Shorncliffe line and will be progressively rolled out across South East Queensland, making the whole network more efficient and reliable while maintaining the highest safety standards.
“During the closure, the full ETCS system will be tested and validated on the train, track and in the Rail Management Centre, taking us an important step towards the technology being rolled out across the network.
“Once completed, the team delivering ETCS will turn their attention to testing the additional functionality needed for the system to operate in the tunnels.
“This new technology will put our rail network on par with the most modern and advanced systems around the world.”
Acting Head of Translink Peter Milward said alternate transport arrangements would be in place during the closures and encouraged customers to plan ahead.
“We’ve worked closely with the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority and Queensland Rail to make sure people can get where they need to go during the upcoming closures,” he said.
“Timetabled railbuses will replace affected train stations during the track closures.
“Customers using the stations between Shorncliffe and Northgate in particular should plan their journeys in advance, as these services will be impacted throughout the entire closure.”
Customers can plan their specific journey by using the links below: