Queensland Rail Archives - North Lakes Today

North Lakes, Mango Hill And Petrie Commuters Face Longer Waits Under Reduced Train Timetable

Commuters in and around North Lakes, Mango Hill and Petrie are being urged to allow extra travel time as Queensland Rail runs a reduced weekday timetable across South East Queensland, with key northern services operating less often and some trains reduced to three-car services.

Northern Rail Lines Move To Reduced Services

The changes affect the Redcliffe Peninsula and Caboolture lines, both of which are important routes for commuters travelling through Brisbane’s northern corridor.

The reduced timetable began on Tuesday, 5 May, and remains in place until further notice. Weekday services are operating on a modified schedule similar to a Saturday timetable, with extra trains during the morning and afternoon peaks.

The changes have been introduced due to protected industrial action. Across the wider network, the reduction amounts to 273 fewer weekday train services.

North Lakes trains — Photo Credit: Translink/Facebook

North Lakes, Mango Hill And Petrie Passengers Face Busier Trips

During peak travel periods, services on the Redcliffe Peninsula and Caboolture lines are running every 15 minutes. Outside peak times, most trains are operating about every 30 minutes.

For commuters in areas such as North Lakes, Mango Hill and Petrie, that means longer gaps between some services and more pressure on peak-hour travel. Passengers who usually rely on frequent weekday trains may need to adjust their routines while the reduced timetable remains in place.

Some trains will also operate as three-car services until further notice. Passengers have been advised to allow extra travel time and consider catching an earlier or later service where possible, as trains are expected to be more crowded than usual.

Passengers Told To Check Before Travelling

Queensland Rail has advised passengers to check the TransLink journey planner before travelling. The journey planner has been updated until Friday, 8 May, with the latest timetable information.

The advice applies across affected South East Queensland services, including the Redcliffe Peninsula and Caboolture lines. Commuters are being encouraged to replan their journeys before leaving home, particularly during peak travel periods.

No end date has been confirmed for the reduced timetable. Further changes may be made if network conditions change, but passengers are currently being told to expect the altered schedule to remain in place until further notice.

Published 7-May-2026

Narangba Train Station Adds 100 Car Parks to Meet Rising Demand

Commuters in Narangba will soon see relief from packed train station car parks, with work underway to add more than 100 new spaces and improve safety features at the busy northside facility.

Early works began in September on vacant rail corridor land off Main Street, northwest of Narangba train station. The Department of Transport and Main Roads is delivering the project on behalf of Queensland Rail, with major construction works to follow. The initial stage includes fencing, earthworks, drainage and preparing a new site access, while the next stage will bring the full construction program.

Narangba Station — *Photo Credit: TMR QLD*

What’s changing at Narangba

Once complete, the upgrade will increase the station’s capacity from about 380 to nearly 500 spaces. The design features four new accessible parking bays, six motorcycle bays, and a dedicated left-turn lane from Main Street to enhance traffic flow into the site.

New lighting and CCTV will be installed across the facility to improve safety, while a new pedestrian pathway will provide safer and easier access to the station platforms. Retention and detention basins are also planned to improve stormwater management. These features are designed not only to add more space but also to deliver a safer and more efficient environment for commuters.

The project is intended to improve everyday convenience for people travelling to work, study or appointments. Residents have long raised concerns about congestion in surrounding streets and the lack of safe pedestrian links. The design changes are also expected to ease congestion along Main Street, where vehicles currently queue or circulate in search of parking.

Part of a wider network approach

In the past, upgrades were focused on simply increasing numbers. More recent projects, including Narangba’s, are shaped by the Park ‘n’ Ride Strategy and the Public Transport Infrastructure Manual, which emphasise safety, accessibility, and better management of parking. Features like CCTV, lighting, stormwater works and pedestrian connectivity are now standard inclusions.

TMR Minister Brent Mickelberg has stated that more than 300,000 trips were made through Narangba station in the last financial year, underscoring its role as a key commuter hub for the City of Moreton Bay. Narangba’s population was estimated at about 23,130 in mid-2024, reflecting nearly three per cent growth in a year.

The introduction of permanent 50-cent fares across South East Queensland has also driven up patronage, adding pressure to stations already operating at capacity. For locals, full car parks often mean either arriving unusually early or spilling into residential streets, an issue the expansion is intended to ease.

Published 25-Oct-2025

Dakabin Station Upgrade To Improve Access To North Lakes & Surrounds

Work has commenced on the proposed upgrades to Dakabin train station, a significant transport hub that provides access to and from North Lakes and surrounds.

Residents have been saying, for years, that the station needed to be upgraded to make it more accessible to more people. Commuters have also lamented the lack of adequate parking facilities. Access improvements and parking facilities are now part of the improvement plan; but not another item found on the residents’ wish list: a bus station.

Despite its importance to the local community, would you believe that there has never been a proper bus connection at the Dakabin train station? Residents have been requesting it for years. Nevertheless, the train station upgrade includes the provision of space for a bus connection.

Helping the Local Economy

At the recent sod-turning ceremony, Murrumba MP Steven Miles said that aside from fixing the parking and accessibility issues at the station, the Dakabin upgrade helps boost the local economy through the creation of up to 250 additional jobs in the market due to the ongoing construction.

He said that this comes as welcome news during a period of increasing employment insecurity. Likewise, the local economy will be positively impacted. People will be able to have easier mobility, once the station is done. Housing values will also be positively impacted.

QLD Rail Station Accessibility Upgrade Program

The works are part of the Queensland Rail Station Accessibility Upgrade Program . Under this program, the Government is investing $357 million to improve accessibility at South East Queensland train stations.

An additional $57 million has been committed for an additional six stations, from Fairfield to Salisbury (F2S), to be delivered as part of the Cross River Rail project.

Through these updates, customers with disabilities, the elderly, parents with prams, people with injuries or even simply those carrying luggage, will be able to use the station with ease and independence.

What are the improvements?

Features of the upgrade include:

a new pedestrian footbridge with lift access
raised section of platform encompassing the core zone and assisted boarding point
improved accessible parking
upgraded hearing augmentation loops and tactile platform surfaces
upgraded security cameras and lighting around the core zone
new wayfinding and platform signage around the core zone
new multi-storey parking facility to replace the existing carpark on Thompson Road carpark.

Queensland Rail is working with the Department of Transport and Main Roads on the additional parking facility and a new bus interchange.

This is a welcome development because according to Queensland Rail, “patronage statistics show 78 percent of Queensland Rail’s customers travel to and from independently accessible stations in South East Queensland.” Patronage data also shows that more than 84 percent of customers will be traveling to and from independently accessible stations.