Olympics to reheat council push for underground Brisbane Metro station

Lord mayor Adrian Schrinner has raised capacity concerns over the above-ground design for his council’s flagship Brisbane Metro stations south of the CBD, after “settling” on the option with the state government last year.

The site of the Cultural Centre station has been a long-running sore point between the two levels of government, now set to re-emerge should the Queensland capital win hosting rights for the 2032 Olympic Games next month.

Asked on Wednesday whether a 2032 Olympic Games centred in the city would mean a renewed focus on the underground option, Cr Schrinner said: ‘Absolutely’.

Despite council’s Labor opposition warning of further cost blowouts and delays, Cr Schrinner has insisted the $1.2 billion project’s electrified and articulated 24-metre buses would be running by the end of 2023.

Plans for a station under the present high-frequency bus rank area or Convention Centre were put on ice last year after disagreements over the size and location, with the lord mayor saying upgrades to the existing bus station would sustain the city’s travel needs for the next decade.

But asked whether a 2032 Olympic Games centred in the city would mean a renewed focus on the underground option, Cr Schrinner said: “Absolutely”.

“It was always our intention to have the underground Cultural Centre station built as part of Brisbane Metro. We settled on an agreement with the state government that there would be an interim solution reached,” he said.

Initial concept images for the since-shelved underground Brisbane Metro Cultural Centre station at South Brisbane.Credit: Brisbane City Council

“The above-ground station won’t meet the demands of the Olympics [so] we’re now talking to the state government about getting some Olympic funding from the federal and state governments to make sure we can go back to that underground station, which will set us up for the Olympics and well beyond.”

Council has committed $944 million of the project’s cost, with a capped $300 million from the federal government. An Infrastructure Department spokeswoman said new or additional funding proposals would be considered through the usual budget processes.

Advanced modelling on any potential impact of the Olympics is yet to be done.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said while the state wanted the best outcome for commuters, the project was a council one and the local government had to take responsibility for any changes to its design or budget.

“That said, all three levels of government are committed to Brisbane’s transport network being ready to host an Olympics in 2032,” he said, noting he had not yet heard from Cr Schrinner about any change.

“I’m confident that if all parties work together, we can ensure key bus and train stations, like the one being built at the Cultural Centre, can meet the 2032 Games task.”

Labor’s council leader Jared Cassidy said the development was an example of the LNP administration announcing big-ticket items before an election “without doing any homework”.

“Redesign after redesign is costing ratepayers big time,” Cr Cassidy said.

Responding to additional questions in the budget lock-up on Wednesday, the lord mayor said the construction phase of Metro was moving ahead with an unchanged budget.

This will include the “gearing-up” of works for the new Adelaide Street tunnel, major construction at South Bank and the Cultural Centre, along with the Rochedale depot.

Cr Schrinner said services were planned to begin by the end of 2023 even while work was continuing on the planned 21-kilometre route – hoped to eventually extent to the airport.

The budget papers show a planned $218.86 million spend across the 2021-22 financial year, ramping up to $424.12 million two years later. A further $114.52 million is budgeted for 2024-25.

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