Cross River Rail Project

[Stillwater]

Only 14 more years and all of this will be ours!



Maybe the Queensland Government, as a special budget measure, will assign an avatar to each resident of the state to participate in this virtual reality transport world.   

[ozbob]

Meet me at the station, don't be late ..

I want to see the bright lights tonight ...  whoa!

[Cazza]

Only 14 more years and all of this will be ours!



Maybe the Queensland Government, as a special budget measure, will assign an avatar to each resident of the state to participate in this virtual reality transport world.   

I guess they better start digging then. If they can't, then they could employ some 2 year olds with plastic shovels. Even the kids wouldn't argue as much as the government would when deciding what to do and when!

[dancingmongoose]

I'm 99.99% certain that the social media activity isn't coming from the CRR team but Struber the marketing team they contract.

[Stillwater]

^ Interesting, this crowd seems to have the animated fly-through business sewn up.

http://www.spatialmedia.com.au/project/cross-river-rail

http://www.spatialmedia.com.au/#s-contact

[ozbob]

Each iteration of CRR, a new vid?  Thriving local industry ....

I think that between the Federal and State fudgets if CRR doesn't get a start this time, it is all over red rover.  Despite the vids.

Music selection could be improved too #justsaying   

There are no frontiers at Spatial Media hey? Or RBoT for that matter.  We know no fear ...

[Stillwater]

If the Queensland state government had a personae and that person was a television character, that person would be Arthur Daley of Minder fame – always trying to swing a deal and pull a fix.  When will the fukwytts learn that if you change the scope of the CRR project, or the funding model or the specifications, it affects the business case and a new business case is required?  Make a change and the clock resets to zero as far as the feds are concerned.

It is now clear that in order for the feds to make a firm commitment to CRR, it wants to see a revised business case.

In the Australian newspaper today, the Infrastructure Minister, Darren Chester is quoted as saying:

He rebuked Queensland Premier Anna Palaszczuk for labelling Malcolm Turnbull 'arrogant' and 'gutless' and demanding funding for Cross River Rail when a final plan was yet to be submitted to Canberra to justify funding.  "WE'LL NEED TO SEE THE FINAL BUSINESS CASE FROM THE QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT, ALONG WITH THEIR PLANS TO MAXIMISE PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT," MR CHESTER SAID.

Referring to the Premier's outburst, Mr Chester said: "Her comments were a demonstration of one of the big problems in Australian politics today, and that is the question of respect between elected leaders and the deficit of trust that exists between voters and our members of Parliament."

Queensland has always had a problem getting the costings right.  It was never a problem if the feds paid 100 per cent of the cost because it cost what it cost – and the feds coughed up extra even if the cost went up.  It gets a bit more interesting when we have the 80-20 and the 50-50 split, because the state government knew that the feds would pay 80 or 50 per cent of the project, and cost overruns were managed by 'staging' a project – not building all three or four sections, as intended, but building only two or three to the value of the budgeted money.  The full benefits of the project were never delivered, making the BCR a farce.

The feds were a wake-up to this and now the practice is if the business case says a project is going to cost $1b, the feds say their capped financial contribution is $500m or $800m (50 or 80 per cent).  Under such circumstances, if the price goes up, the state wears the additional cost.  The additional cost is not shared by the feds and the state.

This requires Queensland to be disciplined when it comes to costings.  The game plays out at a political level with state pollies saying 'Queensland is not getting its fair share'.

With CRR, there have been endless fiddles.  The latest involves a change of scope, but the state government is relying on the business case for the project, as configured previously, as being the legitimate business case that applies to the project that has been tinkered with about the edges.  Queensland is saying the changes are not sufficient to change the business case significantly.

What Queensland will have everyone believe is that it wants a fixed amount of money from the feds.  Through the media and social media, it is trying to get the feds to commit to a share of the project cost on the business case that applied to a previous version of the project.  Meanwhile, it has gone about organising private investment and 'value capture' that would reduce the amount of money the state would have to put in, because the private sector will be contributing more than the outdated business case lodged with the feds shows.  In other words, the state wants to keep all the savings it makes from 'the fix' on the latest scoping of CRR.

Mr Chester and the feds are saying that if there is any savings due to the private sector putting in more, then the Commonwealth is due to a cut of those savings commensurate with the percentage of the total project cost it is contributing.

Hence big dummy spit from the Premier and Mr Chester saying another business case is necessary.  If there is any money in the federal budget for CRR, it might be small.  But isn't $800m from the state enough to get going with the first year's worth of construction?

There is a big game of who blinks first going on here.

CRR has been woefully handled at a state level.

[#Metro]

Queensland Government has a very bad record when it comes to cut corners.

I am not sure it can be called ' cut corners '. It is more like chopping the project in half.

Agree that cost explosions should be worn by the State Government. An incentive to get the numbers right.

[ozbob]

The Queensland Government and its transport bureaucracies are inept.



CRR #3 is as dead as a dodo ...

Not really confident that CRR #4 will rise from the ashes either.

[Stillwater]

^ Perhaps that should be the tweet that goes out to everyone.

[Mr X]

If the country blue mob get back in, will we be going back to the future?

[Stillwater]

Crisis by 2016, solution operational by 2020. 

We're back to SHOW US THE MONEY from a state government that has put in a business case, yes, but just not one that relates to what is proposed currently.  Fudged homework from Ms Palaszczuk.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/05/02/qld-calls-action-cross-river-rail

According to the Department of State Development, CRR is currently being assessed by the Coordinator-General. "The Coordinator-General has received an application for project change to the previously approved project."

EIS status: "The Coordinator-General (has) stated a new lapse date for the Coordinator-General's EIS Evaluation Report of 20 December 2017."

31 March – "The Coordinator-General decided to extend the public consultation on the current, revised project."

3 April – 21 April -- Extension to public consultation on project change application.

Project still with Queensland Department of State Development.

There is no up-to-date Business Case for the (yet again) revised project.

Feds are awaiting notification of revised project and business case based on new parameters.

https://www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/assessments-and-approvals/cross-river-rail-project.html

The Business Case the feds have is for the 'reference case project', not the 'changed project' (what's proposed now).

http://eisdocs.dsdip.qld.gov.au/Cross%20River%20Rail/project-change-application/volume-1-request-for-project-change.pdf

See page 22, 4.5. (These claims need to be tested.  The Federal Government is awaiting the underlying data in support of these figures.)

Perhaps next week's budget could quarantine some funds for CRR 'subject to the business case being submitted and stacking up'.  Then there is always next year, if the Qld Govt could just stop recalling and revising this project.

[ozbob]

SBS --> Qld calls for action on Cross River Rail

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk wants the federal government to decide on whether to fund Brisbane's Cross River Rail project.

Queensland's premier is calling for the Turnbull government to quickly decide on whether to fund Brisbane's Cross River Rail project as she called for a greater share of funding in next week's federal budget.

Annastacia Palaszczuk said her government had submitted the full business case months ago but had yet to hear back from the Commonwealth.

"We have a list of priorities that we want for the people of this state, and all we see are roadblocks being put in place by the federal government," the premier said on Tuesday.

The Cross River Rail project has had several setbacks since being first proposed in 2010.

Labor's loss of power in 2012 saw it thrown out and replaced the next year by the Newman government's BaT tunnel, but that plan was itself thrown out by the incoming Palaszczuk government in 2015.

Ms Palaszczuk's demand for a faster funding response continues the war of words between her and prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, which was sparked by differences over disaster relief funding following Cyclone Debbie.

Relations worsened with the federal government flagging funding for a coal-fired power station in north Queensland.

In contrast, the federal Labor opposition on Tuesday announced a $200 million pledge for a new hydro-electric power station at the Burdekin Dam.

The Turnbull government has said the coal station could help many of the people put out of business by the collapse of Queensland Nickel, but Ms Palaszczuk rejected that claim.

"There are a lot more issues to do with Queensland nickel than could be solved by a coal-fired power station," she said.

"We have a solution, to do with hydro and (gas) pipelines, and also opening up the Bowen and Galilee (Basins) for more gas, connecting the east coast with more gas pipelines to drive energy prices down."

Queensland Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls said the Palaszczuk government hadn't committed any funding towards the hydro project.

It has been suggested Ms Palaszczuk's animosity towards Malcolm Turnbull over the issue of power is a way of kick-starting an election campaign, but she said she was "focused on the budget".

The premier reaffirmed her commitment to to go to an election after new electoral boundaries take effect later this year, with the state poll due by early 2018.

[ozbob]

Is Cross River Rail #3 finished?
Sunk by crass polyticks & incompetence
> https://t.co/3p55tUepFl#qldpol #CRRfail #railfail@jackietrad pic.twitter.com/ywPjjwaaRK

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) May 2, 2017

[ozbob]

^^ Mr X.

My view is that if LNP get over the line, BaT is long gone ( the bi-artics plan is well advanced and sensible.  Besides BCC et al have all come out of the closet and said BaT was batshit crazy anyway ..).

CRR is most likely dead though.  They will just opt for ETCS L2 or better and changed operation practices on the rail network.

If I was a young fellow I would #FleeQLD

Perth, Adelaide, or even Melbourne are much better choices for the future IMHO.  House prices have crashed in Perth, good time to move over #justsaying ..

[ozbob]

Neil Scales OBE, DG of #QLD Dept Transport & Main Roads at ARA #Rail #Industry Dinner discusses Cross River Rail is QLD's number 1 project pic.twitter.com/1OyXjjDI1D

— Aust Railway Assoc (@AustRail) May 2, 2017

[ozbob]

Just heard DP Trad and Mr Albanese waxing lyrical about CRR on Macquarie Radio News and that this forthcoming budget is a real test for the Federal Government if they are really fair dinkum about infrastructure.  Ms Trad made the comment that CRR can commence this year if funded.

[ozbob]

 ^^ Cross River Rail was IA number one priority once ... just saying ..

[ozbob]

It is unlikely that CRR will be funded because according to IA it is only a ' High Priority Initiative ' .

High Priority and Priority Projects are much more likely to be funded and supported in the end.

Cross River Rail is not in the race - still languishing at ' High Priority Initiatives ' ...  hey ho ..

http://infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/policy-publications/publications/Infrastructure-Priority-List.aspx

The Infrastructure Priority List, Project and Initiative Summaries

>> http://infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/policy-publications/publications/files/Australian-Infrastructure-Plan-2017.pdf

To be funded it would need to make the High Priority Project list IMHO.

[ozbob]

Want to get home faster? Cross River Rail will mean more trains, more often. We need #crossriverrail pic.twitter.com/dgYGnG30BO

— CrossRiverRail (@CrossRiverRail) May 3, 2017

[ozbob]

@COBrienBris @TurnbullMalcolm @abcnews #CRR is backed by a $7M, 2k page business case, led by Building Qld & ind reviewed - time to stop talking & start building #budget17 @AlboMP

— Jackie Trad (@jackietrad) May 3, 2017

[ozbob]

^

@jackietrad @COBrienBris @TurnbullMalcolm @abcnews @AlboMP Why is CRR only a ' high priority initiative ' on IA priority list? To be sure of funding needs to be a ' high priority project ' ? ?#CRR

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) May 3, 2017

[ozbob]

With @jackietrad in #Brisbane calling for #Budget2017 to fund Cross River Rail - cut in 2014 budget #fundsnotselfies pic.twitter.com/iQfOebMbd8

— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) May 3, 2017

Standing next to Campbell Newman, Tony Abbott kills off Cross River Rail, June 2013. #qldpol https://t.co/5Ji1WtzK64 https://t.co/WSDuyRSyiI

— David Marler (@Qldaah) May 3, 2017

[SurfRail]

The Federal Government never listens to IA anyway.  May be a blessing in disguise, albeit bad policy, if they decide to follow form and just chuck us some money.

[ozbob]

The Federal Government never listens to IA anyway.  May be a blessing in disguise, albeit bad policy, if they decide to follow form and just chuck us some money.

Which is why I guess Oz will never really get anywhere significant transport wise. 

Don't forget Cross River Rail was once the top priority IA project once.  Politics saw the end to that.

The Inland rail will be spruiked up. CRR might get some contingent concessional loan funding at best. 

The Queensland Government should just go for it.  Borrow as needed. 

[ozbob]

Tensions rising: Feds threatening to quarantine Qld gas while refusing to guarantee full cross-river rail funding. #qldpol #auspol https://t.co/47istjr4SN

— David Marler (@Qldaah) May 3, 2017

[ozbob]

Queensland quickly becoming more of a political play thing in war of words between Premier and PM. @ShaneDoherty9 #9News pic.twitter.com/J38vbrzUg8

— Nine News Queensland (@9NewsQueensland) May 3, 2017

[BrizCommuter]

Tim "Newman Mk2" Nicholls is still rather quiet on CRR!

[ozbob]

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> With federal money, Cross River Rail work could start this year: Trad

The Queensland government is calling on the federal government to match its funding of the Cross River Rail project for Brisbane in next week's federal budget.

The Palaszczuk government has committed $850 million to the project, and is calling on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to at least match that funding.

Deputy Premier Jackie Trad said with that level of funding work could start this year, but otherwise the project could be delayed even further.

"This project is a no-brainer to lift congestion, it's a no-brainer for our economy to lift productivity and it's a no-brainer to setting up Brisbane to be a global city in the 21st century," Ms Trad said.

"The ultimate test of whether the Turnbull government isn't just talk on infrastructure is whether there will be a capital expenditure line-item in the upcoming federal budget for Cross River Rail."

Last week Ms Trad told Fairfax Media the Cross River Rail project "would generate $70 billion over 40 years."

The Cross River Rail project has had several setbacks since being first proposed in 2010.

Labor's loss of power in 2012 saw it thrown out and replaced the next year by the Newman government's BaT tunnel, but that plan was itself thrown out by the incoming Palaszczuk government in 2015.

Mr Turnbull on Tuesday reaffirmed his commitment to the project, but only after a full business case had been completed.

"We have provided $10 million towards a proper business case and analysis of the project, so that the planning can be brought up to the right level," he said.

"We are committed to doing that and we are taking it one step at a time in a methodical, consistent way."

However the business case was given to the Turnbull Government in 2016 and now changes - updating the original Cross River Rail project to the 2016-17 version - have recently finished the public comment stage.

The $10 million from the federal government is allowing the planning for this stage of the work, plus tying the project to Brisbane City Council's new Metro project.

[ozbob]

 

The Queensland Government and its ' yes Minister ' Transport bureaucrats are not only incompetent, they are embarrassing ...

[ozbob]

.@jackietrad @AnnastaciaMP @TMRQld @TransLinkSEQ @QueenslandRail @brisbanetimes @QuestNewspapers @qld_times @JoAnnMillerMP Cross River Rail is going nowhere ... utter incompetence!
> https://t.co/szuFtXm6PS#qldpol pic.twitter.com/DLdhDu3pyO

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) May 3, 2017

[tazzer9]

The Qld Govt should start building and funding it now.    Then play hard for funds in the meantime.

[ozbob]

The Qld Govt should start building and funding it now.    Then play hard for funds in the meantime.

Yep. Borrow the dough and do it.

[Stillwater]

"Ms Trad made the comment that CRR can commence this year if funded."

Is Ms Trad saying that more than $850m is required in Year 1 to fund all the construction activity that would occur in that 12-month period?

She should order a start on construction, using state committed funds, while her bureaucrats sort out the business case.

The completed business case to which she refers is for the 'reference' or 'legacy' Cross River Rail Project that would have cost $8b and was designed to a different standard and scope to that now proposed.

The project has been rescoped and the BCR lowered.  The new design is the 'changed design' project.
The finance model has changed also.

The is no business case for the revised project and that is the point the feds are making.

Where is the revised business case?  If there is a business case for the 'change project', Ms Trad should release it.  Politicians should get out of the way of this project.

[ozbob]

There is no getting past this basic fact.  Cross River Rail is neither a high priority project or priority project. 

It is only a high priority initiative in IA parlance.

The fact is nothing much was done by Govt for a year or so, and it was always then behind the deadlines.

Little wonder the Feds have their doubts .. suggesting the Feds are not doing their part is not really correct. 

Queensland has botched it yet again.

Facts speak for themselves.

It is unlikely that CRR will be funded because according to IA it is only a ' High Priority Initiative ' .

High Priority and Priority Projects are much more likely to be funded and supported in the end.

Cross River Rail is not in the race - still languishing at ' High Priority Initiatives ' ...  hey ho ..

http://infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/policy-publications/publications/Infrastructure-Priority-List.aspx

The Infrastructure Priority List, Project and Initiative Summaries

>> http://infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/policy-publications/publications/files/Australian-Infrastructure-Plan-2017.pdf

To be funded it would need to make the High Priority Project list IMHO.

[ozbob]

[Mr X]

Where is the revised business case?  If there is a business case for the 'change project', Ms Trad should release it.  Politicians should get out of the way of this project.

If there is no business case for CRR-lite then that is very damning indeed.

[ozbob]

Nine News --> Cross River Rail key budget issue for Qld

Building a rail bridge is proving just as difficult as building a political bridge for the Queensland and federal governments ahead of the federal budget, with a fight continuing over funding for the Cross River Rail project.

The on-again, off-again proposal for a second rail crossing over the Brisbane River, first mooted in 2010, looks like it may be delayed again.

Queensland's Labor government has this week been calling on the Turnbull government to "at least" match its commitment of $850 million to the $5.4 billion Cross River Rail project in Tuesday's budget.

However the prime minister, while saying he was committed to the project, seemingly brushed aside the request on Wednesday and insisted "methodical, consistent" planning was needed.

Another battleground for the Palaszczuk government and the federal Coalition is the issue of power for north Queensland.

The state has proposed a hydro-electricity plant while the Commonwealth and the state Liberal National Party opposition have thrown their weight behind a coal-fired power station proposal.

The federal Labor opposition has committed $200 million towards the Burdekin Dam hydro scheme if elected.

Queensland state schools are expected to receive an additional $542 million in funding over four years under the federal government's education reforms.

But the state government has raised concerns the bulk of the money has been allocated for the end of the 10-year plan.

It is seeking certainty for several initiatives due to expire in the near future, including early childhood education and remote indigenous housing.

The state is also seeking funds relating to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, white spot disease plaguing the prawn industry and housing affordability reform.

QUEENSLAND'S KEY FEDERAL BUDGET WISHLIST

- At least $850 million for Cross River Rail

- Equal or greater funding for education and health

- Funding and support for a gas pipeline and more exploration of the Bowen and Galilee basins

- Funding and support for a hydro-power plant in North Queensland over a proposed coal-fired power station

" Building a rail bridge is proving just as difficult as building a political bridge for the Queensland and federal governments ahead of the federal budget, with a fight continuing over funding for the Cross River Rail project. ... " < Bless 

[Stillwater]

IA has placed CRR in the 'high priority initiative' category because that is the highest level to which it can be elevated without an up-to-date business case.  To get it to the next level requires the Queensland Government to put in a revised business case.

Once again, Queensland has reverted to political pressure and, now, social media tweets  to get this thing across the line.  The feds are able to pluck any number of project proposals from the 'construction ready' basket, relating to infrastructure projects in other states, with higher BCRs so long as CRR languishes at the 'high priority initiative' level, due to the inability for the state government to get its act together.

That's not being 'unfair' to Queensland, or ignoring Queensland.  What's needed is for Queensland to get its act together and abandon the 'political fix' as being the way forward.

Remember all the brouhaha after Cyclone Debbie when the state government accused the feds of not releasing disaster relief funding?  The state did not do the necessary paperwork!  The Deputy PM pleaded with Queensland to get the paperwork done and even threatened to send Commonwealth bureaucrats to Queensland to do the job.

Queensland finally sent the paperwork in before Easter (initially with the name of the Cyclone shown as 'Marcia', because they dredged up an old application and cut and paste  ).  Federal bureaucrats were ordered to work through Easter to process the late application.  The disaster relief funds flowed after Easter.