Passenger Rail

Tudge rules out funding for ‘necessary’ Cross River Rail

Australia’s new minister for cities has stood pat on the Coalition’s vow to not fund Brisbane’s Cross River Rail project, despite conceding the project looks “necessary”.

Alan Tudge, named cities minister by new PM Scott Morrison in late August, visited Brisbane on Tuesday to promote the $5 billion in federal money being spent on Queensland infrastructure, including major upgrades to the M1.

But asked by ABC Radio Brisbane host Rebecca Levingston whether any funding could find its way to Cross River Rail, Tudge toed the party line.

“Listen, I don’t have a problem with the Cross River Rail,” Tudge said. “It [inaudible] like it’s a necessary project but the state government has fully funded it, so they don’t need a federal contribution.”

Queensland’s Labor Government campaigned heavily for a federal contribution to Cross River Rail, a 10.2-kilometre rail line between Dutton Park and Bowen Hills with four new high-capacity underground stations in Brisbane’s city centre.

But when Infrastructure Australia said the latest iteration of the project didn’t pass its cost-benefit standards, the Turnbull Government confirmed its intentions not to supply that funding.

The Queensland Government nonetheless decided to go ahead with the project, and has said it will fully fund it without federal assistance.

Despite the state no doubt remaining open to the idea of federal funding, Tudge’s position is that the matter is now closed for discussion.

“When a project is fully funded then, it’s fully funded. They don’t need a federal contribution,” Tudge said.

“We’ve got massive federal contributions towards other big infrastructure projects here in Brisbane,” he said. “That’s where our focus is.”