Media commentary: Sunshine Coast Business Council Chair, Sandy Zubrinich

“For more than two decades, successive governments have repeatedly promised to deliver heavy rail between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast — yet here we are, still debating the viability of this transformative infrastructure investment while our region waits for action.

“From the former Beattie ALP government’s Transport Minister Paul Lucas committing $480 million in 2005 to deliver rail into Caloundra by 2015 extending into Maroochydore by 2020, to the various LNP candidates making the same pledge as recently as the 2024 election, this vital infrastructure has been used as a political bargaining chip for far too long.

“When we secured the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in July of 2021, a rail connection between Brisbane and the South East Queensland regions of the Gold Coast, Toowoomba and the Sunshine Coast, was touted as a key legacy outcome as a result of hosting the Games. Finally, we had a definitive date to work towards, and 13 years to deliver – a timeline that the experts confirmed was achievable.

“Fast forward to 2024 — yes, another three years of valuable delivery time had passed — and after more than two decades of advocacy and planning, the delivery of Stage 1 of the heavy rail connection between Brisbane and Caloundra by 2032 was finally announced by the Miles Labor State Government in February with a funding commitment of $2.75 billion.  This was after Federal Members Ted O’Brien and Andrew Wallace secured an initial $1.6 billion in federal funding in 2022. Further funding was later committed by the Albanese Federal Labor Government in May last year taking the Federal commitment to $2.75 billion.

“Since then, the project has again faced significant cost reassessments, with the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) now estimating Stage 1 — the 19km dual track extending the rail from Beerwah to Caloundra — will cost between $5 billion and $7billion. Despite this increased cost, this stage has been committed to and funded and should therefore be delivered without further delays.

“Delivering heavy rail all the way from Brisbane to the Maroochydore City Centre was after all an election promise made by the LNP in the lead-up to the last state election in October 2024.

“Now, the new LNP State Government is conducting a 100-day Review of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which called for community submissions by 10 January.

“For the Sunshine Coast Business Council (SCBC), our submission was clear: the heavy rail link between Brisbane and the Maroochydore City Centre must be delivered before the Games, as promised.

“Our advocacy is not about specific transport modes; it is about securing the best transport outcomes for our growing region. As representatives of more than 4,000 businesses through our membership base, the SCBC’s role is to advocate for their needs, not to determine the transport modes required. This should be left to TMR, the expert body responsible for planning, which has consistently determined that heavy rail is the appropriate solution. Since 2016, the SCBC has hosted numerous forums and conferences with leading transport experts who have independently supported this direction, emphasising the global shift away from road-based infrastructure towards rail as cities worldwide develop integrated transit networks.

“However, recently a new community advocacy group introduced some uncertainty about the preferred transport mode into this review process. Their submission, citing unnamed international experts, purports that the cost of the heavy rail could nearly double from $12 billion to more than $20 billion. The group’s alternative proposal suggests a combination of heavy rail between Brisbane and Beerwah, with a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system between Beerwah and the Maroochydore City Centre as a ‘cost-effective’ solution.

“We would question that if BRT were truly the best solution, why has this not been raised by TMR over the past decade? With the Games fast approaching, it seems late in the process to be introducing new unproven alternatives that could further delay much-needed rail infrastructure. We also understand that the $2.75 billion federal funding that has been allocated for this project was specifically for rail projects, and not for rapid bus transport.

“While BRT may prove to be more cost-effective (and this is yet to be substantiated) relying on buses for the crucial 35-kilometre connection between Beerwah and the Maroochydore City Centre, even with a dedicated lane, is far from a world-class transit solution.

“The Sunshine Coast needs a state-of-the-art, integrated urban transport system — one that connects Brisbane inter-regionally with key locations such as the Sunshine Coast Airport, University of the Sunshine Coast, and the Sunshine Coast University Hospital. We believe BRT has a role to play, but it’s in connecting the Maroochydore City Centre to each of these key locations and other regional locations — the so-called ‘last mile’.

“Our answer is clear: the Sunshine Coast needs heavy rail — by 2032, we must have Stage 1 and 2 completed to deliver a rail connection between Brisbane and Birtinya, at the very least. We have significant master-planned communities, such as Aura, and Australia’s largest greenfield CBD in the Maroochydore City Centre, that have been designed with the long-promised rail link in mind. As for Stage 3 into the Maroochydore City Centre, we understand there are budgetary considerations so allowance should be made now for delivery by the mid-2030s, or at the very latest, by the end of that decade.

“Two decades of promises and political manoeuvring have left our region waiting while our population grows, and our transport needs become more urgent. With only seven years remaining, there is no more room for delays, debates or half-measures. This is a defining moment — one that requires leadership, commitment, and the resolve to finally deliver on long-standing promises.”  

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About the Sunshine Coast Business Council

Sunshine Coast Business Council is the leading regional business advocacy group on the Sunshine Coast representing approximately 4,000 businesses through its membership, which includes key national and regional industry groups and their members as well as national and regional businesses.

Its membership base represents a range of sectors including tourism, property, construction, retail, banking and financial services, telecommunications and professional services.

To find out more, please visit www.scbusinesscouncil.com.au.