$305 million of Queensland Rail Infrastructure projects to support 1150 regional jobs

Major rail projects worth almost $305 million are driving a regional rail jobs boom across Queensland. The major rail projects include the North Coast line upgrades, West Moreton bridge upgrades, Toowoomba Range rail tunnels and slope stabilisation works, and the Bundaberg rail re-signalling project.

The North Coast line upgrade will create 580 jobs and will consist of:

• $100 expansion of eight train passing loops between Townsville and Rockhampton
• $46 million for 16 new rail bridges between Townsville and Cairns,
• $40 million for four rail bridges to be replaced between Gympie and Gladstone

The West Moreton bridge upgrade is a $28million project which will will involve replacing 18 old timber bridges between Rosewood and Chinchilla.

The Toowoomba rail tunnels, and slope stabilisation will create 230 jobs for Toowoomba and Brisbane residents alike and will consist of:

• $77 million to lower 11 heritage rail tunnels to allow larger shipping containers to be transported from the region to the Port of Brisbane by train.
• $37 million for a slope stabilisation project that will improve drainage and stability along the line, with upgrades to culverts and embankments near Spring Bluff.

The Bundaberg rail re-signalling project is a $21.8million project which will replace Bundaberg’s rail signalling system with a more modern and reliable system and is set to create about 150 jobs

Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister, Mark Bailey recognises the importance of the above projects in making the state of Queensland more accessible.

Mr Bailey said rail projects across the state were an important feature of the Palaszczuk Government’s $23 billion roads and transport infrastructure investment over the next four years.

“That investment will create 23,500 jobs, of which more that 13,500 will be done by people in regional Queensland,” Mr Bailey said.

“We’ve created a pipeline of projects that will support Queensland construction and other related jobs well into the next decade.

“This state was built on the back of our roads and rail lines, and we’ll continue to invest in them to support our growing population and the communities that rely on them.”