Nambour Tramway right on track. Aussie tram design to be unveiled soon

Greg Rogerson at the Western Terminus  near Coles.

Chairman of the Nambour Tramway Company and former Councillor for Division 10 Greg Rogerson provides an update on the project. 

Our newest attraction is moving closer to completion. Works finished last year on the Nambour Tramway Depot (Western Terminus) building  and works are almost finished on the tramway tracks and the all important signalling. The official opening for the Western Terminus will take place Wednesday March 31. On this day and all going to plan, The Nambour Tramway Company Ltd (TNTCo) Board will be unveiling the design of Nambour’s much awaited Tram and the name of the constructor. Furthermore, within about 12 months from signing the Tram Commissioning Agreement, the ‘Tram’ will be running through town.

Reactivating the heritage-listed tramline will provide Nambour with an exciting and quirky point of difference.

The TNTCo Directors are passionate about regenerating the prosperity and pride in the great town of Nambour, the town that built its beginnings largely on the regional sugar industry, only to have its Moreton Central Sugar Mill close operation in 2003.  

Apart from the Maroochy River Lift Bridge, a few old steam driven locomotives offered for viewing at Nambour Historical Museum and a wealth of photos, memorabilia and stories also stored at the museum, the only legacy of that bygone era  permanently on display will be the State Heritage Listed, two foot gauge tracks running along Howard Street, across Currie Street and into Mill Street.

This section was re-laid with new line on upgraded concrete ballast in 2002, only a year or so before the mill closure. It is with this heritage legacy that the Nambour Tram Project was born. 

For the past 8 and a half years, TNTCo has been engaging with Council, the Department of Main Roads (DTMR), the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage and, most importantly,  the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) to bring the optimistic dream of reactivating this section of heritage track to fruition.

Australian Company building the ‘Tram’

Hopefully within the next month or so, TNTCo will be signing a commissioning agreement for the construction of a tram with an Australian Company who has already demonstrated their impeccable design brief to the Board. We are progressing through the Design Development Stage to prove up engineering and final costings.  

The Board Directors believe Nambour’s Tram will not only be the only tram of its kind in the world, being a battery electric, solar generated, 2 foot narrow gauge tram, running on heritage listed rail track through a large town, but it will be a tram of exceptional artistic distinction.  

Instead of being remembered as the quaint little town where the sugar cane locos and bins traversed the CBD, Nambour will be renowned as the progressive town that dared to do things differently. In doing so, hopefully we can generate immense pride in our community and businesses alike.

Two stages to the project

Stage 1 of the Tram Project will see the tram run from the newly-completed Western Terminus to the Eastern Terminus Platform situated on Council controlled land between Repco and Aldi Supermarket, a distance of approximately 1 km.

Stage 2  will see an additional 1km of track link into the Nambour Showgrounds. This will offer patrons of large events like the Queensland Garden Expo, the Caravan and Camping Show, the Sunshine Coast Agricultural Show, Power on Petrie and numerous other large scale events an exciting opportunity. They can arrive in Nambour by heavy rail or bus and link directly to the Showgrounds without the need for private vehicle transport.  Yes, Stage 2 is still just an ambition for the TNTCo Board. But the rail line corridor and bridge locations are already in plan with future funding well on the agenda.  

Answering some concerns

I have no doubt this massive project will help reinvigorate the CBD and bring people from near and far to the town. But I do want to clear up a few misconceptions. 

Firstly, Nambour’s Tram was never designed or heralded as being the ‘silver bullet’ to fix the town’s perceived economic downturn. 

I say ‘perceived’ because — while Nambour does have empty stores and ‘For Lease’ signs in Currie Street — the town still boasts a wealth of core businesses and exceptional professionals eager, willing and able to provide goods and services to a diverse hinterland community.

Secondly, Nambour’s Tram is not owned or operated by Sunshine Coast Regional Council.  The TNTCo Board of Directors is made up of a hairdresser, a registered builder, a tech savvy guru, an accountant, a solicitor, a quantity surveyor and a handful of recent retirees. All are genuinely passionate about giving to Nambour and its future.

No Board Director is paid a cent for their contributions and a number of them have been steering the Tram Project for nearly 9 years. 

A letter to the editor (Gazette, February 17), raised concerns about what research we had undertaken and raised the question: “will people ride the tram?”.  

I can reassure the writer that extensive research was undertaken by TNTCo.  From this survey research, we ascertained that a large population base of Nambour residents were overwhelmingly in favour of the project. In fact more than 300 of them put pen to paper in declaring that they would assist in some way with the ongoing operation of the tram.  

From tram drivers and guards to terminus staff doubling as ticket officers and Visitor Information Volunteers, they all keenly wanted to be part of the project.  As volunteers we can only hope their enthusiasm hasn’t dwindled.

‘Will people ride the tram?’  

As a dedicated public transport means for locals coming into town to shop, the tram would be hard pressed to pay its way. However, with young families visiting the Coast in droves, all it may take is some inclement weather at the beach to spark the notion of a leisurely, inexpensive tram ride for the kids.  So will they ride?  We certainly hope so, but there are no guarantees in life!

TNTCo Directors have thought long and hard over this expectation and have come to the conclusion that it will be imperative to make the Western Terminus as engaging and informative as possible for pending patrons. We are already putting forward notions of offering the tram for night runs where cafes and restaurants could offer a special dining experience for their guests.

One thing is certain. The TNTCo Board will do everything in its power to ensure the viability of Nambour’s world’s first tram. Not just for Nambour but for every hinterland town that relies in some way on  the former sugar town’s prosperity.