Five new precincts being built as part of the $5.4 billion Cross River Rail project will be a catalyst for up to $20 billion of economic development over 10 to 15 years and the jobs that come with it.
The areas around five of the stations – Roma Street, Albert Street, Boggo Road, Woolloongabba and the Exhibition cover a total of 22 hectares inside the inner-city.
The Cross River Rail Delivery Authority (CRRDA) has started on plans to transform what is described as under-utilised parts of inner-city Brisbane, talking to industry about what can be done to take advantage of the new mass transit links.
Among the highest-profile work is at Woolloongabba, where plans could include a new concourse to the popular Gabba sports ground, while at Roma Street, Brisbane Live could transform the area.
Brisbane Live, the CRRDA says, has the potential to deliver 450 jobs per year during construction, with 1000 jobs in the peak year and 600 ongoing jobs once operational.
Overview of Cross River Rail Video
The 6.5ha Woolloongabba site also has scope for new open spaces, residential housing, commercial offices and retail that will give the Gabba precinct a new town centre.
At the Boggo Road/Princess Alexandra Hospital precinct, the CRRDA says there is an opportunity to further develop what is already a world-class health, science and education precinct.
Albert Street Station would have new bars, cafes and potentially commercial developments in the rapidly changing city centre, serving the massive $3.6 billion Queen’s Wharf development and the Eagle Street precinct.
Exhibition, which is currently open only for a fortnight for the Ekka, will be a new high-capacity station open year-round to service thousands of workers and visitors to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, as well as the growing King St lifestyle precinct.
The Courier-Mail, in conjunction with the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority, is presenting a series looking at the project and what it will bring to the state.
State Development Minister Kate Jones said the massive project would transform swathes of Brisbane.
“We’re not just laying train tracks. We’re building entire precincts around our new stations,” Ms Jones said. “This strategy will leverage around $20 billion worth of private sector investment in our city.
“A world-class entertainment precinct and a world-class health and education hub are all part of the detailed planning we’re doing as part of Cross River Rail. This project is allowing us to open up prime land in the CBD to help Queenslanders and promote private sector investment.”
Ms Jones said the massive underground tunnel and rail project was already creating hundreds of jobs for Queensland businesses, such as one at Clontarf, providing the piles needed to sink the shafts down to platforms.
“Avopiling supports 38 workers – people who have had job security during this pandemic thanks to Queensland’s largest infrastructure project. This is one of more than 400 local businesses who have already benefited from our $5.4 billion Cross River Rail investment. More than 90 per cent of the contracts have gone to Queensland-based businesses.”
Originally published by Dan Knowles, Future SEQ editor in The Courier-Mail HERE.