The Maroochydore railway line, also known as the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line or CAMCOS (

Caloundra Caloundra ( ) is a coastal town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the town of Caloundra had a population of 96,305 people. Geography Caloundra is north of the Brisbane central business district. Caloundra is acce ...

and

Maroochydore Maroochydore ( ) is a coastal town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the urban area of Maroochydore had a population of 63,673 people. The city was subdivided from the Cotton Tree reserve by Surveyor Thomas O'Conno ...

Corridor Options Study), is a proposed railway line on the Sunshine Coast,

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Planning history

Initial public consultation was conducted in January 1999, with newsletters and displays of aerial photographs. On 31 March 1999, Minister for Transport & Main Roads

Steve Bredhauer Stephen Dominic Bredhauer (born 15 February 1958) is a former Australian politician. Born in Brisbane, he was a teacher before entering politics. He joined the Labor Party in 1980. In 1989, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensl ...

announced that a route from the existing North Coast line at Beerwah through to

had been decided on. The Queensland Government's Connecting SEQ2031 Infrastructure Plan, commits to the proposal, but doesn't state a proposed completion date. Further documentation on the Qld Government Transport and Main Roads website in July 2022 indicates that planning is continuing. In July 2007, the

City of Caloundra The City of Caloundra was a local government area about north of Brisbane in the Sunshine Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia. The shire covered an area of ; it existed as a local government entity from 1912 until 2008, when it a ...

and Queensland Government commissioned a study into the realignment of the proposed corridor in Caloundra South. It is proposed the corridor be altered to run west of Golden Beach, and through the

Caloundra Airport Caloundra Airport is a public general aviation airport located in Caloundra West, Queensland, Caloundra West serving the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast in the Australia, Australian state of Queensland. The airport is located on a ...

site. The construction of a new 14 kilometre double track alignment on the North Coast line from

Caboolture Caboolture () is a town and suburb in the City of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. It is located on the northern side of the Caboolture River. In the , the suburb of Caboolture had a population of 29,534 people. Geography Caboolture is ...

to Beerburrum to improve capacity in 2009 was a key requirement for the project, with the line scheduled to be duplicated through Beerwah to Landsborough by 2021. In the 2022 federal budget, the

Morrison Government The Morrison government was the Australian Government, federal executive government of Australia, led by Prime Minister of Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison of the Liberal Party of Australia, between 2018 and 2022. The Morrison governmen ...

announced a commitment of $1.6 billion towards the construction rail line to improve connectivity for the

2032 Brisbane Olympics The 2032 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXV Olympiad and also known as Brisbane 2032 or Bris2032, is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place from 23 July to 8 August 2032, with Brisbane, Queensland, ...

. The federal government's funding was under the condition the project's budget would be under a 50:50 split with the Queensland Government. In 2023 a 37 km line allowing for 160 km/h speeds is being planned. In November 2023, Federal Transport Minister Catherine King announced she would cut funding for the project, citing cost blowouts and a lack of demand. The project has been put on hold until the cost has been determined. In February 2024, the Queensland government announced funding of $3 billion for the first stage of the project from Beerwah to Caloundra. Construction could start in 2026 for completion by 2032 if the federal government matches funds. In May 2024, the federal government announced its contribution of $2.75 billion for the first stage to Caloundra. In March 2025, the Queensland government announced that the planned line would be shortened by 13 km to terminate at Birtinya, with a new Bus rapid transit system called "the wave" to Maroochydore and

Sunshine Coast Airport Sunshine Coast Airport (formerly Maroochydore Airport) is an Australian international airport located in Marcoola, north of Maroochydore, roughly centrally located along the coast of the Sunshine Coast Region. It is approximately north o ...

Stations

2009 proposed stations

The 2009 proposal includes eight new stations, and one existing station: *

Mooloolaba Mooloolaba is a coastal suburb of Maroochydore in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It is located north of the state capital, Brisbane, and is part of the Maroochydore urban centre. In the , Mooloolaba had a population of 8, ...

* Parrearra * Kawana Town Centre * Erang Street * Aroona *

* Pelican Waters * Beerwah (existing)

2023 proposed stations

The 2023 proposal includes six new stations: *

Mountain Creek Mountain Creek is a ski resort in Vernon Township, New Jersey, Vernon Township, Sussex County, New Jersey, Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located on New Jersey Route 94 in the New York Metropolitan Area, from the George Wash ...

* Birtinya * Aroona *

* Nirimba * Caboolture North (Planned Infill Station)

Station upgrades as part of the project

* Beerwah (under planning) * Glass House Mountains (under planning) * Caboolture (under planning) * Morayfield (completed in 2020) * Burpengary (completed in 2024) * Dakabin (completed in 2022) * Bowen Hills (under planning)

References

External links

Caloundra and Maroochydore Corridor Options StudyQueensland Transport Caloundra South CAMCOS Realignment Study
* {{Railway lines in Queensland , state=expanded Brisbane railway lines Proposed railway lines in Queensland Public transport in Sunshine Coast, Queensland 3 ft 6 in gauge railways in Australia