Mass Transit
Now renamed to Sunshine Coast Public Transport Project (SCPT)

What is Mass Transit

The Sunshine Coast Regional Council (SCRC) has been working on a public transport plan they call "Mass Transit" for a number of years. On April 28th 2021, they released their "The Draft Options Analysis Report". This report showed a public transport Masterplan that deemed the 13.6km coastal corridor from Maroochydore to Birtinya as the first public transport priority for the Sunshine Coast. Operational by 2027. It looked at numerous public transport options for this corridor but recommended only 5 options:

Quality Bus Corridor,
Bus Rapid Transit,
Light Rail Transit, (with overhead wires and fixed steel tracks)
Trackless Tram and
Wire free Light Rail.

Light Rail was rated the best performing option.

Images of the Gold Coast Light Rail

Mass Transit 13.6km route and potential high-rise development

The draft report also referenced the need to significantly increase the population density along the coastal corridor. (see New Planning Scheme more details) A major selection criteria for the 5 options was their ability to deliver "urban renewal" in the corridor.

"The relationship is mutually beneficial ……- an infill focus in the corridor will support light rail and the establishment of a light rail corridor can be expected to be a catalyst for urban infill development.

SCRC Urban Transformations Directions Paper 2017"

The route and 5 options were not chosen because they were the best transport solution for the whole of the Sunshine Coast, but because they are the best options to facilitate high-rise development. All the other options such as heavy rail along the CAMCOS corridor (that would benefit way more residents) were deemed to be further down the priority list with no timeframe for implementation.

What is the Process?

The project is spread over 3 phases

Strategic Business Case:

Completed and accepted by Council July 2019 (no Community consultation)

Preliminary Business Case/Options Analysis:
- PBC Interim Findings report Jan 2020 (accepted by Council Feb 2020)
- Renamed and rewritten to "Draft Options Analysis" late 2020.
- Draft Options Analysis Report released April 28 2021
- 8 week community consultation conducted April 28- June 22 2021 (Majority of Community feedback was ignored)
- Final Options Analysis report was presented to Council October 21, 2021 where Council voted (6-5) to progress it to the Queensland State Government for the final stage, the Detailed Business Case
- Click here to view more details.
Detailed Business Case:
- Currently in progress by the Queensland State Government.
- Project renamed to the Sunshine Coast Public Transport Project.
- Completion pushed out to 2025.
- Estimated cost $15 milion

Where are we in the Process?

On 20 October 2021, the Sunshine Coast Regional Council (SCRC) voted to endorse the Sunshine Coast Mass Transit Options Analysis Report and to have the CEO advance it to the State Government (DTMR) for the preparation of the third and final stage, the Detailed Business Case (DBC). The DBC was budgeted to cost $15million which was to be jointly funded by SCRC and DTMR. It was estimated it would be completed by mid to end of 2023.

Since then the following has occured:

$5m of funding has been provided by the Federal Government reducing SCRC and TMR's committment to $5million each.
No Memorandum of Understanding between TMR and the SCRC has been signed.
TMR has expanded the project and renamed it "Sunshine Coast Public Transport" (SCPT) Project
TMR conducted their own public consultation on their 'Draft Southern Sunshine Coast Public Transport Strategy", in March 2022. The results were supposed to be discussed by the Community Reference Group and incorporated into the SCPT Detailed Business Case.
Despite receiving over 100 applications TMR never proceeded with The Community Reference Group. Why not is unknown.
In May 2023 TMR released their completed "Southern Sunshine Coast Public Transport Strategy". This strategy appears to be very similar to the original plan outlined in the SCRC Options analysis. Click here to view
TMR are simultaneously running a $6million study looking at the Camcos Corridor (now called Sunshine Coast Direct Line), Beewah to Maroochydore (B2M), expected to be complete early 2023.
Despite having already spent over $12 million on the project and committed a further $5million on funding for the DBC, the SCRC has gone silent on the project, with minimal updates to the Council's website and no Community updates given.

Timing?

MTAG has been advised that the SCPT project is now running well behind the timing the SCRC originally proposed. Estimated completion of the Detailed Business Case (orginally mid to late 2022) is now estimated to be in 2025. Implementation timing after that is unknown.

Shaded area represents potential high-rise development

Red line is the mass transit route

Source: PWC Preliminary Business Case Interim Findings Jan 2020 P 13

Background Information

Why does SCRC prefer Light Rail?

Light rail is preferred because it has the greatest ability to deliver urban renewal/infill ie higher density, high-rise housing. Historical Council documents continually refer to this.

"The options assessment process concluded that only the LRT option and potentially the BRT option are considered to have significant benefits in achieving the important land use criterion. The Quality Bus Corridor option is based on bus lanes, and although it performs well in terms of transport and cost, cannot achieve the full range of urban renewal benefits sought for the SCMT Project in the Sunshine Coast Urban Corridor."

Preliminary Business Case Interim findings report 2020

Who has paid for this so far?

Normally all three stages of the process would be conducted by and paid for by the Queensland State Government (QSG). However the Sunshine Coast Regional Council (SCRC) have taken it upon themselves to conduct and impose the cost onto rate payers for stages 1 and 2. Over $12 million has been spent so far. This has been funded from the annual transport levy all rate payers pay. This is a cost the QSG should bear, not the rate payers of the Sunshine Coast.

The SCRC, the QSG and the Federal Government have committed $5 million each ($15million) for the completion of stage 3, The Detailed Business Case.

If this plan progresses it is likely to cost over $2billion to construct. It will require funding from all levels of government so everyone will continue to pay even though it does not benefit them.

Business Case Total Spend = $27 million

Implementiation cost =$2+ billion

Click here
Cr Joe Natoli explains Mass Transit and Increased Density in simple terms.

Watch Cr Joe Natoli's share his thoughts as he rides the Light Rail on the Gold Coast

This is happening on the Gold Coast Now!

Listen to the noise Light Rail Makes!

Who are the Councilors responsible for this plan?

The Sunshine Coast Mass Transit Cross Departmental Working Group was established in Aug 2018 to steer the Sunshine Coast Mass Transit Project.
The Working Group Comprised of: Mayor Mark Jamieson, Cr Tim Dwyer, Cr Rick Baberowski, Cr Christian Dickson, Cr Peter Cox, Cr John Connolly, and Cr Jason O'Pray

Following the March 2020 election the Working Group was re-established as the Sunshine Coast Mass Transit Control Group Comprising:
Mayor Mark Jamieson, Cr Rick Baberowski, Cr Peter Cox, and Cr Christian Dickson.