With South East Queensland in the midst of a number of rail works, calls have been made to reopen the Tennyson train line that was closed to passenger services more than 13 years ago.
The Corinda–Yeerongpilly line (also known as the Tennyson line) was closed to passenger use and has been used only by freight trains ever since. It connects the Beenleigh and Ipswich lines, with one station in Tennyson.
During times of disruption in the inner south of Brisbane, certain services have been maintained by running through this line.
For example, if there was a disruption at South Brisbane, Gold Coast services could be maintained by travelling along the line via the Ipswich line to Corinda, then via this line to Yeerongpilly, and then south as per normal along the Beenleigh/Gold Coast line.
The line is a major freight corridor, being the main connection between western Queensland freight lines, the Port of Brisbane and the marshalling yards at Moolabin, Clapham and Acacia Ridge. It has continued to be used for empty/non-revenue passenger services to perform turn backs and to reposition rolling stock, and has recently seen greater use due to the construction of the Cross River Rail project, to maintain Beenleigh and Gold Coast services during various track closures beginning in 2023.
The Tennyson line was opened in 1884 as part of a line connecting the Ipswich line to the Brisbane River wharves at Stanley Street, South Brisbane, to provide a connection for coal mines exporting and/or refuelling ships at the port.
When the Beenleigh line was built south from Yeerongpilly, that became the main line and the line to Corinda became the connecting link. The line was duplicated in 1916 and electrified in 1982.
Why is it back in the news?
Member for Maiwar Michael Berkman has renewed calls he made in 2021 for the line to be reopened to improve road congestion and upgrade public transport ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games.
“If you’ve ever tried to cross the river to Indooroopilly at peak hour, you know there’s a traffic problem getting from the south to west side,” Berkman said in a statement.
He explained that a $100 million duplication of the Walter Taylor Bridge has been proposed, but that council’s own modelling showed this would not improve congestion.
“Instead, it would just shift the bottleneck, creating two new congestion points at Westminster/Lambert Road in Indooroopilly and another further south on Oxley Road and Sherwood Road,” he said.
“I think there’s a better solution: improving local public transport. As well as better buses and bike lanes in Sherwood and Corinda, we should investigate reopening the old Tennyson Train Line between Corinda and Yeerongpilly.
“Translink introduced the 104 and 105 buses to replace train services, but they’re slow, unreliable and infrequent.”
Berkman believes there would be a number of benefits to reopening the line.
“Maiwar locals near Indro or Toowong stations could quickly and easily get to the southside without going through the city,” he said.
“Commuters from southside suburbs like Annerley, Moorooka and Yeerongpilly could take public transport instead of adding to traffic congestion across the river.
“Longer trips on public transport, like Ipswich to the Gold Coast, or Logan to Springfield, would be much easier.”
Queensland Rail Acting Chief Executive Officer Neil Backer said Queensland Rail stopped using the Tennyson Line for passenger revenue services in 2011 and Tennyson station was removed in 2014.
“Prior to the closure of the Tennyson Line to revenue services in 2011, the number of customers using this line and station was not significant and there are multiple bus options available to service these communities,” he said.
“It would take significant funding to re-establish the Tennyson line for regular passenger services.
“While there are no current plans to re-establish the line, Queensland Rail will continue to work with Translink to monitor patronage levels and service needs for our customers as required.”
Looking to the west
The idea of linking between train lines is not something new for Australia. Queensland only needs to look to West Australia for an example of the benefits it could provide.
The 17.5-kilometre METRONET Thornlie-Cockburn Link project will connect the Mandurah and Armadale lines and includes two new stations, at Nicholson Road and Ranford Road, as well as upgrades to the Thornlie and Cockburn Central stations.
The Thornlie-Cockburn Link will support growth and accessibility across the south-eastern suburbs by providing access to employment, unlock long-term housing development opportunities in Canning Vale, and provide a direct line for Mandurah Line passengers to Perth Stadium Station for the first time.
Between Thornlie Station and the Kwinana Freeway, passenger rail has been built in the existing freight corridor. This has involved relocating the freight lines to the northern half of the corridor to make room for the passenger lines in the southern half.
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