Breakthrough in federal funding for Sunshine Coast rail extension
A critical Brisbane 2032 Games legacy project will go ahead after the federal government locked in funding for the Sunshine Coast rail extension.
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A critical Brisbane 2032 Games legacy project will go ahead after the federal government locked in funding for the Sunshine Coast rail extension.
There were fears the major project north of Brisbane was on the chopping block, due to the controversial infrastructure funding retreat from the Albanese Government.
But The Courier-Mail can reveal the rail extension, viewed as a critical project to bust congestion during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, will go ahead after Deputy Premier Steven Miles led a delegation to Canberra to lobby his federal counterpart.
Mr Miles, in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister, met with federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King along with a selection of Queensland mayors and stakeholders.
The delegation was swiftly assembled after Ms King’s bombshell announcement earlier this month the federal government would axe $200m of Queensland infrastructure projects and cast doubt over a further $3bn worth of road and rail projects.
This left a number of significant projects in the lurch, including the Sunshine Coast rail extension but Ms King confirmed to The Courier-Mail the Commonwealth had reserved $1.44bn for its construction.
An additional $160m will also be made available for a business case, planning and early works, although the final cost of the project is not yet known. It is also not yet known how much the state government will need to commit.
Despite the controversial retreat in funding, which withdrew the longstanding 80:20 split on major road and rail projects, Ms King insisted the Albanese government was “committed to delivering infrastructure that builds Australia and to working with state and territory governments to achieve results”.
“We have already made significant commitments to help ensure the success of the Brisbane 2032 Olympics,” she said following the meetings in the nation’s capital.
“The importance of rail and of the role of the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line as part of the transport infrastructure for the Olympics is why our commitment to it hasn’t changed.”
Mr Miles said extending rail to the Sunshine Coast was critical given the increased pressure on transport infrastructure due to the region’s soaring population.
“Not only will a new rail line on the Sunny Coast make a huge difference for the 2032 Games, it will also mean less time in the car and commuting for lots of people on the Sunshine Coast,” he said.
“I want to thank Catherine King for meeting with the delegation and thank the mayors for their support.”
Sunshine Coast Deputy Mayor Rick Baberowski said, having now hashed it out with Ms King, he felt more comfortable explaining the funding changes to his constituents.
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