Cross River Rail (CRR)

nathandavid88 · 17 March 2026 02:53

For anyone not following the CFMEU enquiry, today they have started the questioning of Cross River Rail Delivery Authority chief executive Graeme Newton. Both the Brisbane Times and the Courier Mail are running a live stream article following the enquiry, which I will link to below:

One interesting thing that sounds likely to come out is the exact details of the price. This is quoted from the Courier Mail feed:

Commissioner Stuart Wood KC has asked how the project cost hit $19bn.

“I read the statement and you said the current cost is close to $10bn. But then The Courier-Mail said this morning, $19bn, almost double,” he said.

Senior Counsel Assisting Eddy Gisonda SC agreed that the current $19bn cost had been arrived at by the current LNP Crisafulli government, and appeared on the CRR website.

Commissioner Wood expects Cross River Rail Delivery Authority chief executive Graeme Newton – who is due to take the stand shortly – will be able to explain the cost fluctuations.

“We’ll see what Mr Newton says,” he said.

https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/cfmeu-inquiry-puts-cross-river-rail-dramas-in-spotlight/live-coverage/c291940f9d30aa8580e9578e3079e42f

nathandavid88 · 18 March 2026 07:19

We finally have an answer on the ballooning budget!

Mr Newton is now facing cross examination.

He has been asked to explain how the CRR project costs blew out from $5.4bn to its current $19bn price tag.

Here is the entire explanation:

“The $5.4 billion number back in 2017-18, when that budget was announced, the accounting standards didn’t require a declaration of the private financing component,” Mr Newton said.

“In the subsequent year, in 2019-20, that private financing of roughly one $1.5bn or one $1.499bn was incorporated, so hence the budget was, then, I suppose, recorded as being $6.88bn.”

“In the 2023-24 budget, it was adjusted to that same number, the comparative number $6.88bn was adjusted to $7.85bn and in that window was a range of things, stuff that’s been talked about here, but also Covid.

“Then the most recent adjustment is in the current budget, which is in the 2025-26 budget, which is $9.83bn OK, so that if you were to do an apples with apples comparison, the $6.88bn has been adjusted to $9.83bn.

“So then going to the question around the $19bn… it’s more than just that core scope of Cross River Rail.

“If you add $2.6bn – which is the service payments, which is the 25 year concession period where the state pays back that, that creates a number of $12.4bn.

“And there’s a further $6.6bn of other work that we’re delivering … there’s complimentary work, so stabling yards, station upgrades, bridges and some conventional signaling in the rail corridor. And on top of that is the ETCS signaling and also upgrades to the new generation rolling stock fleet, so that is ETCS capable.

“And then there’s some integration funding… then there’s other costs, such as alternative transport… and also some additional costs for Queensland Rail for their operation once that goes in.”

Keeping up?

CRR build cost = $12.43bn ($9.83bn for project + $2.6bn for service payments)

Other related works = $6.6bn

*“What has been talked about is whether you include those other numbers on top of the cost of the rail budget line item and say that that is the total cost of delivering Cross River Rail, or when you treat them as discrete online items,” Mr Newton said.
*
Source: No Cookies | The Courier Mail

Metro · 18 March 2026 07:39

Makes sense, financing from the private sector has to be paid back with interest or as a stream of service payments.

In the end the government pays, whether now, later, or a mix of now and later.

Beerwatcher · 18 March 2026 09:06

This isn’t anything we don’t already know, but some information I was made aware of today lends some credibility to the idea that the construction of CRR (tunnels, stations, etc) will be functionally complete this year.

Staff working in non testing and commissioning administrative roles on CRR have apparently already started being offloaded (which would explain why my LinkedIn feed has recently been filled with ex-CRR staff searching for new opportunities) and construction staff are also starting to get the tap on the shoulder that their work will be winding up soon.

If we assume the two year commissioning process commences before the end of this calendar year, I think @rowangray is on the money with a prediction of an initial public opening in 2028 before a ramp up to full timetable in 2029.

I am still skeptical that the testing and commissioning will take 2 years especially when you compare CRR to other projects like Sydney and Melbourne metros. I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing trains testing the full length of the tunnel before the end of 2026.

adrianosm · 18 March 2026 09:21

so as we all suspected and called out, the LNP was being dodgy as usual and adding other related costs to the core work of CRR and selling it out as a balooning budget for political scoring

god, these people are tiring

Kram0 · 18 March 2026 09:52

They are politicians, what do you expect? Both as bad as the other.

ari · 19 March 2026 03:26

Pleased to see that was almost spot-on with my breakdown a few months ago! (see the post this is replying to)

jimmyBoy · 22 March 2026 05:04

That’s right. It’s political. I was reading the updated delivery plan and it says 12 to 18 months prior to opening, there are staged tests that involve trains with passengers and feedback is taken. On that timeline backwards, say Dec 2028, is mid-2027 for limited services to begin. My ignorant pov ie. not privy to inside knowledge, is that all underground stations are completed this year. Albert St being the furtherest behind. That’s a 6 month window for final works, handover, initial testing, slow non-passenger trains, etc

Verbatim9 · 22 March 2026 10:49

Platform 1 at Roma Street seems to be coming along. I noticed that they are doing finishing works on the roof structure focussing on the brown cladding.

I wonder if we will see it open before Easter or late April?

Hoping for before Easter, which is 11 days away.

icedlongblack · 22 March 2026 11:51

Hope Island station is looking great - have recently started turning the lights on at night. Apart from some landscaping it looks like it might be ready to go…!

Ty_D · 23 March 2026 00:33

We’re talking about the current Government though and presenting the number as it is.

lott · 23 March 2026 00:50

Yeah the platform signs are also turned on at night now so I’m guessing it might be less than a month away.

SurfRail · 23 March 2026 02:50

Still no idea what is happening with connecting bus services though. I’m not sure why only some bus service improvement packages go out for consultation and not others.

With GCLR3 meant to open sometime in the next 6 months there will be some sizable network changes coming this year, although maybe not on the same scale as when Stages 1 and 2 opened.

nathandavid88 · 26 March 2026 02:21

Here are some update photos of Albert Street Station works, with the main station building proceeding well, and demolition proceeding on the final remaining parts of the old Acoustic Shed. I will be very interested to see how soon after handover QIC will start building their office tiower on the shed site.

iPhone Photo 25.03.2026 by Nathan Murray, on Flickr

Verbatim9 · 2 April 2026 09:06

https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/qld-politics/union-strike-threatens-to-derail-19bn-cross-river-rail-project-for-a-year/news-story/2a2cdfdd06a7726ae31ddb25faf33cf5

Union strike threatens to derail $19bn Cross River Rail project for a year

The state’s $19bn Cross River Rail project will be delayed an entire year if a wage agreement cannot be reached between Queensland Rail and the ETU, sparking a war of words over how the address the impasse.

Cross River Rail Delivery Authority chief executive Graeme Newton has revealed that a lack of electrical workers over the weekend during planned works will delay the project by up to 12 months.

Verbatim9 · 4 April 2026 04:40

Updates around Roma Street today (Main Station Building).

As per the pics looks like they still have a month or two of work to do before Platform 1 is integrated.

Habitant · 4 April 2026 22:19

I feel like the plaza area will look amazing once those tress grow up!

Axilya · 7 April 2026 05:52

My understanding is any southbound CRR trains need to run to Clapham yard. Given this, I’m not sure why they wouldn’t run them as revenue trains to Yeerongpilly.

nathandavid88 · 7 April 2026 06:28

If this is so, does that stretch of track actually have the capacity to run these services, together with all the Beenleigh and Gold Coast services that will be running? If they actually can, maybe the only way to do so is to run them there express?

SurfRail · 7 April 2026 07:14

At this point I’m not going to be surprised if not only all peak direction trains (AM inbound and PM outbound) between CRR and Yeerongpilly run all stations, but all counter-peak trains as well. Absent a fourth track in this stretch, it’s hard to see how even with moving block signalling that you can accommodate that many trains, whether in or out of service.

I am more interested to see whether Dutton Park becomes a permanent stop on the normal Gold Coast pattern - every train entering or leaving the CRR south portal needs to go through the platforms here.