Political stoush threatens Qld rail plan A MAJOR passenger rail project for Brisbane is in jeopardy as a political stoush surrounding its funding threatens its future. The federal government allocated $715 million to the $4.4 billion Cross River Rail project in last week's budget. Griffith MP Kevin Rudd, a staunch advocate of the project, says the money was offered because that was all the Newman government asked federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese for. Mr Rudd says the Queensland government has since "reinvented history" so it wasn't seen to be working alongside federal Labor in the lead-up to September's election. But Queensland's Transport Minister Scott Emerson says he had made it clear to Mr Albanese that the state always wanted a 50-50 funding split instead of the 25-75 deal the Commonwealth put forward. "We won't accept a deal that will reduce the state's GST, and force generations of Queenslanders to pay higher fares and taxes," he told AAP. I'm out there trying to get the best deal for Queenslanders. Mr Rudd and Mr (federal Treasurer Wayne) Swan should be doing the same thing and stop trying to short-change Queenslanders on this crucial project. But the project is unlikely to fare any better under a Tony Abbott-led government, with the opposition leader saying he'd rather see funding go towards an upgrade of the Gateway Motorway. Mr Abbott said that, traditionally, the Commonwealth would fund major road projects and freight rail projects. "It's only been in the last few years under the current government that they have branched out into other areas into transport infrastructure," he told reporters in Ipswich. I think we should stick with what we have traditionally done so the Commonwealth does its thing and the state does its thing. He refused to say if the Cross River Rail project would be dead if he won government. Mr Rudd has accused Mr Abbott of pressuring Premier Campbell Newman to adopt his stance on the project. "What's really happened is Mr Abbott has got on the phone to Mr Newman and said 'for God's sake, don't co-operate with the federal government on this, because it's not in our federal Liberal interests to do so'," he told reporters in Brisbane. The project was initiated by the former state Labor government and involves building a twin rail track in a tunnel under the Brisbane River.