A new 25 kilometre bus run linking Brisbane’s major shopping centres started this week
August 29, 2011
A route to rival the Melbourne’s orbitals and Sydney’s Metrobuses has started in Brisbane this week with a connection between four major shopping precincts.
Travelling a 25 km route from Brisbane’s outer southern suburbs, cutting an eastern path across to the airport on the north side, Route 580 is the first of its kind to bypass the CBD.
“The new route 590 offers people a fast, frequent and reliable cross town connection between the Northern and Eastern suburbs,” Queensland Transport Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk says.
“This is a great step forward for public transport, recognising that not everyone needs to go in and out of Brisbane (CBD).”
“For the first time people can go from Mt Gravatt to the airport DFO without having to go through the city,” she says.
The 590 route will run every 15 minutes during peak periods and half hourly off peak connecting to the Airport Direct Factory Outlet, Cannon Hill, Westfield Carindale and Westfield Garden City shopping centres.
“The 590 also gives residents along Creek Road, Carina buses on Sunday for the first time,” Palaszczuk says.
Acting TransLink CEO Matthew Longland says the new route would provide a link for shoppers and workers, servicing key industrial hubs including the Metroplex Gateway office park at Murarrie and the Australia Trade Coast and Aviation training precinct.
He says the 590 bus services were vital in helping to expand the growing Australian Trade Coast precinct and surrounding suburbs.
“The new service will improve access and encourage future growth in the precinct and will help reduce traffic in the area by providing a reliable alternative to private travel.”
The introduction of the new 590 bus service coincides with the release of a new bus package for the eastern suburbs which includes the opening of the $466 million Eastern Busway extension linking Buranda to Coorparoo.
The bus package is delivering 12 new bus stops and five new bus routes, including another high frequency bus routes – Route 222 Carindale to Roma Street.