Brisbane Metro priority fast-tracks city and transport systems to world class standing

With Brisbane Metro’s high priority listing and fantastic new leisure and lifestyle projects in the pipeline, the city’s future has never looked so good, writes Graham Quirk

An artist’s impression of the city’s first turn-up-and-go service, Brisbane Metro.

BRISBANE is a city on the move and the recent listing of Brisbane Metro as a high priority for the nation leads several game-changing projects under way in our capital city.

The Brisbane Metro will be the city’s first turn-up-and-go transport, with two lines providing high-capacity public transport and fixing major transport bottlenecks that cause daily congestion in the inner city.

An artist’s impression of a revitalised cultural precinct.

Daily commutes will be up to 50 per cent quicker, which means more leisure time to enjoy our city’s great lifestyle!

Infrastructure Australia last month confirmed the Brisbane Metro as one of six high priority projects of national significance and a feasible, cost-effective solution to Brisbane’s bus congestion issues.

The Brisbane Metro is the No.2 infrastructure priority for the State Government in the southeast and council continues to co-operate with the state to deliver its No.1 priority, Cross River Rail, so these complementary projects can remove critical bottlenecks to our transport networks and economy.

I’ve already announced Brisbane City Council will fund about two-thirds of the estimated $944 million cost of the Brisbane Metro but the positive assessment by Infrastructure Australia provides a strong case to receive a funding contribution from the Federal Government.

Subject to planning approvals and funding, council expects construction to commence next year and the first Brisbane Metro services to be operating in 2023.

An artist’s impression of the Cultural Centre Metro station in South Brisbane.

While Brisbane Metro will deliver world class public transport, Brisbane City Council is creating some fantastic new leisure and lifestyle opportunities to boost our offering for locals and tourists to enjoy.

Tourism is a significant driver of Brisbane’s economy and directly employs about 45,000 people. Brisbane attracted a record 1.3 million overseas visitors in 2017 and spending reached an all-time high of $2.245 billion, while there were 6.5 million domestic visitors whose expenditure rose 15.3 per cent to a record $4.1 billion.

Projects such as Howard Smith Wharves, the Mt Coot-tha Zipline and the River Activation Network will boost our tourism offering and showcase Brisbane as a great place to live, work and relax.

Restoration is well underway to transform the heritage-listed Howard Smith Wharves into a leisure and lifestyle precinct that further enhances Brisbane’s status as a “new world city”. From later this year, visitors to the area will enjoy uninterrupted views of the Story Bridge, the CBD and across the river to Captain Burke Park, as well as an array of event spaces and restaurants, a craft brewery, a brand new park with playground and public open spaces.

Also along the river’s edge, new river transport hubs will soon take shape at New Farm Park and the City Botanic Gardens to enhance leisure and lifestyle opportunities and boost tourism by providing convenient locations to jump aboard Moreton Bay and island cruises, hop-on hop-off city-sights tours and water taxis.

These hubs will be the first of five inner-city locations along the Brisbane River to form a world-class network of river access infrastructure at key entertainment and lifestyle precincts.

Away from the river, Brisbane’s Mt Coot-tha eco-adventure zipline will be a great addition to the leisure and lifestyle of our city with two separate adventures as well as a treetop suspension bridge.

By the end of next year, we should see people zipping along the 1.5km course that will weave through the Mt Coot-tha forest – the longest treetop canopy zipline in Australia. The following year will see action on the megazip and suspension bridge.

These projects are not only a great addition to the leisure and lifestyle opportunities available to locals but a great offering to the city’s 7.8 million tourists each year.

Together with the Brisbane Metro, they will support our city’s liveability and economic prosperity into the future, helping to make Brisbane an even greater place to live, work and relax.

Graham Quirk is Lord Mayor of Brisbane