‘Death by 1000 cuts’: Sunshine Coast rail extension’s grim fate

A vital South East Queensland rail link faces “death by 1000 cuts” and travel during the Olympics will be congested due to infrastructure cuts and delays.

• Full list: Infrastructure cuts, delays

The Sunshine Coast rail extension to Maroochydore is facing “death by 1000 cuts”, while travel during the Olympics will be congested due to the savage cuts and delays delivered by the infrastructure audit, according to Opposition MPs.

But federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said the cost of doing the project had blown out to triple the original $3.2bn cost.

The $1.6 billion in federal funding for the project to extend the rail from Beerwah to Maroochydore has been put on hold indefinitely, despite Ms King saying before last year’s election that there was “no time to waste” in getting it done.

Infrastructure Minister Catherine King. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Ms King said the money had been kept in the budget for the project, but did not commit to taking it all the way to Maroochydore while the time frame remains in the air.

“The estimates that we have got so far is, in order to take that project to Maroochydore is three times higher, billions of dollars higher than has been previously stated,” she said.

“If we are to deliver this project and not repeat the mistakes of the past, what we need to do is plan this properly, get a handle on the cost and then move forward to deliver it.”

Member for Fairfax and former Morrison Government special envoy on the Olympics Ted O’Brien said the “death by 1000 cuts” to the Sunshine Coast rail risked exposing the state to “international embarrassment” in 2032.

“It’s a breach of faith to the people of southeast Queensland who supported our bid for the Games on the understanding it would be the catalyst to fast track infrastructure ahead of population growth,” he said.

Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey he was hopeful that a new business case for the rail, already in the works, would be finished in the coming months.

“The business case is quite advanced so we expect an outcome there sooner to give us a costing and a scope,” he said.

Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

“The Sunshine Coast direct line needs to happen.

“It needs to happen because of the population growth on the Sunshine Coast, they need to be plugged into the heavy rail network.”

Deputy Premier and Infrastructure Minister Steven Miles said he was not concerned that the rail and other projects having funding delayed would lead to “embarrassment” at the Olympics.

“What I know is that we will deliver the best Olympic and Paralympic Games here in the southeast and in Queensland in 2032 but there’s no doubt that uncertainty such as this makes our job even harder,” he said.

“We will deliver and we will do that difficult job but it would be easier if we didn’t have this kind of uncertainty.”

Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson said a completion date for the project needed to be established urgently.

“This is really tied to us being a key delivery partner for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and we want to know … that when you come to the Sunshine Coast for the Olympics and Paralympics you’re going to have a world class public transport system to get you here,” he said.

“Funding these big ticket upgrades is the domain of the state and federal governments, I can’t make that point loudly enough,” he said.

“People who live on the Sunshine Coast deserve a much better deal than they’ve been getting thus far.”