Queensland road and rail projects given tick

ROAD and rail projects in Queensland have topped the list of 12 new priority infrastructure works.

The nation’s infrastructure advisory body will on Wednesday unveil its updated priority list, featuring 155 projects.

Half of the new initiatives are in Queensland, while additions in other states include the modernisation of the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, Sydney’s M12 motorway, and the long-delayed Ellenbrook train line in Perth.

Four of the projects from the list are among 15 big developments across Australia fasttracked for approval by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his state and territory counterparts in response to COVID-19.

The works are expected to create 6000 jobs.

Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory all missed out on having new developments added to the list after a record number of submissions.

The new initiatives Queensland are:

• Queensland regional road network safety improvements – high-priority initiative;

• Brisbane northern suburbs corridor capacity – highpriority initiative;

• Browns Plains to South East Busway public transport connectivity – priority initiative;

• Queensland inland freight route capacity and safety – priority initiative;

• Browns Plains to Beaudesert road capacity and safety – priority initiative;

• Mooloolah River Interchange capacity and safety – priority initiative.

Infrastructure Australia chief executive Romilly Madew said the 2020 priority list was updated before the pandemic but showcased the extended pipeline of investment, worth more than $64 billion. in