Mayor’s pledge to extend Brisbane Metro to city’s north

One of Brisbane’s mayoral candidates has promised to pave the way for the expansion of the newMetro network into the suburbs, while another is dead against it, and the third has proposed plans for “high-frequency” alternatives.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has promised to build a new advanced bus charging station and depot if re-elected, to pave the way for expansion of the Brisbane Metro network to service the city’s northern suburbs.

Mr Schrinner said the state-of-the-art facility was essential for the extension of the electric bus service, which will travel through Herston, Lutwyche, Kedron, Chermside, Aspley and Carseldine.

Currently, the Metro service ends at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.

The depot is proposed for a 5ha council-owned site in Fitzgibbon.

It will include infrastructure to charge and maintain more than 60 Brisbane Metro buses to service the growing population in the city’s north and could pave the way for the network to connect passengers to the airport.

Generic electric Bus Charging station BCC: Photo Steve Pohlner

Labor lord mayoral candidate Tracey Price has a different view to Mr Schrinner, she won’t extend the Metro any further once the current project is complete, which is expected in December.

“We will finish the existing Metro, because it is nearly done. We will not be extending the Metro at this point in time, we do not have that in our desire to do,” Ms Price said.

“He (Mr Schrinner) is committing to extending the Metro, which will be hundreds of millions of dollars and take eight to ten years.

“We can have an immediate effect on congestion in and around our city by using our existing bus networks, connecting them to our trains, increasing frequency and routes. Without hundreds of millions of dollars of expenditure.”

Labor will instead focus on halving the price of all Brisbane bus fares, if elected in March, as part of a significant transport plan to redirect Metro funding into suburban infrastructure.

The party plans to redirect $1 billion worth of spending towards traffic calming and safe school projects, intersection updates, safe cycling pathway updates and public transport initiatives in an effort to curb Brisbane’s crippling congestion.

Meanwhile, Greens lord mayoral candidate Jonathan Sriranganathan has put forward alternatives to the Metro expansion.

Labor Lord Mayor candidate Tracey Price. Photo Steve Pohlner

“The LNP and Labor have stuffed public transport in Brisbane. The current LNP Council has been promising the same bus project (Brisbane Metro) for three elections in a row,” Mr Sriranganathan said earlier this month.

“Even after Cross River Rail and Brisbane Metro are finished, Brisbane’s public transport system will still be patchy, infrequent and unreliable in most of the city.”

His alternative plans include more high-frequency bus routes and making public transport free.

Thirteen priority lanes would be created to allow buses to skip through traffic and 10 existing routes would be upgraded or expanded to bring them to “high-frequency” capacity.

There would also be 15 new services for routes connecting West End to Bulimba, another between The Gap and Northgate, and a service from Chapel Hill to Capalaba via the UQ Green Bridge.

Mr Sriranganathan has also proposed a bold vision to bring trams back to Brisbane with a tram line connecting Mount Gravatt to Hamilton via the Story Bridge.

Mr Schrinner said he hoped the northern network, to be known as the Metro 3 Line, would use the state government’s proposed Northern Transitway and northern busway from Kedron to Bracken Ridge.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner: Photo Steve Pohlner

“This year we will deliver the first services on the turn-up-and-go fully electric Brisbane Metro across two lines and 18 dedicated stations, while also planning to expand the network to new areas,” Mr Schrinner said. “Brisbane Metro North (Metro 3) can deliver better services to hundreds of thousands of northside residents and relieve congestion.

“Northside commuters travelling on a Brisbane Metro will experience a quieter, safer and more comfortable journey, along with significantly improved accessibility.

“We’re confident we will be able to strike an agreement with the state government where we deliver the depot, and they complete their transitway and busway plans.”

Mr Schrinner said the service was crucial to relieving congestion and connecting transport networks to the city’s north.

Jonathan Sriranganathan, Greens candidate for Lord Mayor of Brisbane. Picture: Richard Walker

“We also believe an airport and eastern route through to Carindale is important to improving Brisbane’s public transport system and reducing congestion in the future,” he said.

Council says the proposed depot will mirror the nearly complete facility in Rochedale, which cost $125m to construct and install specialised charging equipment.