Brisbane’s unfinished busway network is on track for a major revival under a multibillion-dollar plan to expand the Brisbane Metro across key suburban corridors.
Almost 30 years after the South East Queensland Integrated Regional Transport Plan proposed 75km of busways—of which only a third was built—the Brisbane City Council, supported by the state and Commonwealth governments, is investigating new tunnels, dedicated busways, and transitways to complete the missing links.
The proposed expansion follows major patronage growth—Brisbane Metro recording more than 15 million trips and a nearly 30 per cent surge in bus patronage over two years, boosted by 50-cent fares.
The draft plan targets four primary routes: Northern Metro (CBD to Carseldine via Gympie Road), Eastern Metro (CBD to Capalaba via Old Cleveland Road), Southern Metro (CBD to Springwood) and Airport Metro (CBD to Brisbane Airport).
Population across the three residential corridors is forecast to rapidly grow, bringing 88,000 more residents—including a 96 per cent population surge along the Springwood route and 60 per cent along Gympie Road.
“Brisbane Metro has been a huge success and residents want it expanded to more suburbs,” Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said.
“We’ve already invested more than a billion dollars to get stage one of this project going.
“Now that we know it works, we need to replicate this project in other parts of Brisbane and beyond.”
Praising the project’s practicality, Suburban Futures founder and director Ross Elliot said: “The metro doesn’t need tracks in the ground or wires overhead, and it can turn corners where trains cannot—so it’s both a much cheaper and more efficient option for a future Brisbane”.
He also noted “it’s not just about where people live, but also where they will be working in the future—and how they’ll get there”.
“The connection to the Brisbane Airport, for example, is needed because the workforce there is predicted to grow from 25,000 now to around 50,000 by 2046,” Elliot said.
“Chermside’s workforce will grow from 16,000 to potentially 50,000 by 2046 based on the expansion of the Prince Charles Hospital and related health and professional industries.
“And in the case of the extension to Capalaba, this will open up new local employment opportunities so that people can work closer to their homes in the future – so the benefits are many.
“This is exciting news and will result in meaningful change to the way we get around the city in the future.”
