By Mitch Gaynor
THE Beerwah train station upgrade is set to begin in 2026 with Stage 1 of the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line expected to take six years to complete. The update comes as the next stage of the Beerburrum to Nambour (B2N) Rail Upgrade is delayed a few months with progress to begin in 2025 before completion in 2027.
Both projects will vastly increase the number of hinterland train services, with capacity for a train every five minutes through Beerwah during the Olympics. Contractors for the B2N contract were revealed last week, with the state government announcing that preliminary designs were underway ahead of construction, testing and commissioning, which will be delivered in a staged sequence over the next three years.
Construction on the next stage of the $1 billion project was meant to begin this year. However it is now expected to begin some time in 2025.
The staged construction includes: Road works to accommodate the new rail corridor and track infrastructure; Duplication of the section of rail between Beerburrum and Glass House Mountains on an improved alignment, and between Glass House Mountains and Beerwah following the existing alignment; Beerburrum Road and Steve Irwin Way intersection upgrade including a new road overpass on Beerburrum Road; Replacement of the Barrs Road level crossing in Glass House Mountains with a new road overpass connecting Barrs Road to Moffatt Road; Replacement of the Burgess Street road-over rail bridge in Glass House Mountains with a new road overpass; Expansion of the park ‘n’ ride facility on the northern side of Beerburrum station (partial); The contract for the major works package follows the completion of earlier 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. It also included an expanded park ‘n’ ride facility at Nambour station with 50 new car parks on the eastern side of the station.
Locally, it realigned a section of Steve Irwin Way at Glass House Mountains to accommodate the new rail corridor and track infrastructure. The B2N 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.
A Transport and Main Roads spokesperson said DSCRL construction would begin in 2026. This would include the Beerwah station upgrade to, but TMR could not say how long the station would be closed.