The recently elected LNP Government in Queensland has broken its silence on the future of Cross River Rail, announcing an expert panel to review the project in the hope of heading off a looming rail capacity crisis. The proposed 19km long rail line from Wooloown to Salisbury includes 10km of twin rail tunnels passing under the Brisbane River and four new underground stations.

The 182-tonne drive shaft of the first of two tunnel boring machines for the Legacy Way tunnel in Brisbane arrived on 15th May at the Toowong end of the Legacy Way toll tunnel. The tunnelling machines which had previously been used on the Clem7 tunnels have been refurbished by manufacturer Herrenknecht at their factory in Hemmant on the other side of Brisbane.

  
The two TBMs, named Annabell and Joyce, will be assembled on site over the next three months before the tunnelling phase of the $1.5 billion dollar tunnel begins.