The line speed is rated for speeds of up to 140 km/h (87 mph) in most sections. However, only the interurban multiple unit 100 and 120 series and New Generation Rollingstock trains can run at the full speed of the line. The current timetable is based on a top speed of 120 km/h (75 mph) between Richlands and Springfield stations, which is faster than the Centenary Motorway that runs alongside.
Services on this line are the busiest on the Brisbane network.[3]
Construction of the first stage of the line, to Richlands, started on 5 July 2010, with the first sleeper being laid at Darra on the Ipswich line.[4] The line was developed along with the widening of the nearby Centenary Motorway from two to four lanes from Darra through to the Logan Motorway.[5] The original completion date was for 2015.[6] However this was bought forward to 2013.
Construction of the first station on the line, Richlands, started on 1 July 2008 (2008-07-01),[7] and the line was due to begin service on 23 January 2011 (2011-01-23) without service from Darra to the City due to scheduled maintenance works on the Ipswich line.[1]
The opening was brought forward to 17 January 2011 (2011-01-17) to assist travellers from further west who could not use the Ipswich line, which was out of service due to Queensland floods.[8]
On 23 October 2011 (2011-10-23), work started on the second stage of the line to Springfield. The station originally proposed as Springfield Lakes station was renamed Springfield, and the one proposed as Springfield station renamed Springfield Central.[9]
The extension to Springfield Central began service on 2 December 2013.
A proposal exists to extend the line from its present terminus at Springfield Central to Redbank Plains,[10] Ripley Valley, Yamanto, and Ipswich station.[11]
Route
Over 800 metres long, the railway viaduct has piers designed to allow for the planned expansions of nearby Logan and Centenary Motorways.
The route crosses the interchange between the Logan Motorway and Centenary Motorway on a two-track viaduct more than 800 metres (2,600 ft) long. The viaduct has been designed so that its piers do not obstruct planned expansions of both roads.[12]
In the Connecting SEQ 2031 Plan, the QLD Government has listed an UrbanLink high frequency (15min) service running from Darra to Springfield, and on to Redbank Plains via Augustine Heights, as an extension to the existing Springfield Line. It also talks about an ExpressLink (30min frequency) between Ipswich and Ripley, via UQ Ipswich (now USQ Ipswich), Churchill, Yamanto and Deebing Heights; with the vital corridor between Ripley and Redbank plains being reserved for a later time after 2031. In 2019, the City of Ipswich completed an overview of the Ipswich Central to Springfield Central public transport corridor with a focus on the proposed extension.[13]
^"Connecting SEQ 2031"(PDF). Queensland Government Department of Transport and Main Roads. Archived(PDF) from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
