Brisbane’s newest tunnel is one step closer to opening, with ten weekends of intensive testing on the 213-metre Adelaide Street tunnel now complete.
The works required weekend closures of the Inner Northern Busway between Queen Street and Roma Street busway stations, with testing running from midnight Friday, 20 June to 4.30am Monday, 25 August.
During the final weekend, the CSIRO conducted six smoke tests, filling the tunnel with heat and smoke to assess the performance of its high-tech control systems.
The launch of M1 Metro services between Eight Mile Plains and Roma Street followed the start of the super weekend works, with this weekend marking the start of 24-hour weekend Metro services along the M1 route.
Once the tunnel opens, more than 1390 bus and Metro trips will travel underground each weekday, helping to ease congestion, eliminate bottlenecks in the CBD and create capacity for growth.
More than 3.2 million trips have been taken on Brisbane Metro since it launched in January this year, with the service to boost the city’s bus network by an additional 30 million seats a year by 2031.
Quotes attributable to Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner:
Brisbane is growing and we want our public transport network to grow with it.
Finishing ten weekends of tunnel testing is a big step forward in our plan to deliver a turn-up-and-go mass transit system that works for residents.
By breaking the bus bottleneck in the CBD, we can reduce travel times, ease congestion and keep Brisbane moving.
This is about future-proofing Brisbane so people have reliable, frequent services and can spend more time enjoying our great lifestyle.
The Adelaide Street tunnel will be a game-changer for public transport in Brisbane, easing congestion and helping people get around our city sooner and safer.
Quotes attributable to Chair for Transport Cr Andrew Wines:
Our super weekend works have put the Adelaide Street tunnel through its paces, testing everything from fire safety and ventilation to lighting and communications.
We know the temporary closures were inconvenient at times, so I want to thank everyone for their patience while these important tests were carried out.
Once open, the Adelaide Street tunnel will take almost 1400 bus and Metro services underground every weekday, easing congestion and freeing up space on city streets.
