Planning has now been finalised on the $10 million park 'n' ride upgrade at Mango Hill Station, which is set to double parking capacity with an additional 280 spaces.
Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP said the upgrade, which is being supported by $4 million from the Commonwealth, will relieve parking pressures resulting from the existing park 'n' ride being at capacity.
"The Morrison Government is getting on with delivering infrastructure projects that improve congestion and safety for commuters across Australia, making it easier for them to move around our capital cities and ensuring they get home quickly and safely," Minister Fletcher said.
"Under the Urban Congestion Fund we are delivering 178 individual packages of works nationwide, with 58 projects already completed or underway and a further 65 expected to start construction this year.
"The Mango Hill Station upgrade is just the latest example of us delivering on our commitment to progress critical infrastructure projects across the country under our record $110 billion 10-year infrastructure investment pipeline, which is helping to drive Australia's world-leading economic recovery."
Deputy Queensland Premier and State Member for Murrumba, the Hon Steven Miles MP, said the upgrade would also address safety and congestion issues around the kiss 'n' ride zone and bus stop.
"As part of the upgrade, the location of the existing kiss 'n' ride and taxi zone on Meyers Circuit will be swapped with the bus stop," Mr Miles said.
"This will make it safer and more efficient to drop a passenger off with a quick goodbye, without worrying about a row of vehicles behind you.
"The new, relocated bus stop will be the same length so four buses can still be accommodated."
Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister, the Hon Mark Bailey MP, said park 'n' ride facilities were an important part of the transport network and allowed customers to connect with high-frequency public transport.
"Over the next four years, the Palaszczuk Government will deliver more than 4,000 new park 'n' ride spaces across the network, adding to the more than 31,500 spaces already available," Mr Bailey said.
"More parking at Mango Hill will mean more people can easily use the train or bus to continue their journey, reducing congestion on our roads.
"The upgrade will also support an average of 20 direct jobs over the life of the project.
"As part of the economic recovery from COVID-19, locking in jobs for the future has never been more important."
Federal Member for Petrie, the Hon Luke Howarth MP, said he has been fighting for this since he secured funding in 2018.
"People will call me to express their concerns about parking capacity at the Mango Hill Train Station, so it is good that I can now give them a clear start date for construction in 2022," Mr Howarth said.
"If you catch the train regularly, you'll know how hard it is to get a park during peak hours. This will save locals' time and ease congestion on local streets."
Other features of the park 'n' ride upgrade include:
- lighting and CCTV for enhanced visibility and security;
- pedestrian paths to and from the station;
- additional disabled parking bays; and
- landscaping of the area.
The detailed design of the upgrade is expected to be completed early next year with construction to follow later in 2022, weather and construction scheduling permitting.
The Morrison Government has committed $4 million towards the project, with the Queensland Government providing $6 million as part of their commitment to boost park 'n' ride facilities across the South East Queensland public transport network.
