Rail line a must to the Ipswich boom valley

AHEAD of the game.

That is what Ipswich civic leaders and public transport advocate Robert Dow said the State Government must be when it comes to providing infrastructure to cater for the population explosion set to occur in Ripley Valley.

It is why they insisted an extension of the line from Springfield Central to Redbank plains and Ripley was

More than half the current population of Ipswich will be living in the Ripley Valley in the decades to come.

Some projections have that being reached by 2036, although Ipswich City Council is not putting a time frame on it except to say that when fully developed it will reach 120,000.

A rail corridor from Springfield Central right through Ripley in a loop to Ipswich has been put in place by the Queensland Government and Cr Antoniolli, council's planning boss, said it was within the council's planning scheme.

"We need that rail line to go to Redbank Plains and Ripley to capture that large population growth,” he said.

"Redbank Plains has been one of the fastest growing suburbs for three or four years and Ripley is going is to grow at a faster rate than Springfield and be a much larger population.

"We have got major connecting roads already there, but that rail line is vitally important in solving the congestion between the western corridor and Brisbane.

"This is where governments should be looking ahead of the curve rather than beyond it.

"The need will be there sooner rather than later but governments are reluctant to spend money ahead of the game. It is almost like the game is over before they spend.”

Mr Dow said the Springfield line was the first new rail network, apart from the re-establishment of lines like the Gold Coast, to be built since the early 1900s.

He said rail to Ripley was a must.

"The first priority is to get an extension of the line to Redbank Plains which is a priority because of the development there and I think it should be started within 12 months,” he said.

"It is something the State could handle within their own resources and some help from Ipswich City Council.

"While they are getting that constructed, you can look at getting it extended to Ripley based on the planned population and the development that has occurred.

"When you have a construction process (of a rail line) it is relatively cheap to keep it going.

"You would look at doing some early works at Ripley, and by that I mean factoring in the railway station even though it might not be built in five or 10 years.

"If they build (developments) without making allowance for it by the time they come to do it then it will be too late.

"While there is a rail corridor identified to Ripley, making sure it remains identified and protected is another thing.”