Extra $8.5 Billion For National Road & Rail Infrastructure

THE FEDERAL Government will spend almost $8.5 billion on certain infrastructure projects, but has left the future of other infrastructure projects on ice.

The Building Australia Fund - worth $20 billion last year, but just $12.7 billion - will fund the development of a $3.2 billion dual track train station between Werribee South, and the CBD, in Melbourne.

The Hunter Expressway in northern Sydney, and additional works to the Ipswich Motorway, are also projects set to proceed.

However other projects, such as the Frankston Bypass freeway in Melbourne, did not receive government funding. It is increasingly becoming speculated this freeway will be tolled.

The $8.5 billion allocated to these infrastructure projects, a list of which is below, is part of a wider $22 billion infrastructure package that also includes communications, clean energy, education and health infrastructure.

The National Building Program replaces the Howard Government's AusLink, which helped the states deliver big projects quicker.

Wayne Swann has also identified six priority projects, for consideration in coming years.

These include the $8.1 billion West Metro proposal in Sydney, and Brisbane's proposed inner-city rail network, which is expected to need $20 million.

For now, and from the 2009 Budget, the road and rail infrastructure projects on the table are:

Regional Rail Express (Victoria) $3.225 billion
Hunter Expressway (New South Wales) $1.451 billion
Ipswich Motorway, additional works (Queensland) $884 million
Pacific Highway, Kempsey bypass (New South Wales) $618 million
Bruce Highway, Cooroy to Curra duplication (Queensland) $618 million
Gold Coast light rail (Queensland) $365 million
Oakajee Port common user facilities (Western Australia) $339 million
Gawler rail line modernisation (South Australia) $294 million
Noarlunga to Seafod rail extension (South Australia) $291 million
Northbridge rail link (Western Australia) $236 million
West Metro, preconstruction work (New South Wales) $91 million
O-Bahn track extension (South Australia) $61 million
Darwin Port expansion (Northern Territory) $50 million
East-West rail tunnel, preconstruction work (Victoria) $40 million
Brisbane inner-city rail feasibility study (Queensland) $20 million