We really need both a better LNP and Opposition. Both stuck well and truly in 1970.
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I’m eager for the coming months, and 2026, as we start hearing rumours and speculation on the unfolding Brisbane Metro masterplan.
Cr Wines (now head of Transport) has also previously stated that Metros’ running on public roads is a possibility.
To see more of the discussion:
The thought of M1 being extended to Springwood gives me the shivers, as any Metro arriving to Upper Mt Gravatt (inbound) will be literally just standing room only.
Or worse, a full standing load following Eight Mile Plains station (headed inbound).
Maybe it’s time to reinstate 160 Garden City to City back to its glory. And have it run every 10 minutes..
In any case, an M1 extension to Springwood will only induce demand for the already overcrowded 150 Browns Plains to City BUZ (via Runcorn) at Garden City.
ON THE OTHER HAND, I don’t have much concerns for M2 UQ Lakes to RBWH, via City.
My only desire is that the M2 should run every 5 mins until ~8pm, and not abruptly end at 6pm.
And I am strongly against any proposals to add Dutton Park Place into the M2’s journey.
Dutton Park Place is already incredibly well-serviced, and to upgrade it so then it can comfortably fit 2 bi-artics seems like a profound waste of ratepayer money imo.
Just spend that damn money so that every bus in TfB’s fleet has electronic mirrors & protective shields.
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Leave the M1 (111) at Eight Mile Plains then allow Logan City Council to run their buses the rest of the way. BCC has no business serving other regions. Don’t care if they act like a city-state or own their own buses, they don’t own the infrastructure, Translink, or even Logan.
Brisbane has no business in Logan and vice-versa. Its called the ‘Brisbane Metro’ not the ‘Logan Metro’.
Same goes for Redlands use Carindale as the interchange and use Redland CC buses to service their LGA.
Just ignore the noise, its only a tiny bunch of politically motivated UQ students making stupid promises in their annual pseudo-political student elections.
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Attitudes like this are a big part of the problem with transport in SEQ. Anyway, you’re too late, TfB already operate bus routes that enter Logan City.
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I think that would be better than expanding to 3 min frequency until 6pm.
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They don’t have enough HESS’s for that.
It would require tripling the fleet allocated for the M1 which is just absurd as they only ordered 60 and they are split between M1 and M2. They only have ~40 delivered.
The 111 and 66 services were never broken. They ran fine with normal and arties. To get to 3 min frequencies you would have to re-allocate the original 66 ‘UniGlider’ fleet of arties and normal buses with the current HESS’s.
Even the ‘Metro replacement buses’ are just silly - a bus that replaces a bus 
The BCC boxed themselves in by going-all-in on one type of vehicle and they chose to market the service exclusively as an light rail knock-off service rather than just another bus. High expectation now to maintain the illusion rather than to accept reality.
Even if they decided to use normal and arties and went to the effort to change the livery to match the HESS ones, and included the bloody wheel covers. It’s too late, you added longer buses to remove buses, but by adding normal buses to the same service, it is basically admitting that you wasted $2 billion on nothing.
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I’m confused by comments re the M2 “abruptly ending”. Is this just referring to its peak frequency?
Today it’s running 5-minute service in PM peak til about 6pm (northbound), then ~10-minute service til about 9pm, and ~15-minute service overnight Fridays and Saturdays. On Monday night the last northbound departs at about 11:30pm or so.
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I tend to agree. Anything more than about every ten minutes should really only be for capacity reasons until the general standard of service around the city has lifted IMO.
Yes, its just in reference to its 5 minute headways.
I can’t find sources on whether Council has any desire to extend the Metro’s ‘5 minute frequency’ span of hours past ~6pm.
Hopefully they will consider it, when they consult with Translink and the state government about delivering ‘4 minute peak frequencies’, and eventually, 3 minute peak frequencies.
If I were to guess, 3-4 minute peak frequencies will only apply to morning peak hour (7am-9am) and afternoon peak hour (4pm-6pm).
He is just saying it would be ideal to extend peak 5 min frequencies to 8 pm instead of 6 pm.
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What we want is MORE services operating across the LGAs, not less. This isolationist attitude is what makes our bus system such a chore to use.
Let the 140 go to Park Ridge by absorbing the 542! The 310 taking over parts of the 691, or the 110 serving industrial areas in Forestdale.
Come on.
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Still coming across drivers who still don’t know the network in my area - caught an outbound 203 recently and the driver went down Old Cleveland Road/OKeefe St instead of the Eastern Busway, missing Stones Corner and Langlands Park stations, another driver doing a 205 ended up turning right onto Upper Cornwall St/Cornwall St instead of continuing straight along Chatsworth Road, and just the other day another driver doing the 205 ended up on the busway passing through Mater Hill, Southbank and Cultural Centre (where he actually stopped), as I got off at Roma Street, I pointed it out to him to which he finally realised he made a mistake.
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I don’t think the overcrowding issue would be as severe as you think. If you are basing it on the sardine tin 555s that are standing room past Rochedale, keep in mind that part of that is a result of the 555 being a service that runs every 15 minutes.
If you are running an M1 to Springwood at a frequency of 5 mins, you would be splitting that single busload across 3 M1 services. If they are running at 3 minute frequencies, you are splitting it across 5 M1 services. On top of that, running them to Springwood only covers 2 of the three stations the 555 services, so you’d not be dealing with the full size of a 555 load - in fact there would probably still be some form of 555 route running parallel to the M1 (maybe truncated, maybe extended towards Beenleigh, maybe rerouted over the Captain Cook Bridge, etc).
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I suppose my judgement really only applies to weekends, when the M1 runs on 10 minute headways. I do find myself at Upper Mt Gravatt station a lot during weekends, and my observations have been that the M1 (on weekends) finds itself in standing-room-only situations (even past 6pm), once it leaves Upper Mt Gravatt station (inbound), as the demand on the South East Busway has certainly outpaced the usual status-quo on weekend patronage being a ‘lowly sum.’
During weekdays, then yes, an M1 Springwood to Roma Street will be cruising, due to its turn up n’ go frequencies. Although, passengers at 8 Mile Plains/Upper Mt Gravatt stations’ may find that their usual vacant seat is now occupied, due to a combination of increased stops, and induced demand.
But nevertheless! I have found standing on an M1 inbound from Upper Mt Gravatt to Cultural Centre doable. And if I ever get uncomfortable, I suppose I could always alight off at Buranda, and wait a couple of minutes for a half-empty 120 or 180.
Getting to Carindale is such a hassle and Capalaba has more bus space than used at the (two?) interchanges it has. And Capalaba badly needs something.
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I’d say Cap needs the Metro treatment but OCR is not suitable for those vehicles. Could possibly do some T2 lanes to jump traffic lights (MBR/RBR intersection in particular causes a lot of delays) and increase frequency; 30 min peak frequencies are a complete joke. Realistically it needs a real Metro on the corridor.
Yes, there does need to be rapid expansion of Brisbane Metro to at least Indooroopilly, Chermside and Carindale by 2030. This will allow it to take the load during the Olympics.
There aren’t enough hotel rooms in Brisbane, and events are spread across the region, so that demand will spill over into short stays and distributed all over the city is my guess.
BCC is moving slowly, it needs to start now IMO so that any challenges can be overcome (e.g. 2 years to do the bus review changes, build depots, free up road space for transit lanes).
How many more Berties (electric bi-artics) will be needed??
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Chermside and Carindale, yes, but I disagree with Indooroopilly. I think better off there maximising the use of the rail line.
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