So accordian buses?
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Brisbane Metro buses ARE lighTrams. (Perhaps they meant shorter / road legal versions as compared to the biarticulated versions in Brisbane.)
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We got plenty of articulated Volgren buses in Brisbane.
Just grab a few off them, slap some paint on them and call the âWavesâ.
The BCC might be able to to loan out some of theirs.
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We probably donât have enough, IMO.
Weâre loosing all the gas artics soon. Some will be replaced with TMR owned artics on lease, but it will still be a net reduction irrc. One of the BCC meeting notes from last year have exact figures.
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16 CNG artics have been transferred from Garden City to Willawong last month and are now in service, while the newest set of Volvo B8RLEA Optimuses (also 16) have been sent from Sherwood to Garden City.
@James00 and his Bus Tracker platform has been immensely helpful to keep tabs on recent fleet changes.
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Indeed. The CNG artics only have a year or two left in them though. The Willawong gas tanks reach end of life soon afaik.
The 16 that were sent to W have new tanks so they might stick around for a bit longer.
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The issue is the tanks at the depot, not the tanks on the vehicle. At least thatâs my understanding.
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The other problem is that due to lack of interest from TMR in electric buses I donât see BCC getting into zero emission fleets anytime soon, particularly knowing that council might never buy buses of their own ever again.
But this is getting a bit off topic.
That interchange is a monstrosity. The only one that is worse is that hideous interchange at Bowen HillsâŚ
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I donât know if anyone has driven past it since they started lopping trees but itâs an awful sight. Of course, we knew what it would be like just from the design drawings, but the actual sight is truely shocking. Even more shocking that things like this get environmentally cleared without anyone batting an eye while the comparatively tiny railway running beside it faced vocal challenges because it would snake its way through the same wetlands.
The juxtaposition between the MRI and the (hopefully-to-be) railway to Maroochydore reminds me of last century when American cities would bulldoze entire city centres and neighbourhoods for these sorts of monstrosities and public transport would be an afterthought or not thought of at all. I feel that TMR moved from design to construction so quickly, with little public knowledge or consultation, that there was nothing that anyone could do about it.
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Where is this map from?
Also, do you know whether the MRI layout is the same as that currently under construction?
A bit more info- the 2020 Business Case (PDF) claimed that
This business case refined the layout to provide enhanced connectivity, confirmed compatibility with the future construction of the Caboolture to Maroochydore Corridor Study (CAMCOS) rail component within the MRI project area
it also said:
Unfortunately the business case doesnât show how CAMCOS or another PT corridor will get through the MRI, unlike @ExpressToNorthgateâs map, which I now canât find on any government websites. It also doesnât explain where this other âmore cost effectiveâ heavy rail alignment might be.
The new LNP governmentâs renders donât show any bus lanes (for The Wave) or rail viaduct (for future heavy rail), which is concerning but not surprising, since The Wave Stage 3 (Metro) is still technically assessing which corridor to use.
None of this is reassuring that the State government isnât closing off the possibility of getting heavy rail through the MRI.
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âThe Waveâ appears to be following the same path as what the BCC did with âThe Brisbane Metroâ.
Release a outdated draft design and an incomplete business case that leave out details about alternatives. Magically arrive at buses as the solution. Then spend 8 years building it and not bother to publically release a Final Design report or updated Business Case.
The MRI is a car project, and anything labelled as a âprovision forâ is code for ânot going to be builtâ.
Letâs see what the 2026-27 QLD budget will deliver.
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My apologies. It could be an out of date render.
Itâs from the Sunshine Coast Daily but no source listed.
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The current MRI plans are here on the TMR website. This is the âfuture stagesâ plan. Ominously the CAMCOS corridor isnât marked, but based on the map @ExpressToNorthgate posted, it runs left to right across the image (south to north).
Letâs remember that this is (a) already under construction and (b) now protected from basically all State-level regulation by the Olympics legislation amendment Bill passed 12 Feb 2026.
There is certainly no provision for dedicated bus lanes for The Wave Stage 3 in the above plan, so Iâd have to assume the State government are planning for it to run in general traffic lanes.
Building the MRI without the future rail viaduct would be bad enough, but probably the worst of both worlds would be TMR building some kind of heavy BRT infrastructure in the CAMCOS corridor.
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Now you know why the Olympics budget is out of control - because road projects! 
What venues does the MRI and The Coomera Connector serve - zero.
Why are they classed as Olympic infrastructure at all? - to prevent them from been stopped or delayed 
The MRI has more planned stages than any other public/active transport project in QLD!
Stage 3 (The Wave) - operational by 2032.
Stage 1 & 2 (DSCL) - no operational dates 
No mention of busways, or rail corridor for the MRI. 
âUpgraded State-controlled roads, local government roadsâ for public transport projects? 
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What do people think about The Wave (the parts of it that are built as heavy rail) being built as dual gauge, for East Coast HSR compatibility? And to that point, built to a 320km/h standard?
What would be the rough cost difference?
I donât think the feds have indicated (at least at this stage) any intention to go further north than Brisbane.
I donât know specifically enough about the DSCL corridor, but it may not be suitable out of the gate for a 320kph line. It depends on the curve radii for all the bends on the line. Youâre talking curve radii in the order of about 4,000m for those sorts of speeds. For that short(ish) distance, even one bad curve may somewhat defeat the point of trying to reach that speed.
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