Building of the electric Cross River Rail underground railway in Brisbane will more than double in 2020.
So says Cross River Rail minister Kate Jones, explaining seven sites are active and in 2020 up to 11 new worksites will open.
“Already we’ve got 1000 workers on Cross River Rail sites across the city. With new sites set to open, we’re looking at employing an extra 1500 workers this year,” she says, adding the project will create 7700 construction jobs throughout southeast Queensland.
“A worksite has now been established at Boggo Road, the existing site at Woolloongabba is already a hive of activity, demolition at Albert Street in the heart of the CBD is well advanced and work at Roma Street is well and truly underway.”
Jones says work has also begun near Normanby where the project’s northern tunnel portal will be built.
Work will soon start at the RNA Showgrounds ‘Exhibition’ station, at stations from Salisbury through to Fairfield, on the Gold Coast where new stations are being created at Pimpama, Helensvale North and Merrimac and at the project’s Southern tunnel portal, south of Boggo Road.
Cross River Rail Delivery Authority chief executive Graeme Newton says 2020 will see the project pass a number of critical milestones.
“2019 was a big year for the project. We appointed our major contractors, established multiple new worksites, revealed the location of three new Gold Coast stations and launched a Precincts Delivery Strategy that will be the catalyst for up to $20 billion of investment,” he says.
“But 2020 is where things really kick up a gear. We’ll complete demolition at Roma St and Albert St, start tunnelling from Woolloongabba to Boggo Road, start work on station upgrades and the new Gold Coast stations and we will have workers live on the project at as many as 18 sites across the city.”
