PM loves vision of rail plan

THE State Opposition has attacked Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk after she dismissed a $70 billion plan for regional rapid rail system as being “decades away, not years”. The Chronicle yesterday revealed a bold $70 billion plan commissioned by southeast Queensland mayors to create a rapid rail network capable of taking passengers from heart of Brisbane to the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba in less than 45 minutes. The report found planning for the new lines needed to start urgently as they would be crucial links to ease congestion as regional transport demands were predicted to spike 31 per cent by 2031 and 53 per cent a decade later. Prime Minister Scott Morrison praised the vision behind the plan but said more work including a business plan was needed before the federal government would consider it. “I love vision. I love it when people have big ideas and there is no shortage of big ideas whether it is here on the Gold Coast or anywhere else around the country,” Mr Morrison said. Ms Palaszczuk told Channel 9 the plans were exciting but southeast Queensland’s population was not big enough to support rapid rail despite The Courier-Mail reporting that 5.5 million would live in the region by 2043. “Well at the moment we don’t have the population, but, you know, let’s take things each day as it comes,” she said. “We are focused on building the Cross River Rail, the Brisbane City Council is focused on building their Metro, so eventually we do need to upgrade the rail system but I think this is decades away, not years away,” she said. Deputy Opposition Leader Tim Mander slammed the Premier for dismissing a potential circuit-breaker for congestion, which he said was “getting worse by the week in southeast Queensland”. “Fast rail needs to be seriously and carefully considered,” he said. “We proposed a business case to progress fast rail at the last election.