The Queensland Government has awarded the contract to deliver the Stage 1 major rail works package of the Beerburrum to Nambour (B2N) Rail Upgrade project, marking a significant milestone for the project.
This package includes duplication of the rail line between Beerburrum and Beerwah, straightening the rail line between Beerburrum and Glass House Mountains, an upgraded park’n’ride facility at Beerburrum, new or upgraded road overpasses and upgraded train signalling systems.
B2N Stage 1 now advances to its next phase under a Collaborative Project Delivery Agreement between the Department and the John Holland Queensland Seymour Whyte Joint Venture. This contract award allows the Joint Venture with its designers SMEC Australia and WSP Australia to continue to finalise the designs and start construction of the major works package.
The Joint Venture brings valuable knowledge and experience to the project, having been appointed in 2023 to undertake preconstruction and design work as part of an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) process. This included collaborating with TMR and Queensland Rail in design development, stakeholder engagement, site investigations and site preparation activities as well as environmental and cultural heritage planning and approvals.
Preliminary designs will be further refined, shared with the community and finalised, with construction, testing and commissioning activities delivered in a staged sequence of packages over the next three years.
Awarding of this contract for the major works package follows completion of separate early works late last year. This delivered an expanded park’n’ride facility at Landsborough Station with 300 new car parks and a new bus interchange on the eastern side of the station, an expanded park’n’ride facility at Nambour station with 50 new car parks on the eastern side of the station, and realigned a section of Steve Irwin Way at Glass House Mountains to accommodate the new rail corridor and track infrastructure.
The B2N Rail Upgrade will increase the capacity and reliability of the North Coast Line, enabling more efficient travel and improved passenger and freight connections between the Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay, Brisbane and beyond.
This upgrade plays an important role in broader transport planning for an enhanced and integrated public transport network that better connects Sunshine Coast communities.
B2N Stage 1 ties in with the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line at Beerwah and is among the projects being planned together to improve public transport services and infrastructure for the growing South East Queensland region.
The $1 billion project is jointly funded by the Federal and Queensland governments, with the Federal Government contributing $616.7 million and the Queensland contributing $387.5 million.
The B2N upgrade investment is estimated to support an average of 333 direct jobs over the life of the Stage 1 project.
Main construction of B2N Stage 1 is scheduled to begin in 2025 and expected to be completed in 2027, weather and construction conditions permitting.
Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads and Minister for Digital Services Bart Mellish, said, “This is excellent progress for the Beerburrum to Nambour Rail Upgrade and great news for everyone in the community who has been eagerly anticipating updates about this important project.
“I am excited to see Stage 1 advance towards benefits that will make a genuine difference for rail users, including excellent new park’n’ride facilities, and more reliable connections across South East Queensland.
“It also helps to prepare the wider regional transport network for future growth by providing an important interface connection at Beerwah with the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line and other Sunshine Coast public transport projects.”
