A looming industrial dispute threatens to derail a critical construction window on one of Queensland’s biggest infrastructure projects, with warnings the fallout could push completion back by a full year.
The $19bn Cross River Rail program faces significant disruption if a wage deal cannot be reached between Queensland Rail and the Electrical Trades Union (ETU), as electricians continue strike action during a crucial Easter work period.
Cross River Rail Delivery Authority chief executive Graeme Newton said a shortage of electrical workers to safely de-energise sections of the rail network could force the project to reschedule a full year of planned works.
The Easter long weekend has long been earmarked as a rare opportunity to carry out large-scale construction while passenger numbers are low.
Without the ability to de-energise parts of the network, however, hundreds of workers and heavy equipment could be left idle.
“This period of work has been planned for quite some time and the only way that this work can be done for all of those projects is for the sections of the track to be de-energised and made safe because equipment needs to get in there and do that work,” Mr Newton said.
“We need electricians to turn up and turn the power off to allow work to be conducted safely.”
The ETU has been engaged in tense wage negotiations with Queensland Rail and began strike action on Thursday, refusing to carry out electrical repairs or maintenance across the network.
The union wants the state government to place its 500 electrical workers on a stand-alone enterprise agreement separate from the broader rail workforce.
The industrial action threatens to disrupt a packed Easter construction schedule spanning multiple projects across southeast Queensland.
Among the works planned were major signalling upgrades at Dutton Park, Yeerongpilly and Rocklea stations, final works at Hope Island station, and the installation of footbridges and stairways at Merrimac.
Crews were also due to replace a dual gauge track at Dutton Park and wrap up earthworks at Moorooka Station.
Beyond Cross River Rail, other major rail upgrades were slated for the Easter school holidays, including trackwork at Loganlea and Ormeau stations and piling works for the Beerburrum to Nambour Rail upgrade.
Signalling upgrades between Robina and Varsity Lakes and cabling works for the Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail project were also scheduled.
“Queensland Rail also coordinates its maintenance works at the same time as these major track works, and that maintenance will still have to be done,” Mr Newton said.
ETU president Jason Young said the dispute could be resolved quickly if the government intervened.
“We will sign a deal today if they agree to an electrical workers’ agreement,” Mr Young said.
“The Minister could intervene right now and were done striking.”
The strike is set to continue until Tuesday if an agreement is not reached, increasing pressure on both sides as the Fair Work Commission hosts urgent negotiations.
Mr Newton warned the disruption could ripple across the entire project timeline, potentially pushing the expected 2029 completion date, already five years behind schedule, even further out.
“These works have been planned 12 months, and in some cases two years, in advanced and we have several hundred workers on standby ready to start,” he said.
“If the industrial action stands, then we’ll have to look at what we do and whether we stand down that workforce.”
Mr Newton said the consequences would extend beyond construction timelines, affecting commuters already grappling with rising fuel prices amid global tensions.
“These projects have been planned for quite some time,” he said.
“You can’t just turn them on and off and you can’t just shuffle them around.”
Queensland Rail and the ETU met at the Fair Work Commission on Thursday morning in a last-ditch attempt to reach an agreement before works were scheduled to begin at 2am Friday.
Mr Young said the union reissued its request for an electrical workers-only agreement at 11.30am, but the proposal was rejected.
With hundreds of workers on standby and years of planning at stake, both sides are now under mounting pressure to find a solution before the window for Easter works closes.
