Developers offered land in return for train station upgrades Many southeast Queensland railway stations do not meet disability compliance standards. STATE Government-owned land around Brisbane train stations will be sold to private investors for development in return for upgrading stations to meet disability compliance standards. Transport Minister Scott Emerson yesterday outlined the plan to a Property Council of Australia breakfast as a way of funding transport infrastructure the state could not afford. The Commission of Audit report warned Queensland Rail faced a $2 billion bill to make stations fully disability compliant as well as compensation claims for allegedly ignoring the needs of people with disabilities. Just 23 of southeast Queensland's 145 train stations are fully compliant and another 91 are partly compliant. In some cases, three stations in a row offer no disability access, such as Chelmer, Graceville and Sherwood on the Ipswich line. Mr Emerson said a team within his department was looking at "all opportunities to determine what could provide the most benefit to the community." "For example I'd be keen to see the private sector's ideas to make Auchenflower station DDA compliant and integrate it with the nearby Wesley Hospital," he said. I believe further opportunities exist at Bowen Hills where a station, located in a large business area, is in need of an upgrade. Mr Emerson's office later confirmed the land being considered at Bowen Hills was used as a public carpark at the station. "I believe there will be significant interest in these opportunities from developers, retailers and other companies," he said. Disability advocate Peter Yeo said he had lodged several complaints with the Anti-Discrimination Commission about the lack of wheelchair access at train stations and on board the tilt train. "It's an absolute joke the way they treat people in wheelchairs in the transport department," he said. I'm glad someone's doing something about it. As well as selling off land around train stations, Premier Campbell Newman revealed yesterday the Government was looking at outsourcing roadworks as a cost-saving exercise. He told an Infrastructure Partnerships Australia lunch that Minister Emerson was looking at what projects could be "boxed up" and put out to the private sector to be funded, then designed and delivered. "Then we would agree on an availability payment, so essentially taking out the borrowing requirement," Mr Newman said. That right now has some attraction for the Government.