Brisbane 2032 Olympics: Exhibition station to service new stadium

Brisbane’s Exhibition train station will receive a major facelift to service Olympic-sized crowds at Victoria Park.

An artist's impression of Exhibition station which will link with the Victoria Park stadium

The Exhibition Cross River Rail station will receive a major facelift to service Olympic-sized crowds at Victoria Park, as the state’s peak transport body praises the state government’s decision to host the 2032 Games at Brisbane’s most accessible site.

The existing station platform will be extended to increase service frequency for match day demand, with upgrades to not affect the 2029 Cross River Rail operation deadline.

Premier David Crisafulli said Exhibition station would be a catalyst infrastructure investment for the government, indicating “a lot of money” would be spent on major new road and rail infrastructure to service the Victoria Park precinct.

“These are multibillion-dollar projects but it’s not just for two weeks of the Olympics and two weeks of the Paralympics, this is infrastructure that a growing state needs,” he said.

“We need to make sure, particularly Exhibition Station, gets a world-class opportunity there.”

“What’s happening at the upgrade to the Ekka means there’ll be more events there.

“What’s happening at the swimming means that you are going to have international events there... and that means that we are going to have to improve transport and that will be part of the plan.”

Transport body RACQ welcomed the stadium site choice saying it was well placed for construction access, with minimal local traffic disruption.

RACQ traffic and safety engineering manager Greg Miszkowycz said the top-tier construction companies to be tasked with the stadium development were highly experienced in mitigation traffic impacts on the community.

“Large-scale construction in highly urban areas inevitably causes some disruption, but it’s the responsibility of builders and local governments to minimise this impact on the community,” he said.

“Traffic disruptions can be mitigated through strategic choices, such as selecting optimal site entry points and limiting construction activities to specific times of the day or night.

“These decisions to reduce impact are informed by detailed planning and modelling conducted well before any construction begins.

“Australia’s construction industry and local governments are highly experienced in executing large projects in dense urban environments and we believe they have the expertise to deliver these stadiums with precision while minimising the impact on the community as much as possible.”

Fortitude Valley and Roma Street stations and new metro bus stations in Herston and at QUT Kelvin Grove will make up the precinct’s transport infrastructure.

A dedicated cycleway path will also circle the perimeter of the site and through the park to connect the northern suburbs and the city.

Originally published as Brisbane 2032 Olympics: Exhibition station to service new stadium