Maroochydore railway line

Last updated

Maroochydore line
Maroochydore-railway-line-map.png
Overview
StatusConstruction
Owner Department of Transport and Main Roads
Locale Sunshine Coast
Termini
  • Beerwah
  • Caloundra (Stage 1), Birtinya (Stage 2), Maroochydore (Stage 3)
Stations7 (subject to further planning)
Website tmr.qld.gov.au
Service
System Queensland Rail Citytrain network
Operator(s)Queensland Rail
Technical
Line length37.8 km (23.5 mi)
Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification Yes
Operating speed160 km/h (99 mph)

The Maroochydore railway line, also known as the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line [1] or CAMCOS (Caloundra and Maroochydore Corridor Options Study), is a proposed railway line to the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.

Contents

Planning history

Initial public consultation was conducted in January 1999, with newsletters and displays of aerial photographs. On 31 March 1999, the Minister for Transport & Main Roads, Steve Bredhauer, announced that a route from the existing North Coast line at Beerwah through to Maroochydore had been decided on. [2] The Queensland Government's Connecting SEQ2031 Infrastructure Plan, committed to the proposal, but did not state a completion date. [3] [4] In July 2022, further documentation on the Queensland Government Transport and Main Roads website indicated that planning was continuing. [5]

In July 2007, the City of Caloundra and Queensland Government commissioned a study into the realignment of the proposed corridor in Caloundra South. It was proposed that the corridor should be altered to run west of Golden Beach, and through the Caloundra Airport site. [6]

The construction of a new 14-kilometre double track alignment on the North Coast line from Caboolture to Beerburrum was a key requirement for the project, to improve capacity, [7] [8] with the line scheduled to be duplicated through Beerwah to Landsborough by 2021. [9]

In the 2022 federal budget, the Morrison government announced a commitment of $1.6 billion towards the construction of the line to improve transport facilities for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. The federal government funding was under the condition that the project's budget would be split 50:50 with the Queensland Government. [10]

In 2023, a 37-kilometre line, allowing for speeds of 160 km/h, was being planned. [11]

In November 2023, the federal Transport Minister, Catherine King, announced a cut in funding for the project, citing cost blow-outs and a lack of demand, and the project was put on hold until the cost has been determined. [12]

In February 2024, the Queensland government announced funding of $3 billion for the first stage of the project, from Beerwah to Caloundra. If the federal government provided matching funding, construction could start in 2026 for completion by 2032. [13]

In May 2024, the federal government announced its contribution of $2.75 billion for the first stage of the line to Caloundra. [14]

In March 2025, the Queensland government announced that the planned line would be shortened by 13 km to terminate at Birtinya, with a new bus rapid transit system called "the wave" to Maroochydore and Sunshine Coast Airport. [15]

Stations

2009 proposed stations

The 2009 proposal included eight new stations, and one existing station: [16]

2023 proposed stations

The 2023 proposal included six new stations: [11]

In 2025, the Maroochydore and Mountain Creek stations were eliminated, with the terminus of the line to be at Birtinya. Buses would transport passengers from there to Maroochydore.

Station upgrades as part of the project

References

  1. ↑ "Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line, planning (Department of Transport and Main Roads)". Archived from the original on 10 June 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  2. ↑ "Sunshine Coast Rail Route Announced" Railway Digest May 1999 page 14
  3. ↑ "Caloundra South CAMCOS Realignment study". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 13 August 2007. Retrieved 19 August 2007.
  4. ↑ Connecting SEQ 2031 Archived 27 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine Queensland Government 2011
  5. ↑ "Beerwah to Maroochydore rail extension, planning". Department of Transport and Main Road Qld. 19 July 2022. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  6. ↑ "Transport Planning on the Sunshine Coast, Caloundra South CAMCOS Realignment study" (PDF). Queensland Government. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 19 August 2007.
  7. ↑ Landsborough station upgrade plans revealed Archived 5 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Queensland Government 21 December 2006
  8. ↑ Caboolture to Beerburrum Duplication Queensland Rail
  9. ↑ Caboolture to Landsborough Rail Upgrade Study Archived 23 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine Department of Transport & Main Roads
  10. ↑ Ministers for the Department of Infrastructure, Transport. "Heavy passenger rail on track for Sunshine Coast". Ministers for the Department of Infrastructure. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  11. 1 2 Taylor, Steele (7 August 2023). "160km/h trains, seven stations: direct rail line details revealed". Sunshine Coast News. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  12. ↑ Jones, Ciara (16 November 2023). "Nine Queensland infrastructure projects cancelled, several others have federal funding paused". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 21 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  13. ↑ "'Mega project': Biggest passenger rail line announced for Sunshine Coast". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 25 February 2024. Archived from the original on 9 June 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  14. ↑ Jacques, Owen; Easton, Alex; Howells, Sarah (13 May 2024). "Brisbane-to-Sunshine Coast rail link locked in for Olympics with $5.5b funding". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  15. ↑ "Election promise broken as last stage of Sunshine Coast rail line cut". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 25 March 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  16. ↑ "Maroochydore Station Corridor Study" (PDF). November 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 June 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
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