Toowoomba to Brisbane passenger rail business case reveals best option delivers ‘modest’ results as report silently released

The Labor government silently dropped a $15 million rail feasibility report as it entered caretaker mode, which was announced years ago and revealed travel times similar to a bus.

The best option for a Toowoomba passenger rail line will likely take longer than a car or a bus, relies on the contentious construction of the bloated Inland Rail, and has a “low benefit-to-cost ratio” for taxpayers.

That’s according to the $15m business case the state government silently released before entering caretaker mode last month – more than five years after it was first funded.

According to the report by Transport and Main Roads, the best option for passenger rail from the city would take 130 minutes from Gowrie to the Brisbane CBD.

A map of the proposed Toowoomba passenger rail line.

The proposal would use Inland Rail infrastructure from Gowrie to Calvert near Rosewood for passenger transport, which then connects with the existing Queensland Rail network.

The business case makes no mention of a fast rail service, which was a key pillar in the Toowoomba Regional Council’s advocacy for it.

In a campaign driven by former mayor Paul Antonio, the council has pushed for the service to make Toowoomba part of a “45-minute region” across southeast Queensland.

Part of the council’s advocacy for the project includes a sign as drivers enter the city from the Toowoomba Range.

Mr Antonio previously described a fast rail passenger service as a “legacy” project for the region, akin to the Toowoomba Bypass.

Toowoomba Mayor Geoff McDonald speaking at The Business disAbility Awards of Australia 2024 launch at The Annex, Thursday, July 18, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Current mayor Geoff McDonald, who has also supported the concept, said the report should not stop the council’s advocacy but did highlight some key issues.

“I still maintain personally that this can actually be fixed now to get people to and from Brisbane into our region in a co-ordinated approach,” he said.

“The issue here is that our expectations were that it would be a lot quicker than that — a fast rail would be 45 minutes or even an hour.

“I don’t think we should stop the advocacy for this, it definitely needs to be on our agenda (but) how much effort we put into it is another question.”

Benefits of best-case Toowoomba passenger rail model considered ‘modest’

The business case developed 23 options, which it ultimately short-listed to four.

Other options that have been sidelined included using buses between Helidon and Toowoomba to connect with existing rail lines, a dedicated rail line between Toowoomba and Darra, or routing trains via a connection to the planned Ipswich to Springfield public corridor.

All of those options were dismissed as having either limited improvement to travel times, or significant construction and environmental impacts.

The report said the forecast demand for all of the options assessed was “modest”, and they all had a “relatively” low benefit-to-cost ratio.

The selected proposal is ultimately reliant on the delivery of the Inland Rail in Queensland, which has been the source of controversy since its proposal.

Darling Downs residents have long been concerned about the rail line’s potential impact on the Condamine Floodplain, and the project remains held up in environmental approvals with the state government.

The other sections of the Inland Rail through to Calvert are also still pending approval from the state government.

Part of the Inland Rail’s proposal in Queensland is burrowing a 6km tunnel through the Toowoomba Range, as well as cutting through the Little Liverpool Range.

Toowoomba leaders slam silent release

Trevor Watts MP. (Image/Josh Woning)

State and federal opposition members, including Toowoomba North MP Trevor Watts, had as recently as April accused the state government of “sitting” on the business case for a service that he said was essential for the “2032 Olympic dream staying alive in Toowoomba”.

Mr Watts on Friday slammed the silent delivery of the business case.

“Queenslanders deserve more than empty promises and delayed reports — why hasn’t the state Labor government been actively pressuring Canberra to ensure this project is delivered?” he said.

“The timing of the release of this report raises serious questions.

“Steven Miles has already said this project is not a priority for him and this report and the timing of its release shows connecting Toowoomba to the southeast is not a priority for his government.”

Federal member for Groom Garth Hamilton was equally scathing of the timing of the report’s release, arguing the state government was giving Toowoomba “the cold shoulder”.

“Labor’s decision to sit on this report has cost Toowoomba years,” he said.

“The last coalition government funded it, I’ve been chasing its release since I came to office and the LNP want to make this work.

“We could be having a policy debate now on how to overcome the issues raised in the report.

“Labor’s given Toowoomba nothing but the quarantine facility and the cold shoulder.”

The report was funded back in 2019, when both the federal and state governments signed the Inland Rail Bilateral Agreement.

Transport minister Bart Mellish said “the next stage of planning could include a detailed business case” following the federal review of the Inland Rail.

“However this would be developed closer to the delivery of Inland Rail in Queensland,” he said in a statement.

That could mean a long wait, with the 2022 review pushing the delivery time frames of these sections of the project back into the next decade.