Brisbane Cross River Rail to be funded by PPP

The much-debated Cross River Rail transport project in Brisbane will now be funded by a Public Private Partnership (PPP), according to Deputy Premier Jackie Trad.

Spanning 10.2km, the new rail link will cost around AU$5.4bn, will around half of this funding coming from a PPP which will pay for stations and tunnels.

Recently, Infrastructure Australia (AI) produced a damning report into the project, saying it failed to consider other alternatives and fell short on the economic and passenger numbers argument.

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However, the Labor Government was quick to condemn the report, citing numerous errors, including the use of a map that places the city’s central business district on the wrong side of the Brisbane River. The map also invents a suburb called Hill Gate, which is not known to exist.

During a recent briefing at Parliament House, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said it was imperative that industry was on board, with early works for Cross River Rail set to start in September.

“Industry is ready to play its part after my Government committed to fully fund Cross River Rail,” the Premier said. “We are wasting no time - I have been clear that Cross River Rail is happening and that we will deliver this nation building infrastructure project.

“I understand that we need our industry leaders to be ready to act on our tenders and start the flow of jobs which is why we are having our first industry briefing today.”