Brisbane’s Metro bus service expanded as ‘permanent’ 2032 Games legacy
The Brisbane bus metro will be expanded through the city to provide “permanent and legacy” public transport ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games.
A supplied image obtained on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, shows a Brisbane metro bus service in testing in Brisbane, ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games. The Brisbane bus metro would be expanded through the city to provide "permanent and legacy" public transport ahead of the 2032 Games. (AAP Image/Supplied by Fullframe Photographics & Film, via Brisbane City Council) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY
The service will be stretched to northern suburbs including the airport and Carseldine and southern suburbs like Springwood under a proposal by southeast Queensland mayors and the state government.
The plan will also extend the service to Olympic venues including the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre at Chandler in the eastern suburbs and to the athletes’ village at north shore Hamilton.
The $1.55 billion high-capacity and high-frequency metro service will begin operating in October across 18 stations from the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in the north, through the city and south to Eight Mile Plains.
“Why not make a permanent legacy rather than a temporary service?” Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner told ABC radio on Wednesday.
“If we don’t do something like Brisbane Metro, then there’ll be a temporary service put in place for the Olympics and it’ll be taken away after.
“That’s not a good outcome.”
The expanded metro to the north would refurbish existing bus corridors while the newly constructed southern end would be extended by two stops.
The proposal is initially looking at suburbs where there are no existing rail lines.
The Brisbane Games have been shrouded in controversy after the government decided to scrap an independent review’s recommendation for a new $3.4 billion stadium and instead upgrade existing, ageing facilities.
The government also decided to scrap the previous plan to demolish and rebuild the Gabba stadium and instead give it a facelift.
Mr Schrinner said $450 million had been allocated to build a metro station to the ageing facility which could now be distributed to other locations.
A rapid business case will analyse whether the proposal is feasible but Mr Schrinner remained tight-lipped on potential costs.
“It’s difficult to put a figure on it until we’ve done a business case,” he said.
But Mr Schrinner said the proposal was an affordable way to deliver mass transit quickly ahead of the Games.
“We’ll be operating in October, and then we’ll be able to expand it from there much quicker than a rail or light rail system,” he said.
