Demolishers have moved in to begin Queensland's biggest infrastructure project, the $5.4 billion Cross River Rail.
The work to demolish the single-storey concrete Go Print building is set to be finished by January.
The company, Caylamax, last week took possession of the Go Print site at Woolloongabba, next to the Gabba stadium, and began the $330,000 demolition.
"This milestone for the new Woolloongabba underground station is a pivotal part of our early works program," Deputy Premier Jackie Trad said.
"Once the Go Print site has been cleared it will be the central staging location for massive tunnel boring machines that will dig Cross River Rail's twin 5.9 kilometre tunnels, creating a new rail expressway for south-east Queensland," she said.
The demolition will pave the way for a new rail station 27 metres underground designed to be used by 18,000 people a day by 2030.
An industry briefing on the Cross River Rail project attracted 650 people to a business lunch last month, at which expressions of interest were called. Expressions of interest on the project close mid-November and the top three bids will be made public in late January or early February.
Ms Trad said that meant Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls must now to make his position on the Cross River Rail clear.
"This project is critical for the growth of our city and has widespread support throughout industry and the community," Ms Trad said.
"Tim Nicholls and the LNP need to make their position clear - will Tim cut the biggest public transport project in a century for the second time?"
The LNP in 2012 cancelled Labor's Cross River Rail project when it came to power and instead developed the $5 billion underground Bus and Train Project.
That project was cancelled by Labor when it won the 2015 election.
Cross River Rail project delivery director Jason Malouf told 650 industry delegates last month that works at the Woolloongabba site were "the first priority".
"It will clear the site for tunnelling operations, including the demolition of the existing buildings and the supply of high-voltage power for tunnel boring machines," Mr Malouf said.
The LNP's deputy leader Deb Frecklington said Labor was not revealing the full cost of the project, claiming the operational costs of running the project "approached $15 billion".
"Labor's own business case shows the real cost of Cross River Rail is more than $15 billion and, alarmingly, only $2.8 billion has been put in Labor's budget over the forward estimates. The project isn't even fully funded," Ms Frecklington said.
The LNP argues the Cross River Rail project asks for nine-car trains, while the $4.4 billion New Generation Rolling Stock project only provides six-car trains.
Ms Frecklington pointed out the two major contracts were not to be announced until October 2018.
"Even according to Labor's own Cross River Rail delivery schedule, the two main work packages - Rail, Integration and Systems; and Tunnel, Stations and Development - won't be awarded until October 2018 and April 2019, respectively."
Labor has always only included the construction costs of the project.
The state government budgeted $2.85 billion over four years to begin the project as a public-private partnership scheme like the Gold Coast's Light Rail Project.
If re-elected for another term, Queensland Labor will ask future federal governments to contribute to the project.
How the Go Print demolition will go ahead
- Asbestos removal has begun and will be followed by demolition of the wall and ceiling.
- Two 30-tonne excavators will remove the roof in a series of sections.
- A rock breaker will be used to collapse the slabs, pillars and walls.
- Up to 10 tip loader truck movements a day will cart away the 9000 tonnes of concrete, 350 tonnes of scrap steel and 80 tonnes of dry waste.
- An exclusion zone has been established around the site.
- A traffic management plan will operate from 6.30am-6.30pm Monday to Saturday.
