A critical rail link between Brisbane and the beaches to its north is now locked in with a total of $5.5 billion secured from the state and federal governments.
The Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line will be 19 kilometres long from Beerwah to Caloundra in its first stage.
But long-term planning remains for the line to travel north along the coastline and then into the central business hub of Maroochydore.
Trains to cut commute by 45 minutes
Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King has announced the Commonwealth will bring its contribution to $2.75 billion and match the funding promised by Queensland premier Steven Miles in late February.
“We’re investing [an additional] $1.15 billion making sure the Sunshine Coast has the infrastructure it needs to connect it to opportunities in a faster, more reliable way,” Ms King said.
“Once complete, the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line will save commuters up to 45 minutes, with journeys from the new Sunshine Coast stations to Roma Street station taking around 45 minutes less than driving in peak hour.”
Premier Steven Miles said the rail may also lead to more houses being built in an area notorious for its shortages.
“The heavy rail connection will also allow us to unlock tens of thousands of additional homes,” Mr Miles said.
“Homes that can allow us to relieve the pressure on supply, which we know is driving up prices,” he said.
Rail race for the Olympics
Mr Miles has previously said the Beerwah and Caloundra line could be ready for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and Paralympics, but only with support from the Commonwealth.
The plan has been on the books since the late 1990s but never funded for construction.
In early 2022, the Morrison government vowed to pay $1.6 billion to develop the rail line to Maroochydore, to be matched by the state, but its budget never passed parliament due to the coming election.
While the funding was maintained by the incoming Labor government, a business case into the project found the amount was too little to fund the whole project.
The state government estimates the first stage to Caloundra will likely cost between $5 billion and $7 billion.
New line will ‘anchor’ future rail
Ms King and Mr Miles said the decision to build the line in stages, and not all at once, was under advice from the project’s business case.
“The business case said that if you tried to build it all the way to Maroochydore, all at once, you would have no trains operating for at least 10 years,” Mr Miles said.
“What we have here is a fully funded, well planned project that we can get underway on and start working on.”
Caloundra MP Jason Hunt said the first part of the line would be an “anchor” for the rest.
“This a once in a generation funding infrastructure transport announcement,” he said.
He said the first stage to Caloundra would include 19km of track, 10 bridges, an overpass over the Bruce Highway, and about 7km of elevated rail over wetlands.
“The construction phase can now get ahead in 2026, to be completed by 2032.
“It’s a massive piece of work.”
Deputy Opposition Leader and Coast MP Jarrod Bleijie said not building the line to Maroochydore ahead of the Olympics amounted to a broken promise.
“Maroochydore and Kawana will miss out, and Caloundra will be consigned to a car park,” he said.
Main Roads director-general Sally Stannard said there would be 500 car park spaces at each station, which was supported by modelling.
Federal Opposition MP Andrew Wallace said while he thanks the commonwealth for the new funding, he said delays added to the price tag.
“And now of course delays in infrastructure costs means billions of dollars in additional costs,” he said.
Trains will ‘revolutionise’ Coast transport
Nine-time Paralympian and Professor of Performance Sport Brendan Burkett said the rail line would make life easier for both athletes and residents come 2032.
“[It] opens up the door of accessibility for everyone in the community,” he said.
“You don’t have to be a Paralympian with mobility issues — young or middle-aged, they now have more accessibility for transport and getting around.
“And having the Games here is just a real bonus.”
Rail advocate Jeff Addison said he welcomed the locked-in funding that would “revolutionise” travel for residents and visitors to the region.
“We’re the only region of our size that doesn’t have a rail line that goes into its heart, and this will start that process,” he said.
“It means people will be able to come from the Gold Coast and Brisbane and get close to our beaches.
“It’ll revolutionise transport here on the Sunshine Coast.”
He said he hoped trains would travel every 15 minutes to ensure they are well used by commuters between Brisbane and the Coast.
“If rail is fast, frequent, and affordable, people will use it,” Mr Addison said.
“At the moment. It’s not really fast, certainly not for people up on the Sunshine Coast.
“So this will go a long way towards improving that”
