Brisbane Metro bus rapid transit services will begin permanent operations on Tuesday, 28 January, commencing with services between RBWH and UQ, Brisbane City Council has announced.
Under a landmark agreement between the Council and the new Crisafulli Government, the state-of-the-art, fully-electric Brisbane Metro services are set to be rolled out in stages.
The agreement follows the successful four-week preview of Brisbane Metro bus rapid transit services on the 169 route, including 94% 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.
“Our Council team is committed to keeping Brisbane moving and that’s why we’ve worked hard to deliver Brisbane Metro,” said Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner.
“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.”
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.
Council says 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% complete, with major surface works now underway on North Quay to create a new portal into the tunnel.
“As Brisbane Metro rolls-out, more Queenslanders will roll-up to take advantage of this affordable, reliable and frequent transport option,” said Premier, David Crisafulli.
“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.”
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.
The $1.55 billion Brisbane Metro project is funded by Brisbane City Council and the Federal Government, with a $300 million funding contribution.
“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,” said Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Brent Mickelberg.
“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,” said Council Chair of Transport, Ryan Murphy.
“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.”
