Queensland Awards $5.5 Billion Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line Contract to CoastalTraX to Connect Beerwah and Caloundra

Delivering Fast Rail for Queensland's Fastest Growing Coastal Region

CALOUNDRA, Queensland — In a historic leap forward for public transport connectivity and regional economic development, the Queensland Government and the Australian Federal Government have formally awarded the flagship design and pre-construction contract for Stage 1 of the $5.5 billion Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line ('The Wave') to the CoastalTraX consortium. Comprising leading infrastructure and engineering giants ACCIONA, Georgiou, Mott MacDonald, Aurecon, and DT Infrastructure, the consortium will deliver 19 kilometres of dual-track heavy rail connecting the existing North Coast Line at Beerwah directly to Caloundra.

Funded on a 50:50 joint basis between the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments, Stage 1 represents the single largest public transport infrastructure investment in the history of the Sunshine Coast. The project establishes a high-speed passenger rail link that will significantly cut travel times between Sunshine Coast communities and Brisbane, providing a dependable alternative to the heavily congested Bruce Highway.

Nineteen Kilometres of Dual-Track Guideway, Viaducts, and Landmark Stations

The Stage 1 alignment branches eastward from an upgraded multimodal interchange at Beerwah, traversing through the rapidly expanding master-planned community of Aura to introduce a brand-new passenger station at Bells Creek, before terminating at a modern transport hub in central Caloundra.

Civil contractors will engineer approximately 7 kilometres of elevated concrete viaduct structures across the route to preserve sensitive coastal wetlands, flood plains, and regional wildlife corridors while grade-separating the rail line over major highways. Engineered for operating speeds of up to 160 km/h, the electric passenger rail line will slash commuter transit times between Caloundra and Brisbane Roma Street to under 45 minutes, dramatically improving regional mobility.

Multimodal Interchanges and Active Transport Integration

The new stations at Beerwah, Bells Creek, and Caloundra are designed to full universal accessibility guidelines, featuring high-capacity park-and-ride commuter car parks, kiss-and-ride drop-off bays, secure undercover bicycle storage, and dedicated feeder bus loops. Commuters will benefit from Translink's integrated Smart Ticketing system, enabling contactless payment via credit cards, debit cards, and smartphones across trains and regional buses.

Complementing the heavy rail guideway, the project delivers extensive active transport connections, including continuous paved pedestrian pathways and segregated cycling links that tie station concourses into local school, residential, and commercial centers throughout the southern Sunshine Coast.

Foundational Infrastructure for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Infrastructure ministers emphasized that delivering the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line is an indispensable cornerstone of Southeast Queensland's infrastructure roadmap ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, where the Sunshine Coast will host major outdoor sporting events.

By creating an estimated 2,200 direct local jobs during construction and unlocking thousands of transit-oriented housing options, Stage 1 lays the essential groundwork for future extensions toward Kawana, the Birtinya Health Precinct, and Maroochydore City Centre, securing sustainable, low-carbon mobility for generations of Queenslanders.