Infrastructure Australia has released its Infrastructure Priority List, sharing “independent, evidence-based advice” to the Australian Government on the highest priority, nationally significant projects that should be considered for investment over the next decade.  

Sectors under Infrastructure Australia’s remit include transport, water, energy, communications and social infrastructure. 

Transport industry organisations such as the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) and the Public Transport Association Australia New Zealand (PTAANZ) have said they are pleased to see a strong focus on rail in the new list.  

The list is broken down into three categories: investment-ready (priorities for either planning or delivery investment in the next year), 2-4 year pipeline and 5-10 year pipeline.  

Several rail projects have been listed under the investment-ready category.  

These include:  

SRL East includes 26 kilometres of twin tunnels, with six new underground stations at Cheltenham, Clayton, Monash, Glen Waverley, Burwood and Box Hill, as well as a new stabling facility at Heatherton.  

SRL East is the first stage of the broader SRL system that will improve connectivity for Melbourne’s middle and outer suburbs.  

Infrastructure Australia recommends that the government prioritises this proposal for additional delivery investment.  

The Australian Government has already committed $2.2 billion to towards land acquisition, geotechnical and development works, and utility upgrades across the project area. 

The Northern Territory freight rail and logistics capacity improvements proposal seeks to deliver targeted upgrades to the Northern Territory’s freight rail and logistics network, including a network of regional logistics hubs along the Darwin-Tarcoola rail line, to increase capacity, improve connectivity, and support efficient movement of goods across the Northern Territory and to national and international markets.  

“By improving rail efficiency and intermodal capacity along this corridor, the proposal would support industry development within the mining, agricultural, energy and gas sectors,” Infrastructure Australia said.  

The organisation recommends that the government consider investing in further planning for this proposal, including completion of a Final Business Case, for prioritised freight rail and logistics hubs improvements on the Darwin-Tarcoola rail line.  

The Australian Government has committed $440 million in planned equity to develop regional logistics hubs along the Darwin-Tarcoola rail line, which is part of the National Network for Interoperability.  

The High Speed Rail – Newcastle to Sydney proposal aims to address connectivity challenges, rapid population growth, and housing pressures through one of Australia’s busiest regional corridors. It is the first stage of the national high-speed rail network, connecting Newcastle to Western Sydney International Airport via the Central Coast.  

Infrastructure Australia said the Australian Government should consider prioritising the proposal for further planning investment to support analysis of housing objectives, investigate funding strategies, and improve certainty on costs and benefit realisation.   

The Wave (Sunshine Coast mass transit) proposal includes delivery of a new passenger rail line between Beerwah and Birtinya, and a proposed interconnecting bus rapid transit service to the Sunshine Coast Airport.   

The proposal has been segmented into the following stages:  

Stage 1 – 19km dual-track rail line from Beerwah to Caloundra (including 1 upgraded and 2 new stations)  

Stage 2 – a 7km dual-track rail from Caloundra to Birtinya (including 2 new stations)   

Stage 3 – a future high-frequency bus rapid transit service from Birtinya to the Sunshine Coast Airport, via Mountain Creek and Maroochydore CBD. This will include interfaces with the related Mooloolah River Interchange upgrade proposal, which involves upgrades to the intersection of Sunshine Motorway, Brisbane Road and Nicklin Way. 

“The Australian Government should consider prioritising Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the proposal for delivery investment,” Infrastructure Australia said.  

The Australian Government has committed $2.75 billion to deliver Stage 1. 

Rail projects listed under the 2-4 year pipeline include New South Wales Inland Rail interface improvements, Melbourne Airport Rail, Perth rail lines capacity, and the rollout of digital signalling and train control technology across the National Network for Interoperability.  

Future stages of high-speed rail on the East Coast and further upgrades to the rail networks in Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney and Perth have also been recommended as priorities.  

Read the full list here.