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waste QLD STATE Department of Transport and Main Roads
$2.4B

Queensland Train Manufacturing Program: $2.4 Billion Blowout Hidden From Media

The Queensland Train Manufacturing Program ballooned from $7.1B to $9.5B at contract signing. The then-Transport Minister's office removed the real $9.5B figure from draft media releases three days before the announcement. The QAO confirmed the full cost in Major Projects 2025.

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What This Means

$2.4B of Australian taxpayer money was wasted at Department of Transport and Main Roads. The Queensland Train Manufacturing Program ballooned from $7.1B to $9.5B at contract signing. The then-Transport Minister's office removed the real $9.5B figure from draft media releases three days before the announcement. The QAO confirmed the full cost in Major Projects 2025.

Spread across Australia's 10.8 million households, that's roughly $222 per family — enough in total for funding roughly 20 public hospitals for a full year.

  • The Queensland Train Manufacturing Program ballooned from $7.1B to $9.5B at contract signing.
  • The then-Transport Minister's office removed the real $9.5B figure from draft media releases three days before the announcement.
  • The QAO confirmed the full cost in Major Projects 2025.
Amount Spent
$9,500,000,000
Original Estimate
$7,100,000,000
Waste / Overrun
$2,400,000,000
Cost Overrun
34%

Analysis

Category: waste
Severity: critical
Agency: Department of Transport and Main Roads
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