Brisbane Metro planned to link with Brisbane Airport jobs hub

It’s Brisbane’s fastest-growing employment hub, and the city council has moved to ensure its new Metro transport system links up with it.

THE Brisbane Metro would be extended to the airport under new plans to make it more affordable for commuters to travel to the city’s fastest-growing employment hub.

The Sunday Mail can reveal Brisbane City Council has pushed for the expansion in a submission to the 2020 Brisbane Airport Master Plan, with the proposal already being welcomed by the airport’s chief executive Gert-Jan de Graaff.

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If the project is given the green light, the new Metro service would potentially run along Airport Drive and even through the Airportlink tunnel on a new public transport corridor, offering a competitive service to the Airtrain.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said current public transport options out to the airport were not up to scratch and were not properly catering for workers.

“It’s one thing for occasional airline passengers to pay the cost of an Airtrain journey but it is unaffordable for the 24,000 workers commuting every day to the airport and the growing jobs hub,” Cr Schrinner said.

“The Metro is a more affordable public transport option that would also make Brisbane a more attractive option for tourists and benefit the local economy.”

The Airtrain costs $19 between the inner-city and airport, while a Metro ticket – under current go card pricing systems – would probably cost about $4 for the same journey.

Brisbane Airport chief executive Gert-Jan De Graaff inspecting work on the new second runway. Picture: Peter Wallis

The council has not costed the plan or even have a time frame for delivery – but it is likely that the proposed line would not be up and running until after 2036, when the Airtrain’s long term exclusivity contract has expired.

“I’d be seeking to talk with the relevant authorities so that affordable public transport can be provided earlier to this booming jobs hub,” Cr Schrinner said.

Mr de Graaff said while the airport had invested heavily in the last decade to meet growth projections, they had been very vocal about the need for similar investments in roads and public transport between the airport and city.

“Inadequate infrastructure severely limits a city or region’s connectivity to the world, and moreover, significantly impacts economic growth through lost business opportunities, employment, and tourism,” he said.

The first and second lines of the Brisbane Metro are expected to be operational by 2023, despite significant roadblocks that will likely blow out the cost of the $944 million project.

A Metro 3 line has also been proposed for the city’s northern suburbs.

The final design for the Metro vehicles is expected to be announced before the end of the year.