Brisbane Metro under threat amid war of words between Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, Transport Minister Bart Mellish

After eight years of planning, and a cost blowout from $944 million to $1.7 billion, the Brisbane Metro project could be delayed until 2025 because of a war of words that has erupted over a funding agreement. Here’s why.

A public transport funding stoush could delay the Brisbane Metro by up to a year.

The standoff between Brisbane City Council and the state government threatens to delay the project into 2025.

The Metro services cannot start running until the council and government renegotiate the agreement which dictates how they share the funding needed for Brisbane buses.

Residents have already waited eight years since the Brisbane Metro concept was first announced and seen the project’s cost blow out from $944m to $1.7bn.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said completion of the Brisbane Metro project was at risk if the council and government could not reach a new deal on the funding split.

“Under the requirements for the state government we cannot start operating Brisbane Metro until there is a new contract locked in with the state government,” he said.

“So when we get a new contract locked in, and it’s a contract that provides a fair amount of growth in state support, then we can talk about rolling out Metro services further.

“But at this point in time, until we get a fair deal for the people of Brisbane and for the commuters of Brisbane, we won’t see Metro services start.”

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, inspect Brisbane Metro’s high-tech electric charging facilities in Spring Hill. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Council Transport chairman Ryan Murphy said BCC had been doing the heavy lifting on the public transport network for a decade.

“Council has lifted its subsidy, over the last 10 years our subsidy has grown by 117 per cent and it’s set to increase this year to just shy of $200 million,” he said.

“The state government’s growth funding has stood still in that same time. We fund 25 per cent of service, the state government funds 75 per cent.

“The experience for the travelling public is that they pay higher fares every year, but they get the same services that they got 10 years ago.”

metro vehicles at the charging facility in Spring Hill. Photo Steve Pohlner

Cr Schrinner said the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic city deserved greater investment from the State in its public transport network, to ease traffic congestion.

Cr Murphy will meet with State Transport Minister Bart Mellish next week.

Mr Mellish said he was committed to working with the Council, starting with next week’s meeting and further discussions after the council elections in March.

“Brisbane City Council is admitting they can’t run their own Metro service without a bailout from the state Labor Government,” he said.

“It was the Council’s decision to invest in a bespoke transport product (the Metro). BCC has mismanaged this project from the outset and now wants the state government to pay for it.

“The Miles Government will continue to fund public buses including the new Metro services, via usual contract negotiations, as we do with all operators.

“However it is not the state government’s job to fund the Council.”

Mr Schrinner said Brisbane commuters have 82,000 fewer bus services now, compared to how many were on offer a decade ago.

The Metro services cannot start running until the Council and State renegotiate the agreement which dictates how they share the funding needed for Brisbane buses Photo Steve Pohlner

He said a new transport minister was the ideal opportunity to shift the state government’s long-held stance of capping’s Brisbane bus funding to inflation.

“In Brisbane, two-thirds of public transport commuters travel by bus so that’s where the investment needs to go,” Cr Schrinner said.

But with seven weeks until the council elections, Mr Schrinner is yet to announce a significant election policy announcement.

“There absolutely will be (elections announcements), but our commitments roll on for a number of years to come, they are funded commitments, not election promises,” he said.

“These are things that we have funded in the budget and are happening now that we are committed to delivering.

“Now, other people in this contest, they don’t have a record and they don’t have a budget.

“If Team Schrinner is not in City Hall, you will get a Labor-Greens coalition of chaos that will slow Brisbane down and take this backwards.”

Labor Lord Mayor candidate Tracey Price and Greens candidate for Lord Mayor Jonathan Sriranganathan have both unveiled bold transport plans for Brisbane, if elected.

A Department of Transport and Main Roads spokesman said TMR and the Brisbane City Council (BCC) were working to a proposed schedule to sign contracts well before Metro is due to operate and have established a Bus and Metro Service Contracts Working Group with representatives from BCC and TMR.

“Negotiations have already commenced on the new service contracts. TMR sees no reason why these contracts would not be executed well before Metro officially opens,” the spokesman said.

“TMR approval of the Brisbane Metro project in September 2020 was conditional on operating costs for the new Metro and BCC Bus network not exceeding the existing Queensland Government funding envelope.

“Council knowingly progressed the Brisbane Metro project on this basis and again confirmed this intent to Translink in its recent business case for Brisbane’s New Bus Network. BCC propose where necessary this will be achieved by a net increase in Council’s investment in the network.

“The current deed does not state TMR will not fund any growth services after Metro opens. There are also discussions to collect Metro operating data in its first 12 months of operation so future service contracts can be future proofed to accommodate growth of these services.”