State government rail plans prioritise Maroochydore link for 2032 Games says Minister

Transport Minister Mark Bailey refuted “doomsday merchants” who fear a Brisbane to Maroochydore rail line may miss the 2032 deadline, stating the project is a Games priority.

Fears the Maroochydore to Brisbane train line may not be delivered before 2032 have been rejected as Queensland’s Transport Minister confirms the project is a priority.

A proposal to extend rail from Beerwah to Maroochydore became a major election talking point after the federal government promised $1.6bn towards the project in its 2022-23 budget.

But the state government has refused to match the funding with Transport Minister Mark Bailey rejecting the $3.2bn cost as “made up”.

Mr Bailey on Thursday, May 12, confirmed the rail project would be among the first on the table when state and federal governments considered infrastructure needed for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

He said the state government would not provide funding for the project until costs were confirmed from transport experts “not backbench MPs”.

The government was also awaiting the results of a $6m joint-funded planning analysis on the project.

“There’s a clear process agreed to by the state and federal governments for Olympics projects,” Mr Bailey said.

“Post election we start the process of identifying and finalising venues and it is then that we will look at what we need to build in terms of venues and transport infrastructure.

“There’s not an issue here about whether this is a worthy project.”

Mr Bailey rejected concerns that if funding was not secured soon, the Maroochydore to Brisbane rail may not be delivered in time for the Olympics.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the Maroochydore to Beerwah rail extension would be considered for 2032 Olympic Games infrastructure. Picture: Liam Kidston.

“I am absolutely 100 per cent confident that we will run one of the best Olympic and Paralympic Games,” he said.

“There’s a lot of self-appointed experts and doomsday merchants.

“With a 10-year lead in, longer than usual for an Olympic Games, we will deliver in spades.”

State and federal governments have agreed to 50-50 funding split for venues and infrastructure for the 2032 Games.

Fairfax MP Ted O’Brien and Fisher MP Andrew Wallace claim the funding figures were from a 2019 North Coast Connect study.

Major players including Walker Corporation and Sunshine Coast Business Council have backed the Sunshine Coast Daily’s Train for the Games campaign, in support of Maroochydore rail.

Recent analysis of budget papers from the past decade revealed the Sunshine Coast had dramatically fallen behind when it came to rail and bus upgrades.

It found only $150.7m was spent on rail and bus improvements and projects on the Sunshine Coast from 2011 to 2021, compared to $1.38bn on the Gold Coast for the same time.

In February the state government committed $1.1bn to deliver faster rail services between Brisbane the Gold Coast ahead of the 2032 Games.

It was the first piece of Olympics transport infrastructure confirmed since South East Queensland was named as the preferred hosts for the event in mid-2021.

Mr Bailey said that project was in response to population growth in the northern Gold Coast.

“We needed to increase capacity well before the Games to allow people to get where the jobs are, in Brisbane,” he said.

“It was a rail upgrade that was needed regardless, in the same way that the duplication of the Sunshine Coast (Beerburrum to Nambour) rail upgrade is also needed to deal with population growth on the Sunshine Coast.”