First look at Adelaide Street Brisbane Metro Tunnel

The $1.7 billion Brisbane Metro project tunnel is as close to three metres underneath one of the city’s oldest streets and will “deliver a missing link” to the city’s public transport network. VIDEO

• Explained: How the Brisbane Metro will work

Brisbane City Council has given the public its first look inside the $1.7 billion Brisbane Metro project tunnel, with the promise it will reduce the number of buses clogging CBD streets at peak hour by up to a third.

Brisbane City Council civic cabinet chair for transport Councillor Ryan Murphy said it would deliver a missing link in Brisbane’s public transport network, connecting the South East Busway and the Inner Northern Busway.

“In Brisbane, two thirds of all public transport commuters travel by bus, which is why unclogging the bottlenecks in our bus network is important,” he said at the 213-metre Adelaide Street tunnel entrance in Brisbane’s CBD.

“The tunnel will reduce the number of buses clogging CBD streets by up to a third, during the morning and evening peaks.”

Inside the Adelaide St tunnel for the Brisbane Metro. Picture: Liam Kidston

The Adelaide Street tunnelling is being done as close to three metres underneath one of the city’s oldest streets with workers navigating a complex network of utilities, services and heritage buildings, including City Hall.

Brisbane Move head superintendent Brian Marshall said the soft ground, low cover tunnel project required a specialist team from all over the country.

Civic Cabinet Chair for Transport Councillor Ryan Murphy, during Tuesday’s tour of the Brisbane Metro tunnel. Picture: Liam Kidston

“To carry out this job, we’ve purchased specialist drilling rigs to put in the canopy tubes that came from Europe,” he said.

“We’re threading the eye of a needle to get the tunnel between some of Brisbane’s historic buildings … it’s a pretty technical tunnel, one that I put my hand up for coming to do.”

The Adelaide Street tunnelling is being done as close as three metres from the surface. Picture: Liam Kidston

Mr Murphy said that tunnelling under Adelaide Street would continue for at least another 18 months.

“Once we’ve completed tunnelling work, we will need to fit out the tunnel with various electrical, fire safety, drainage systems and CCTV,” he said.

“All of the things that you would expect in a tunnel that need to be there so that we can commission the tunnel for 2024.”

Mr Murphy said that the Metro would benefit all of Brisbane lending to more reliable services that match timetables.

“At the moment, many commuters will have a fast trip on the busway, and they’ll get into the city and they’ll sit on Victoria Bridge during the morning and evening peak due to bus congestion. So that will be a thing of the past,” he said.