Mellish said the full business case,prepared at a cost of $14 million,had been submitted to Infrastructure Australia.
Only the first stage,the 19-kilometre link between Beerwah and Caloundra,was expected to be complete by 2032. According to the business case,that first stage would cost anywhere between $5.5 billion and $7 billion.
Although initially intended to reach Birtinya by 2032,the business case found “additional delivery risks” that,if realised,could have affected the cost and timeframes significantly enough to prevent a 2032 opening.
“At 19 kilometres,stage one from Beerwah to Caloundra will be the longest spur line in our south-east rail network,” Mellish said.
“...It is almost as long as the 20 kilometres of Gold Coast line from Helensvale to Varsity Lakes that took 12 years to build over three stages and we will do[the Sunshine Coast line] within eight years,so it is up and running for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Deputy Opposition Leader Jarred Bleijie said the tabled document was a “government narrative of a business case,not the actual business case” and called for its full release.