This Month
John Holland overhauls executive team as projects struggle
John Holland is searching for a new CEO and its major projects boss will leave in January.
- Jenny Wiggins
November
The mantra that keeps this CEO ahead of the game
Former Virgin CEO Paul Scurrah reveals how he avoids distractions, what he has learnt from the collapse of two airlines and why he doesn’t eat until midday.
- Sally Patten and Martin Peralta
Sydney Metro’s boss learnt from London’s ‘failed experiment’
Peter Regan found out the hard way how to strike a good public-private partnership for transport.
- Jenny Wiggins
October
Suburban Rail Loop’s 100 executives paid an average $332,000 a year
Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto has described the Surburban Rail Loop as a “gravy train” after its annual report revealed the salaries bill.
- Gus McCubbing
Aurizon suspends Sanjeev Gupta’s iron ore rail service
Unpaid bills have forced the freight transportation provider to temporarily cut off the embattled Whyalla steelworks owner.
- Simon Evans
- Exclusive
- Retail property
No trains or passengers yet, but Melbourne’s new Metro Rail has shops
Passengers travelling through the twin 9-kilometre tunnels, opening next year, will create a whole new market of shoppers for retailers.
- Michael Bleby
Why $31 billion will not be enough to build Inland Rail
Australia’s grand plan to transport goods by rail from Melbourne to Brisbane in less than 24 hours is cutting corners to stay on track, say residents of one city on the route.
- Jenny Wiggins
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