Michael Ferguson,Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
The Northern Suburbs Transit Corridor would run right under the new $750 million retractable roof stadium on the Hobart waterfront delivering sporting fans and arts and cultural participants almost to their seat.
Visionary transport options play a key part in the Tasmanian Liberal Government’s bold vision for the new multi-purpose stadium at Regatta Point, which would deliver significant social and economic outcomes, and create a spectacular and iconic entry to Hobart.
The site would have minimal impact on residential areas and is ideally located given its proximity to the city and to future passenger transport links, such as the Northern Suburbs Transit Corridor as well as increased ferry activity on the river.
The introduction of River Derwent ferries has proven a great success with around 600 passengers per day using the service through summer. The attractiveness of ferries was underlined when thousands of people chose the ferries to get to and from the Ashes Test at Blundstone Arena and we would expect the same interest for a sporting event from people attending from the Eastern Shore.
The stadium would sit right on top of the Northern Suburbs Transit Corridor and the two transformational projects complement each other perfectly.
The Government remains committed to activate the Northern Suburbs Transit Corridor with an effective public transport solution within 5-10 years of the date of signing the Hobart City Deal, that is, between 2024-2029.
We are evaluating a number of modes of transport, including bus rapid transport, along the corridor and plan to make a decision on the best solution for the corridor later this year.
The new stadium, subject to stakeholder consultation, planning approval and achieving later this year an AFL licence, was a recommendation of the AFL Taskforce, and will put Tasmania on the national and international stage for sporting, entertainment and cultural events on a scale that hasn’t been possible in the past.
The opportunities this will bring to the State with the hosting of national and International events are enormous.
