The long-awaited Brisbane Metro bus rapid transit services are set to begin permanent operations on January 28, commencing with services between the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and The University of Queensland.
The Metro will be rolled out in stages, part of a landmark agreement between the Council and the new Crisafulli government.
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This agreement follows a highly successful four-week preview of the Brisbane Metro bus rapid transit services on the 169 route, which saw 94 percent on-time running and a 4.3 out of 5 customer satisfaction rating.
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.
Brisbane residents and visitors received an opportunity to experience metros early and provide on-board feedback. The council also launched a revised bus network that you can explore through a comprehensive guide and interactive tool.
Upgrades were made to platforms 1 and 2 at Cultural Centre station for easier boarding while UQ Lakes station was revitalised, installing end-of-trip chargers.
King George Square station was also upgraded with new screen doors to enable all-door boarding.
Stage two: January 2025
Starting on January 28, 2025, the council will be launching metros on the M2 route (Route 66) alongside the early implementation of 9 Brisbane New Bus Network routes.
It will also be implementing new and updated school services, and getting operationally ready with scheduling and timetabling, and M1 trial operations.
Brisbane residents and visitors will get high-frequency, high-capacity services to universities and key city locations on the M2 route, improved school access with district services in time for the school year and more seats on Route 66.
The second stage of Brisbane’s new bus network will commence, including five new bus routes, four new all-day services, 12 combined bus routes for improved efficiency, three divided routes for better reliability and capacity for an extra 55,000 students to UQ, QUT and Griffith universities.
Stage four: July-September 2025
In the third quarter in 2025 (July-September), the council will be completing construction of the Adelaide Street bus tunnel. The construction project has logged more than 350,000 hours of work since September 2021.
Brisbane residents and visitors will get a dedicated connection between the Inner North and South East busways for metros and buses, to alleviate bottlenecks in the CBD and free up the network.
Stage five: Late 2025 and beyond
Rapid business cases are set to commence on the expansion of Brisbane Metro services to Carseldine, Springwood, Capalaba and the airport.
There will also be detailed planning to commence on the northern metro depot.
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.”
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