(13/07/10) - Image Sourced From National Corridors Initiative

The Federal member for Longman, Jon Sullivan says the Federal Government has agreed to fund the proposed Redcliffe rail link.

Mr Sullivan announced that Infrastructure Australia had made the rail link a priority project and he said that meant it would receive Federal funding.

He said it was now up to the State Government to put in its share of the total cost and allow the long talked-about project to proceed. The new rail line would run from Petrie to Kippa Ring and provide vital public transport options for people in areas such as North Lakes.

Mr Sullivan also made it clear that the Moreton Bay Regional Council would not be expected to invest any further money into what he said was state rail infrastructure. He said the fact that Council had already contributed $2 million to the cost of the rail study was unusual for a local authority but said it reflected Council's desire to see the project advanced.

Mr Sullivan's comments have dispelled fears that Moreton Bay Regional Council ratepayers would have had to pay a share of the cost of establishing the new line - a move considered by many as unfair considering the rail line benefited only a portion of people living in the region.