The Redcliffe Peninsula line is a stretch of heavy gauge dual-track railway between Petrie and Kippa-Ring on the Redcliffe peninsula. The new line is part of Queensland Rail's City suburban network, branching from the North Coast line. It starts north of Petrie railway station, extending from ( to north of Central railway station).
The line has six stations: Kallangur, Murrumba Downs, Mango Hill, Mango Hill East (previously called Kinsellas Road), Rothwell and Kippa-Ring. Funding for the project consisted of $742 million from the Commonwealth Government, $300 million from the Queensland Government (plus another $120 million for land) and $105 million from the Moreton Bay Regional Council.
The line was officially opened on 3 October 2016, about 130 years after it was first proposed. The first train to depart from Kippa-Ring was SMU 285 and 295, with the Prime Minister, Queensland Premier and the first train ballot winners on board.
Early history
A rail line to Redcliffe was first proposed in 1895 when the Queensland Government's Minister for Railways, the Hon. Robert Philp, considered three proposals, preferring a route via North Pine (Petrie). In more recent times, the route for a Redcliffe railway was identified in the 1970s, and the required land was purchased and preserved as a transport corridor by the state government in the 1980s. The issue of the proposed railway line seemed to be a recurrent theme during state elections, leading to scepticism the line would ever be constructed.
Petrie to Kippa-Ring Public Transport Corridor Study
In 1999, the newly elected state government commissioned an investigative study into the transport corridor between Petrie to Kippa-Ring, conducted by GHD Group. Key components under investigation included the mode of transport, the route and location of stations, future public transport usage, and the timing of construction.
The study was conducted in two parts. The first was completed in June 2000. It aimed to meet the state government's obligations to identify or forgo rights to a transport corridor running through the North Lakes residential development. This first stage was to decide on the preferred mode of transport, the viability of public transport along the corridor, and the preferred alignment of the corridor. Four modes of transport were investigated: heavy rail, buses or a busway, light rail, and monorail. It was decided that heavy rail was the preferred mode of transport along the existing preserved corridor as it was the only option to give an acceptable level of economic efficiency. The study found that heavy rail had a benefit-cost ratio of 1.46, and would generate the highest levels of patronage due to its integration into the existing Citytrain network, requiring no change mode.
The second part of the study was completed in October 2003. It looked at the route of the corridor between Petrie railway station and Kallangur railway station at Goodfellows Road. The original, preserved route was recommended.
On 17 December 2001, the Minister for Transport announced public transport improvements between Petrie and Kippa-Ring, planned as part of a staged development of a new rail line in the area, following the release of the recommendations of the draft report of the Petrie to Kippa-Ring Public Transport Corridor Study. The Minister also said that the government was investigating private sector involvement in the construction of the project. On 11 July 2003, the Minister said that the government had not made a commitment on the proposed line, and that it may not go ahead because interest from the private sector in the project was negligible. This was at a time when similar passenger rail public-private partnerships such as the Airtrain to the Brisbane Airport and Airport Link to Sydney Airport were faltering.