Brisbane Metro bus rapid transit services will begin permanent operations on Tuesday, 28 January, commencing with services between RBWH and UQ.
Under a landmark agreement between the Crisafulli Government and Schrinner Council, the state-of-the-art, fully-electric Brisbane Metro services will be rolled out in stages.
The agreement follows the highly successful four-week preview of Brisbane Metro bus rapid transit services on the 169 route, including 94 per cent on-time running and a 4.3 out of 5 customer satisfaction rating.
Feedback from the 90,000 passengers who used the four-week preview service is being used to improve the service and commuter experience.
The staged introduction of Brisbane Metro will be the biggest evolution of Brisbane’s bus network in generations, ensuring more services are delivered for residents and visitors more often.
Brisbane Metro’s bus rapid transit services will build from initial five-minute frequencies to three-minute frequencies, taking Brisbane from public transport to mass transit.
The staged introduction also includes the rollout of Brisbane’s New Bus Network, which includes route improvements as well as an additional 160,000 services each year.
Along with significant upgrades to several busway stations, including the Queensland Cultural Centre, and public space improvements at North Quay and South Brisbane, a new inner-city bus tunnel under Adelaide Street will also be opened throughout 2025.
The new tunnel will free up capacity on inner city streets, reducing congestion on the road network and improving bus travel times, while also enabling three-minute frequencies on the core CBD network for M1, M2 and future Metro extensions.
Tunnel excavation is now 100 per cent complete, with major surface works now underway on North Quay to create a new portal into the tunnel.
New bus rapid transit services will also see the new 10-hectare high-tech Brisbane Metro Depot at Rochedale, which includes both fast and slow charging for the vehicles, in full swing.
The staged implementation of Brisbane Metro:
Quarter one of 2025 (Tuesday, 28 January):
- Brisbane Metro will service Brisbane’s most in-demand bus route, converting the Route 66 bus service into the permanent “M2” Brisbane Metro service, running at five-minute peak frequencies between RBWH and UQ Lakes.
- This will increase capacity on Route 66 by up to 3.4 million seats a year, addressing overcrowding on Brisbane’s most popular bus route and delivering Brisbane Metro services to Brisbane’s northside.
- New school services will be introduced in line with the start of the school term as part of the first stage of Brisbane’s New Bus Network, including nine new school routes and 17 services with route changes.
Quarter two of 2025:
- Brisbane Metro services will replace route 111 and 160 bus services, becoming the permanent “M1” Brisbane Metro service, running at five-minute frequencies between Eight Mile Plains and Roma Street.
- 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.
Quarter three of 2025:
- Brisbane Metro services will switch from the existing Queen Street Mall tunnel to the Adelaide Street tunnel, freeing up capacity on surface streets and allowing metro service frequency to increase to three minutes once the Metro fleet order is complete.
2025 and beyond:
- Rapid business cases to commence on the expansion of Brisbane Metro services to Carseldine, Springwood, Capalaba and the airport.
- Detailed planning to commence on the northern metro depot.
Council has received 32 Brisbane Metro vehicles, with the remainder of the fleet expected to be progressively delivered over the coming months.
Brisbane Metro services and frequencies will be boosted as more vehicles continue to get delivered and commissioned for service.
Future Brisbane Metro expansions could add a further 41 million seats every year, adding to the 30 million additional seats able to be delivered on the M1 and M2 lines.
Brisbane’s bus network currently carries about 71 million passengers every year.
Brisbane has grown faster than any other capital city over the past decade with an additional 1.55 million people expected to call Brisbane home by 2041.
The city’s growth means the current transport network is no longer fit for purpose and Brisbane Metro will be critical to keeping Brisbane moving.
The $1.55 billion Brisbane Metro project is funded by Brisbane City Council and the Federal Government, with a $300 million funding contribution.
Quotes attributable to Premier David Crisafulli
“As Brisbane Metro rolls-out, more Queenslanders will roll-up to take advantage of this affordable, reliable and frequent transport option.
“Only by improving reliability and frequency of public transport will Queenslanders be able to maximise the benefit of the LNP’s permanent 50 cent fares.
“Brisbane Metro will deliver more services, more reliably, to more Queenslanders at an affordable price.
“This game-changer will benefit both public transport and road users with fewer buses on our roads and faster, more reliable transport.”
Quotes attributable to Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner
“Our Council team is committed to keeping Brisbane moving and that’s why we’ve worked hard to deliver Brisbane Metro.
“Brisbane Metro will ensure our city makes the step change from public transport to mass transit by delivering more services to where they are needed more often.
“Brisbane Metro will be the biggest improvement to bus services in generations and rolling out these changes carefully in stages ensures we can do so successfully.
“Our plan to expand Brisbane Metro bus rapid transit services to more areas will be critical as the city continues to grow quickly.
“I look forward to continuing to work closely with both the State and Federal governments to improve public transport so we can ease congestion on our roads.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Transport and Main Roads Brent Mickelberg
“The rollout of the Brisbane Metro comes at an exciting time, as the LNP’s 50 cent fares are made permanent for all Translink networks across Queensland.
“50 cent fares are here to stay because cost-of-living relief is important to the Crisafulli Government.
“Whether you commute to and from work or school each day, travel for leisure, shopping, groceries or appointments, you will be able to continue to travel for just 50 cents, including on the Brisbane Metro.”
“We made a commitment to Queenslanders to provide better public transport options to get them home sooner at the end of the day, and that is what we are doing. I look forward to working with Brisbane City Council on improving services to the city.”
Quotes attributable to Chair of Transport Cr Ryan Murphy
“Brisbane buses carry two-thirds of public transport trips in our city and Brisbane Metro has the potential to double the capacity of our bus network.
“We need mass transit travel in Brisbane to help people travel easily and conveniently across our city as more people move here.
“In just a few short weeks under new Premier Crisafulli, we’ve been able to reach this important agreement to improve public transport and help ease congestion.
“Premier David Crisafulli and Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg are big supporters of Brisbane Metro and we’re looking forward to working with them to deliver new bus rapid transit services for Brisbane residents.”
Quotes attributable to Deputy Director of the Griffith University’s Cities Research Institute Professor Matthew Burke
“The new Metro vehicles are getting all the attention. But Council’s New Bus Network is just as important. It’s a tremendous improvement.”
“Our Griffith transport researchers and students have all reported good things after trying the Metro during the preview. The vehicles are much quieter. There are no fumes. They’re comfortable. And it’s really easy to board.”
