The state government has committed more than $2.7 billion towards the direct Sunshine Coast rail line in what's being described as the biggest project of its kind in a generation. It'll allow fast travel for commuters from Brisbane to the beach by 2032.
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00:00 It's a big ticket item and the State Government's finally ready to pay up $2.75 billion to make
00:10 Direct Sunshine Coast Rail come to life.
00:13 This is Brisbane to the beach and Caloundra to the CBD.
00:18 The heavy rail connections tip to make the trip 45 minutes faster than by car, taking
00:24 the pressure off a consistently clogged Bruce Highway while accommodating for a rapidly
00:29 growing population.
00:30 By 2046 there will be 600,000 additional people living on the Sunshine Coast.
00:36 So now is the time for us to deliver this project.
00:39 Stage 1 will run from Birwa to Caloundra, but there's no money yet for Stage 2 and 3
00:45 from Caloundra into Mooroochydore that had been part of the big sell for the 2032 Olympic
00:51 Games.
00:52 And to think that we won't have a heavy passenger rail to our city centre is a sick, sad joke.
00:57 I think it's going to end up somewhat of a national embarrassment with transport to the
01:01 Olympics.
01:02 An athlete's satellite village is due to be built in the Mooroochydore CBD, with events
01:07 at Alexandra Headland nearby.
01:09 What are they going to do when the athletes get to Caloundra?
01:12 You know, they're going to bus them up.
01:14 The Federal Government will also need to match the funding of $2.75 billion to ensure Stage
01:20 1 to Caloundra can be built by 2032.
01:23 And this comes at a time when major infrastructure projects are being scrapped due to soaring
01:29 costs.
01:30 Well, I'm not confident under the Labor Government this will happen at all because we've seen
01:33 delay, delay, delay, project blowout by project blowout.
01:36 With our money on the table, sends a really clear signal that we want to get this done.
01:41 Sunshine Coast Direct Rail was first mooted by the State Government in the mid-1990s.
01:45 And, um, yeah, we're still talking about it.
01:49 So we're absolutely confident that we can make this commitment today to deliver for
01:54 the people of the Sunshine Coast.
01:55 Who will be watching and waiting.
01:58 Construction's not due to begin until 2026.
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