Woombye residents tired of being railroaded

James Kasmer wants timely and reasonable answers to reasonable concerns without being given the runaround.

Weary Woombye residents are tired of being shunted by the State Government over noise and light spillage from Queensland Rail’s controversial stabling facility.

Nearby residents say they are kept awake by whirring air-conditioning units and “stadium-like” light emanating from the controversial yard. 

The facility, just up from the Woombye station, is used to “stable” trains overnight. It only became operational recently in February under a Queensland Rail Timetable using Next Generation Rollingstock (NGR) Trains.

Woombye resident James Kasmer said noisy air-conditioning units were left on even when the trains were not being cleaned or in use, sometimes for days at a time.  In addition, residents were awoken from 4.40am every morning by klaxon (train horn) and brake testing.  Klaxon noise, in terms of loudness and frequency of deployment, often varied markedly, seemingly depending on the whim of the driver.

“They plonked this facility 150m from the closest resident and introduced night time light and noise where none existed before January 2016 other than the occasional mooing from a cow,” Mr Kasmer said. “People are flesh and blood. We would expect the right to decent sleep unfettered by Queensland Rail’s strict light and noise policies with Stabling being so close to residential areas.  Queensland Rail built the facility well aware there were other site options and Woombye Stabling’s proximity to residents.”

Mr Kasmer said  air-conditioning units were left on for long periods of time — such as the four days over Easter, the Labour Day long weekend and the majority of weekends.

“No one can explain why this is necessary when the trains are not being cleaned or in use. Four trains, each comprising six cars, do not require air-conditioning over any weekend if they are sitting idle for two or more days.” 

He said some additional well-placed light shields, even if not on every light pole, would also be welcomed to help prevent light spillage. “Residents at the top of McCarthy Drive and adjoining streets say they have light in their living spaces at night from the stabling site.”

One resident said the area’s topography acted like an amphitheatre and amplified noise up the hill into  homes.  

On top of everything else Mr Kasmer said they were tired of buck-passing from Queensland Rail’s “Community Engagement team” and by the lack of adequate feedback about their pressing concerns.  

To rub salt into the wound Mr Kasmer said the Government had promised the line would receive nine additional daily services, once construction of the Stabling was built using NGR Trains.  “Construction, including testing and commissioning, was completed mid-2017,” Mr Kasmer said. “It then took another two and a half years before stabling began to be used operationally under a QR timetable. 

“There was no other benefit to have stabling here,” he said. “Other than the nine additional daily services once NGR (New Generation Rolling Stock)  trains were available.

“Now, we’ve been lumped with the facility. They’ve got their NGRs. But where are our nine additional daily services? We accepted we would have to live with the facility. But can we at least have our sleep? Can we at least have reasonable answers to our questions?”

The residents acknowledge they chose to live next to a rail line, and that comes with some expected noise, but say the recent introduction of night time and early morning noise and light was over the top.

The New Generation Rollingstock (NGR) fleet is owned by the Department for Transport and Main Roads and maintained by Bombardier. Any changes to the stabling of the fleet need to be agreed by both these organisations, as well as by Queensland Rail. This makes getting straightforward answers a frustrating process for residents.

 Background

• Woombye Residents advised of the proposed Stabling Facility in February 2014.

• The community rallied and lodged two separate submissions over March 2014 and March 2015 with Queensland Rail and former Treasurer Jackie Trad MP.

• On 11th May 2015, Jackie Trad, Peter Wellington ex-MP, local Council and media attended the Woombye Bowls Club with 300 residents to discuss the issue.  

• Ms Trad told the meeting, she’d already awarded construction of the facility to CPB Contractors.  It was recorded in the Hansard parliamentary minutes on 6th May 2015.

• Local Groups fought the Government and Queensland Rail right up to when construction started in January 2016.

• Construction was to last a year, but took 1.5 years approximately. 

• The facility sat idle from mid-2017 once construction had finished, until February 2020, when full operations began using NGR Trains against an official Queensland Rail Timetable. 

Queensland Rail working on issues 

Queensland Rail provided the following response to the Gazette’s stories. 

Queensland Rail is taking the feedback of residents near the Woombye stabling facility very seriously and is working to address their concerns as quickly and effectively as possible while ensuring we adhere to national rail safety guidelines.

Since receiving feedback from residents, QR has implemented several measures to try to minimise noise and lighting impacts, including the installation of a barrier to minimise sound, planting more than 10,300 square metres of vegetation, and the installation of shields on streetlights at the facility.

Queensland Rail staff were on site earlier this month and returned last week to further examine lighting to ensure it was operating at the correct levels and assess the possibility of reducing glare and light spillage. We are also working with the Department of Transport and Main Roads as well as train manufacturer Bombardier to examine options for the air-conditioning units on the New Generation Rollingstock (NGR) trains to further minimise background noise, as we appreciate the impact this is having on nearby residents.

As with all stabling facilities across Australia, the facility in Woombye is required to conduct daily mandatory safety testing, which unfortunately generates noise and includes the testing of train horns and brakes. 

Each morning the crews are required to test the horns before the first train goes into service at approximately 5.45am. The trains are also required to undertake mandatory brake testing, which results in some additional noise being generated as a result of compressed air being vented, ensuring the safe and effective running of the trains’ braking systems.

There is also a pedestrian crossing at the Woombye facility which requires the driver to sound the horn as an essential safety requirement to ensure that anyone who may be about to cross the tracks is aware there is a train coming.

Since the commitment to increase services on the Sunshine Coast line, a peak service has been added each weekday for stations between Nambour & Elimbah. In 2016, two inbound off-peak services were introduced for the line.