AUSTRALIA: The Queensland state government has committed an initial A$2·75bn to help deliver the first phase of the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line project.
Stage 1 would see the construction of a 19 km double-track line designed for 160 km/h operation. This would diverge from the existing Brisbane – Rockhampton main line at Beerwah, north of Caboolture, and run east to Caloundra. The cost has been estimated at between A$5·5bn and A$7bn. A business case has been submitted to Infrastructure Australia, and the federal government has already committed A$1·6bn.
It is hoped that the first stage could be operational in time for the 2032 Olympic & Paralympic Games, which are to take place in and around Brisbane.
An alignment will also be protected for subsequent stages of the planned corridor, which would extend the branch to Birtinya and Maroochydore, taking it to a total length of 37·8 km.
The fast-growing Sunshine Coast region is forecast to be home to 600 000 people by 2046, with most of the population growth expected to be concentrated along the first stage of the line.
‘A direct rail connection to the Sunshine Coast will unlock thousands of homes in the growing Sunshine Coast region and accelerate the release of new, affordable developments’, explained Queensland Premier Steven Miles on February 25. ‘Without the rail line, that development would bring an unmanageable level of congestion to the local road network, making this connection essential for new housing to be brought forward.’
