If Metro expansion is what gets more busway built, great! Brisbane’s eastern suburbs in particular have waited long enough.
Eastern Busway should lead Brisbane’s next wave of public transport investment
Better Transport Queensland (BTQ) has welcomed Brisbane City Council’s renewed push to expand the city’s busway network, calling for the long-delayed Eastern Busway to be prioritised.
The council is seeking public feedback on Brisbane Metro expansions to Carseldine, Capalaba, Springwood and Brisbane Airport, reviving ambitions first outlined almost 30 years ago.
The Eastern Busway, along Old Cleveland Road towards Capalaba, presents one of Brisbane’s most important opportunities for rapid transit expansion.
Unlike other parts of Brisbane, much of the eastern corridor is practically unserved by heavy rail. Completing the Eastern Busway would bring faster, more reliable public transport to growing suburbs & centres including Carindale, Chandler and Capalaba.
The corridor also serves several planned venues for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, including the Chandler Sports Precinct and Belmont Shooting Complex, with the Redland Whitewater Centre close by.
Beyond Capalaba lies the Southern Thornlands Priority Development Area and Victoria Point.
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is incredibly useful because improvements can be delivered incrementally. Dedicated bus lanes, intersection priority and targeted busway extensions can all improve journey times before an entire corridor is completed.
BTQ also supports completing the missing Northern Busway link between Truro Street and Federation Street, which would improve existing services and support a future Metro extension towards Chermside.
However, BTQ considers an Airport Metro a lower priority, given Brisbane Airport already has a dedicated rail connection through Airtrain. Improving the frequency, span and affordability of existing airport trains should come first - and can happen now without the need for government to buy out the contract.
BTQ also eagerly awaits the results of the Queensland Government’s Integrated Road and Public Transport Plan for Western Brisbane. The Western suburbs have long been neglected and are a clear gap in the Metro expansion plan.
Quotes attributable to Alex Jago, Better Transport Queensland Secretary
“Brisbane’s busway network has been unfinished for almost 30 years. If expanding Metro is what finally gets more busway built, great!”
“The Eastern Busway should be at the front of the queue. Brisbane’s eastern suburbs have a major gap in rail coverage, and Old Cleveland Road is an obvious corridor for better public transport.”
“With multiple Olympic venues at Chandler, Belmont and Birkdale, there’s an even stronger case to get moving on the Eastern Busway. These facilities will need good public transport long after the Games are over.”
“One of the great things about Bus Rapid Transit is that we don’t have to build the entire corridor at once. Bus lanes, intersection priority and dedicated busway sections can be delivered progressively, with benefits along the way.”
“We also want the missing Northern Busway link completed. It’s a relatively short section that would make a real difference to bus reliability on Brisbane’s northside.”
“As for the airport, we already have a railway. Let’s improve Airtrain before spending big on a parallel route to the same destination.”
“Brisbane doesn’t need another 30 years of busway plans sitting on a shelf. It’s time to finish the job.”
Better Transport Queensland Inc. — Queensland’s leading advocacy group for public, active, and freight transport.
Better Transport Queensland Inc. is an independent organisation and is not affiliated with any government body.
Visit our website at www.btq.org.au.
References
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Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority — Brisbane 2032 venues
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Queensland Government — Integrated Road and Public Transport Plan for Western Brisbane
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Better Transport Queensland — 2025 Policy Platform (Revision 2), sections 4.2 and 4.6.
Spokesperson
Alex Jago - BTQ Secretary
General Media Enquiries