The Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line project, between Beerwah and Birtinya, will be referred for assessment under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and various Queensland Government environment and planning approvals.

The assessment and approval process is set out by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) under the EPBC Act. For more information about the EPBC Act referral and assessment process, please visit the DCCEEW website.

TMR is undertaking a range of environmental, cultural and heritage surveys to support the project’s submission for assessment and approval under the EPBC Act. These investigations identified:

• wetlands, national parks and state forest
• protected flora and fauna and ecological communities
• fauna habitat and movement corridors
• waterways, floodplains and groundwater
• areas of soft soils, former landfill sites and acid sulfate soils
• noise and vibration.

Following the initial environmental investigations and feedback from community and stakeholder engagement during the business case stage, the following design refinements were made.

Elevated structures

Use of elevated structures on more than 40% of the alignment to minimise hydrological and ecological impacts and minimise disturbance of acid sulfate soils commonly found in low-lying areas.

Waterway crossings

Waterway crossings have been designed as bridge crossings where feasible to minimise impacts to further aid in fauna movement and minimise impacts to riparian areas and fish passage.

Fauna movement strategy

Development of a preliminary fauna movement strategy, identifying important habitat corridors and opportunities to facilitate safe movement of animals between habitats traversed by the rail corridor.

Alignment at Beerwah East

The alignment at Beerwah East was adjusted to avoid impacting Beerwah Forest Reserve, and crosses Mellum Creek in an improved location with less habitat impacts. This also allows faster speeds and reduces travel time.

Alignment at Pelican Waters

Rail track shifted to the west at Pelican Waters to reduce noise and vibration impacts. A straighter alignment to allow for higher speeds and reduced travel time.

Elevated structures at Pelican Waters also improve fauna habitat connectivity.

Tunnels at Little Mountain

Twin mined tunnels rather than a cutting was selected through Little Mountain, north of Caloundra station to reduce land and environmental impacts. This also enables community facilities on Sugarbag Road to remain.

Changes to park 'n' ride at Aroona station

Park ’n’ ride located beneath raised rail structure at Aroona minimises land and environmental impacts.

Review of stations

Review of the 9 original stations identified in the Caboolture to Maroochydore Corridor Study (CAMCOS) planning concluded Parrearra station, Creekside station and Pelican Waters stations should be removed from the project scope.

This was due to complex engineering challenges including being located in areas that are prone to flooding or in sensitive environmental areas, projected limited demand or complexity of providing sufficient park 'n' ride or bus interchange facilities due to lack of appropriate connectivity with the local road network and lack of space.

An understanding of environmental conditions and constraints is necessary to progress design and construction planning. Undertaking environmental surveys and modelling helps identify where:

• design needs to be adjusted or refined to avoid or minimise impacts
• design treatments are required to avoid, minimise or manage impacts
• construction method needs to be specified to avoid, minimise or manage impacts.

The design and construction methods are then assessed to determine the type, extent and duration of environmental impacts. These may be:

• temporary (associated with construction)
• permanent, associated with the rail corridor, rail operation and rail maintenance activities.

More information about additional environmental investigations and studies will be made available once the project has been referred under the EPBC Act.

The Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line project is now working to obtain environmental approvals.

The assessment and approval process is set out by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) under the EPBC Act. For more information about the EPBC Act referral and assessment process, please visit the DCCEEW website.

The first step is a referral under the EPBC Act. Once published on the EPBC Public Portal, the public has 10 business days to comment on the referral. This feedback and the information submitted is then considered by DCCEEW, and a decision on whether the project is a controlled action, and whether further assessment under the EPBC Act is required.

Once the referral step is complete, the future steps and timeline will be confirmed.

Other state approvals will be progressed as the project design and assessment mature. Anticipated approvals include (but are not limited to) state forest revocation, waterway barrier works and clearing permits for protected plants.

The assessment will include the railway, bridges and viaducts, stations, car parks and access roads, the tunnel, stabling areas, power and signalling infrastructure. TMR will also assess active transport infrastructure, road realignments, and environmental treatments such as noise barriers, fauna fencing and fauna infrastructure.

TMR is engaging with representatives from the Kabi Kabi First Nation Traditional Owner Native Title Claim Group and the community to gather feedback, identify opportunities and plan future mitigation measures.

TMR is committed to minimising environmental impacts on all infrastructure projects. The DSC Project will be assessed under the Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC) ratings scheme version 2.1 for both design and as-built phases of construction. Visit the ISC website for more information about the ISC rating scheme.

As part of the business case, the project's alignment with national, state and transport sector net zero targets and climate change scenarios were considered.

The transport sector is projected to be the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in Australia by 2030. The Queensland Government has recently legislated renewable energy generation targets and net zero 2050 emissions targets. Moving more people on electric rail services, which can use electricity from renewable sources, will move us closer to Queensland and Australia’s net zero 2050 targets.