Tuesday, March 31, 2009

The Demise of Buranda Railway Station



Due to a stupid act of thoughtless selfish arson, Brisbane has lost one of its older-style railway stations. Buranda Railway Station, on the southern side of Brisbane, was burnt down on Sunday night by a teenage boy of 17 who lives at Loganlea. When he was up in court today, the judge (and rightly so) did not give him any leniency, and remanded him without bail.

I've been through Buranda Station. It was a lovely sweet older-style station. The railway line first went through Buranda station and others like it, weaving its way down to Cleveland in 1888. While I doubt that the timber and iron construction Stationmaster's Office, loos and sheltered seating area date back to that time, they are still old enough have been built back in the 1950s or earlier.

To have them destroyed in a raging fire is not only criminal, but also such a waste of what little bits of heritage Brisbane still has. Not to mention the total disruption it has caused commuters on an already heaving and overworked train network.

A new station will be a long time in the coming, although according to Queensland Rail, there will be a temporary structure on the platform by the weekend, and port-a-loos are already in place, as are railway staff to help commuters who have no other option but to use the station. It goes without saying that Queensland Rail have done a fantastic job in this situation (where others would no doubt have failed), and should be commended for such quick action in getting the station up and running again, even if only in the most rudimentary manner.

I hope the little shit who did this gets more than a fine and a slap on the wrist. Perhaps making him pay the cost that will inevitably fall to the taxpayers for the construction of a new station and replacement of everything lost would be a good start?

Grrrr...


3 comments:

Ceramix said...

That is such a shame! It looked like a lovely old station. I expect the poor boy was just a 'little bored' and didn't have the wit or intelligence to go do something creative. There's no excuse for destruction on that scale.

I hope the child does get made to pay the costs, although more likely I suspect his parents will be expected to fork out. That or he'll be told it's somehow society's fault that he is misunderstood and that he is not to blame.

I'll see your "grr" and raise you a further "grr." Makes my blood boil.

wunderlust said...

The *boy* tried to get leniency due to the fact that his pregnant girlfriend was due to sprog on monday, and apparently his mum had had a stroke and they were both reliant of him.

If he is so damn reliable that he is capable of looking after his mum, his girlfriend, and now likely his child, what the HELL was he doing at Buranda on Sunday night, drinking and setting fire to train stations?? Shouldn't he have been at home with his family, being...er....responsible????

Ceramix said...

Oh heck- that just gets better and better! Grrrr.