Sunshine Coast Rail project advances as federal funding secured

The Sunshine Coast Rail project — which will build a 37-kilometre rail line from Beerwah to Maroochydore providing the first direct heavy rail connection to the Sunshine Coast's urban core — has secured full federal government funding commitment, enabling the Queensland government to finalise the project's business case for cabinet approval and proceed to detailed design and environmental impact assessment.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey confirmed the federal funding contribution of $3.3 billion — the Commonwealth's share of the $5.5 billion project — at a Maroochydore press conference alongside federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King, describing the joint commitment as "the largest infrastructure investment in the Sunshine Coast's history."

The rail line will connect Maroochydore to the existing North Coast rail network at Beerwah, providing Sunshine Coast residents with direct train services to Brisbane through Caboolture and through the existing coastal rail alignment, reducing travel times to Brisbane by up to 30 minutes compared to current bus and road options.

The Sunshine Coast Council and Sunshine Coast Economic Council have been the primary advocates for the rail project for more than a decade, arguing that the region's growing population — projected to reach 500,000 by 2030 — required heavy rail connectivity that buses could not provide and that the congestion on the Bruce Highway and the Sunshine Motorway was already creating the productivity losses and liveability impacts that would worsen significantly without a mode shift to rail.

Construction is expected to commence in 2028, with service commencement projected for 2034. The timeline reflects the scale of the engineering challenge — the line will include a tunnel through the Maroochydore City Centre precinct and several elevated sections across the coastal plain waterways — and the environmental assessment and community consultation requirements for a project of this scale.

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