Rail overpass war of words between incumbent ALP state member Peter Russo and LNP candidate Anthony Shorten

Rail overpass war of wars between incumbent state member Peter Russo and LNP candidate Anthony Shorten ahead of the state election date being announced.

The Boundary Road Railway Crossing near Coopers Plains Railway Station - Picture: Richard Walker

A RAIL overpass at Coopers Plains and restrictions on trucks not delivering locally would be two of Anthony Shorten’s priorities if he was elected.

Mr Shorten – who held the seat of Algester from 2012 to 2015 – will stand for the LNP in the Toohey electorate at the next state election.

He said he was “very interested” to read the comments of Brisbane City councillor Steve Griffiths, who this month said the lack of an overpass for vehicles at Boundary Rd was a failure on behalf of various Brisbane City councils and state governments.

Those comments came as the Australian Rail Track Corporation announced its intention to ramp up its plans for the project and have Inland Rail up and running by 2024.

“It has to be fixed,” Mr Shorten said. “I grew up in Coopers Plains, so I know that crossing very well.

“I will fight to have it fixed if I am elected.

“I also want to put in a traffic management plan that would ban trucks from certain roads unless they were delivering locally.

“Trucks not delivering locally should only be using Beaudesert Rd and Granard and Kessels Rd, or Beaudesert Rd and the Gateway Motorway.”

However, Toohey  state Labor MP Peter Russo has fired back at Mr Shorten over the proposed Boundary Rd overpass at Coopers Plains.

Mr Shorten, who plans to contest the seat of Toohey against Mr Russo at the next state election, said getting an overpass built over the rail line and putting a traffic management plan in place for trucks would be two of his priorities if re-elected.

Mr Russo said Mr Shorten was “grandstanding” and he had been working to provide “a solution”.

“Anthony Shorten’s grandstanding is outrageous,” Mr Russo, pictured above, said.

“He was Campbell Newman’s LNP MP for three years and did nothing about Coopers Plains level crossing.

“Locals have made it clear – they don’t need another traffic study like the one proposed by Anthony Shorten, they want real action.

“I’ve been working with the Deputy Premier (Jackie Trad) to get the first steps to a solution, not Mr Shorten’s proposed survey of traffic.”