Infrastructure Australia - articles discussion

[ozbob]

Looks like some major announcements might be coming ...

From the Courier Mail click here!

Queensland's Bruce Highway to get $2.2 billion upgrade

Queensland's Bruce Highway to get $2.2 billion upgrade
Article from: AAP

April 26, 2009 11:14am

THE Bruce Highway will get a $2.2 billion upgrade as part of the largest federal roads and rail investment in Australia's history, worth about $26.4 billion.

The agreement, which was foreshadowed at the February meeting of the Council of Australian Governments, includes federal funding for 120 road and 26 rail projects over six years.

The key projects include the Pacific Highway, NSW, ($2.5 billion), the Bruce Highway, Queensland, ($2.2 billion) and Western Ring Road, Victoria ($900 million).

"We are spending more on rail in 18 months than the previous Government spent in 12 years," Federal Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese told Channel 9.

Original list of rail projects and bus Infrastructure Australia

Infrastructure proposals for prioritisation
http://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/files/A_Report_to_the_Council_of_Australian_Governments.pdf
Page 68

Adelaide Urban freight ? Goldwood and Torres Junctions    Adelaide    SA    $415m    
East-West Rail freight corridor    VIC/SA/WA    ARTC    $554m    
Gippsland Coal Industries transport Infrastructure  Rail    Vic    VIC    $NA    
Hunter Valley Corridor Rail Strategy    NSW    ARTC    $1.68b    
Mount Isa Rail Corridor Upgrades    Mt Isa to Townsville    QLD    $1b    
North-South Rail freight corridor    VIC/NSW/QLD    ARTC    $7.2b    
Northern Sydney Rail Freight Corridor    NSW    NSW    $4.075b    
Newcastle-Dubbo Rail Freight link    NSW    DoITARS    $24m    
Brisbane Inner City Rail Capacity Upgrade    Brisbane    QLD    $14b    
CBD Metro    Sydney    NSW    $4.8b    
Extension of Passenger Rail Services to Seaford    Adelaide    SA    $456m    
Geelong Growth Package    Geelong    VIC    $94.6m    
Gold Coast Rapid Transport    Gold Coast    QLD    $850m    
Light Rail for the ACT d   Canberra    ACT    $2.95b    
Melton Duplication and Electrification to Bacchus Marsh il / Roa   Melbourne    VIC    $NA    
Northbridge rail cutting link rban Ra   Perth    WA    $263m    
Regional Rail Express Line    Melbourne    VIC    $3.8b    
East-West rail Tunnel    Melbourne    VIC    $3.5b    
or Southern Cross Platform 15 & 16 Activation us    Melbourne    VIC    $155m    
West Metro il / B   Sydney    NSW    $8.1b    
Urban RaGawler Rail line re-sleepering and electrification (formerly Adelaide?s Future Public Transport Network)    Adelaide    SA    $2.19b    
North-South Corridor ? Darlington Transport Project    Adelaide    SA    $750m    
Eastern Busway (Stage 2)    Brisbane    QLD    $680m    
Eastern Busway (Stage 3)    Brisbane    QLD    $140m    
Darra to Ipswich Transport Corridor    Brisbane/Ipswich    QLD    $3.8b    
Very Fast Train (VFT)    VIC/ACT/NSW    ACT    $32-59b    

[O_128]

Is it jsut me or is 14b a lot of money compared to Sydney 4b$ metro

[Jon Bryant]

14 billion does seem high but it is great to see significant investment in urban and freight rail. 

I think the following road projects in Queensland should be re-though and the investment directed to rail:

- Kingsford Smoith Drive
- All the Gateway Upgrade projects
- Northern Link
- Fully Controlled Motorway (whatever that is???)
- Bruce Highway Upgrade (Coory to Curra)
- Port of Brisbane

This would free up almost 13 billion for further rail (light and heavy) investment.

I note the VFT is also listed.

The list is for prioritisation I hope the weighting comes out on the rail side.

[stephenk]

This news story from the CM website is pretty poor journalism. It doesn't actually appear to be breaking any new announcements, and then neglects to list the infrastructure projects.

I wonder if the $14b price tag of the Brisbane Inner City Rail Capacity Upgrade is inclusive of all infrastructure projects outlined across the QR CityTrain network, or just for the tunnel portion of the project?

[O_128]

This news story from the CM website is pretty poor journalism. It doesn't actually appear to be breaking any new announcements, and then neglects to list the infrastructure projects.

I wonder if the $14b price tag of the Brisbane Inner City Rail Capacity Upgrade is inclusive of all infrastructure projects outlined across the QR CityTrain network, or just for the tunnel portion of the project?

you may be right doesn't the SEQ posters on trains actually say 14b$

[Arnz]

14 billion does seem high but it is great to see significant investment in urban and freight rail. 

I think the following road projects in Queensland should be re-though and the investment directed to rail:

- Bruce Highway Upgrade (Coory to Curra)

I would suggest NOT omitting the upgrade for that part of the Bruce Highway upgrade.  That section is known for it's high death toll for a reason.

[Jon Bryant]

I don't question it is a horror stretch but with a $6.2 billion price tag I just question wether that money can be better spent and still reduce the death toll.  For example for 3 billion the Inland Railway could be built and this is expected to take something well over 50% or 60% of interstate trucks off the roads between Melbourne and Gladstone.  What would such a reduction have on the fatalities on the road.

Building bigger roads only encourages more people to drive, more freight to tarvel by roads and thus death on roads are even harder to reduce.  Have the alternatives been assessed and the best option selected.  The IA report comments that most projects put forward did not include a comparison of alternatives.   

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Brisbane busway project firming in Budget speculation

Brisbane busway project firming in Budget speculation
Tony Moore
April 29, 2009 - 5:23AM

Brisbane's Eastern Busway project - a scheme to replace traffic on Old Cleveland Road with buses, and run them through Buranda, Coorparoo and Camp Hill - is emerging as an early favourite for the Federal Government's Building Australia Fund.

It runs through Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's electorate of Griffith, and construction of the first stage from Buranda to Coorparoo starts mid-2009. Design work has already been completed for the next stages.

The State Government has already allocated $460 million for Stage One and has asked for $680 million for Stage Two.

Last year Premier Anna Bligh said the project could be pushed ahead if Building Australia funds were available.

"Further stages of the Eastern Busway are ready for immediate delivery should funding become available under the Commonwealth Government's Building Australia Fund," she said in August.

The 18km Eastern Busway is planned to be pushed out through Camp Hill and out to Capalaba over 10 years.

It would carry 7000 passengers in the morning peak hour.

In Brisbane yesterday, Infrastructure Australia chairman Sir Rod Eddington would not prioritise or identify the final Queensland projects that had been recommended to the Federal Government, after speaking at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) lunch.

However the busway meets the guidelines of what he described as a "shovel ready" project, and falls within the budget allowed by the rapidly diminishing Building Australia Fund, now at $12.5 billion Australia-wide.

Sir Eddington pointed out that projects in cities had major benefits to their states' economies, citing that 75 per cent of Australians lived in cities.

"Making our cities work better has to be a key priority - not just to the cities themselves - but also to the region and to the outlying rural communities," he said.

"If our cities don't work properly, then our country doesn't work properly."

The list of projects submitted for initial scrutiny in December included Brisbane's fledgling Inner City Rail Study, Brisbane City Council's Kingsford Smith Road widening project, the next stage of the Eastern Busway and the Darra to Springfield transport corridor.

Port projects in Central Queensland were also identified.

The successful projects could be identified either at Thursday's Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting or - more likely - as part of the May 12 Federal Budget.

While $20 billion for the Building Australia Fund was identified in last year's Federal Budget, the slowing economy has slashed the funds available to about $12.5 billion, to be divided amongst all states.

Now Sir Eddington says states will have to contribute more and projects will be slower to deliver.

"The bottom line is that of the $12.5 billion we in the Building Australia Fund will almost certainly - and at the end of the day this is the government's call, not ours - put $4.5 billion into broadband," he said.

"So, then there is the question of what matching funding can the states provide, what role will the government want the private sector to have in this, and what subsequent funds will the government be able to commit to the building strategy."

Sir Eddington said Infrastructure Australia had developed a "pipeline of projects" over a longer time frame, but suggested projects would be delayed.

"But that doesn't mean that the projects are anything but the right projects, but it may determine the time over which they can be delivered," he said.

He said there were Queensland projects in both the "shovel ready" and "to be further explored" lists. Sources have suggested Brisbane's underground rail project might receive funds for further research.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Qld needs infrastructure funds from budget: Bligh

Qld needs infrastructure funds from budget: Bligh
May 2, 2009 - 6:52PM

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh will be looking for some serious money for infrastructure projects out of the upcoming federal budget, while paid maternity leave is not such a priority.

Ms Bligh's budget wish list for Queensland is money for roads, rail, schools, ports and hospitals.

"I know that here in Queensland the priority that people talk to me about is infrastructure," Ms Bligh told reporters in Longreach, in outback Queensland, today.

There is speculation about whether the budget will include paid maternity leave.

Tough economic times have forced the government to reconsider some of its promises, including the maternity plan.

When asked about whether maternity leave should go ahead or be delayed, Ms Bligh said Queenslanders understood the economic reality facing the country.

"I think Queenslanders like other Australians understand that the global financial crisis has made the economic reality for governments at all levels ... a lot tougher."

She returned repeatedly to the infrastructure theme, saying people knew funding in this area would create jobs.

Ms Bligh would not be drawn on whether a delay in paid maternity leave would be acceptable, saying she would wait and see what was in the budget.

The government had reacted favourably to a proposal for 18 weeks paid parental leave paid at the minimum wage of $544 a week, but appears to have cooled on the idea since the economic crisis hit.

The federal budget will be handed down in less than a fortnight.

AAP

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Heavy rail freight link for Brisbane: report

Heavy rail freight link for Brisbane: report
May 9, 2009 - 7:02PM

The federal government should have spent funds on infrastructure instead of splashing money around in stimulus payments which had been ineffective, Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull says.

The federal government will invest more than $25 billion in key rail, road and port projects, according to a budget leak in The Australian newspaper.

The spending is reported to include a major heavy rail freight corridor linking Melbourne and Brisbane.

The existing $8.4 billion Building Australia Fund will be emptied to pay for the program while the remainder is expected to be funded through borrowings, state government contributions and partnerships with the Australian Rail Track Corporation.

Mr Turnbull said if the report was correct, the infrastructure spend was welcome, at long last.

"It's been almost impossible to understand why the government has been spending so much money on cash splashes and not putting money into infrastructure such as roads, rail and ports," Mr Turnbull told reporters in Sydney.

"At the same time, we see Mr (Treasurer Wayne) Swan has said that in light of the economic situation, the government is going to be reviewing its policies.

"Well we all know that if the government hadn't spent so much money so recklessly, particularly on the cash splashes, they would have a lot more flexibility in this budget."

Mr Turnbull said some infrastructure projects, like the F3 link in the NSW lower hunter region, had been ready to go 18 months ago with funding set aside by the previous government.

"Imagine if the $23 billion in cash splashes had been spent on economic infrastructure," he said.

"Then you would have seen not only thousands of jobs created here and now in the construction, but you would have seen us building a platform, a foundation, for strong economic recovery."

Mr Turnbull said the government would be keeping more of its election promises if it didn't now need to claw back money it had wasted on the stimulus payments.

"Mr Swan is breaking promises, and what I think is remarkable is Mr Rudd hasn't had the courage to go out himself and say that," he said.

"Look at what they've done with the private health insurance rebate, that is the most crystal clear broken promise you can imagine.

"And that's just one, I fear there will be many."

Mr Turnbull said no other Australian government had borrowed and spent so much money to little effect.

He also took aim at the government saying the budget deficit, predicted to last seven years, would be "temporary".

He said World War II lasted less time than that and no one had considered it a temporary war.

"When the Labor Party talks about things being temporary, it's really code for saying a very long time," he said.

AAP

[ozbob]

From the Sunday Mail 10th May 2009 page 4

Major boost anticipated for southeast's railway network

[mufreight]

The construction of the Inland Rail link is long overdue but one must question the route between the border and Brisbane.
Routing the line via Toowoomba makes it some 80 kilometres longer and will disadvantage rail in competion with road by almost an hour in running times when compared with the more direct route via Warwick connecting with the existing standard gauge line into Brisbane near the proposed Bromelton industeral area.

[SteelPan]

Inland Rail deserves a serious go...
To read latest ARTC work on Inland Corridor Study see artc.com.au for initial study results released this past week.

[Jon Bryant]

The inland railway will revolutionise transport in this country.  It is predicted to remove 900 trucks off the roads every day.  That alone is a good return on the money invested.

The reason it goes to Toowoomba is so it links up with the Surat Basin Railway and trains can bypass Brisbane/Sunshine Coast rail line and head towards/from Gladstone.  The Gladstone Port is able to handle vastly more inports/exports than Brisbane and is easier to access by ship. 

Toowoomba/Bromleton/north Brisbane site (?) then operate as a dry port for Brisbane or Gladstone.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Brisbane, Gold Coast tipped for budget bonanza

Brisbane, Gold Coast tipped for budget bonanza
Tony Moore
May 12, 2009 - 5:52AM

Brisbane will win funding for its planned underground rail line in tonight's Federal Budget while the Gold Coast will gain financial support for a "rapid transit" light rail project, a Queensland's engineering lobby groups has predicted.

In addition, health spending will allow nine GP super clinics to be built and Queensland will receive a significant contribution towards the required $100 million to install boom gates at dangerous rail crossings.

The Queensland branch of the engineering lobby group CEDA - the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia - said it expected federal money to push Brisbane's underground rail project to the next level.

A fortnight ago, CEDA hosted a Brisbane function where the guest speaker was Infrastructure Australia chairman Sir Rod Eddington.

As the Federal Government's advisory, Infrastructure Australia has prioritised major projects from each state, which will be competing for funds in the Federal Budget, including these two projects.

The Government will inject $25 billion in infrastructure spending in tonight's budget to fight unemployment as the national economy stalls, while the federal deficit could grow to around $60 billion.

Queensland and the ACT were the only two regions where unemployment grew in the April jobs figures released last week.

Queensland' job-loss rate rose from 4.8 per cent to 4.9 per cent in April, but remained below the national average of 5.4 per cent.

CEDA state director David Edwards said the lobby group strongly backed the Gold Coast's rapid transit light rail project, and was seeking $850 million from tonight's budget.

"Based on our research and analysis we think it make a lot of sense to put some significant funding into some large public transport infrastructure projects," Mr Edwards said.

"Queensland is well placed because we have several projects where there is significant planning work already undertaken.

"We also think that other public transport infrastructure projects, such as the Brisbane underground rail, would be worthy of further investigation."

Premier Anna Bligh released a preliminary report in October 2008 for a project estimated to cost $14.2 billion, identifying future underground stations at Spring Hill, Brisbane's CBD, West End, Woolloongabba and the RNA Showgrounds.

Mr Edwards said while the project was not ready for construction, federal grants could push it ahead. The underground rail project is planned to be started by 2012.

He also earmarked bottlenecks at Queensland ports as a potential problem area requiring funds.

The coal port of Abbot Point near Bowen is also seeking $1.75 billion from Infrastructure Australia for expansion.

Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche said the resources sector could create jobs.

"Relatively modest and well-targeted investments in key areas such as industry infrastructure, R&D and carbon capture and storage projects would create jobs and support the sectors export potential, especially as India's and China's economies are defying the world trend and still growing," he said.

Queensland will also receive a large share of the $100 million expected for rail crossing boom gates and of the $275 million Australia-wide set aside to build nine GP Super Clinics in Queensland.