This Month
Aurizon investors impatient for Top End contracts
Aurizon is in “regular” talks with potential customers for its ambitious land bridge scheme, but scepticism abounds over whether it can pull the bold plan off.
- Jenny Wiggins
September
Victorian taxpayers to be slugged another $1b for Metro Tunnel
The cost of the Melbourne Metro Tunnel has blown out again, this time to $13.48 billion, with the state government blaming unprecedented cost overruns.
- Gus McCubbing
Rail loop is housing, not just infrastructure: Labor
Pollsters say the Victorian government’s more explicit linking of the Suburban Rail Loop to its tackling of the housing crisis is a savvy but overdue political move.
- Gus McCubbing
Minister claims ‘not appropriate’ to hand over rail loop documents
Danny Pearson says it wouldn’t have been right to give SRL documents to the federal government during an audit.
- Gus McCubbing
- Opinion
- Roads
Victorian Labor gets into spin mode on delayed rail-loop details
Victorian minister Danny Pearson’s reasons to justify the failure to hand over information about the Suburban Rail Loop East project for more than two years just don’t add up.
- Ronald Mizen
Labor was warned Suburban Rail Loop ‘not a reasonable investment’
Bureaucrats shared advice with Labor that showed the business case for Victoria’s $35 billion Suburban Rail Loop did not stack up.
- Ronald Mizen
Pacific National takes hefty write-down on NSW coal business
The rail freight group has written off $424 million and blamed lower container freight volumes, bad weather and smaller harvests for deepening the annual loss of its parent.
- Jenny Wiggins
- Exclusive
- Federal budget
King flags road and rail blowouts amid ‘severe’ budget constraints
Despite parochial outrage about road and rail funding, WA and NSW have signed up to Labor’s funding deal, though the Infrastructure Minister has flagged more cost blowouts are coming.
- Ronald Mizen
August
How Sydney Metro’s architects made train stations people actually like
The “cathedrals of the 21st century” have united Sydney’s tastemakers and commuters, who marvelled at their new Metro line this week.
- Michael Bleby and Campbell Kwan
Aurizon tumbles on weak earnings outlook
The rail group’s shares slid despite a $150 million buyback and 25 per cent rise in net profit as investors took a dim view of its 2024-25 prospects.
- Jenny Wiggins
July
King sets up infrastructure project review amid CFMEU scandal
Infrastructure Minister Catherine King has directed her department to review major construction projects including the Western Sydney Airport and Inland Rail.
- Ronald Mizen
Whitehaven Coal says inflation is ‘rife’
The coal miner says the cost of parts and services continues to rise despite higher unemployment, as a rail “glitch” soured its $6.4b move into Queensland coal.
- Peter Ker
- Exclusive
- Infrastructure
Victoria’s secrecy stalls cash for Suburban Rail Loop
Victoria has failed to hand over critical information about its controversial rail loop for almost two years despite seeking $11.5 billion from taxpayers.
- Ronald Mizen
Aurizon acquisition could push up cargo prices: ACCC
The company’s attempts to move into stevedoring in South Australia as it expand its bulk freight business could be used to “frustrate” rivals, the regulator said.
- Jenny Wiggins
June
Victoria’s $14b Metro Tunnel has been delayed and will cost more
The bill for Melbourne’s long-awaited Metro Tunnel has spiralled past $12.8 billion, in yet another cost blowout for a major Victorian project.
- Gus McCubbing
MinRes weighs up rail fleet sale as axe falls on iron ore mines
But the company, run by billionaire Chris Ellison, said demand remained strong and that closures of the operations had nothing to do with concerns about price.
- Brad Thompson
May
Victoria accuses Melbourne Airport of holding rail link ‘hostage’
The airport is run by major investors including the Future Fund, and has a different idea from the government of the transport needed from Melbourne’s CBD.
- Jenny Wiggins
How LVMH exhumed luxury rail with the Eastern & Oriental Express
The venerable Belmond travel company is back with a renewed sense of purpose after a refresh - but the focus is still on good old-fashioned, timeless elegance.
- Brook Turner
- Exclusive
- Federal budget
Two-thirds of new road and rail money flows to Labor seats
Labor has allocated $4.1 billion for 64 new priority infrastructure projects, $2.7 billion of which has gone to Labor seats in Tuesday’s federal budget.
- Ronald Mizen and Tom McIlroy
Labor adds $16.5b road and rail projects
The government committed $16.5 billion to road and rail projects, including $4.1 billion for 65 new developments – just 12 of which were revealed in the budget.
- Ronald Mizen