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Brisbane Metro

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This article is about the bus rapid transit system serving Brisbane. For the underground rail project, see Cross River Rail.

Brisbane Metro
Photograph of a Brisbane Metro bus in testing
Overview
OwnerBrisbane City Council
Area servedCity of Brisbane
LocaleBrisbane
Transit typeBus rapid transit
Number of lines2
Line numberM1, M2
Number of stations18
Websitebrisbane.qld.gov.au/brisbane-metro
Operation
Operator(s)Transport for Brisbane
Number of vehicles60
Train length3-section (bi-articulated bus)
HeadwayAt least every 15 minutes 18 hours a day. With 24-hour services, likely at lower frequencies. 5-minute peak frequencies from day one, with 60 buses able to operate at 3-minute frequences.
Technical
System length21 km (13 mi)
Top speed90 km/h (55 mph)

Brisbane Metro is a high-frequency bus rapid transit system that services the city of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. It consists of two routes that run through the Brisbane CBD every five minutes during peak times (12bph), transporting up to 1,800 passengers per hour in each direction. Metro bus commenced operating on the 169 bus route on 21 October 2024,[1] however no date has been set for the opening of the M1 and M2 Metro services. [2][3]

It is serviced by 60 electric, bi-articulated buses that can carry 150 passengers, or 170 passengers in when crammed during events.[4] The system largely uses Brisbane's existing busway network infrastructure and stations, but there are a number of smaller infrastructure upgrades being built as part of the project. These include a new short tunnel underneath Adelaide Street in the CBD, an upgrade to the Cultural Centre bus station, the removal of car traffic from Victoria Bridge, and various streetscape upgrades.[5] The expected total cost of the project is $1.7 billion.[6] Together with Cross River Rail, the project is intended to boost public transport reliability in Brisbane and alleviate congestion.[7]

History

[edit]

In January 2016, the Brisbane City Council (BCC) announced the Brisbane Metro to address the current constraints and challenges facing the city's current busway network, which had reached capacity at many inner city sections.[8] This proposal incorporated the conversion of the busway from Woolloongabba to Herston into a rubber-tyred Metro with a single track to provide power and enable driverless operations.

In March 2017, while keeping the same name, the project was redefined with the project shifting to operating high capacity bi-articulated buses on the existing busway, reducing the cost by one-third.[9] The new buses would operate two routes which replace the 66 and 111/160 services.[2] In November 2017 the BCC released its business case, detailing the benefits, costs and impacts of delivering the project. In November 2017, the project was budgeted to cost $944 million.[10]

The BCC released a draft design report for the project in April 2018 with a project concept displayed publicly for community feedback, following the announcement that Brisbane Metro has been confirmed as a high priority project on Infrastructure Australia's priority list.[10][11] In April 2018, the Federal Government agreed to contribute $300 million.[12][13]

In June 2020, the project reduced the Cultural Centre upgrade from an underground station to an upgrade of the existing above ground station with an additional platform for local services heading towards West End.[14] This was due to a disagreement between the State Government, who owns the Busway, and the Council over what the optimal configuration of the underground station would look like. This disagreement resulted in the state government delaying approval to modify their property.[14]

Subjects to approvals, the BCC expects the detailed design and construction of the project to commence in 2019 with services commencing by 2023.[10] This was later revised to 2024.[10] In October 2018 five consortia were shortlisted to bid for the building of stage 1.[15]

ADCO Constructions began work on a 10-hectare (25-acre) depot at Rochedale in October 2021.[16]

In 2022, 5 years after the project was shifted to BRT the project's name was criticised by a rail lobby group for having a misleading name that implied it was a rail system, but Brisbane City Council rejected the idea of changing its name.[17] In late 2023 further complaints about the name were raised.[18] A poll by the Brisbane Times revealed 71% of respondents thought that Brisbane Electric Rapid Transit (BERT) was a better name.[19]

By February 2023, the cost had increased to an expected $1.7 billion.[6][3] A contributing factor was the inclusion of a new $450 million bus station to be built at Woolloongabba, in line with the existing busway.[20] This plan has since been cancelled and the budget reduced to $1.4 billion.[21]

Vehicle in testing, June 2023

Also in February 2023, construction began on the 213-metre tunnel beneath Adelaide Street in the CBD, which will provide a connection between North Quay and the King George Square busway station.[6][22] The tunnel would connect the South East Busway with the Inner Northern Busway and reduce the number of buses running on city streets.[22] Construction was expected to take at least twelve months[22] with services expected to commence in late 2024.[3]

Services by the Brisbane Metro began on the morning of 21 October 2024.[23]

Routes

[edit]

Brisbane Metro consists of two routes covering 21 kilometres, linking Brisbane's outer suburbs with the CBD.[24] The network uses the existing busway infrastructure and was planned to provide high-frequency services with three minutes headways during peak times however this was later scaled back to every 5 minutes when the services begin operation.[2][25][26] Once all 60 buses are delivered and sufficient drivers trained, 3-minute services can be introduced if passenger demand is appropriate.[21]

The metro route M1 and M2 other bus services may be implemented that will curtail previous direct bus routes to the city. Instead, the new routes will terminate stations outside the city that allow for transfers with the Metro lines M1 and M2. This will reduce direct routes but will also reduce bus traffic through the choke points through queen street and cultural centre bus stations, allowing a simpler and faster service. Not all routes will be cut back, and most routes from the Queen Street bus station will remain.[21]

Metro 1

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Metro 1 will replace the route 111 and 160, connecting Eight Mile Plains with Roma Street, with 11 stations via the South East Busway. The route is designed to provide a new trunk route from the southern suburbs to the inner-city, servicing key destinations and providing interchanges to other Translink services.

Stations

[edit]
Inside a Metro bus

Below is a list of stations that Metro 1 will service and its available transport connections.[27]

Station name Public Transport connections
Eight Mile Plains Local bus services
Upper Mount Gravatt Local bus services
Griffith University Local bus services
Holland Park West Local bus services
Greenslopes Local bus services
Buranda Buranda railway station and local bus services
Mater Hill Metro 2
South Bank South Bank railway station and Metro 2
Cultural Centre South Brisbane railway station, local bus services and Metro 2
King George Square Local bus services and Metro 2
Roma Street Roma Street railway station, Metro 2 and Cross River Rail

Metro 2

[edit]

Metro 2 replaces route 66, providing a key education, knowledge health corridor by connecting the University of Queensland with the Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital, Boggo Road transport hub and Princess Alexandra Hospital and the Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove Campus via the Eastern and Northern busways.

Stations

[edit]

Below is a list of stations that Metro 2 will service and its available transport connections.[27]

Station name Public Transport connections
UQ Lakes UQ St Lucia ferry wharf
Boggo Road Park Road railway station, local bus services and Cross River Rail
PA Hospital Local bus services
Mater Hill Metro 1
South Bank South Bank railway station and Metro 1
Cultural Centre South Brisbane railway station, local bus services and Metro 1
King George Square Local bus services and Metro 1
Roma Street Roma Street railway station, Metro 1 and Cross River Rail
Normanby
QUT Kelvin Grove
Herston
RBWH Local bus services

Vehicles

[edit]

The project introduced 60 bi-articulated buses based on the HESS lighTram 25[28] with the capacity to carry up to 150 passengers in comfort mode and capable of using the existing busway infrastructure alongside regular bus services.[10] In "event mode" the buses were announced as carrying up to 180 passengers, however this was subsequently revised to 170.[4] The Metro buses will be 24.4 metres long[29] and visually resemble a tram or light rail buses. Buses can travel 90 km/h. The buses have lithium-titanium-oxide batteries.[30]

On 24 November 2019, the BCC announced a consortium of Hess, Volgren and ABB had been awarded a contract for 60 buses. The buses will be fully electric via pantographic overhead wireless charging that will charge at the end of each route for less than six minutes.[31] The buses will be fully low-floor and have next stop displays and audible announcement of the next stop. In addition, they have onboard WiFi, USB charging points[32] and four large double doors. A pilot bus was built and tested in Europe in 2021. Originally planned by 2020, the pilot bus arrived in Brisbane for testing in early 2022.[33] Following successful testing an order for the further 59 was placed with delivers scheduled to start in late 2023 for operations in 2024.[34][35] The 60 vehicles will cost $190 million an increase of $100 million compared to more traditionally powered vehicles.[36]

Depot

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A depot was built adjacent to the South East Busway at Rochedale.[15] The 10 hectare site hosts stabling and maintenance facilities for the fleet.[30] The design of the depot is based on sustainability.[37] There are 2,300 solar panels in use. Rainwater harvesting and recycled water systems for vehicle washing are both used. Sixty 50 kW slow chargers are used during off-peak times.[37]

During the 2024 Brisbane City Council Elections the LNP announced their intentions to build a Metro Bus depot and charging facility on the Bill Brown Sports Reserve at a cost of $125 million.[38][39]

Future routes and extensions

[edit]

There are proposed future extensions of the network to Carindale, Chermside, Springwood and the Brisbane Airport (subject to approvals).[40][41]

In August 2024, Premier Steven Miles and Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner announced plans to extend the network to Springwood, Capalaba, Carseldine, and the Brisbane Airport in time for the 2032 Summer Olympics. As part of that announcement, it was confirmed that a conversion of the Doomben line to Busway for a Metro to Brisbane Airport was one of the two shortlisted routes, the other being a more direct alignment via the Airportlink tunnel with a depot on the site of the former Toombul Shopping Centre.[42] The Northern Transitway as well as a new busway tunnel as part of a new Gympie Road bypass tunnel would be built north of chermside and the existing Northern busway between RBWH and Kedron Brook bus stations would be used for a Metro extension on the Northside of Brisbane.

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Route 169 – temporary changes and metro vehicle preview | Translink". translink.com.au. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Brisbane City Council (October 2022). "Brisbane's New Bus Network Guide" (PDF).
  3. ^ a b c "About Brisbane Metro". www.brisbane.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Brisbane Metro vehicle". www.brisbane.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 22 March 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Brisbane Metro major infrastructure". www.brisbane.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Moore, Tony (14 February 2023). "'Extremely delicate' Brisbane tunnel project promises to free up the CBD". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  7. ^ "Brisbane Metro | Infrastructure Australia". www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au. Archived from the original on 10 March 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  8. ^ Lord Mayor Graham Quirk announces Brisbane Metro plan Archived 28 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine Brisbane Times 31 January 2016
  9. ^ Brisbane metro revised plan to cost $500 million less Archived 30 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine ABC News 4 March 2017
  10. ^ a b c d e "Brisbane Metro". www.brisbane.qld.gov.au. 17 December 2018. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  11. ^ Brisbane Metro, Beerburrum to Nambour upgrade approved by Infrastructure Australia Archived 28 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine Rail Express 27 March 2018
  12. ^ Turnbull Government investing $300 million in Brisbane Metro Archived 28 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine Hon Paul Fletcher MP 16 May 2018
  13. ^ Brisbane Metro gets $300 million federal funding boost Archived 28 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Brisbane Times. 7 May 2018.
  14. ^ a b Garcia, Jocelyn (7 June 2020). "Brisbane Metro costs to rise as Cultural Centre station works delayed". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  15. ^ a b Companies bid to build Brisbane Metro as land resumptions finalised Archived 2 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine Brisbane Times 17 October 2018
  16. ^ "Major Construction Begins at Brisbane Metro Depot". Brisbane Development. 27 October 2021. Archived from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  17. ^ Moore, Tony (5 December 2022). "Brisbane Metro 'is no Metro': rail lobby says name must change". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  18. ^ Atfield, Cameron (17 October 2023). "Journey on BERT: How a metro in name only risks embarrassing Brisbane on the world stage". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  19. ^ Development, Brisbane (18 October 2023). "The Chorus Grows: Demands Mount for BCC to Rename Brisbane's 'Not-So-Metro' Metro". BrisbaneDevelopment.com. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  20. ^ "Brisbane Metro – Woolloongabba Station (Department of Transport and Main Roads)". sc-tmrwcmgr-cd.azurewebsites.net. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  21. ^ a b c Simon Clark - First passenger ride experience - conversations with Project Director and operational staff. The Brisbane Metro Project Director said the following: Services on M1 and M2 will not stop at Woolloongabba station, despite prior proposals. Services will begin operating at 5-minute peak frequencies, but they can still be increased to every 3 minutes if necessary (and possible considering that the services are likely to start before all 60 buses are delivered/ready for service.) 24-hour operation on 7 days a week. First operation will be on 169 because it will be a simple soft opening to allow for testing with real passengers on a route which will not be super busy for this time of year.
  22. ^ a b c "Take a look at the start of the Brisbane Metro tunnel designed to end traffic chaos in the CBD". ABC News. 14 February 2023. Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  23. ^ Mortell, Sean (21 October 2024). "Brisbane Metro begins service". Australasian Bus and Coach. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  24. ^ Brisbane Metro Fact Sheet. Brisbane: Brisbane City Council. 2017. pp. 1, 2.
  25. ^ Brisbane Metro Fact Sheet. Brisbane: Brisbane City Council. 2017. p. 2.
  26. ^ Brisbane Metro Mixing it up to Move Forward Archived 16 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine myBrisbane 8 June 2020
  27. ^ a b "Brisbane Metro". www.brisbane.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  28. ^ "Brisbane Metro - Bus Rapid Transit with HESS electric double articulated buses". Urban Transport Magazine. 2 June 2021. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  29. ^ Stone, Lucy (21 April 2022). "Electric Brisbane Metro vehicle dubbed the 'Tesla of public transport' ready for testing". ABC News. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  30. ^ a b "Brisbane Metro the future of public transport for river city". RACQ. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  31. ^ Liu, Bevin (15 October 2024). "The big EV bus revolution: Brisbane City's new metro unwrapped and the partnerships we need to have". The Fifth Estate. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  32. ^ Barnsley, Warren (21 October 2024). "Council admits Brisbane Metro name confusing as city's new public transport system launched". 7 News. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  33. ^ "Wheels in motion: Testing begins on electric Brisbane Metro vehicle dubbed 'Tesla of public transport'". ABC News. 21 April 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  34. ^ "Brisbane (AUS): Large order for Hess". Urban Transport Magazine. 10 August 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  35. ^ "Brisbane Metro vehicle". www.brisbane.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 22 March 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  36. ^ Stone, Lucy (24 November 2019). "Metro's electric vehicles revealed as Labor backs light rail". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  37. ^ a b Waterworth, David (October 2024). "Brisbane Metro — The End of Diesel Buses?". CleanTechnica. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  38. ^ Moore, Tony (17 February 2024). "Metro charging station to be built on Brisbane's northside under LNP plan". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  39. ^ "Greens pledge to axe $640 million in road widening as LNP releases costings in Brisbane council election". ABC News. 11 March 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  40. ^ Atfield, Cameron (7 April 2017). "Brisbane Metro to expand to Chermside, Carindale and Springwood". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  41. ^ Development, Brisbane (15 September 2019). "Lord Mayor Proposes Brisbane Metro Airport Connection". BrisbaneDevelopment.com. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  42. ^ Messenger, Andrew. (28 August 2024). Brisbane’s bus rapid transit service to expand to outer suburbs in time for 2032 Olympics. The Guardian. Retrieved on 1 November 2024.
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