UPGRADE THE
SUMMERLAND WAY:

• Bypass at Kyogle

• Bypass at Casino; and

• A Bridge or Bypass at Grafton

CONSTRUCT THE CUNNINGHAM
ROAD AND RAIL LINK

• 120 kilometres of new standard gauge track

• Tunnels at two locations, 1.5 km and 2.0 km

UNLOCK THE BROMELTON STATE DEVELOPMENT AREA:

• A large water reservoir to collect wastewater from the Bromelton SDA for reuse on adjacent ´food bowl´ growing precincts and in future residential communities

The Cunningham Road and Rail Link is a proposed standard rail gauge line that will connect Warwick with the Port of Brisbane. It represents a vital element of infrastructure which will provide economic benefits to the communities located in the Great South West Region, South East Queensland as well as the nation. It involves the construction of 120km of new standard gauge rail, a 1.5km tunnel and a 2.0km tunnel. This will reduce the trucks on our roads, contribute to a reduction in carbon emission, transport product to Port more efficiently, and help grow our shipping industry

A region of approximately 197,710 hectares spanning across south-eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales, the Great South West region covers from Logan in the North to Coffs Harbour in the South, and from Warwick in the West to Lismore in the East. It encapsulates key locations such as Warwick, Woodenbong, Rathdowney and Grafton and the emerging Bromelton State Development Area.

The importance of the greater region (including the Darling Downs) is high with significant, excellent quality agricultural lands, which are home to numerous agricultural activities. Agricultural produce is delivered to key centres in the region, and a significant volume of the product that is exported through the Port of Brisbane comes from the Darling Downs.

The key infrastructure used to move freight, including ex-regional freight, in the Great South West includes Summerland Way / Mt Lindesay Highway, which connects Brisbane to Coffs Harbour and the narrow gauge railway, which connects Inglewood to Brisbane via Warwick, Toowoomba and Ipswich, and Millmerran to Brisbane via Toowoomba and Ipswich. The proposed Cunningham Road and Rail Link would connect Warwick to the Port of Brisbane via Rathdowney and Bromelton.

Nation Building Australia has commissioned a several detailed investigations as part of their development of the TRAIN area. This area comprises land south of Logan to Coffs Harbour, and west to Warwick. The findings from these reports have shown the considerable set of potential benefits arising from the activation of this area.

Quantifiable Benefits

Direct Quantifiable Benefits
These include the estimated potential job creation that the capital outlay of $541 million for the construction of the Cunningham Rail Link is anticipated to generate. While this appears to be a conservative figure, this expenditure would lead to significant flow on expenditure benefits to the local and regional economy which is anticipated to be in the order of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Urbis' preliminary estimates are that in the order of 379 FTE jobs will be generated during the construction phase, with an extra 595 FTE jobs to be created during the ongoing operation of the rail line within the region.

Indirect Quantifiable Benefits
Urbis analysis shows that that in total, approximately $4 million per annum in savings would be anticipated due to externality reductions that would be achieved through the use of the Cunningham Rail Link as opposed to the use of the existing road networks.

In other words, through a reduction in road transport there would be benefits from reduced air and water pollution, accidents, noise pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. This would be achieved through the shift from existing road transported freight into rail. Over a twenty year period, the benefits anticipated would be in the order of $80 million.

Other Quantifiable Benefits
At $683 million, the Toowoomba or Western Rail Link appears to be approximately $140 million more expensive to construct than the Cunningham Rail. An alternative to this direct comparison is the comparison of the amortised cost over a twenty year term at 7% interest. For the Cunningham Rail Link, the amortised cost is $51 million per annum compared to $65 million per annum for the Western Line. The Cunningham Rail Link therefore represents a saving in the order of $14 million per annum compared to the alternative rail link option.

Qualitative
Reduced Freight Delays
Presently, long-haul road freight competes with commuter traffic and congestion causes hazardous road conditions and costly delays in accessing the Port of Brisbane. Similarly, the rail freight lockout from Brisbane during peak hours, which gives precedence to commuter rail, also causes costly delays.

Servicing Demand of a Large Productive Region
With the considerable scale of rural and industrial production in the study area, there is a corresponding significant level of demand for direct rail freight access that can be served by the Cunningham Rail Link.

Optimising Bromelton´s Industrial Opportunities
A key benefit of the Cunningham Rail Link is in the form of support it would have to the development of Bromelton into its highest and best industrial use. A direct rail linkage to the Darling Downs supported by an efficient road link to Northern NSW will ensure that Bromelton will have the sufficient transport links necessary to achieve its optimal use.

Promotion of Employment Growth and Specialisation within Warwick
The Cunningham Rail Link represents the opportunity to consolidate Warwick as a key logistics hub linking the productive lands of the Darling Downs the South east of the State including the Port of Brisbane.

Alignment with SEQ Regional Plan
The proposed rail link provides support for the achievement of SEQ Regional Plan objectives. The Draft SEQ Regional Plan 2009-31 identifies Bromelton as an enterprise opportunity area. The plan places emphasis on providing sufficient land for future large logistics operations for SEQ´s continuing economic health and export future. Located on the standard gauge rail link, Bromelton offers opportunities for longer term industrial development particularly in large scale logistics and light industry.

Creation of Affordable Housing and Reducing Urban Pressures on Existing Coastal Infrastructure It is anticipated that the Cunningham Rail Link would enhance the existing and planned centres established under existing planning regimes. Workers and their families could be offered affordable housing solutions in these areas. This would assist the development of population and employment activities into areas away from the eastern seaboard and potentially reduce pressure on infrastructure in the region’s cities.

Creation of Affordable Housing and Reducing Urban Pressures on Existing Coastal Infrastructure
It is anticipated that the Cunningham Rail Link would enhance the existing and planned centres established under existing planning regimes. Workers and their families could be offered affordable housing solutions in these areas. This would assist the development of population and employment activities into areas away from the eastern seaboard and potentially reduce pressure on infrastructure in the region’s cities.

Productivity Improvements
According to the Productivity Commission, rails (2.1%) increase in output due to a 5% enhancement in productivity, is expected to be more than twice the increase in road articulated (1%). It is notable that for Queensland, the output increase for rail is also more than twice that for road articulated.

Benefits in Linking with the North South Rail Corridor
Urbis anticipates significant economic benefits that would flow as a consequence of the interface between the national rail freight link and the Port of Brisbane via the North South Rail Corridor with the Cunningham Rail Link as the final northerly link. These would include the efficiencies of a dedicated rail freight corridor which does not compete with passenger rail or urban infrastructure. In this way, the Cunningham Rail Link will facilitate the ongoing development of an efficient and integrated regional freight transport infrastructure network and establish regional freight linkages link that enhances the efficiencies of the wider national framework.

Flight Plan

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