The long-running closure of the western staircase at Springfield Central Station has taken another turn, with Queensland Rail confirming the stairs will need to be completely removed.
Member for Jordan Charis Mullen told West Bremer Radio the staircase had now been closed for more than 12 months, with commuters previously advised it remained under assessment.
Queensland Rail has since confirmed the structure needs to be removed, with demolition expected to be completed by late September.
However, there is still no timeframe for when a replacement staircase will be built.
Ms Mullen said she had been seeking answers from Queensland Rail and wrote to the Transport Minister in June, receiving a response around seven weeks later.
She said further assessments would be undertaken following the removal of the stairs to determine a long-term solution.
With Springfield Central one of the busiest railway stations in the Ipswich region and serving as the terminus of the Springfield line, Ms Mullen said commuters deserved greater certainty about what had happened and whether there were any broader structural concerns at the station.
She said she would continue pursuing Queensland Rail and the State Government for more information, including a timeframe for replacing the staircase.
Housing pressures in focus
Housing affordability is also firmly on the agenda, with Ms Mullen encouraging Ipswich and Greater Springfield residents to contribute to a new housing affordability survey.
She said pressure was being felt across the community by renters, prospective first-home buyers and people simply trying to find affordable accommodation.
Ms Mullen said increasing homelessness was also a growing concern and argued that both housing supply and affordability needed to be addressed.
Queensland Labor has released a housing affordability issues paper and survey seeking residents’ experiences and ideas about potential solutions.
An Ipswich Housing Forum will also be held on September 8, giving residents an opportunity to contribute directly to the discussion.
Ms Mullen criticised the Crisafulli Government over what she described as cuts to almost 10,000 planned social and affordable homes, arguing additional housing supply was needed rather than less.
Residents interested in attending the housing forum or completing the survey can contact Ms Mullen’s electorate office on 3447 9300.
Lights restored after copper theft
Meanwhile, lighting has been restored to the pedestrian bridge connecting Springfield Central Station across the Centenary Highway towards Springfield Lakes following concerns from residents.
Ms Mullen said the heavily used pedestrian connection had been left in complete darkness, creating significant safety concerns for people using the bridge at night.
After raising the issue with the Department of Transport and Main Roads, she was advised the outage had been caused by copper theft.
Ms Mullen said the initial response indicated repairs could form part of broader restoration works, but she pushed for the problem to be treated more urgently because of the safety risk.
The lighting was subsequently restored sooner than initially expected.
While acknowledging copper theft remained a widespread problem affecting infrastructure across the region, Ms Mullen said keeping a busy pedestrian connection in darkness was unacceptable.
Attention will now remain on Springfield Central Station, with commuters awaiting answers on when its western staircase will finally be replaced.
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