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waste QLD STATE Cross River Rail Delivery Authority / Department of Transport and Main Roads
$13.6B

Cross River Rail: $13.6 Billion Blowout — 253% Over Budget

Cross River Rail was budgeted at $5.4 billion and is now costing $19.04 billion — a $13.6 billion overrun, 253% over budget. Completion pushed from 2024 to 2029+. Workforce shortages, 148 days of industrial strikes in 2024, and supply chain failures drove the blowout. The largest single infrastructure failure in Queensland history.

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What This Means

$13.6B of Australian taxpayer money was wasted at Cross River Rail Delivery Authority / Department of Transport and Main Roads. Cross River Rail was budgeted at $5.4 billion and is now costing $19.04 billion — a $13.6 billion overrun, 253% over budget. Completion pushed from 2024 to 2029+. Workforce shortages, 148 days of industrial strikes in 2024, and supply chain failures drove the blowout. The largest single infrastructure failure in Queensland history.

Spread across Australia's 10.8 million households, that's roughly $1,263 per family — enough in total for funding roughly 114 public hospitals for a full year.

  • Cross River Rail was budgeted at $5.4 billion and is now costing $19.04 billion — a $13.6 billion overrun, 253% over budget.
  • Workforce shortages, 148 days of industrial strikes in 2024, and supply chain failures drove the blowout.
  • The largest single infrastructure failure in Queensland history.
Amount Spent
$19,040,000,000
Original Estimate
$5,400,000,000
Waste / Overrun
$13,640,000,000
Cost Overrun
253%

Analysis

Category: waste
Severity: critical
Agency: Cross River Rail Delivery Authority / Department of Transport and Main Roads
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