The Adelaide Street Tunnel is now open, taking almost half a million bus and Metro services underground every year as part of the Schrinner Council’s plan to keep Brisbane moving.
A team of almost 1000 people helped build the 213-metre tunnel using an Australian-first construction technique, running just three metres below Adelaide Street in some sections.
Commuters have already taken more than four million trips on Metro since its launch, which has been temporarily running via the Queen Street busway.
From 4.45am Monday, all Metro services and some bus services will start using the Adelaide Street Tunnel, easing CBD congestion and improving service reliability.
Around 9575 services will use the new tunnel each weekday and around 2190 services each weekend.
Services that already leave from King George Square station and will now use the Adelaide St Tunnel and bypass the Queen Street Bus Station:
- M1
- M2
- 61 (towards Coorparoo only)
- 222
- 333
- 444
Services that already leave from the Queen Street Bus Station and will now travel via the Adelaide St tunnel for a faster outbound journey:
- 330
- 450
- 453
- 454
- 460
The opening of the tunnel follows the highly successful community event on Wednesday when thousands of people toured the tunnel ahead of its opening as a busway.
The Adelaide Street tunnel opening completes the delivery of the M1 and M2 lines, bringing turn-up-and-go transport to Brisbane.
Tunnel fast facts:
- The full length of the tunnel is 213 metres.
- The tunnel roof is positioned between 3 and 6 metres (one to two building storeys) below Adelaide Street.
- It has two bus lanes, one in each direction, each 3.5 metres wide.
- Over 39,500 cubic metres of soil were excavated to make space for the Adelaide Street tunnel – enough to fill nearly 16 Olympic swimming pools.
- Over 500,000 hours have been worked on the Adelaide Street tunnel.
- The tunnel project has created approximately 960 jobs.
Quotes attributable to Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner:
“Brisbane Metro has revolutionised the way people travel, and the opening of this new tunnel is going to make it even better.
“The new Adelaide Street tunnel delivers the missing link between the South East Busway and the Inner Northern busway.
“This new underground link will move almost half a million services every year, easing CBD congestion and delivering more reliable public transport.
“Brisbane is one of Australia’s fastest growing cities and we are proud to be delivering city-shaping transport projects that keep Brisbane moving.”
