Brisbane will take a transformative transport leap on Monday with the launch of the next stage of Brisbane Metro and the New Bus Network.
Under a partnership between the Schrinner Council and the Crisafulli Government, residents will get more buses, to more places, more often.
The launch of these two revolutionary transport projects will transform Brisbane’s public transport to mass transit and support the city’s growing population.
From Monday, the M1 Brisbane Metro will run between Eight Mile Plains and Roma Street, joining the M2 and boosting total Metro capacity to nearly 20 million trips a year.
The launch of Brisbane’s New Bus Network is the most significant overhaul of the city’s bus system in decades.
The new network will deliver 160,000 new bus services, faster trips for more than 45 million people and service 44 additional bus stops a year than the current network.
Buses do the heavy lifting for public transport in Brisbane, carrying around two-thirds of all public transport passengers.
The new network will connect local buses with frequent Metro services running every 5 minutes on weekdays from 6am to 6pm, every 10–15 minutes at other times, and 24 hours on weekends.
The CBD is the biggest choke point in Brisbane’s bus network, with too many buses stuck at the Cultural Centre, Victoria Bridge and Queen Street Tunnel.
Together with Brisbane Metro and the soon-to-open inner-city tunnel, Brisbane’s New Bus Network will help unblock the bus bottleneck in the CBD.
The staged implementation of Brisbane Metro:
Quarter one of 2025 (Tuesday, 28 January): DELIVERED
- 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.
- 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: DELIVERED – Monday June 30
- 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:
- 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.
Quotes attributable to Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner:
“More than 600 extra people are moving to Brisbane every week and our public transport network must grow with our city or we risk more congestion
“Brisbane’s Metro and the New Bus Network is the right solution for our growing city and will help us make the step-change from public transport to mass transit to help keep Brisbane moving.
“We’re building a legacy transport network that’s not just designed for today, but can grow for decades to come.
“This is about delivering more convenience, more connectivity and more confidence in public transport for every Brisbane resident.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Transport and Main Roads Brent Mickelberg
“The Crisafulli Government is focused on delivering a more affordable, reliable, frequent, and safe transport network for Queenslanders and this new bus network helps achieve that across our state’s capital.“The LNP’s permanent 50 cent fares, the high-frequency Metro and the new bus network will take pressure off our roads and deliver even more value for commuters.”
“Along with our 2032 Delivery Plan transport projects, from faster rail to the Gold Coast, The Wave to the Sunshine Coast, and the Bruce Highway upgrades, we’re delivering a boost to connectivity to create a winning long-term legacy across Queensland.”
ENDS
