Rail services and infrastructure
The Department of Transport and Main Roads develops rail policy advice and is the agency that oversees the provision of rail services and infrastructure.
The department also hold the perpetual lease over all rail corridor land in Queensland (9550 km) and is the custodian and protector of these corridors.
The department sub-leases the corridor to rail operators such as QR Limited, Airtrain and heritage railways. Under the sub-lease arrangements, the operator has a 'duty of care' for the land. The department also approves third-party use of the corridors for things such as telecommunications, advertising, and other commercial and community uses, as well as associated tenure arrangements.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads also approves new crossings of the corridor. As owner of the corridor for the purposes of the Integrated Planning Act 1997, the department can give resource entitlement for any development applications that affect the corridor.
The department is a constructing authority for the purposes of the Acquisition of Land Act 1967 and acquire new rail corridors for QR Limited and other rail operators — provided all environmental issues have been addressed. The department also preserves disused railway corridors in case they are required for future transport use. In the interim, they can be made available for recreational and other community uses such as walking or riding trails.
The Community Service Obligation (CSO) framework
The Queensland Treasury has developed a policy called Community Service Obligations: A Policy Framework, for the provision of CSOs by the Queensland Government.
The Community Service Obligation Framework for Public Transport in South East Queensland (PDF, 161 KB) has been developed to fulfil the requirements of the policy framework when providing public transport in south east Queensland. This framework is designed to identify those areas where government support of public transport services is appropriate — as well as determining the most effective means of providing this support.
Public Benefit Test of Queensland's Rail Safety Legislation
To ensure that the rail safety provisions of the Transport Infrastructure Act 1994 are in the public interest, we have reviewed the relevant provisions by undertaking a short form public benefit test (PDF, 368 KB) prescribed as part of the government's response to national competition policy.
The review found that Queensland's rail safety framework is cost efficient and the legislation on which it is based sustains rail safety.
Rail corridor direction statements
Rail corridor direction statements provide a vision for the management and ongoing development of the rail network, and help the Queensland Government's achieve its objectives, including those relating to regional development.
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