We need to ditch cars and get on board with fast rail

A regional fast rail network in SEQ is "vital" to keeping things running smoothly in coming decades.

Ipswich City Council interim administrator Greg Chemello. Picture: Cordell Richardson

IPSWICH City Council interim administrator Greg Chemello hopes residents will ditch their cars and embrace the efficiency of fast rail if the project goes ahead.

He said a regional fast rail network in south east Queensland partnered with an extension of the Springfield line is "vital" to keeping things running smoothly in coming decades.

READ MORE: Fast rail will cut commute to Brisbane by 66 per cent

"With the population of Ipswich moving towards 500,000 in the next 20 years, we need to be thinking now about how we can accommodate this growth effectively," he said.

"Being able to travel between Ipswich and Brisbane in just 20 minutes would completely change how we move around this region."

"We'd see people leave their cars behind and embrace the speed and efficiency of fast rail."

A region-wide poll of more than 2,200 respondents showed strong Ipswich support for the concept of an SEQ fast rail network.

There was widespread agreement that the current delivery of transport infrastructure was not keeping up with the growth of the region.

Just under 15 per cent of those surveyed believed the delivery of transport infrastructure in south east Queensland is keeping up with the region's population growth.

Council of Mayors chair and Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the network that could slash travel times between the region's cities to under 45 minutes and he was was not surprised by the results of the poll.

"Being able to move between our cities in under 45 minutes, even in peak times, makes SEQ a more liveable region for our residents and a more attractive destination for tourists," he said.

"Even at this early stage, we can see the mayors' vision for fast rail taking shape with the North Coast Connect business case due for completion later this year, the establishment of a national faster rail agency and funding commitments to investigate rail solutions for the southern and western corridors.

"Both the SEQ Mayors and the community believe fast rail is key to fixing the region's transport and congestion issues."