The eagerly anticipated Brisbane Metro network has gotten underway this morning, with the first passengers boarding from 6.30AM for the service’s first trip.
The Metro is first being used to boost the busy 169 bus route between Eight Mile Plains and UQ Lakes, with the technology marking a step change in public transport that will help ease congestion on Brisbane’s roads.
The first passengers on the 169 route this morning were the first to preview the state-of-the-art Brisbane Metro, with services running every five minutes during peak.
The new vehicles have a passenger capacity of 150 (with the potential to increase to 170 in event mode), with the 24.4m long and 2.6m wide HESS vehicles being double the length of a standard city route bus.
With three passenger compartments and a separate driver cabin, accessibility is key, with real-time travel information screen being combined with onboard WiFi and USB charging points.
The high capacity of 169 services will be boosted by 50 per cent with these vehicles, with an additional 7,300 people able to board high-capacity Brisbane Metro vehicles each weekday.
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Route 169 currently carries up to 14,000 people per weekday, with the Brisbane Metro’s launch taking this to 21,300 people.
The launch of the Metro on route 169 comes ahead of the launch of Metro 1 and Metro 2 services, which is currently being negotiated with the Queensland government.
Metro 1 is set to run from Eight Mile Plains to Roma Street, while Metro 2 would go from the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital to UQ Lakes Station.
The launch of Brisbane’s new bus network is set to coincide with the launch of Metro services to unlock the capacity of Brisbane’s busways by an additional 30 million passenger trips each year.
The Brisbane City Council has also proposed a business case to determine the feasibility of expanding the Metro south to Springwood, east to Capalaba and north to Carseldine, connecting to DFO and Brisbane Airport.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner says the fully electric Brisbane Metro is the most advanced electric bus in the world with the best accessibility and sustainability features, with the council to collect feedback from customers.
“Brisbane Metro is the step-change our growing city needs to get more people on public transport, which will ease congestion on our roads and help keep Brisbane moving,” Schrinner says.
“More trips are taken to UQ than any other location outside the CBD and Brisbane Metro will make it easier for people to get to this destination sooner and safer.
“Eight Mile Plains to UQ is one of our city’s busiest bus journeys and our state-of-the-art Brisbane Metro vehicles will give passengers a preview of the future of public transport.
“Brisbane Metro will deliver the biggest improvement to accessible mass transit in Queensland for decades and we’re excited to welcome passengers onboard.”
Brisbane Civic Cabinet Chair for Transport Ryan Murphy says the Metro is the critical mass transport service that the city needs.
“We know students are some of the biggest users of public transport and UQ is the biggest trip generator outside of the CBD,” Murphy says.
“The 169 preview will collect valuable data and insights from our customers and allow us to improve the customer experience ahead of the full launch of Brisbane’s New Bus Network and services on the M1, from Eight Mile Plains to Roma Street, and M2, from Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital to UQ Lakes Station.
“Brisbane buses currently carry two-thirds of all public transport passengers and I’m confident the high-capacity, high frequency Brisbane Metro buses will encourage even more people to ditch the car, helping to ease congestion and keep our city moving.”
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