Overview
There's a new way to get around Brisbane. Move over trains, buses and CityCats, because Brisbane has scored a different form of public transport. News about the River City's latest way to get from A to B has been impossible to avoid for nearly a decade now — it was first announced back in 2016, and has expanded, evolved, scored sign-off and plenty more since. As at Monday, October 21, 2024, however, Brisbane Metro is starting to get operational.
This shake up of the city's transportation network is all about high-capacity electric metro vehicles that haven't been used in Australia before, each capable of carrying 150 people — or up to 170 when they're in event mode. Every Metro spans twice the length of a normal bus, coming in at 24.4 metres, and also measures 2.6 metres wide. Passengers hop inside three compartments, with the driver in a separate cabin.
The full network will feature two new metro services running between 18 stations and providing interchanges across 11 locations — and that isn't up and running yet. But an initial Metro service is now doing the rounds, in what's being called a preview. Brisbanites can use the Brisbane Metro to travel from Eight Mile Plains and UQ Lakes on the 169 bus route.
During peak times, Brisbane Metro services on the 169 will run every five minutes — and across the entire timetable, the route will increase its capacity by 50 percent, up from 14,000 people per day to 21,300 people. The idea is to also gain feedback about the Metro during this preview that can help shape future services.
If you're wondering what else makes the vehicles standout, each Metro includes a low floor design, three large mobility aid bays and ten priority seats, plus audio and hearing loops in all compartments and an automated ramp — on request — at the first door, all boosting accessibility. The vehicles feature onboard wifi and USB charging points, too, alongside a real-time travel information screen for passengers. When trip details are spoken aloud along the journey, you'll hear the voice of Bluey's Melanie Zanetti.
The large double doors let you hop on wherever you like — not just as the front — and the sizeable windows, including a panoramic rear window, help add a view to your ride.
Metro fares cost 50 cents per journey under Queensland's current discounted public transport fares, which began as a trial but look set to continue permanently.
Exactly when the Metro 1 and Metro 2 services, as the lines have been dubbed, will become operational is still under negotiation by Brisbane City Council and the Queensland Government — but Metro 1 will take passengers from Eight Mile Plains to Roma Street, and vice versa, while Metro 2 will run the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital to UQ Lakes Station and back.
Ahead of either line getting up and running, Brisbane City Council is already exploring expanding the Brisbane Metro, with lines to Springwood, Capalaba, Carseldine, and to DFO and Brisbane Airport identified as possibilities.
Brisbane Metro started running on the 169 bus route on Monday, October 21, 2024. For more information about the Brisbane Metro, head to the service's website.