Roma Street's Transit Centre Will Be Replaced by an Underground Station and Entertainment Precinct

Roma Street is about to undergo a massive overhaul, with the roadway's long-standing transit centre set to be demolished. From 2019, works will commence to replace the inner-city eyesore with a new underground station, as part of the Queensland Government's Cross River Rail project.

Both the Brisbane Transit Centre and the adjacent Hotel Jen will be torn down by late 2020, completely transforming the area around Roma Street Parklands — with a target completion date of 2025. If you can't remember a time before catching trains and buses from the towering grey building, that's understandable. In fact, this will mark the first major change since the centre opened back in 1986.

The news comes just weeks after the government revealed it was putting $5 million towards the business case for the Brisbane Live project — a new Roma Street entertainment precinct, complete with a 17,000-seat live performance arena, new hotels, apartment towers and cultural facilities that was first announced back in 2016. Given that the new facilities will sit above the current station, tearing down the transit centre is hardly an unexpected development.

"When complete, the new station is expected to be used by more than 230,000 commuters every week, the equivalent of over four capacity crowds at Suncorp Stadium," said Deputy Premier and Treasurer Jackie Trad.

Replacing Roma Street Station is the latest shakeup for Brisbane's public transport network, which is also slated to welcome the Brisbane Metro by 2023, and redevelop the bus stops and train stations surrounding the Cultural Centre at South Bank.

As for the long-planned Cross River Rail project, it's set to be up and running by 2024, linking Dutton Park to the Brisbane Showgrounds. New underground stations also mooted for Boggo Road, Woolloongabba and Albert Street.

Image: Denisbin via Flickr.