Reduced Cross River Rail recommended
28 June 2012An expert panel appointed to review the Cross River Rail project has recommended that a scaled-back version moves ahead, a Queensland government offical announced last week. Priority delivery of 'core' work followed by northern and southern surface works are now being considered.
The 'core' Cross River Rail project includes construction of two running tunnels from Yeerongpilly in the south to Victoria Park in the north, under the CBD and Brisbane River; four new underground stations at Woolloongabba, Boggo Road, Albert Street and Roma Street; and connections to the existing northern and southern rail network.
In the announcement, Scott Emerson, the minister for transport and main roads said, "The panel concluded that the full Cross River Rail project was beyond the scope required to address the immediate rail capacity problem from the southern side of the river."
The new proposal, costed at nearly AUD 4.5bn (USD 4.53bn), no longer includes upgrades to other existing rail stations and removes plans to boost freight capacity south of the city, changes estimated to save between AUD 2bn (USD 2bn) and AUD 3.9bn (USD 3.93bn) compared with previous costings. Previous plans carried a price tag of up to AUD 8.3bn (8.36bn) at one stage.
"The same result could be achieved by delivering the core of the original proposal, involving two tunnels between Yeerongpilly and Victoria Park," Emerson added.
Additional short-term solutions to increase capacity on the rail network are also being considered. This will ensure rail capacity in the inner city is maintained until Cross River Rail is delivered.
The department of transport and main roads is now preparing a submission for Cabinet to consider and will continue to seek funding from the Federal Government for the project.
